This does not mean that Jesus was not previously responsible for the world; rather, His eternal mission as Savior was solemnly confirmed and openly presented before all heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter 5 of Revelation continues the vision of God\u2019s throne from chapter 4. John sees a scroll in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne, but none of the created beings can open it. Then the Lamb appears\u2014Jesus Christ. He \u201cstood as though it had been slain\u201d: His sacrifice has already been offered, but He is alive, risen, and glorified.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain\u2026 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.\u201d Rev. 5:6\u20137<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The song of the heavenly beings explains why the Lamb is worthy to take the scroll: He was slain and redeemed people by His blood. Therefore, in Adventist understanding, the main scene of Revelation 5 is most naturally connected with Christ\u2019s solemn reception in the heavenly sanctuary after His resurrection and ascension, around AD 31.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.\u201d Rev. 5:9<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is not a description of the beginning of Christ\u2019s ministry in the Most Holy Place in 1844. Adventists connect the prophecy of the special phase of the heavenly judgment primarily with Daniel 7\u20138 and Revelation 14. By contrast, Revelation 5 shows that the whole heavenly government recognizes the risen Christ as worthy to lead the history of salvation to its completion.<\/p>\n Yes, absolutely. The statement that Christ \u201ctook upon Himself responsibility for the fate of the world\u201d should not be understood as if He had previously stood aside. Jesus is not merely a man who at a certain moment was entrusted with a new task. He is the eternal Son of God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.<\/p>\n \u201cAll things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.\u201d John 1:3<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The plan of redemption was not God\u2019s hasty reaction to the Fall. God knew the cost of salvation even \u201cbefore the foundation of the world.\u201d Christ was appointed as Savior, and after the fall of Adam and Eve, the promise of a Deliverer immediately became the foundation of human hope.<\/p>\n \u201cBut with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.\u201d 1 Pet 1:18\u201320<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Therefore, Christ bore responsibility for creation as Creator, for sinners as the promised Redeemer, and for God\u2019s people as Mediator. His love and care did not begin on the day of His ascension.<\/p>\n The scroll with seven seals symbolizes God\u2019s purpose for the history of the world, the conflict between good and evil, judgment, and the final deliverance of God\u2019s people. John weeps because no created being is able to open it. Human wisdom, political power, angelic greatness, or religious merit cannot solve the problem of sin.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.\u201d Rev. 5:5<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Christ \u201cprevailed\u201d not by violence, but by His sacrificial death and resurrection. That is why He has the moral, legal, and royal right to open the scroll. If a commentary speaks of \u201caccepting responsibility,\u201d it would be more accurate to say: Christ publicly assumes His royal right to carry out God\u2019s plan for the world as the crucified and risen Redeemer.<\/p>\n Ellen White describes Christ\u2019s ascension as a moment of heavenly joy and recognition of the completed sacrifice. In The Desire of Ages, she emphasizes that Christ stood before the Father as the Victor who had accomplished redemption. This is not the beginning of God\u2019s love for humanity, but the solemn confirmation of the triumph of that love.<\/p>\n When the twenty-four elders fall before the Lamb, they have harps and golden bowls full of incense. The text itself explains the symbol: these are the prayers of the saints. The heavenly scene shows that the prayers of God\u2019s children are not lost and are not insignificant in the heavenly kingdom. They come before God in the context of the Lamb\u2019s ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cNow when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.\u201d Rev. 5:8<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This does not teach that the elders replace Christ as mediators. The New Testament plainly calls Jesus the only Mediator between God and men. The image of the bowls emphasizes the heavenly value of prayers, rather than establishing prayer to heavenly beings.<\/p>\nWhen does this scene take place?<\/h2>\n
Did Christ bear responsibility for the world before?<\/h2>\n
What does it mean that the Lamb takes the scroll?<\/h2>\n
Why do the elders have bowls with prayers?<\/h2>\n