In chapter four we see the scene in heaven after Christ’s ascension. The throne of God is the center of the scene in chapter four, and God is sitting on the throne ready to execute His universal administration for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. In chapter five we have the same scene after Christ ascended there. As we shall see in this message, the center of this scene is the worthy Lion-Lamb.
Revelation 5:1 says, “And I saw on the right hand of Him who sits upon the throne a scroll, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” God’s administration is a secret, a mystery. Throughout the centuries, many wise men have earnestly tried to learn what the secret of this universe is. Because they did not have the revelation, they failed. In the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we have an unveiling of God’s economy.
In 5:1 the One sitting on the throne has a scroll in His hand sealed with seven seals. These seven seals are actually the contents of the scroll and the contents of the book of Revelation, for this book is the opening, the unveiling, of the seven seals. The scroll itself must be the new covenant, the grand title deed enacted with the blood of the Lamb. The new covenant is a scroll covering the redemption of the church, Israel, the world, and the universe. The book of Revelation is a record of God’s thought concerning the church, Israel, the world, and the universe. When Christ died on the cross, He tasted death not only for man, but for everything (Heb. 2:9). Here we see the secrecy of God’s administration in the universe. While the New Testament was enacted by the death of Christ, it has been a mystery to mankind. The new covenant is the secret of the universe and the content of the book of Revelation. As we read Revelation, we must realize that in vision after vision we are seeing what is included in this new covenant, what is contained in this secret and sealed scroll.
Now, after Christ’s ascension, there should no longer be a secret, for it has been unsealed by Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Before His death, there was a mystery that no man knew anything about. But by His death, resurrection, and ascension, He has fulfilled all of God’s requirements. Thus, as we shall see, He has opened the mystery and revealed it to John, charging him to commit it to writing. Therefore, this book is just the opened secret, or scroll, in God’s hand. It is no longer a secret—it is an open mystery. Now, as we are reading the book of Revelation, we are reading the contents of the scroll that has been unsealed by the ascended Christ. This is a great matter, and few Christians are aware of it. Most Christians have the book of Revelation, but not many have the unsealed scroll, because they do not realize that Revelation is the unsealed scroll.
In 5:2-4 we see that no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. When John first saw the scroll, it was still sealed. If we had been there, we, like John, certainly would have been desirous to see what was contained in that scroll. But John “wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.” If actually no one worthy was found in the whole universe, we would surely need to weep, for the whole universe would be vanity, with none qualified to unveil its secret. If there were no Christ in this universe, the whole universe would weep. But there is Christ, and we do not need to weep.