Rev. 5:4, 5  "And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."

Several verses of scripture shows that the book of salvation was closed until it pleased the Lord to open it:

1. Matt. 13:17 "For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."
2. Lk. 10:24 "For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."
3. Dan. 12:4 "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
4. Dan. 12:8 "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."
5. Gal. 3:23 "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed."
6. Eph. 3:5 "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;"
7. 1 Pet. 1:10 "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."

To find no man worthy to open the book of salvation or to read thereon is cause for weeping. This is why John wept. Just how much weeping would we do today if we had no knowledge of salvation from sin? We would see ourselves as condemned sinners and worthy of God's wrath with no way to escape. Isaiah saw himself in this way until the seraphim revealed his deliverance: Is. 6:5 "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." The publican cried out because of his sinful condition and would have remained condemned in his heart except for the Lord's revelation: Lk. 18:13 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

The Lord is that worthy one who was found worthy to open the book and to unloose the seals thereof. He was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. He was conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin. He was that Holy Child. He was the one who kept the law to a jot and a tittle. He was the one whom the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." In every aspect imaginable he was perfect and worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.

He is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." Israel prophesied concerning the tribe of Judah in Gen. 49:10 "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk." This Shiloh was Jesus. He is the one who bound his foal unto the vine and his ass's colt unto the choice vine. The kings were from the tribe of Judah until the everlasting king came and that was King Jesus. The lion is sometimes used in the scriptures to represent a king:

1. Prov. 20:2 "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul."
2. Ezek. 32:2 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers."
3. Jer. 4:7 "The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant."
4. Jer. 50:17 "Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones."

Next, he is called the Root of David. The plant shoots forth from the root. The root provides the stability, structure, and nutrients for the plant. David was the king of Israel to which the Lord promised to establish an everlasting kingdom of his seed: 2 Sam. 7:12 "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever." As the Root of David, the Lord chose and setup David to be king over Israel, then gave him the promise that his seed would be established in an everlasting kingdom, and then He became the promised seed to reign as King over this everlasting kingdom. Therefore the Lord is both the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. He is also that worthy one who prevailed to open the book of salvation and to unloose the seven seals thereof.