The Time Has Come
Notes
Transcript
1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. 8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Sermon Series - Reboot: Being The Church in the Age of AI
Significant Chapter in Revelation. I entitled the message The Time has Come. For finally, the mystery of God will end.
Themes of Revelation 10:
God’s Authority Over All Creation
Last week I talked about God’s sovereignty
2. God’s Faithfulness.
His unfolding of His plan
The revealing of the mystery
His final salvation for His elect
The judgement of the world
3. God’s Prophetic Commissioning
For Witness
For Warning
This section is another pause or interlude in the series of judgements being executed. The pauses between rapid fire judgements are meant to encourage the saints of God.
Seven Seal Judgements - there was a pause before the last seal was opened
The 144,000 were sealed and John saw the multitudes in Heaven
Seven Trumpets - We now have a pause before the last trumpet was sounded.
Approach to Interpretation of Chapter 10:
Symbolic - That what John saw in Chapter 10 are all symbolic of a central message that is being delivered to God’s people.
Literal and Futuristic - The Literal interpretation, believes this is a real event and actually ushers in the last half, or last three and a half years of The Great Tribulation.
Old Testament Similarities and Patterns.
Though I am studying the different interpretations, I rely on the Holy Spirit and prayed the Word will speak in a fresh way to you today, leading to a real life application.
We find in this message a mystery, a mystery is something hidden that has not been revealed.
Central to this mystery is the Question: When will God finally judge the world for all its evil?
The first Theme of Revelation Chapter 10:
God’s Authority Over All Creation.
1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
The identity of this Mighty Angel.
There are many attributes of power…
(add here) Jesus’ description in Rev. Chapter 1
clothed with a cloud — reference
Rainbow was on His head
Face like the Sun
Feet like Pillars of Fire
Little book open in His hand - likened to the scroll
RIght foot on the sea and left foot on the land - authority
Cried with a Loud Voice
Christophanies - Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament (examples)
I am of the conservative stance that John used a word “another” which means “another being of the same kind”.
The Angel was a Christlike figure
Lesson: Christ Remains to be the Central Figure that Unlocks God’s Mystery Throughout all Redemptive History
In God’s redemptive history, there was a mystery mentioned in Scripture, that has already been revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul talked about A mystery.
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,
4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
Here is the mystery:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
To many in the world, this remains a mystery today.
This leads us to the Second Theme of Revelation 10:
2. God’s Faithfulness.
This is the second question of the mystery: “When will God complete His redemptive plan and finally avenge the righteous?”
Lesson: Although God's redemptive plan has been revealed and fulfilled in Christ, it remains a mystery hidden from many.
4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
What did the seven thunders utter, that John heard, and he was forbidden to write? I don’t know
Suggestions here:
One way to understand is by looking at the next passage and doing a cross study of the book of Daniel.
5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,
There shall be no more delay of what? Maybe what John heard were terrifying judgements.
Now if we go to the book of Daniel:
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
Time, times and half a time - taken to mean 3 and a half years. Time - a Year, Times - double the year, half a time, half a year which is three and a half years of the Great tribulation.
We will see that from this chapter onward, starting from chapter 11 of the book of Revelation, John will start making references to three and a half years or 42 months.
References to Time, Times and Half a Time:
Three and a Half Years
Forty Two Months
One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty Days
The rest of this story from Daniel gives us a hint:
8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
There are many things in prophecy that will be kept from the wicked, but the wise will understand.
The similarities between Daniel’s and John’s experiences are stark. They were both told to seal the words, until the time of the end. The difference is this Daniel at that time did not understand the mystery, John understood the message but was told not to reveal.
7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
This is the reason why a futuristic interpretation of Revelation believes the sounding of the seventh trumpet coincides with the end of the Tribulation Period, when evil will finally be judged.
The Last Theme of Revelation Chapter 10:
3. God’s Prophetic Commissioning.
Question: “What are we to do between now and the end?”
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” 9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
What in the world does this mean?
This may not be as complicated as we think.
The book of Ezekiel.
Final Lesson: We have tasted the sweetness of the gospel; now we must faithfully proclaim its hope and warn the nations of the judgment to come, until every people has heard.
There is a sweetness to the Word of God. It is a message of Hope, - We are to witness.
But there is a bitterness - There is judgement looming for those who will reject God’s message of Hope. - we are to warn.
There was an authority given to the Son. The Son gave us the authority - to be His witnesses.
John was commissioned to be a prophet - to Foretell.
We are commissioned to be witnesses - To Forth Tell.
We are to warn, people who are yet to know the Mystery of God revealed in Christ that there is judgement to come.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
In the next parts of Revelation starting from Chapter 11, we see events unfolding at the very place where it all began in Jerusalem. Why? Because the Gospel is going back to Jerusalem.
Story of the Jewish Rabbi…
Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri’s story. How He revealed the identity of the Messiah Who he saw in a visioon.
