In the course of writing about Revelation on my blog, I spoke of how the scroll, that has the seven seals that Christ breaks, represents the mortgage on planet earth. To be redeemed, it required that there be a kinsman redeemer who could claim the right to break the seals, and that the price needed to pay it off be met, before the seals could be broken. These seals would outline the conditions that had to be carried out for the mortgage to revert to its original owner. That is what these seven seals represent, the conditions that God agreed to give Satan in order to get the planet back. God could just take it back, but He does all things in a fair, just, and legal way. The price due for having lost the planet (Adam forfeited the planet by sin, and sin was paid for by death) was paid when a kinsman (Jesus became a man and thereby our kinsman) redeemed it through paying the price (his death on the cross, the death of a perfect, sinless man whose life was not owed to Satan, but given anyhow). Thus it allowed Him the right to break the seals, as according to the Torah or Law, only a kinsman who can pay the price has the right to fulfill the conditions of a mortgage agreement . These seals (in Bible times on each seal of a mortgage scroll a condition of redemption was written) then must be carried out in completion before the property (in this case earth) actually reverts back to total control of the original owner by completing the transaction. This is why antichrist gets to reign until the entire forty-two months are up, and it is not declared that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord until that point.(Rev. 12:15). As there are seven seals, and the seventh seal contains the six trumpet judgments, these are the conditions that must be met for Christ to again reign as King of Kings and ruler of planet earth. After they are finished, the planet officially becomes Christ's and He is the ruler and can do what He wants with it, which is why God's wrath (7th trumpet) is held off until then, even though He could technically do it anytime He wants.
What has always puzzled people is the second smaller scroll that we find in Chapter 10. It seems obvious that part of what is contained in it are the vial/bowl judgments of God's wrath, but why John was supposed to seal up what he hears and not write it down was a mystery. It comes 1)after the sixth trumpet is over, 2)as the last or seventh trumpet is about to be sounded, and 3)after the two witnesses have finished their witnessing and are resurrected. From my study I have shown that the rapture (Revelation 14) occurs at the last trumpet just before God's wrath (vial/bowl judgments) is poured out. It is at this time that the marriage of the Lamb will be occurring.(Revelation 19). It suddenly dawned on me that this must be the ketubah that Christ reads at the time of the marriage ceremony between Him and the Church as the timing is exactly the same. Naturally the bride should not hear the ketubah read before the wedding, so that is why it is necessary to seal it up. We are not to know the entire contents, although the wrath of God must be part of it, and we are told about that.
A ketubah is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement that goes back to ancient times. It is considered an integral part of traditional Jewish marriages and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom toward the bride. It is usually read at the marriage ceremony under a chuppah (the canopy under which the bride and groom stand). It requires that two witnesses who are qualified to be witnesses by Jewish law and are not relatives of the bride, sign it.
As the rapture, the resurrection of the two witnesses, and the marriage ceremony will occur at the time of the beginning of the 7th trumpet, it would appear that this scroll from Chapter 10 is the ketubah.
The ketubah is supposed to be the groom's responsibilities toward the bride. Were we not promised that God will avenge us? Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Notice that he says we should give way for His wrath. His wrath, the Day of the Lord wrath, will be our vengeance. We have been promised that all that we have suffered at the hands of the wicked will be repaid back upon their heads. This document which must partially outline God's wrath is exactly what we have been promised as part of our marriage contract - vengeance, just as the martyrs of the 5th seal had been asking for vengeance. The two witnesses are resurrected after spending three and a half years proving their worthiness to be proper witnesses according to the Law, and they are not related to the Bride of Christ, as we are told that at least one of them is Elijah or comes in the spirit of Elijah. These two witnesses are special people (either people who have existed before i.e. Enoch, Elijah, or Moses, or someone new) chosen for this mission. They are not a part of the Church. Christ reads this scroll under the canopy or chuppah of the sky – clouds and rainbow, which is God's canopy, while He plants His feet on both land and sea, claiming what is now rightfully His as King of Kings by having all of the conditions of the mortgage met. This land is now most likely part of our wedding gift, or the bride price part of the ketubah, as it is given back to mankind again.
This being a ketubah makes perfect sense, as the timing of the two witnesses, the rapture, the marriage ceremony, and God's wrath commencing, all occur at the time (after the sixth trumpet) when Christ plants his feet and claims the earth again. Jewish customs and traditions seem to be a pattern which we need to reference to understand these end times events. The Second Coming will occur at the time of the fall feasts and the Feast of Tabernacles has a tradition about a marriage. The seven days of marriage feasting will be fulfilled during the seven days of this Feast of Tabernacles. Then at the end of God's wrath we will accompany our Groom down to Armageddon.
