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Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. This is Pastor Tom and we are looking at
Revelation Chapter 5 this week, Day 1. We're going to focus on Verse 1.

Remember Revelation 4 and 5 are this awesome worship service in heaven. Last
week as we looked at Chapter 4 we looked at the one who was on the throne. We
looked at that which was encircling the throne, the rainbow.

We looked at those who were around the throne, the twenty-four elders and the
four living creatures. We looked at the sea of glass and this incredible
experience that John had when he went to this worship service in heaven. In
Chapter 5 that worship continues and something happens in that time of worship
that John is witnessing that begins to open the door to God's plan for the ages,
God's plan for this earth.

In Revelation Chapter 5, Verse 1, it's not what's on the throne or encircling
the throne or around the throne that John sees. It's what he sees in the hand of
the one on the throne. He sees a scroll.

Let me read for you that verse, Revelation 5, 1. "Then I saw in the right hand
of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with
seven seals. " John sees a scroll sealed with seven seals and as we walk through
the book of Revelation the next number of chapters we're going to see that
scroll opened.

This scroll, you need to know this to understand the book of Revelation, this
scroll was something that was very familiar to every reader in that day. It's
like if you read today I saw that he had an iPhone in his hand. We'd all know
what that means.

Two thousand years from now people would have no idea what that means. When they
read of a scroll in somebody's hand they knew what it meant and knowing the
history of that, understanding that, makes all the difference in the world in
understanding the book of Revelation. Let me tell you about this scroll.

It was a Roman custom of making a will in which there was included a ceremony
involving a testator and seven witnesses and for each of the seven witnesses as
the will was written down there was a seal and in addition as a part of this
unveiling when it finally came about that this will, this last will and
testament of a person's life would be given there was also a very reliable
friend who selected would purchase property for this family. In this way, by the
way that the way the Romans did it, the property would become the property of
the reliable friend and upon the death of the testator the very reliable friend
would return the property to all the rightful heirs. This is just how it was
done.

Now that's a long legal explanation but it's very important because for the
document that caused all this to happen there was a long scroll of parchment
that was used and the writer of the document the one writing down the will would
begin and he would write what was being given and then after a time he would
stop he'd roll up the parchment a bit and enough to cover the words that were
there and then he would seal the scroll with wax and then he'd write some more
and then he would roll it up and seal another portion and so this entire scroll
as he went through it the scroll of the last will and testament of somebody
would be sealed with seven seals the scroll that said this is the inheritance of
those who are reading it would be sealed with seven seals and when the scroll
was read then it would be unsealed a seal at a time. Now think about this with
me in the picture of what they knew in that day Jesus Christ in essence is the
reliable friend who's purchased who's paid for our redemption and here he is the
one we're going to see who opens these seals which provide for our inheritance.
He is reclaiming for us what was lost by Adam because he is the faithful
reliable friend he's the one who's given his life for us.

Now these seals they were used to keep unauthorized people from opening this
scroll before it was time for it to be opened only a worthy person only the
person with the right credentials could open the seals could read the
inheritance could give the inheritance to those who were heirs. This same habit
was also in the Jewish people. Chriswell points out as he writes about what
happened in the book of Revelation W.

A. Chriswell points out that if a Jewish family were to lose its property or
possessions by some kind of misfortune or distress that property would not be
permanently taken from them. The Old Testament law provides for that.

Their losses were listed in a scroll and it was sealed seven times then the
conditions necessary to purchase back the land and the possessions were written
on the outside of the scroll and when a qualified redeemer could be found who
could meet the requirements to redeem to reclaim then then the scroll could be
opened then the inheritance could be given then the heirs could be blessed
again. So seven seals in Roman and Jewish law they both represented a document
of inheritance and one who was worthy needed to be found who could open this
scroll. The importance of this is vast in the book of Revelation.

The scroll is the key to the book because we're going to see as we get to the
end of the seven seals there are seven trumpets and we're going to see as we get
to the end of the seven trumpets there are seven bowls they're all tied to each
other. Don't miss this point all of them the seals the bowls the trumpets
they're all about the gaining of your inheritance in Jesus Christ. Those who try
to unjustly take your inheritance they are destroyed and those who overcome by
faith and grace they receive the inheritance.

The scroll John says it's written on the front and the back that was hardly ever
done. You would always write on one side of a scroll because one side had been
smoothed down to be written on. It was rough paper rough papyrus but on one side
they would smooth it out by rubbing it out so you could write on it more easily
but if there was a lot to be said there's more than could be said on one side
then it would be written on both sides it was this full it was this important
message that was given and here it is these seven seals that are going to be
unrolled so that you can find out about your inheritance in Jesus Christ.

Now that inheritance as it's given that means some things have to be lost. There
are some things in this world that we hang on to that I hang on to too and
there's probably some you hang on to that we're not going to inherit because
this world is not going to last and as we go through what happens in the book of
Revelation God's going to show us this world doesn't last but that's not the
whole purpose of the seven seals that's not the whole purpose of what God's
message is the purpose is to show us our inheritance. When you understand that
you begin to get the book of Revelation in a whole new way it's not God telling
us how things are going to be destroyed it's God telling us how his inheritance
is going to be given the old is going to be taken away and the new is going to
come just like happened in your life when you became a believer in Jesus Christ
the old passed away and the new has been given the entire creation of God heaven
and earth all of creation is going to experience that same thing and that is
what the book of Revelation is about.

Let's take a minute to thank him. Jesus Christ we want to take a moment to thank
you for the inheritance that you have for us thank you for the inheritance
that's found in being your son that's found in being your daughter and thank you
thank you Jesus that you are worthy to gain that inheritance and to give that
inheritance you gained that inheritance on the cross gave your life for us and
you will give that inheritance into all eternity Lord remind me remind us today
that that inheritance it's not in this earth oh you bless us on this earth you
do wonderful things in our lives and through our lives on this earth and we are
thankful for those blessings but that's not our inheritance our inheritance is
in eternity our inheritance is with you our inheritance is enjoying your
presence and your blessings and the purpose you have for us for all of eternity
that is what we thank you for and I pray specifically that as we read through
the rest of this book in light of the loss of the things on this earth that you
continue to remind us that it's for a purpose that you're looking forward to
creating a new heaven and a new earth just like you created a new heart in us
through your love Jesus Christ and we thank you for that in your name amen. Well
join us tomorrow we're going to talk together about the importance of this
inheritance.