THE BATTLE FOR PLANET EARTH
THE BATTLE FOR PLANET EARTH
Revelation 5:1-7
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nd 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.”
The seven-sealed book is one of the great prophetic mysteries of all the Bible as well as the key to understanding the entire book of Revelation.
Revelation 5 begins with a glimpse of One sitting on the throne with a book in His right hand. The One on the throne is the Fatherand the seven-sealed book is the “title deed” to planet earth.
Title Deed:
A deed or document containing or constituting
evidence of Ownership
Adam was given dominion of all the earth. Dominion means ownership, authority and power over property. When Adam sinned, he forfeited the dominion of the earth to Satan, who became the god of this world. Part of the purpose of the Tribulation period is to redeem the earthfrom the curse of sin. Back in Genesis 3, we find that because of sin, a curse was placed upon the following three things: the serpent, the ground (earth), and man. Satan’s destiny is set; he will not be redeemed. Man's soul is redeemed the moment he places his faith in Messiah.The earth is still under the curse and shall be redeemed during the Tribulation, Daniel's 70th week (See Daniel 9:24, 12:4-9, and Isaiah 29:9-16). Satan will not give up dominion of the earth without a fight. Jesus will take back possession of the planet after the rapture and during the 70thweek of Daniel with the opening of the seven seals. The Kingdom is ushered in at the 70thJubilee when Christ comes back to earth on a white horse! It is His “second coming” and Christ will have the title deed in His hand when He comes back to re-claim the planet. An understanding of this seven-sealed book will give you a deeper understanding of end-time events.
The Battle for Planet Earth
We learn in the book of Ruth that only a near Kinsman had the right to redeem property in Bible days. Revelation 5: 2 asks, "Who is worthy to open the book ...?" John weeps much because no man is found in Heaven or earth who is worthy to open the book. John is weeping for good reason. He knows that if the book is not opened, the earth will not be redeemed. If the earth is not redeemed, the church cannot return to the earth for the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Satan will retain possession of the planet during the Kingdom Ageand Scripture will not be fulfilled. That is certainly something to weep about!
In Revelation 5:5, one of the twenty-four elders shouts that someone has prevailed and is worthy to open the book.
Revelation 5:5 “ 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.”
Of course, this is Jesus Christ who is our Kinsman Redeemer!
Revelation 5:7 “ And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”
Jesus takes the book from the Father because He, and only He, meets the requirements of the Kinsman Redeemer. To fully understand Revelation 5 and this seven-sealed book, whichI call the “title deed” to the earth, youneed to understand the laws of the Kinsman Redeemer as given to us in the Old Testament.
Three things that could be redeemedin Bible days:
1. Widow- The brother of a deceased husband was to take his brother's wife as his own, as long as he could support her. In the book of Ruthwe see that Boaz played the role of a kinsman redeemer, and redeemed Naomi’s land and also took Ruth for his wife. Didyouknow that the Lord Jesus is in the lineage of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4)?
Jesus fulfilled his role of Kinsman Redeemer by redeeming us. The church is the bride of Christ and was redeemedby the blood of the Lamb at Calvary.
2. Bond Slave - One who could not pay his debts became a bond slave to his creditor for up to six years. We, too, were slaves to sin, but Romans 6:1-14 tells us we are redeemed and do not have to be a slave to sin!
3. Land- Lost due to debt.
In the case of land in Israel, Leviticus gives us the law of redemption concerning property. Unlike a slave or a widow, when a person lost his property due to debt, a scroll was written up by the judges, and ownership of the land was transferred to the creditor. It was kind of like a bank repossession or foreclosure in our day. However, this was not a permanent transfer amongst the Israelites, as all land would go back to the original owner at the year of Jubilee. A document called a scroll would be written up. Inside that scroll would be the terms of redemption for the property. In other words, the cost of paying the debt owed on the property in order to get it back. This scroll would then be sealeduntil a kinsman came in to redeem the land, or the debtor came up with the money owed, or the day of Jubilee, which occurred every forty-nine years. The seal could only be brokenby a person who met the qualifications. This document is exactlywhat the scroll in Revelation 5 represents! It, too, is sealed, and it, too, contains the terms of redemption of property. I call it the “title deed” of all the earth, whichis right now owned and controlled by Satan. Adam was given dominion over the earthuntil he sinned and gave up that dominion to the Devil.
During the Tribulation, the seven-sealedbook shall be opened. The terms of redemption of this sin-cursedworldshall be revealed. The price will be paid in full by Christ, the Kinsman Redeemer. In Leviticus 25:1-55, it gives us three qualifications of the one who could redeem property. This explainswhy none werefound worthy inHeaven and earth to open the book, except the Lord Jesus. Let us look at these three requirements that Christ alone fulfilled:
Requirements of the Kinsman Redeemer
1. He must be a near kinsman of the person who lost the inheritance.
Revelation 5:5“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.”
Jesus fulfilled this role. He is of the right tribe and lineage. He was and is the only one who can!
2 . He must be able to redeem it .
He must have the financial ability to redeem it. Praise the Lord, He owns“…the cattle upon a thousand hills ." Hehas the power and might to wrench it from the hands of Satan! Yousee, the devil is not going to let it go as easily as the judges would; it must be taken by forceby the Lord.
3 . He must be willing to redeem the property.
The kinsman did not have to redeem the land if he did not choose to (Ruth 4:1-12). Praisethe Lord, Jesus is both willing and able to redeem the land. For examples of the Kinsman Redeemer, see Jeremiah 32:6-15, and the whole book of Ruth, Chapters 1-4.
CONCLUSION:
For 6,000 years this old earth has been under the dominion of Satan, groaning and travailing under the curse of sin. 4000 years of the Old Testament ended at the cross. The whole 2000 year Church Age is revealed prophetically in the 7 churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The rapture occurs in Revelation Chapter 4:1, and we are shown the scroll in the right hand of the Father that contains the terms of the redemption of this world. Heaven and earth were searchedfor one who was worthy, one who met the three requirements of the kinsman redeemer, and none was found. Now do youunderstand why John was weeping? He knew the following:
a. If the book is not openedand the earth redeemed, all the Old Testament prophecies to be fulfilled in the Millennium will be void.
b. All creation will remain under the curse. (Romans 8:22)
c. Israel will never be restored. (Romans 11:1-36)
d. Many Bible promises will be unfulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)
Praise the Lord, Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, meets the conditions and is both willing and able to open the book and loosethe seals thereof. There is great rejoicing in Heaven over this event. In the next chapters, Revelation 6 through 19, we see the awful terms required for the redemption of this earth from the hands of Satan and fromthe curse of sin. The entire Tribulation takes place from Revelation chapters 6 through 19. According to Daniel 9:24 the Tribulation is not about Christians nor has it anything to do with the church. The Tribulation is all about the redemption of the earth, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation, and to anoint the Lord Jesus as King of Kings! It is also God dealing with Israel. God has one final week of years to deal with them, and to bring in everlasting righteousness and bring in the Kingdom.
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
Dear friends, get ready, the trumpet may be getting ready to sound!
Evangelist Dan Goodwin www.godsfinaljubilee.com