The Book of Redemption

Rev 20:12-15

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 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.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Intro: We have quoted the first seven verses of Revelation 5 because it is the location of the next heavenly scroll that we are going to study tonight. The particular scroll mentioned by John is a very, very, important because if you ever want to rightly interpret the book of Revelation then you need to understand the purpose the Seven Sealed book of Chapter 5. This Scroll has a couple of names often referred by scholars as “The Key to Revelation” this because of what I just told you, and secondly “The Book of Redemption” I am going to refer to this book of seven seals as the book of redemption and also try to teach to you why it can be called “The Book of Redemption”

· The right interpretation of the mysterious little book or scroll will give you the correct understanding of the rest of the book of Revelation. A mistake here, and you will be wrong all the rest of the way. In the fol­lowing messages, therefore, we shall try to set before you the plain Bible teaching concerning the scroll in the hand of Christ mentioned in this chapter and the meaning of the seven seals with which it was sealed.

The Setting of the Scene

· Most of you are familiar with the setting of this chapter. In Revelation 1, we have the vision of the glorified Christ in the majesty of His second coming. In chapters 2 and 3 we have a history of professing Apostolic church prewritten under the figure of the seven churches from Ephesus to Laodicea. When Laodicea has run its course, it is then that John, representing the true Church, is caught away and raptured (Rev. 4:1-3). He is caught away into heaven and sees, first of all, Christ on the throne in all His glory and majesty, followed by heaven’s song of praise and adoration by the entire hosts of glory, the elders, representing the saints of all ages and the four beasts, or living creatures, representing the angelic hosts. Chapter 5 is a continuation of chapter 4. It begins with the conjunction “and” and, therefore, links it with the closing verse of Revelation 4.

The Scene in Heaven

· The scene is in heaven where John was caught up to meet the Lord and where he saw Christ on the throne. At first John sees nothing but Him, the Saviour, and is completely occupied by his rapturous vision of his Lord and his God. But now John notices something else, of which he had not been aware. He sees one sitting on the throne and in the hand of this one is a little book sealed with seven seals. Everything comes to a standstill in heaven while diligent search is made to find someone who can break the seals and open the book. Until that man is found there can be no further revela­tion. Everything hinges upon the finding of one who is worthy to open the book. In this little book is contained the revelation and the account of all that is to follow upon the breaking of the seven seals, the blowing of the seven trumpets and the pouring out of the seven final vials, or bowls, of the wrath of God.

The Book of Redemption

· For the interpretation of the book we must go back to Israel’s history in the Old Testament. In the giving of the numerous laws and regulations, there was a law which dealt with the redemption of three things. God provided that a wife, a slave and a possession might be redeemed. In the case of a wife, if her husband died before leaving offspring, in order that his name might not disappear from the earth the dead husband’s brother was to take the widow as his wife (if he were able) and to perpetuate the name of his departed brother. There was also the law of redemption of a slave. If a man, because of his neglect or misfortune, fell into debt and was legally tried and unable to pay, he was to serve his master to whom he owed this debt as a servant, but the law provided that after six years he could again go free. If in the meantime, however, a near of kin, some close relative, chose to redeem him and were able to meet the payment, he could redeem his poor brother and release him before the six years ended. This marvelous pro­vision is described in Leviticus 25 among the laws of redemption.

The Land Redeemed

· Provision was also made for a third redemption: the redemption of land which had been lost by its owner. In Leviticus 25:23-25 we read:

Lev 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

25 If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

· Now this was the method of redemption. When a man had fallen into debt and lost his property or land, he was taken before the judges and a document was prepared which stated that the land had passed from the debtor into the possession of the one to whom he owed the debt. But this was not a permanent transfer. When the Year of Jubilee came, the land was to be returned to the original owner. In the meantime, however, it could be redeemed and returned to him. This could be done in two ways. Either the man himself could pay the re­demption price, which was unlikely, for he was now a servant, or it could be purchased back by a near relative, an uncle or a closer kin. The papers, therefore, were written on two scrolls of parchment. On both of these were written the terms of the redemption of the lost possession. One scroll was left open in the court of the Temple or Tabernacle for all to read, but the other was rolled up, sealed -with seven seals and placed in the Temple to be brought out only when a kinsman redeemer gave evidence that he was willing and able to redeem it. He would go to the court of the Tabernacle, read the terms of redemption as found in the open public scroll, and then go to the priest or judge and demand that the sealed document be brought forth and the debtor be freed and his property returned. If this kinsman, this relative, were able to show that he was able to pay the redemption price and could meet all the conditions of the law, the sealed scroll was produced and he publicly tore open the seals and invalidated the mortgage and the man could return to his purchased possession.

· As time passed the practice of using one scroll instead of two was adopted. Instead of two scrolls, one public and the other sealed, these were combined into one. One scroll or parchment was used, and the terms of the re­demption of the mortgage was written on both sides, within and without. When the scroll was rolled into a tube and sealed with the seven seals, the inside corres­ponded to the secret record and the outside containing the terms for the public and especially for any kinsman redeemer who might want to know the terms for redeem­ing the lost possession. That is the picture in Revelation 5. There we see the judge of all the earth sitting on His throne and in His hand is this scroll written on the outside and the backside or inside and sealed with seven seals. It is, therefore, a book of redemption. This is evident also from Revelation 5:9-10.

Rev 5:9 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;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

· The song is of redemption and is in anticipation of the reign of the saints of God over the earth.

Who must be Redeemed?

· To understand correctly the meaning of the little book we must determine whose redemption terms it con­tained. In the old Levitical law the scroll had to do with the redemption of land. We have already seen that three things could be redeemed: a servant, a wife and land. At tin’s point in Revelation (chapter 5) the first two have been accomplished. The Church, the bride of Christ, was caught up in the Rapture spoken of in Revelation 4 and we, His servants, have been fully redeemed, having received our resurrection bodies at the Rapture of the Church. But the earth and the creatures of the earth, both vegetable and animal, are still under the curse. The earth itself is still groaning under the curse of man’s sin. These also must be redeemed, for Christ is a perfect Redeemer, and every realm which came under the curse of Adam’s sin must also be deliv­ered by the redemption of the Last Adam.

Adam’s Federal Headship

· When Adam fell he did not fall alone, but fell as the head of the entire terrestrial creation. Through his sin the curse fell upon all that which had been placed under him. Adam was created to be a king, and a king is responsible for his subjects. He is the head of the nation. If, through an act of his, he plunges his nation into war, all his subjects are plunged into war with him, whether right or wrong. This was true also of Adam when he fell. He fell as the head and so the curse of sin fell on all over which he reigned. First, the whole race fell in Adam, and today, all are born sinners and children of wrath because of this headship. This is a fact which cannot be denied. Through Adam’s sin death passed upon all men. Then, too, the ground, the inanimate soil of the earth came under Adam’s curse, for God said in

Genesis 3:17-18:Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

· Not only was the ground cursed and deserts, wastes and barren land appeared under the curse of God, but the vegetable creation was under the curse, and thorns, thistles and weeds sprang up as a result of the perversion of their nature brought by the curse. Not only were the mineral and the vegetable realm affected, but the ani­mals, too, were cursed.

· Listen to the Word of the Lord as He addresses the serpent, who at this time was the highest of God’s creatures under man. He was a beautiful animal, walking upright like a man and having the power of speech and ability to converse with man.

· If God cursed the serpent by causing him to crawl on his belly, then surely before the curse he did not thus crawl. This serpent, therefore, who probably was a very beautiful animal which walked upright, came under the curse of Adam as the representative of all other animals. He was classified among the cattle, that is, among clean animals. Consider God’s curse upon the animal creation through the serpent:

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

· You see that Adam by his sin lost everything. He lost dominion over the earth. The soil, the vegetation and all the animals came under the curse and the sentence of death, and Paul declares in

Romans 8:22:For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travail-eth in pain together until now.

· Christ came to redeem what Adam lost, and He is a perfect and a complete Redeemer. He is the Second Man and the Last Adam, and He will bring deliverance to every realm that came under Adam’s curse. He will redeem the earth, and the desert shall blossom like the rose. He will redeem the vegetable creation, and

Isa 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water:

Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The Redemption of Creation

· Adam lost his dominion over the earth and must battle the forces of nature and fight weeds, thistles, insects, caterpillars, storms, droughts and floods. The animals prey one upon the other, and death and groan­ing and destruction are everywhere.

· Adam lost his inheritance, but God has provided for a plan of redemption whereby that which Adam lost may be redeemed. All this is contained in the little book in the right hand of Him that sitteth upon the throne, of whom we read in Revelation 5. The seven-sealed book contains the terms on which Adam’s lost estate may be redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Adam Lost his Inheritance

· Adam, by his fall, forfeited his right to be a king over 1 the earth and came under the curse. The earth refused to yield her increase normally and man today must wrest from it its treasures by force. Satan today is the god of this age. He holds claim to the earth by reason of Adam’s sin, but the earth is destined to belong to the saints, for Jesus Himself said, “The meek . . . shall inherit the earth.” This earth, the mineral, vegetable and animal realms now lying under the curse, must be redeemed. The terms of this redemption are contained in the seven-sealed book, and a search is made for one who could and would redeem the earth by meeting the conditions set forth in the little book.

The Conditions of Redemptions

· In the Book of Leviticus we are told that one who would redeem a possession lost by a brother must meet three definite conditions:

1. He must be a near relative of the one who had lost the inheritance.

2. He must be willing to act as a Redeemer.

3. He must be able to pay the price of redemption.

· Bear these three requirements clearly in mind. If such a relative were found, he could go to the priest, who was also the judge, and demand that the scroll laid up in the Tabernacle be brought forth, and if he was able to meet the three conditions he was permitted to redeem the lost estate and return it to its previous possessor.

· We find an example of this recorded in Jeremiah 32. In the days of Jeremiah Israel was about to go into cap­tivity because of her sin and lose the inheritance in the land of Palestine, but Jeremiah had confidence in the promise of God that the land would be redeemed and that Israel would return again to the land of her posses­sion. Therefore he posted his intention to redeem the inheritance which was to be lost:

Jer 32:6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.

8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:

12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.

13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

15 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

· Israel was bound for captivity, but Jeremiah’s nephew had lost a possession. Thinking it was lost permanently because of Israel’s captivity, he asked his Uncle Jere­miah, to redeem it, and Jeremiah believed that God would bring Israel back again into the land, and so he re­deemed the possession so that when Israel returned, his nephew or his heirs could claim possession. Therefore he inquired concerning the redemption price. It was seventeen shekels of silver. He paid the money and then took the scroll, both that which was sealed and hid­den and that which was open and public, and gave orders to keep it until the captivity was ended and then it would be returned to its owner. Notice that Jeremiah met the scriptural conditions of the Redeemer:

1. He was a relative, an uncle of the one who lost the possession.

2. He was willing to function as a redeemer, for he obeyed the Lord.

3. He was able. He had the silver to redeem the possession.

The Seven Sealed Book

· I trust that these facts will aid you in interpreting the seven-sealed book in the hand of the One on the throne of whom we read in Revelation 5. God holds the scroll containing the price and condition for redeeming the earth and returning it to those who had lost it because of sin. The entire creation lies under the curse. Soon the redeemed saints are ready to come with Christ to reign upon the earth, but someone must be found worthy, fit and able to meet the redemption terms. Evidently it is not easy to find such a one. A search is made through heaven and earth and Hades and no man is found. The question of the strong angel “Who is worthy to open the book ?” is answered thus:

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

· John says that he wept much. Little wonder! He knew that everything depended upon the finding of a Re­deemer and the opening of the seven-sealed book. If none was found, all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the reign of Christ on earth and the restora­tion of creation and the deliverance of the creatures from the bondage of corruption, as well as the restora­tion of the nation of Israel to the land of Palestine, would and could never be fulfilled. God’s Word would be untrue. This would mean that God had promised to do something which He was not able to accomplish. John wept much because no redeemer was found worthy to open the book, to break the seal and to meet the condi­tions for redeeming the earth from the curse and re­storing it to its Edenic fruitfulness and blessing.

The Lion of Judah

· While John weeps in despair, one of the elders speaks words of encouragement:

Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Rev. 5:5).

· His attention is called to the one and only Redeemer. There can be no mistaking who this One is. He is de­scribed as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Boot of David. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. He is the Man of many titles, and these two are most instructive and enlightening. In Genesis it had been prophesied that out of Judah the Redeemer, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, should come. He is further called the Root of David. What a marvelous and wonderful statement of both the humanity and the Deity of Jesus Christ! As a man He is the offspring of Judah. As God and the eternal Creator He is the root, the origin, the creator of David. In Revelation 22:16 we have a similar statement which forever settles the identity of the One John saw who was worthy to open the seven-sealed book.

· These are Jesus’ own words:

Rev. 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star

· The Lord Jesus Christ is both the root and the off­spring of David. This is mentioned to indicate that He was worthy to open the book and break the seals. You will recall that we cited three qualifications which the Redeemer must possess:

1. He must be fit, by being related.

2. He must be willing.

3. He must be able.

· Two of these conditions are mentioned. He was fit to be a kinsman redeemer because He was the offspring of David. As a man, Jesus was a descendant of David and therefore a human being and near relative of hu­manity, but as the root of David He was God, Omnipotent God, and therefore fully able to be the Redeemer and to pay the infinite price of redemption from the curse of sin. As we shall see, He was also willing.

· This little book or scroll is really not little at all for we have discovered tonight that it contains the terms fro the redemption of the earth from the curse and the bondage of sin. Adam had been made king over and all creation came under him. Then he sinned and the creation came under the curse because of his sin, but the creation, as well as man, may be redeemed if the conditions are met as contained in the mortgage which sin brought upon it.

· The law of the kinsmen redeemer operates also in the plan of redemption. The entire creation was under the curse Adam lost his right to the earth. It must be redeemed.

Redeemed by the Lamb

· So that Lamb spoken of in Revelation 5 steps forward and takes the scroll. It contains the terms for the redemption of this creation. The Lamb, the Lord Jesus, has met the conditions and the scroll is given to Him, but Satan refuses to relinquish his claim upon the earth because of man’s sin, even though the price that God demanded has been met. He refuses to give up his power, so Christ, the Lamb and the Lion, will take it from him by right and by force.

First Seal –He opens the first seal and a white horse of spurious and false peace dashes forth.

Second Seal – He tears open the second seal (Rev. 6:4) and a red horse (the color of blood) dashes forth and the earth is plunged into the bloodiest war in all its history.

Third Seal – He tears open the third seal and a black horse rides out with famine and death and destruct­ion upon the earth.

Fourth Seal – The fourth seal is broken and there rides forth a pale or livid horse called death; disease and pestilence, together with famine, war and hunger, sweep the earth until a third of its population has perished.

· Still the devil and his followers will not acknowledge the rightful King of the earth by virtue of His redemp­tion,

Fifth Seal – so the Lord, the Lamb, opens the fifth seal, and we see the saints under the altar in heaven crying for deliv­erance. They are those who have been martyred and slain and are the justification for the awful judgments to follow upon the earth.

Sixth Seal – The sixth seal of the little book is opened, and anarchy and revolution are rampant. Earth­quakes and terrifying sights in the heavens cause men to hide in caves and pray for the rocks to cover them and the hills to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb as He prepares to open the last seal.

The Seventh Seal

· When He opens the seventh seal, of which we read in Revelation 8, seven trumpeters step forth and as each blows his trumpet there is hail, fire and a volcanic erup­tion which hurls a flaming mountain into the sea and kills a third of the creatures in the sea. The third trump­eter sounds and a giant meteor hits the earth, thus des­troying a third of the supply of drinking water on the earth. The fourth trumpet sounds and the sun is dark­ened in the heavens; the fifth sounds and the bottomless pit is opened and out of it come supernatural demon-beings like locusts tormenting the wicked upon the earth until they cry for death but cannot find it. The sixth angel sounds his trumpet and we behold the preparations for the Battle of Armageddon and the marshaling of an army of two hundred million soldiers for the last great battle the world will see.

The Seventh Trumpet

· When the seventh trumpet sounds we behold seven vials of the wrath of God which will fulfill all judgment, and when the last vial is poured out the end will come and Christ will return. These seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven vials of God’s wrath—these occupy only about seven years between the Rapture of the Church and the coming again of Christ to the earth. The period is called the Tribulation Period, and is divided into two parts of three and one-half years each. The first is called the Tribulation, during which time the seven seals are opened and the seven trumpets blown, and the last half is called the Great Tribulation, and during this period the seven last vials of God’s wrath are poured out upon the earth.

· All this is implied in the little seven-sealed book of which we read in Revelation 5. You will see from this what we meant when we told you that the seven-sealed book described in Revelation 5 was the key to the remain­der of the book of the Revelation. As Christ opens the seals, the judgments which will purify the earth, redeem Israel and then produce a new earth in which even the creatures are redeemed, will be poured out, until it ap­pears that all humanity will perish from the earth, and then suddenly, after the last vial has been poured out, the Lord will return, as we read in Revelation 19:11.

Here is the graphic account:

Rev. 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. . . And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the na­tions: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Al­mighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

· AND NOW YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE BOOK OF SEVEN SEALS…now otherwise known as THE BOOK OF REDEMPTION…

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