Scroll With the Seven Seals

When the 24 elders proclaim the sovereignty of God, they end on the thought that "You created all things, and because of Your will they existed" (Rev 4:11), which is a contrast, because when the seals are broken, it is the beginning of the end of human history.

In the right hand of God is the scroll that no one is worthy enough to open and break its seals (Rev 5:2-4). As the apostle John begins to weep, one of the elders announces the appearance of Jesus in heaven, "behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals" (Rev 5:5).

Jesus Christ was the only one who could open the scroll, because He:

1. Overcame the judicial penalty for sin and paid it in full with His death.

2. Overcame the righteous wrath of God His Father and satisfied it completely with His death.

When Jesus takes the scroll from the right hand of God His Father, the songs of worship that follow, emphasizing His death and work of atonement, exalt and praise Him with honor and glory. The four living creatures and twenty four elders praise Jesus for fulfilling the Mosaic Covenant (Ex 19:5-9; Matt 5:17):

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Rev 5:8-10)