‘And I saw on the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the outside, close sealed with seven seals.'
The fact that the scroll is sealed demonstrates its great, official importance. The number of seals demonstrates the divine perfection and completeness of its contents. The number seven was seen worldwide as the number of divine perfection. It also demonstrates that it contains within itself the whole plan of God. It is complete in itself.
In the law of that time an important will or other official document had to be sealed by seven witnesses. It could then only be opened by an authorised person. The same is clearly true here. But its even greater importance lies in the fact that it was on the Sovereign God's right hand. It clearly contains within it the will and purpose of God. Thus once it is opened His purpose will be carried out and His will will be done. But it is awaiting the proper time. The use of ‘on' rather than ‘in' suggests that it is lying there in His hand waiting for the One Who is worthy to take it.
The expressions used in this verse are partly taken from Isaiah 29:11; Ezekiel 2:9-10 and Daniel 8:26. In Isaiah there is a sealed book, sealed because the people have refused to listen to the prophets, and therefore prophecy will be withheld. It must await a future day. Now prophecy will be opened up and fulfilled. In Ezekiel 2:9-10 Ezekiel receives a scroll written within and without, as here, and ‘there was written in it lamentations and mournings and woe'. The scroll here is partly patterned on that scroll for its description and contents are similar. In Daniel 8:26 Daniel is told to ‘shut up the vision for it belongs to many days to come'. Now the vision will be revealed and come into action.
Here then we have a scroll, perfectly sealed, written within and without and full of lamentations and mournings and woe, which contains the vision of future days and is about to be opened up. It contains the fulfilment of prophecy. The coming of the Word made flesh has meant a new beginning.