Could Old Testament Jews mortgage their land like people do today?
Yes. Old Testament Jews could mortgage their land just like people mortgage property today. As with modern recorded mortgages, details intended for public scrutiny were written on the outside of the scroll, while nonpublic details were written on the inside for the protection of others.
Les explains that a Jew in the Old Testament could mortgage his land just like we can mortgage property today. In Israel, the same principle applied as today: whatever was for public scrutiny had to be recorded for the protection of others who might want to buy the property without knowing it was mortgaged. The mortgage scroll had pertinent public details written on the outside, while details that were not public were written on the inside. In the Revelation context, God is holding this mortgage, but Les identifies it as Satan’s mortgage.