John sees a scroll in the right hand of the one on the throne, sealed with seven seals. An angel asks who is worthy to open the scroll, but no one in heaven or on earth is able. John weeps.
Then one of the elders tells him 'Do not weep! The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed and is able to open the scroll.' John looks and sees a Lamb standing as if slain. The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God.
The shift from Lion to Lamb is crucial. The one worthy of rulership isn't powerful in the way we imagine. He's powerful through sacrifice. Through death. The Lamb standing as if slain has conquered not through might but through willing surrender.
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