4:1-11
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Now we are introduced the judgments that will take place during the end, and these judgments begin with a description of the throne room of God, in heaven, a place that Paul referred to as the “third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).
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The throne room of God contains angelic beings and elders that repeatedly praise and worship God.
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In particular, they worship God because He is holy, worthy, and because He is the eternal God who created all things.
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If anything, we ought to worship God because He is the Creator. In the unbelieving world, people “worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).
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Sinning against God is really self-worship. But when we understand what it means that God is the Creator, and that we are mere creatures under His powerful dominion, we will want to submit to Him.
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5:1-14
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Then we see that the Lamb—which is Jesus Christ—is also worthy of all honor and praise, since He is the only one who can open this scroll we read about. Christ opening the scroll means that He is the one to release the judgments upon the earth.
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This scroll or book is similar to the book that Daniel was commanded to seal until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4). Both of these books, now secret, will be opened. These two books are tied together and discuss similar topics, but they are separate books, both of which become important during the end.
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