Nowhere does the book of Revelation say explicitly what actually was written in this scroll. It is important for us to note that this scroll is “in the right hand of him who is seated on the throne,” which is to say that its contents have to do with government. Further, we need to note that only Jesus Christ was worthy to open this scroll (Revelation 5:6–14) and that his doing so (Revelation 6:1–17) triggered action on earth connected to the Lord’s work of gathering his church and advancing his kingdom. Does this scroll outline God’s plan for history? Does it contain the names of the elect? For the preacher it ultimately does not matter; what matters is that the Lamb could open it and so cause to happen the things that God had determined “must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1), and that of course relates to how the Lord would advance his kingdom and gather, defend, and preserve his church.