The Opening of the Seven Seals

After an introduction to the seven churches, John continues with his vision.  In Revelation 4, John sees the throne of God.  He saw a door open in heaven, and he heard a voice say, "Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."  
John said that he was immediately in the spirit and saw a throne in heaven, and one sitting on the throne.  Jesus?  No, I think he's referring to God the Father.  Well, what did God look like?  "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone."  Oh. Huh?  Jasper would be green and sardine would be red.  Is God red and green?  I'll have to think about this.  
The throne makes more sense.  It sounds very beautiful.  "And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."  A green rainbow?  
And there are important people there.  Four and twenty elders sit around the throne wearing white robes and crowns.  Who are they?  Why twenty four of them?  Well, no one seems to know.  They are leaders.  And the numbers are always important and significant.  
"Out of the throne proceedeth lightnings and thunderings and voices, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne was a sea of glass like unto crystal."
The throne reminds me of a favorite hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy, all the saints adore Thee, casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea."  
Then John mentions the four beasts "in the midst of the throne and round about the throne."  Beasts?  That doesn't sound so good.  Creature might be a better word.  What do they look like?  "They are full of eyes before and behind."  The first beast looks like a lion, the second beast looks like a calf, the third beast has the face of a man, and the fourth beast looks like a flying eagle.  And all the beasts have six wings.  
I suppose there may be four literal beasts before the throne of God, or maybe the description of them refers to characteristics of their roles.  The four beasts never rest, day or night, and say, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come."  And when the beasts give glory to God, the twenty four elders cast their crowns before the throne and fall down before God and praise Him.  
Then John saw that God held in his right hand a scroll sealed with seven seals.  An angel calls for someone to break the seals of the scroll, but no one is found worthy of all mankind.  Then, one of the elders pointed out to John that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David "hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof."  John saw in the midst of the throne, and the four beasts and the twenty four elders a Lamb that had been slain that had seven eyes and seven horns, "which are the seven Spirits of God."  Why would Christ be a Lamb?  The lamb was the sacrifice to God for sins, looking forward to the time when a perfect man/God would come and be sacrificed for the sin of mankind.  I think the Lamb is another example of the characteristic of the role of a figure is explained with figurative speech.  
"When he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints, and they sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people and nation."  
Then John heard millions of angels cry out in glory to Christ.  
This is the scene in heaven described in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, that leads to the opening of the seven seals, which are the first seven judgments of God on the earth during the tribulation.  "The Lamb," Christ, is then ready to begin opening the seven seals.