A Glimpse Of Glory 8

The Delay Will Soon Be Over, But The Work Must Continue

Text: Revelation 10

Introduction

Have you ever been waiting on a season to end and another begin? While in the window of waiting, you think to yourself, “This is never going to end” or “We are never going to make it to that point.” While we are living on this earth, God has continued to reign with longsuffering and patients. However, there will come a day when the angel will descend and declare, “The delay is over.”

Revelation 10–14 describes the events that will occur at the middle of the seven-year Tribulation. This explains John’s repeated mention of the three-and-a-half-year time segment in one form or another (Rev. 11:2–3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). At the beginning of this period, the Antichrist began to make his conquest by promising to protect the Jews and assist in their rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. But after three-and-a-half-years, he will break his agreement, invade the temple, and begin to persecute the Jewish people.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 596.

We also learned after the cataclysmic events of the sixth trumpet how devastating a hard heart can be to one’s ability to yield to God. Look back a 6:20-21 to see the response of those who were not killed by the plagues of the sixth trumpet.

We now come a point when John introduces both a new vision and a change in subject matter. It is like a “parenthesis” between the sixth and seventh trumpets. In other words, John is pauses in the normal narrative and giving us additional revelatory material.

1) The Angel’s Powerful Authority

A. Who is this angel?

John does not focus on who this angel is, but gives specific detail of his appearance.

a) First, we know this angel come down from heaven

2) The Angel’s Powerful Announcement

3) John’s Powerful Renewal