In ch 5, Christ received the scroll from God and opened it as a representation of his assumption of authority over his Father’s plan of salvation. Here John accepts his role as prophet in the unfolding of God’s plan. The little scroll already lay open. The verb is a perfect participle suggesting completed action with enduring consequences. The scroll is open and cannot be closed. Christ’s ironic victory through suffering and death completes God’s provision of salvation. He established a kingdom in