Yes — in Les Feldick’s teaching, the Revelation 5 scroll is a mortgage that Jesus must pay off because Satan holds the claim on the earth.
God the Father holds the scroll in His right hand (Revelation 5:1), but Les explains it is Satan’s mortgage on planet earth, picked up when Adam lost his dominion. Jesus is the next of kin who has the funds and the willingness to pay it off, so He takes the scroll and opens it.
Revelation 5:1 — This is the exact verse John saw in the throne-room vision, and it is the text Les uses to identify the scroll as a mortgage.
Revelation 5:1 (KJV) says, “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” The verse itself does not use the word “mortgage.” It describes a scroll/book in the right hand of the One on the throne, written on both sides and secured with seven seals. The text does not call it a mortgage — that is the terminology Les Feldick uses to explain what the scroll represents.
Les Feldick teaches that the scroll in Revelation 5 is “the mortgage that Satan has on planet earth.” He grounds this in Old Testament Jewish land law: a Jew could mortgage his property, public terms were written on the outside, private terms on the inside, and if the borrower could not pay, a next of kin with the funds and the willingness could redeem it. For Les, this is exactly what the scroll “written within and on the backside” is — a mortgage. According to Les, the mortgage became Satan’s when Adam fell: “When Adam lost his dominion, Satan picked it up, and he’s been the god of this world ever since.” God the Father is shown holding the scroll ready to be paid off, but Satan is the real holder. Jesus alone fulfills the three requirements — He has the wherewithal, He is the next of kin, and He shows Himself willing — so He takes the scroll and says, “I’ll pay it off.” The tribulation then pays off the mortgage, lifts the curse from the planet, and prepares it for Christ’s Kingdom.
In Israel, a man could mortgage his land just as property is mortgaged today. Whatever needed public scrutiny was recorded on the outside of the scroll for everyone to see; private details were written on the inside. If the borrower could not pay and foreclosure was near, a next of kin could step in — but only if he had the funds, was actually the next of kin, and was willing. Les uses this custom to explain why the Revelation scroll is “written within and on the backside, and sealed with seven seals.”
Les says God the Father is seen in Revelation 5 holding the scroll, but the mortgage belongs to Satan. “Now even though God is holding it, whose mortgage is it? Well it’s Satan’s mortgage.” When Adam fell and lost his dominion, Satan picked up the mortgage and has been the god of this world ever since. The scroll is thus the claim against the planet — ready to be paid off.
Les compares Jesus to the rich uncle in the Jewish example. Three prerequisites were required: the rich uncle had to have the funds, had to be next of kin, and had to be willing. Jesus is the only one who has the authority to open the mortgage and say, “I’ll pay it off.” He is the eternal Creator who instituted the mortgage in the first place, and His finished work of the cross makes Him the One who fulfills every requirement.
The judgments and cataclysmic events of the tribulation are not random; the whole reason for all of them is to pay off Satan’s mortgage from Revelation 5. When the mortgage is paid, the curse is lifted from the planet, the earth becomes a renovation project, and God will make it ready for Christ’s glorious Kingdom on earth.
No. The King James text of Revelation 5:1 says John saw “a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” Les even notes that “book” should really be translated “scroll.” The word “mortgage” is Les’s explanation of what that scroll represents, not a word found in the verse itself.
The Rich Uncle & Three Prerequisites
Les uses the Jewish rich-uncle example to explain that a redeemer must have the funds, be the next of kin, and be willing; Jesus is the only one who can take the scroll and say, “I’ll pay it off.”
The Mortgage Details Written Inside and Outside
Les says the scroll is written within and without exactly like a Jewish land mortgage, and that even though God holds it, it is Satan’s mortgage.
The Scroll Is Really a Mortgage
Les points to Revelation 5:1 and says the KJV word “book” should be “scroll,” and that this scroll written within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals is what a mortgage was in Jewish history.
Next-of-Kin Requirements From Ruth and Boaz
Les repeats the three requirements for paying off a mortgage — next of kin, funds, willingness — tying it to the Old Testament time of Ruth and Boaz.
Satan Picked Up the Mortgage at the Fall
Les explains that the scroll is the mortgage Satan has on planet earth; when Adam lost dominion, Satan picked it up and has been the god of this world ever since.
Christ Is the Qualified Redeemer
Jesus is ready to take the scroll from God the Father because of His finished work on the cross; He alone fulfills all three requirements to pay off the mortgage.
The Tribulation Pays Off the Mortgage
The whole scope of the tribulation is to pay off Satan’s mortgage from Revelation 5, after which the curse is lifted and the planet is prepared for Christ’s Kingdom.
Paying Off a Mortgage Is Redemption
Les uses the illustration of a mortgaged house: paying off the mortgage is redemption — buying the property back from the one who holds the debt.
Revelation 5:1: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
This is the verse John saw in the throne-room vision, and Les uses this exact KJV wording — noting the word “book” should be “scroll” — as the basis for his mortgage teaching.
No. The King James text calls it “a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1). Les Feldick explains that the scroll represents a mortgage because of Jewish land-redemption custom and the loss of dominion at the Fall — but the word “mortgage” is his teaching term, not the Bible’s word.
Les says God the Father is holding the scroll in Revelation 5, but the actual mortgage is Satan’s. When Adam fell and lost his dominion, Satan picked up the mortgage and has been the god of this world ever since.
He needed to have the funds, be the next of kin, and be willing to act. Les teaches that Jesus is the only one who meets all three qualifications, so He can take the scroll and pay off the mortgage.
Watch the Teaching: The Scroll in God's Hand That No One Could Open — Revelation 5