The seven sealed scroll that features in Revelation 5 and 6 is described as being “written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1). This is typical of a title deed, similar to that described in Jeremiah 32:10–12 where the deed has both a sealed component (that which is written on the inside of the scroll) and an unsealed component (that which is written on the back).

However, it seems it was not just an ordinary title deed that John saw, but a deed of redemption. That this is so can be seen from verse 9 where the living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing the following:

In other words, Yeshua was worthy to take the scroll and open the seals because of His death and resurrection, by which He has redeemed us. Being worthy to take the scroll and our redemption are intimately connected in this verse.

In the Old Testament, if a person had lost their property due to being unable to pay a debt they could redeem it (receive it back) by paying what was owed, or a relative of theirs could redeem it by paying the debt on their behalf (see Leviticus 25:25–26). That appears to be what Revelation 5 is depicting. The property being redeemed consists of the souls of all humanity, living and dead. The price to redeem them would have been written on the outside (unsealed) part of the scroll, and was very high. This is why John “wept much” when no-one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll, because if no-one was able to pay the price of redemption the souls of all mankind would have been forever lost. Fortunately for us, Yeshua—the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”—was worthy to open the scroll and redeem us to Himself.

We believe it’s highly likely that this seven sealed scroll is the “Book of Life of the Lamb” in which the names of all the people who are going to be redeemed have been written (see Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8). The same Greek word biblion (G.975) is used for both “scroll” and “book”, so it would be perfectly acceptable to call the Lamb’s Book of Life the Lamb’s Scroll of Life. And there’s only one scroll we generally associate with the Lamb—and that’s the one in Revelation 5 with the seven seals.

For those who object to this possibility based on Revelation 20:12 where the Book of Life was opened, understand that this does not preclude an earlier opening; in fact, an earlier opening is required. Those who take part in the first resurrection must themselves have been written in the Book of Life. That this is so can be seen from Revelation 3:5 where those who overcome will be clothed in white garments and will not have their names blotted out of the Book of Life. The converse is that those who don’t overcome will have their names blotted out and that must occur prior to the first resurrection for them to not have a part in it. Most likely the blotting out happens after the scroll is opened, immediately prior to Christ’s return.

If the seven sealed scroll is the Book of Life that contains the names of all who will be redeemed, what do the seven seals themselves represent?

Firstly, let’s put to rest the suggestion that the seven seals are not all on the outside of the scroll. Some have stated a belief that only the first seal would have to be removed to begin reading the scroll, then the reader would come to the second seal, and after it was removed more of the scroll could be read, and so on. This could not be the case, however, because when John saw the scroll in Revelation 5:1 he described it as being “sealed with seven seals”. This indicates that all seven seals are on the outside of the scroll, where they are visible, and that all seven seals would have to first be removed before reading of the scroll could begin.

This understanding of the seals and the scroll implies that the events that happen in Revelation 6 when the seals are removed are not as a result of reading from the contents of the scroll itself. On a scroll the seals serve two main purposes—to verify that the scroll has not been opened and read by anyone previously, and just as importantly, that it has not been tampered with. That the seals are intact when the Lamb takes the scroll confirms this to be the case.

Had He wanted to, Yeshua could have simply removed all seven seals and read from the scroll without delay, but that is not what we see. After each seal is removed we are shown additional events transpiring. As the scroll itself contains the names of the redeemed, we can infer that those events must have something to do with the names inside the scroll. It appears that Yeshua is purposely delaying the opening of the scroll in order to enable as many to be saved as possible before the end of this age of grace—before the seventh seal is removed. Peter says that God is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9) and we see His longsuffering reflected in the nearly 2,000 years (and counting) that it has taken for the seals to be removed.

The pre-tribulation view considers the seals to be an outpouring of God’s wrath, but in truth they are an outpouring of His chastisement, designed to bring as many people to Himself as possible—for as Hebrews 12:6 says “whom YHWH loves He chastens”. It is axiomatic that difficulties and persecutions cause us to turn to God more readily than does a life of ease and leisure, and therefore we can recognise that in both their character and duration the seals do not represent God’s wrath, but His love and mercy. The fifth seal in particular, where the martyrs ask God “How long … until You judge and avenge our blood” (Revelation 6:10), is proof that the seals are not part of God’s wrath.

So what does this mean for the timing of the rapture? The pre-wrath rapture view (which we generally agree with) typically holds that the rapture takes place at the sixth seal, largely on the weight of the similarity between the description of the cosmic signs at the sixth seal and those in the Olivet discourse:

Compare this with the account in the Olivet discourse:

The similarities are so striking that it would be very difficult to argue that these are not describing one and the same event.

But if the scroll is a deed of redemption, How could it be possible for Yeshua to redeem His people before He had finished opening the scroll and revealing its contents?

We don’t believe He could, which is why we don’t believe the rapture occurs at the sixth seal, but at the seventh! And there is support for this in the text, if we examine it carefully.

At the removal of the seventh seal we read the following:

Why is there silence in heaven after the seventh seal is opened? We believe it is because that is when Yeshua and the heavenly host will leave heaven to come for His bride! This, therefore, is most probably when the resurrection and the rapture will occur, immediately after the seventh and last seal has been opened.

The multitude seen in heaven in Revelation 7 are often thought to be raptured saints, and it may be due to their appearance there—after the sixth seal but before the seventh—that the classic pre-wrath rapture view places the rapture between the sixth and seventh seals. However, note the beginning of chapter 7:

These four angels are the first four angels who sound their trumpets in Revelation 8 (which do harm the earth, sea and trees), but they are not given the trumpets until Revelation 8:2, after the half hour of silence. It would make no sense to tell them to wait if they had not yet been given the trumpets at that point. Therefore it seems probable that all of Revelation 7 occurs chronologically between Revelation 8:2 when the angels are given their trumpets and Revelation 8:6 when they prepare themselves to sound. As large parts of Revelation are “detail views” of events that are outside of the main chronology this is not implausible. It also helps confirm our view that the rapture does not occur until after the seventh and last seal on the deed of redemption has been removed and the scroll/book opened.

In the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24, the signs in the sun, moon and stars occur in verse 29, followed by the return of the Messiah in the latter half of verse 30 and in verse 31. That sequence allows for a small time interval between the cosmic signs and Christ’s actual return. In Revelation, where more detail is given, we see the same sequence—the signs in the sun, moon and stars take place first at the sixth seal, and then Christ returns to gather the saints during the half hour of silence after the seventh seal has been removed, a short while later.