1 AND I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

1And I saw in þe right hand of him that sate on the Throne, a booke written within, & on the backeside, sealed with seuen seales.

2And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loude voice; Who is worthy to open the booke, and to loose the seales thereof?

3And no man in heauen, nor in earth, neither vnder the earth, was able to open the booke, neither to looke thereon.

4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to reade the booke, neither to looke thereon.

5And one of the Elders saith vnto me, Weepe not: beholde, the Lion of the tribe of Iuda, the roote of Dauid, hath preuailed to open the booke, and to loose the seuen seales thereof.

6And I beheld, and loe, in the middest of the Throne, and of the foure beastes, and in the midst of the Elders stood a Lambe as it had beene slaine, hauing seuen hornes and seuen eyes, which are the seuen Spirits of God, sent foorth into all the earth.

7And he came, and tooke the booke out of the right hand of him that sate vpon the Throne.

8And when he had taken the booke, the foure Beasts, and foure and twenty Elders fel down before the Lambe, hauing euery one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of Saints.

9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Booke, and to open the seales thereof: for thou wast slaine, and hast redeemed vs to God by thy blood, out of euery kinred, and tongue, and people, and nation:

10And hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests, and we shall reigne on the earth.

11And I beheld, and I heard the voyce of many Angels, round about the Throne, and the beasts and the Elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times tenne thousand, and thousands of thousands,

12Saying with a lowd voice, Worthy is the Lambe that was slaine, to receiue power, and riches, and wisedome, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13And euery creature which is in heauen, and on the earth, and vnder the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, honour, glory, and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne, and vnto the Lambe for euer and euer.

14And the foure beasts said, Amen. And the foure and twenty Elders fell downe and worshipped him that liueth for euer and euer.

 

1 I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to examine it. 4 I shed many tears because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. 5 One of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals." 6 Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are the (seven) spirits of God sent out into the whole world. 7 He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. 8 When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones. 9 They sang a new hymn: "Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth." 11 I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number, 12 and they cried out in a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing." 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever." 14 The four living creatures answered, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped

As this chapter begins, the rapture of the Church has already taken place. If there is no break between, only the unsaved will enter the Tribulation. From David’s statement in 2 Sam. 12:23 we know children who have died before the “age of accountability” will be resurrected to go to heaven. The question has been asked, do children who have not yet reached the age of accountability leave at the Rapture or remain on earth even if their parents are raptured? Humanly speaking, we wonder if God could leave those little ones behind to endure the Tribulation and be raised by unsaved relatives or friends. On the other hand, no where in Scripture does it indicate that any one living but the born again will be raptured. We should try to win our children to the Lord at the earliest age possible, then trust that God in His infinite wisdom knows what is best.   
v1. It was significant in ancient custom that the scroll was written both within and without. According to Epp, when a property was removed from a family, a scroll was prepared. Inside were written the details needed to redeem, buy back, the property, then it was sealed. On the outside was written the nature of what was inside, then left with a priest. If one were to redeem the property, he could check the outside to see if he qualified. Three conditions had to be met. He must be a near relative, he must be willing to act, and he must be able to pay the price. Remember in the book of Ruth, one near kinsman had the money but was unwilling to act, whereas Boaz met all three. This scroll is the title deed to the world. Adam  lost dominion of the earth to Satan temporarily. Christ has paid the price to redeem it, but He must return to claim and take it from Satan. . The contents and judgments in the book will be revealed when the seals will begin to be opened in chapter 6. Seven indicates that it will be complete and final.
v 2-4. The outside of the scroll would show that this strong angel or no one else was worthy, had authority, to open the book. It would also indicate that the contents would contain the words for the complete redemption of man, Israel and the earth. Adam, a man, forfeited possession and control of the earth to Satan, so a man must redeem it and open  the book. The work of judgment was ready to begin, so it was a deep grief to John that no one was qualified to open the book.
v 5. Not an angel, but an elder comforted John. Rome had overrun Jerusalem, and the scepter had departed from Judah on earth, but it would be reclaimed. Christ in Gen. 49:8-12 is the Lion with the scepter, or king. In Isa. 11:10 He is the root of Jesse, the father of David. He has the authority to open the book because like Boaz. 1. Christ was a near relative, He became man. 2. He was willing. 3. He was able to pay the price, the Lamb of God, John 1:29, slain for us.
v 6. John had seen Christ in dazzling brightness, but now sees Him as a lamb, slain, the wounds still visible. The seven eyes are declared to be the seven (fold) Spirit of God, but the horns are less clear. They emit the trumpet calls, and Christ is a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, Lk. 1:69.
The seven horns show Christ’s, omnipotence His perfect strength to judge. Seven eyes his omniscience, his perfect knowledge to judge.
His First Coming                     His Second Coming
Meekness                                 Majesty
Savior                                       Sovereignty
Judged                                     Judge
Grace of God                           Government of God

v 7. What Daniel saw in a vision, Dan. 7:13,14, John saw the actual events unfold. In the dramatic moment when Christ takes the book from the Father’s hand, He recognizes Christ as the Redeemer, and it shows that judgment and power over all the earth is now committed unto Christ.
v 8. A time of rejoicing because the 70th week of Daniel which the Jews have been waiting for, and the vindication the Church has been waiting for are about to be fulfilled. Even the choice angels bow down. Each of the twenty four elders had a  harp and a golden bowl with prayers of saints, which were a sweet incense before the Lord They used their harps in worship and their prayers, such as Matt. 6:10, ”thy will be done”, and John 17:23,24, “be with me and behold my glory”,  are going to be answered. Some think the elders are angels, based on many early manuscripts that use “them and they” instead of “us and we” in verses 9 and 10. However, no place in Scripture are angels called elders, but men as elders are frequently mentioned. Rev. 4:4,10 mentions the white robes and crowns which are given to men, never to angels.
v 9. The angelic host sang together at creation, Job 38:7, but now all the redeemed from every people on earth join in with them and the elders in the greatest song. Different from any OT song, this reiterates Christ’s worthiness as explained in verses 5 and 6. Also the recognition that all mankind was redeemed by His blood,
v 10. In Rev. 1:6, 5:10, believers of the Church Age will be supportive and  reign with Christ as kings and priests. Rev. 20:6 clearly states this reign is in the Kingdom Age, but it is not stated that we have to be living on the earth to do so.
v 11. An innumerable chorus of angels (billions) join in the rejoicing that Christ was worthy to open the book. Scripture indicates that each saint has a guardian angel, and there will be more beside those.
v 12. This is a seven fold anthem for Christ’s work of redemption. The same Greek words are sometimes used for Power, Riches Wisdom,  Strength, Honor, Glory, and Blessing.
1 Power. All power is given unto me, Matt. 28:21.
2 Riches. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, 2 Cor. 8:9.
3 Wisdom. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. 2:3.
4 Strength. He destroys all enemies, even death, 1 Thess. 15:24-26.
5 Honor. All men should honor the Son ... as they honor the Father, Jn. 5:22,23.
6 Glory. Glorify me with the glory I had with thee before the world was. Jn. 17:5.
7 Blessing. Praise or eulogy, from Greek elegy. Worthy of eulogies.
v 13. The title deed to the earth covered it and all inhabitants including animals. Adam had been given dominion, Gen. 1:28, it was confirmed to Noah, Gen. 9:1,2,9,10, 16. but when it was lost, all creation groaned, Rom. 8:22. Now all creation rejoices. This is the fulfillment of Philippians 2:9-11 that every knee bow and every tongue confess..... before the Father on the throne and the Lamb, Christ. The Devil who wanted to be like the Most High will even have to acknowledge as he is cast into Hell.
v 14. The song being ended, the four creatures, elders, and no doubt everyone present bows to worship the Lamb. Most of them will be with Him when He comes to reclaim the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

    Title Deed To The Earth

Redeemer must be close relative of mankind

Redeemer must be willing to pay the price

Redemption Price:  Blood of perfect sacrifice   

Page 2 is the seven seal 
1. a white horse: Rider had a bow; and a crown (false peace)

 2. A red horse. Rider with a sword to make war.

 3. A black horse. Rider with a pair of balances in his hand. (famine)

 4. A pale horse: Rider’s name was Death, and Hell followed

 5. Souls of martyrs under the altar crying out to be avenged

 6. Great earthquake. Turmoil in sun, moon and stars. People in fear

 7. Silence in heaven a half hour. Seven angels with seven trumpets