This article will focus on the sealed scroll in Revelation 5, portraying Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as our Kinsman-Redeemer.

he Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (Revelation 1:1-5)

Revelation is a letter from the Trinity to the church, which is addressed according to each of seven aspects, each of which is given its own special message. Once the church has been addressed, the vision of Revelation begins:

After this, I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1)

John was immediately taken in vision into the throne room in Heaven, and he describes the scene—the Ancient of Days seated on his throne; 24 other thrones, occupied by 24 elders, surrounding the throne of God; the seven lampstands and the sea of glass before the throne; and the four living creatures.

Having taken in his surroundings, John describes the event that is taking place in the throne room in Heaven:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. (Revelation 5:1-3)

Evidently, John has been taken in vision to a session of the Heavenly court, the purpose of which is to determine the ownership of a particular sealed document. It is apparent that John knows exactly what the document is, for he weeps profusely when it appears that no one will come forward to claim it.

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders… He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." (Revelation 5:6-9)

John’s weeping turns to rejoicing as the Lamb of God comes forward to claim the sealed document. He is worthy because, by his death on the cross, he became mankind’s Redeemer. What, then, is the identity of this document, and how could John have known?

The sealed document appears to be the title deed to the redeemed—-the document the ownership of which establishes the legal claim of the owner to the property described in the deed. This concept comes from a story in Jeremiah 32.

Jeremiah said, "The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

"Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

"I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy—and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neiriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

"In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, but the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’" (Jeremiah 32:6-15)

The law says, "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold" (Leviticus 25:25). In obedience to the word of the Lord, Jeremiah fulfilled his duty to his cousin as nearest relative and redeemed his field. To ratify the transaction, a deed was drawn up and signed in the presence of witnesses; and two copies of this deed—one sealed and one unsealed—were kept in a safe place.

This story is an illustration of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. We are impoverished through sin and have lost our place in God’s kingdom. Jesus became our Brother and, in obedience to the word of the Lord, fulfilled his duty to us as nearest relative to redeem our inheritance in our Father’s kingdom.

The Bible tells us of two copies—one sealed and the other unsealed—of a deed that substantiates Jesus’ claim to those whom he has redeemed. The sealed copy is introduced in Revelation 5. We do not see the unsealed copy in Revelation 5; however, Daniel 7:9-14 describes a scene similar to what John saw.

As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened…

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:9-14)

Here, the court is seated and the books are opened. I believe these books represent the unsealed copy of the title deed—the copy on the basis of which the Heavenly court determines the extent of the kingdom belonging to the one like a son of man. We speak of these as the books of record and of their examination as the investigative judgment.

In order for someone to be the Kinsman-Redeemer, the law required two things: the redeemer must be the nearest relative, and the redeemer must be able to pay the redemption price. Daniel 7:13 refers to our Redeemer as "one like a son of man," emphasizing the relationship our Redeemer has with mankind. Revelation 5:9 tells us that the Lamb was slain and purchased mankind with his own blood—thus establishing that he was able to pay the redemption price.

From the story in Jeremiah 32, we know that there were two copies of a deed of purchase. Why were there two copies—one unsealed and the other sealed? Apparently, the unsealed copy was used in court to determine the terms and conditions of the property so that the lawful owner could claim it. The books of record are used in the investigative judgment so that the Heavenly court can determine who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Redeemer so that he can claim them at his second coming.

The sealed copy cannot be used to determine the specifications of the property: it is still sealed when that determination takes place. The purpose of the sealed copy is to provide proof later on, should such proof be required, that the unsealed copy had not been tampered with or altered. As long as the sealed copy remains sealed, no one can suggest that it has itself been altered. This means that the sealed copy can serve its purpose of validating the unsealed copy one time only; therefore, it would be necessary that it remain sealed until all possible contestants were present.

Revelation 20:11-12 says, Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.

In this passage, which describes a scene that takes place after the millennium, both copies of the title deed are opened. The phrase, "books were opened" should remind us of the judgment scene in Daniel 7. However, another book is opened, as well: the book of life, which is another name for the sealed copy of the title deed. (Revelation 13:8 says, All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain. The sealed scroll belongs exclusively to the Lamb because he was slain.)