In this vision, John sees an official document that has been sealed. At the time, the more important a document was, the more seals it had on. The fact that there are seven seals shows that this document was extremely important.
Among the official documents that were sealed more than once were testaments/wills. There was one seal on the outside, visible to all. The inside of the pages was only visible once the seal was broken. Only the recipient was qualified to open it, and once the seals were broken, the dispositions of the testament were applied. Sealed documents were also used to empower a person who was receiving authority in the public domain. Again, the person was known in advance and designated for that role. But access to that authority was gained when the document was opened by breaking the seals.
These two examples help us understand the meaning of this vision: God has finally found a worthy candidate to inherit the earth and become its King! To qualify, Jesus offered his life as a sacrifice to make up for and repair the consequences of sin and restore the whole creation. Jesus has been designated king and heir, and the day is coming when He will be publicly and visibly invested in this role. This day full of joy and celebration is the most important event in the future of our world. And the expectation of this day of joy and feast should prevail over all other expectations for the future.
Certainly, before this happens, there are still some jolts to go through. Those are described in the visions that follow and they describe the opening of the seals. But these things are of less importance compared to their glorious outcome!
Prayer
Jesus, I acclaim you as heir and king of this land! I am happy to be among those who already recognize you as such today, and I look forward to the day when you will be publicly recognized by the whole world! I pray that the expectation of that moment will take more and more place in my heart! Help me not to let myself be impressed by the tremors happening in the meantime, but help me keep my eyes fixed on the glorious outcome!
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