Tag: Revelation 12

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The Sealed Book (Revelation 5) is the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Overview

The Sealed Book

Revelation 5 describes a book in heaven that no one can open because it is sealed with seven seals (Rev 5:1-3), causing great sorrow in heaven (Rev 5:4). This book symbolizes something that no one in heaven understands or can explain.

However, the sorrow describes the time before Christ. Through His death, Jesus earned the right to open the book, turning the sorrow into joy (Rev 5:5-6).

He does not open the book immediately. In Revelation 6, He begins to break the seals, meaning to remove the barriers to understanding. Breaking the seals causes catastrophes on Earth, implying that He explains the things the angels do not understand through these events on Earth. As soon as everything is understood, He will return.

The Sealed Book is the Book of Life.

Book of LifeThe Book of Life, containing the names of the people God elected to eternal life, is more fully called “the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Since Jesus receives the Sealed Book when He appears as “a Lamb … as if slain” (Rev 5:6-7), this is strong evidence that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. This conclusion is supported by the facts, as this article shows, that both books:

      • Are necessary for redemption,
      • Will be opened only after Christ’s return, and
      • Distinguish the living from the dead.

Revelation 12

Revelation 12 provides further evidence that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. For the following reasons, Revelation 5 and 12 describe the same crisis:

In both chapters, there is a crisis in heaven, symbolized by the sealed book in Rev 5, and a war in heaven in Rev 12.

In both chapters, as shown in this article, Christ’s death ended the crisis in heaven, but it continues on earth and will only be finally resolved through God’s people.

In both chapters, the crisis is caused by things not understood. In Rev 5, this is symbolized by the Sealed Book. In 12, Satan accuses God’s people. Since this caused a war in heaven, the angels had very different views about God’s people, which also means things not understood.

These similarities mean that the “war in heaven” (Rev 12) and the Sealed Book (Rev 5) describe the same crisis. Therefore, the war in heaven explains the Sealed Book:

In Rev 12, the identification of Satan as “the accuser of our brethren” explains the cause and nature of the crisis, as well as the nature of the Sealed Book.

Satan accuses specifically God’s people, by implication, saying they are sinners and do not deserve God’s mercy. Since God’s people are identified in the Book of Life, the things not understood relate to the Book of Life, confirming that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. 

It follows further that the seals of the book, the obstacles to understanding, are Satan’s accusations. Breaking the seals would then mean refuting Satan, and opening the book implies that God’s selective mercy to only some sinners is understood.

The Sealed Book

The Book that nobody is able to Open

John saw a book in heaven sealed with seven seals (Rev 5:1; cf. 4:11). It is not a literal book. A book symbolizes knowledge, and a sealed book symbolizes concealed knowledge or things that were not understood.

Before Christ, no one was able to open the book (Rev 5:3). Not even God could open the book because He forces no one. He wants His creatures to understand. 

This caused John to weep greatly (Rev 5:4), symbolizing the great sorrow in heaven because the angels do not understand. Understanding these things is vital for the happiness of the universe. Should no one be found to open the book, the consequences would be severe. This is a crisis in heaven. [Show More]

Christ is able to open the Book.

But then, in verse 5, the sorrow turns into joy, for “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah … has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals” (Rev 5:5) Through His death, Jesus earned the right to open the book. [Show More]

He breaks the Seals in Revelation 6.

Jesus takes the book (Rev 5:7) but does not open it immediately. In Revelation 6, He begins to break the seven seals one by one, resulting in catastrophes on Earth:

      • The seals prevent understanding.
      • Breaking the seals means removing the barriers to understanding and explaining what was not understood. 
      • Since breaking the seals results in catastrophes on Earth, these catastrophes explain to the angels what they do not understand.

Therefore, to understand these catastrophes in Revelation 6, we must first understand the Sealed Book.

Christ will return as soon as the book is open. [Show More]

The Sealed Book is the Book of Life.

Revelation mentions the Book of Life six times. It will be opened in the last judgment, 1000 years after Christ’s return (Rev 20:12; cf. 19:11; 20:7), and it identifies the people whom God elected to eternal life (e.g., Rev 21:2, 27; 20:14-15; cf. Psa 69:28; Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27). For the following reasons, the Sealed Book is the same as the Book of Life:

1) The Book of the Slain Lamb

The “book of life” is explained as “the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (Rev 13:8; 21:27). Since Jesus receives the Sealed Book when He appears as “a Lamb … as if slain” (Rev 5:6-7), this is strong evidence that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. 

2) Both books are necessary for redemption.

Jesus died to “purchase” people for God (e.g., Revelation 5:9). In other words, the people listed in the Book of Life are saved through His death. But He also died to open the Sealed Book (Rev 5:5, 9). Therefore, both books are necessary for the redemption of God’s people.

3) Both books are opened after Christ’s return.

Since the sixth seal begins with the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 16:12-14; cf. Matt 24:29-30), the Sealed Book will only be fully open at or after His return. The Book of Life, similarly, will be opened in the final judgment (Rev 20:12).

4) Both distinguish the living from the dead.

The sixth seal describes the unrepentant masses as hiding in the mountains from Him who sits on the throne (Rev 6:15-17). Therefore, this must be shortly before Jesus returns, when they will be put to death (Rev 19:21). The sixth seal also shows God’s people standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Rev 7:9). (Read Article) Therefore, the sixth seal divides the people of the world into two groups. The seventh seal shows the silence in heaven caused by the sorrow in God’s heart when the unrepenting masses are destroyed. (Read Article)

“The book of life,” similarly, will be opened in the final judgment (Rev 20:11-12) and will distinguish those who will be “thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15) from those who will enter the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:27).

Revelation 12

Revelation 12 provides further evidence that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. However, reading this section requires an in-depth understanding of Revelation 5 and 12 On the other hand, these concepts are critical for a proper understanding of a large part of the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 5 and 12 are similar.

Crisis in both chapters

In both Revelation 5 and 12, there is a crisis in heaven, symbolized as a sealed book in 5 and the war in 12. [Show More]

Christ ended the crisis in heaven.

In both Revelation 5 and 12, Christ’s death ended the crisis in heaven. In Rev 5, Christ’s death allowed Him to break the seals and open the book. [Show More]

In Rev 12, Christ’s death resulted in the expulsion of Satan from heaven. In this way, the war in heaven, which raged for countless ages before the time of Christ, was ended. [Show More]

The Crisis continues on Earth.

In both chapters, after Christ’s death ended the crisis in heaven, it continues on earth:

In Revelation 5, after Jesus “has overcome so as to open the book,” turning the sorrow in heaven to joy (Rev 5:4-5), the war on earth continued in Revelation 6. [Show More]

In Revelation 12, after Christ’s death, Satan and his angels were driven out of heaven (Rev 12:8-9), bringing the war in heaven to an end, but the war continued on earth (Rev 12:12-13). [Show More]

God’s people must resolve the Crisis.

In both chapters, the war on earth will only be finally resolved through God’s people.

In Rev 5-6, Jesus resolves the crisis on earth by breaking the seals, and the seals reflect the experience of God’s people. [Show More]

In Revelation 12, to overcome Satan required both the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of God’s people (Rev 12:10-11), even when faced with death. For a further discussion, see – Why has Christ not yet returned? What is God waiting for?

Conclusion

These similarities mean that the “war in heaven” in Rev 12 and the Sealed Book in Rev 5 describe the same crisis. Therefore, the nature of the war in heaven helps to explain the concealed information in Revelation 5.

Revelation 12 identifies the Sealed Book.

War in Heaven

The Bible is mainly concerned with the war on earth. However, the war on earth is caused by the war in heaven. Satan brought the war in heaven to earth when he deceived our first parents. Although the Bible is mainly concerned with what happens on Earth, there are indications of the war in heaven elsewhere in the Bible. In those instances, the crisis is a dispute specifically about whether God’s judgments are always right. [Show More]

Accuser of our Brethren

In Rev 12, the identification of Satan as “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10) explains the cause and nature of the “war in heaven.” Satan accuses God’s people “day and night” (Rev 12:10). He does not accuse his own followers but specifically God’s people, showing that they are sinners and deserve to die. [Show More]

Therefore:

By accusing God’s elect, Satan effectively accuses God of faulty judgment.

Since God’s judgments are reflected in the Book of Life, Satan claims that there are errors in the Book of Life.

That Satan’s accusations caused a war shows that his accusations could not be decisively refuted. Therefore, both the great sorrow in heaven (Rev 5) and the war in heaven (Rev 12) are caused by things not understood. This is additional evidence that the two chapters describe the same crisis. [Show More]

The Sealed Book is the Book of Life.

This explains the Sealed Book:

Since the two chapters describe the same crisis, Rev 12 explains that the lack of understanding, symbolized as a Sealed Book in Revelation 5, symbolizes uncertainty over the perfection of God’s judgments.

Furthermore, since God’s judgments are contained in the Book of Life, this confirms the previous conclusion that the Sealed Book is the Book of Life. The Book of Life is sealed in the sense that nobody can show the perfect accuracy of God’s judgments in all instances. 

Resultant Interpretations

The identification of the Sealed Book as the Book of Life does not explain why nobody was able to open that book, what the seals are, or what breaking the seals means. But Revelation 12 does explain all of these:

The Seals are Satan’s accusations.

The seals symbolize the barriers to understanding. Since it is the book of God’s judgments, the seven seals are Satan’s brilliantly presented and informed accusations against the people whom God elected to eternal life.

God’s judgments are known but not understood.

That the book is sealed does not mean that God’s judgments were unknown or not explained but that nobody was able to entirely refute Satan’s accusations and objections to God’s grace for the people identified in the Book of Life. Nobody was able to show conclusively that God’s judgments are always perfect. [Show More]

Therefore, opening and reading the book does not mean learning WHO is saved but understanding WHY they are saved, and only they.

God cannot explain because He will not force.

God certainly explains, but created beings, without His infinite knowledge and understanding, and in the context of Satan’s accusations, are unable to understand. God is unable to open the book Himself only in the sense that He created intelligent beings who are truly free, and He wants His creatures to understand (cf. John 15:15)! He will not force them to accept His judgments. God does not want us to accept His word!

John cried because heaven saw no solution.

John’s tears (Rev 5:4) represent the sorrow in heaven in the time BEFORE Christ’s victory. At that time, the loyal angels were unable to fully refute Satan’s allegations that God judges unfairly. Since God will only execute His judgments when all understand them, it seemed as if God would NEVER be able to do so. Consequently, Satan and evil would have to exist for all eternity, and God’s people would never be resurrected. There seemed to be no way to bring the crisis to an end.

But Christ died to bring an end to this crisis. If Jesus had not “overcome” (Rev 5:5), evil would have had to exist for all eternity.

His death did not provide the ultimate solution.

Jesus breaking the seals means He directs events on earth to obtain evidence to refute Satan’s objections. His death did not provide the answers but the means by which answers could be obtained.

Christ’s return is delayed.

Until all understand that His judgments are perfect, God delays Christ’s return and the implementation of His judgments. These concepts are discussed further in other articles. See, for example:

The Book of Revelation 10

One of the possibilities that Jon Paulien lists for the Sealed Book is that it is related to the book of Revelation 10. My main argument against that proposal is that the sixth seal contains the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 6:12-14). This means that the seventh seal will only be broken at or after Christ’s return (Rev 6:17). Therefore, while the book with the seven seals remained sealed until AFTER the return of Christ, the book in Revelation 10 is open when it comes down, is eaten (understood) by John, and becomes the basis for his preaching (Rev 10:10-11), which must happen BEFORE the return of Christ.

Furthermore, as Jon mentions, a different word for book is used (Greek: Rev 5 biblion, Rev 10 biblaridion).

Other Articles

The Seven Seals

Other

  • I recommend Jon Paulien’s commentary on Revelation for further reading. For general theological discussions, I recommend Graham Maxwell, who you will find on the Pineknoll website.
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When was Satan thrown out of heaven?

Overview

Revelation 12 first mentions Christ’s ascension, then the woman in the wilderness, then the war in heaven, and then again the woman in the wilderness. These two wilderness periods are the same. But verses 13-14 show that the real sequence is:

      • Christ’s ascension
      • War in Heaven
      • Woman in the Wilderness

However, the war did not begin after Christ’s ascension. It began long before Christ. The significance of Revelation 12 is that it was the end of that age-old war. The victory in the war in heaven was won through Christ’s victory on earth.

The Wilderness period began after the War in Heaven.

The sequence of events in Revelation 12 is as follows:

Revelation 12:5 describes Jesus’ ascension.

In the next verse, the woman flees to the wilderness, where she hides for 1260 days.

This is followed by the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon and their angels. But the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were thrown out of heaven (Rev 12:8-9).

But then verse 14 describes the same wilderness period as in verse 6. In both, the woman flees into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared to be nourished for the same period (Rev 12:6, 14). [Show More]

Since the woman’s wilderness period is mentioned both before and after Satan’s defeat in the war in heaven, the question arises about the actual sequence of events. Revelation 12:13-14 gives the answer because it explicitly states that the woman hides in the wilderness after Satan was defeated in heaven and thrown down to earth. [Show More]

The War began before Christ.

The idea of a war in heaven may seem strange to some. However:

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12; cf. Col 1:20).

Although Revelation 12 mentions the war in heaven after Jesus was caught up to His Father’s throne, the following shows that the war began long before Christ:

The angels were already at war in the Book of Daniel, 600 years before Christ. [Show More]

The generals of the two armies in the war in heaven (Satan and Michael) clashed before Christ over the resurrection of Moses. [Show More]

Other examples of the war in heaven, before the time of Christ, are Zechariah 3:1 and Job 1:8-9.

Since the war in heaven raged BEFORE Christ was born, the significance of Revelation 12 is that it was the end of that age-old war.

Satan was thrown out after Christ’s victory.

Some people want to put Satan’s defeat a long time before Christ when Lucifer was “cast … as profane from the mountain of God” (Ezekiel 28:16). Others want to put it at the end of time, when “the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev 20:10). But since the victory was won before the woman had to hide in the wilderness, Satan was thrown out of heaven immediately or soon after Christ’s ascension to God’s throne. Therefore, the victory in the war in heaven was won through Christ’s victory on earth.

Chronological Sequence

The actual chronological sequence, therefore, is as follows:

Before Christ, while the dragon prepared to devour the Child as soon as He appeared, war raged in heaven.

After Christ was born and won the victory by remaining faithful to God until death, and was “caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev 12:5), Satan was defeated. “He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev 12:8-9).

Although the war in heaven was won, it continued to rage on earth. The dragon persecuted the woman (Rev 12:13), and she fled to the wilderness, where she would be “nourished” for 1260 days (Rev 12:6, 14).

What is the Wilderness Period?

WildernessAs indicated by Revelation 12:13-14, this is a time when God’s people have to hide from persecution. They become invisible. It is a very important prophetic period, for it is mentioned seven times in Daniel and Revelation, first in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, where it is also the period when God’s people are persecuted. 

Another article identifies this period as the Middle Ages, a period of about 1260 years between the Fall of Rome and the modern era, during which the Church of the Roman Empire ruled the nations of Europe.

Articles on Revelation 12

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