What is this scroll with the seven seals? There is writing on both sides, but you will notice that no one ever reads from it. Instead, the whole saga of Revelation, the play that is about to unfold, is triggered by the Lamb opening the seals.
I think this is a good place to talk about the bigger picture of John’s vision, specifically the way it is laid out. The scroll itself contains the story that is played out before the throne room audience. The story is presented like one peeling an onion.
First, we have the seven seals. Upon opening the seventh seal, we have seven trumpets. After the blast of the seventh trumpet, we have seven bowls of God’s wrath. Following all this, we have the final judgment succeeded by the new heaven and new earth that restores the tree of life and the river of Eden and the fulfillment of God’s original purposes seen in Genesis 1 and 2.
All of these sevens are a way to tell the story of judgment and the triumph of the Lamb over his enemies. This reminds me of fractals. As you peel the onion, you find the same story being told in a new way with descriptions that enlighten the mind of the hearer. When we read Revelation with this paradigm, all the charts and timelines become trivial, and Jesus takes center stage where he belongs. You see, it’s all about Him! Christ is all!
I think this is a good place to talk about the bigger picture of John’s vision, specifically the way it is laid out. The scroll itself contains the story that is played out before the throne room audience. The story is presented like one peeling an onion.
First, we have the seven seals. Upon opening the seventh seal, we have seven trumpets. After the blast of the seventh trumpet, we have seven bowls of God’s wrath. Following all this, we have the final judgment succeeded by the new heaven and new earth that restores the tree of life and the river of Eden and the fulfillment of God’s original purposes seen in Genesis 1 and 2.
All of these sevens are a way to tell the story of judgment and the triumph of the Lamb over his enemies. This reminds me of fractals. As you peel the onion, you find the same story being told in a new way with descriptions that enlighten the mind of the hearer. When we read Revelation with this paradigm, all the charts and timelines become trivial, and Jesus takes center stage where he belongs. You see, it’s all about Him! Christ is all!
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