Redeemed
A moment of pure awe is before John as he witnesses an incredible scene in heaven. Thunder and lightning and voices at amazing volumes right before him must have cause a shaking through his every fiber. Also before him angels and saints alike, worshipping the “Almighty God who was and is and is to come.” (1) All the amazement is paused for John when he hears “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” (2) The importance of the scroll seizes John’s attention to the point of “tears in heaven.” The scroll is of redemptive importance as it is terms to a contract, the One who opens is of great significance because He is the “only” Person who can open it; and of course the mystery of what is inside matters much as it deals with a return of property.
Almighty God sits on the Throne with a very important piece of legislation on His right hand. In Revelation Unveiled, Tim Lahaye writes “It is evident at the outset that this is a scroll intensely related to the human race, for angelic beings are excluded from opening it. Instead the angel is looking for a human being.” (3) John desperately cries as he looks at the seven sealed document knowing what he is looking at is a return of property that only an earthly kinsmen of the possession can claim, and if not redeemed than it stays sealed and its contents unloosed.
The Jewish law of redemption states; whenever you sold or forfeited property you had the right to buy it back in a stipulated time, and if you had passed away then your closest relative could buy back your property which would have passed to them if it would not have been sold in the first place. The Prophet Jeremiah in his book on the 32nd chapter shows us the law of redemption as he buys his cousins land because “the right of inheritance…and the redemption” (4) was his. He also “took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom.” (5) The ownership deed was “rolled up and sealed with seven seals and placed in storage at the temple.” (6) John understood the scene he was looking at, with tears in eyes he knew the scroll “was brought out only when someone showed proof of their right to redeem,” (7) as it said “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.” (8)
Then John’s despair is eased by a saint who steps forward and proclaims to him that One has been found; “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”(9) The law of redemption states that only a relative of the original owner could receive the property determined in the sealed document. God created men and women to govern the earth and to subdue it, (10) but their sin placed them under someone else’s authority, as the bible states “when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey…” (11) Adam obeyed sin and lost his ownership of the land and placed himself “according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (12) Striped of his authority, Adam now submits to the fleshly nature and finds it impossible to please God. (13) This has been man’s condemnation since the fruit bite, better yet the snake bite filled with venom that brought a downward spiral; man now cries “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (14)
Jesus made it clear from the beginning of His ministry recorded in Luke “The Spirit of the Lord is on me…He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…and…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (15) The year of the Lord’s favor was none other than a shadow of the year of Jubilee, when properties were returned to their rightful owners and men sold under slavery were set free. This was Jesus ministry as the Messiah; but also as the next of kin. He was direct descendant of Adam in the earthly sense, but even more; they both had the same Father, and were both perfect. That is why there was not found no one who could redeem so God Himself had to provide a sacrifice for redemption to buy back His creation who had sold themselves into slavery to sin. No one else was a genuine relative of the original Adam which was perfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (16) God says “My glory I will not give to another” (17) and also, Father God speaks to God the Son and says “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people…to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.” (18) Praise God, Jesus becomes our redeemer!!! “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (19) John beholds the Lamb as He takes the scroll and heaven erupts in worship and song, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood…” (20) Jesus our Lamb is only One worthy of opening the seal and so He does. The first seal is opened and with that the eviction commences. God wants what he created back, but only those who call out Abba Father! Anyone who does not call Him Father, have forfeited their right to Him and have picked another father which is the devil because it is his works that they do. (21) And so the land will return to the rightful owner; God, and all who oppose will be cast into hell and later the lake of fire which will burn for eternity. The Holy One “will not contend with man forever,” (22) the scroll is the rights to the property, and that written on the inside is the judgments of those not allied to the rightful Owner.
The scroll that John saw was God’s right to regain his created property, with Jesus our Redeemer as the sole person who could retrieve it because He proved Himself perfect, and that which is on the inside written is the eviction of the devil and all who stand next to him whether knowingly or through their sinful lifestyle to be exiled for eternity from God’s presence. God will fulfill His purpose and take back His possession; Jesus said “relax I already won.” (23) He also said while on the cross “it is finished.” (24) This is our hope in Christ, that He has redeemed us. It does not matter what we may go through let us not lose hope and say as Job said while passing through his trial “For I know that my Redeemer lives…and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (25)
When John saw the scroll in his vision come to pass and all the saints were in heaven worshiping the King of kings and Lord of lords, and all hell like substance had been thrown into the lake of fire; peace must have consumed him. But then he woke and I can only wonder his first words as he returned to normality: “COME, LORD JESUS!!!” (26)
Bibliography
Revelation 4:8 NKJV
Revelation 5:2 NKJV
Revelation Unveiled; Tim Lahaye; Chapter 12 page 124
Jeremiah 32:8 NKJV
Jeremiah 32:11 NKJV
The Book of Revelation; the Smart Guide to the Bible Series; Revelation 5; page 69; Author Daymond R. Duck
The Book of Revelation; the Smart Guide to the Bible Series; Revelation 5; page 69; Author Daymond R. Duck
Revelation 5:3 NKJV
Revelation 5:5 NKJV
Genesis 1:28 NKJV
Romans 6:16 NIV Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Ephesians 2:2 NASB
Romans 8:8 NIV Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
Romans 7:24-25
Luke 4:18-19; “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Romans 3:23
Isaiah 42:8
Isaiah 42:6-7; “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
1 John 3:8 NASB
Revelation 5:9
1 John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
Genesis 6:3 NIV
My own translation of John 16:33c …but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
John 19:30
Job 19:25-27
Revelation 22:20
By: Jacob Rodriguez
