Breaking Seals

Last week (ironically, on Tuesday, June 6, 2006), I was tucking my four-year-old son into bed and after we had read a story and sang a couple of songs, I noticed that he looked a bit scared when I began crawling out of his bunk.

I sat back next to him and asked if he was scared. He nodded his head and said, "uh-um," which means yes. I asked why, and he wouldn't say. Since he had been watching a lot of the old Scooby Doo shows and the movie, Monsters, Inc., I asked him if he had a monster. He nodded, "uh-um." I then asked him about his monster:

"What color is your monster?"
"Blue." He said in his quiet, tired boy voice.
"Is he smooth and hard, or soft and furry?"
"Soft."
"Does he like to sing?"
"Uh-aeh." (No.)
"Is he a mean monster or is he nice?"
"Nice."

Then, he went on to talk more about his monster:
"He loves to give kisses."
"What else does he like to do?"
"Seals."
"Seals?"
"Yeah, he likes to break 'em."
"He likes to break seals?"
"Yeah. P-chchchah." He said as he mimicked how the monster breaks seals.
"Really? He breaks seals?"
"Yup. P-chchchah."

My son, who was previously so tired that all I got were one word or grunt answers, was now describing what his monster likes to do, in such a matter of fact way, even though he was tired. It wasn't like he was really thinking hard to make the story up about the seals, but rather telling me what he had seen. The sound effect of breaking the seals is what really got me, because even though he was tired, he was so quietly animated about it.

I laid beside my son quietly for a while, trying to understand his "monster." Then, out of the blue, I asked him if he wanted to say a prayer, and he said, "uh-um." I don't normally pray with my kids as they fall asleep, but felt the need to do so that night. I don't remember the prayer I said, but he listened as he lay there, probably watching his monster. I then kissed him on the forehead, and said "I love you." He replied, "I love you, too." I pulled the covers up for him, and proceeded down the bunk ladder. He then quietly fell asleep.

That got me wondering. Where did he get the idea about seals, besides seals that swim in the sea? And breaking seals, of all things? We don't read Revelations stories to our kids, and the Bible stories they do hear are the watered down kid versions from hardboard books.

Then, I thought, who is his monster? It had been a while since I had read Revelations, so I was a bit concerned about the character of his monster. After reading Revelations, chapter five, I am relieved.

Revelations 5:1-10
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[or the sevenfold Spirit] of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."