Rev.5:1 – I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
The opening of this scroll marks the literal climax of human history. Everything that has happened before this over history seems as nothing and totally insignificant in comparison to what this scroll will reveal. Some say this scroll is the title deed to earth and others say it was the pronouncement of God’s final plan for man. This scroll appears to render God’s final judgement on man’s stewardship of His earth and the announcing of the ramifications of that stewardship. For some Revelation marks the beginning of a life in Paradise experiencing a life filled with the love of God and the joy of the Holy Spirit. For others it is the pronouncement of suffering and torment because of the rejecting of our Savior. It literally contains the best and the worst of news dependent on what you did with the claims of Christ. Here is how the ESV STUDY BIBLE describes this passage.
“A scroll written within and on the back is like the scroll given to Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:9–3:3) but is atypical of most ancient manuscripts, since the irregular texture of the reverse side of either vellum (leather) or papyrus made them hard to inscribe. However, such a doubly inscribed scroll would resemble a Roman will or contract deed, with the contents written in detail inside and summarized briefly outside, then sealed with seven seals. The scroll John sees could symbolize a will that is to be opened and its contents executed; or it could symbolize God’s covenant with mankind, with the covenant curses that will be poured out due to mankind’s breaking of the contract. In a broader sense, the scroll contains God’s purposes for history, but its seven seals prevent the full disclosure and enactment of its contents.”
We can see the conflict in society more and more clearly as the years go by. The godlessness in society has gone from being tolerated to being celebrated. The sins of man are becoming more blatant as time goes on. At the same time a new boldness and holiness is coming on God’s people. The description of the last days in the book of Revelation is becoming more and more real to us as time goes on. The two things we can be sure of is this; there will be a worldwide judgement on sin that will be unthinkable and at the same time a harvest of souls that will bring God’s people into something just as unthinkable, an eternal joy beyond all of our dreams.
