The Seven-Sealed Book

The Hebraic view of time emphasizes the quality of events over the chronology of events; which is to say that prophetic happenings in the Bible are arranged in cycles that portray particular aspects of the future, and are not meant to be a predictive play-by-play. As such, we could think of the book of Revelation as 12 cycles of happenings that have been revealed in a specific order, as opposed to trying to squash it into a pedantic, linear progression of time, much like trying to flatten an orange peal onto a flat surface; the mold does not fit the form. The mystery of The Seven-Sealed Book can be unraveled partly by referring to the imagery of a first century scroll, partly by applying symbolism and patterns from Old Testament prophecy, and partly from the realization that Chapters 4-11 of the Revelation constitute a complete, stand-alone prophecy; part of a larger collection of 12 such works that comprise the book. This reflects a qualitative view of prophecy as opposed to a strictly chronological interpretation.