Revelation Chapter 10

Today Dr. J talks about Rev. 10.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Welcome to Dr. J in the Bible. This is Dr. J continuing our study in the book of Revelation. Hope everyone's doing well. This blessed Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to you all out there, our fathers, praying that you have a good one and a peaceful one. So today we're looking at Revelation chapter 10. Revelation chapter 10 marks a shift in the tribulation narrative. After this, uh the trumpet judgments of chapter 8 and 9. Uh, this chapter introduces a mighty angel with a little scroll symbolizing God's prophetic plan and the proclamation of his word during the tribulation. The church, as we already know, but I'd like to really recapitulate and summarize, the church is already raptured. And these events concern Israel and the remaining world that are left behind. Verses 1 through 3, we see the mighty angel appears. It says, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, clothed with cloud, with a rainbow over his head, his face was like the sun, his legs like pillars. And this mighty angel is represents some divinely empowered messenger, powerful messenger, possibly an archangel, could even be Michael, sent to deliver God's word and authority to the earth. We see he's clothed with a cloud, a rainbow symbolizing God's presence, covenant of faithfulness, and glory. You can also see this reflection referring back to Ezekiel chapter 1, verse 28. And so when you look at this, it also says, and a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars. So Revelation 9 left off with the sounding of the six of seven trumpets, which uttered in the end of all things. Now, instead of a seventh trumpet, we have another interlude until Revelation 11, 15. And these interludes, so to speak, serve as a dramatic purpose, I think, from the Apostle John, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Himself, but also to show mercy and allowing more opportunity for repentance to the people that have heard the message, the people that have seen the signs, to repent and turn to Christ. It is as if God brought these things to the brink and then pulled a little, uh pulled back a little to grant most of mankind more time to get right. Another mighty angel coming down from heaven. Many have identified this mighty angel, perhaps this messenger, as Jesus, because some of the imagery is similar to Revelation chapter 1, 15 through 16, which also describes Jesus and his countenance, like the sun shining in its strength. Yet, in context, you know, we we see here angels are never clearly identified with Jesus in the book of Revelation, or in the New Testament for that matter, though he is clearly associated with the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Every time in the Old Testament, when you see here the angel of the Lord, you read it, not long after he's called Yahweh, and they're worshiping him. And this is none other than the preincarnate Christ. But so here I don't believe that's the case. I think the identification of this angel, uh perhaps Michael, very similar to this mighty angel, is described in Daniel 12, 1 and 12, 6 through 7. So very likely this angel is Michael. We don't know for sure. Uh we'll find out someday when we're with the Lord. There's just some things that the secrets belong to the Lord. I tend to lean that this is an angel that came from the very presence of God, and he had a great, he was great and mighty with authority. And the rainbow kind of uh once again reminds us of God's promise to man, and uh it's a natural result when the sun shines through a cloud, and so there's a little bit of a pause here, and so that makes sense. Verses four through six, we see an oath. The seven thunders sealed. John's told to write what they said, indicating some aspects of God's plan are hidden. And the angel cries out, and seven thunders uttered their voices. He had a little book in his hand, and he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. So he had this angel had a little book open in his hands. Is this little book the same as the scroll? No one except Jesus could open in Revelation 5, 1 through 7. Remember we talked about that? If one takes the mighty angel to be Jesus, then it very well could be Jesus, right? But John uses a different different words here to describe the scroll of Revelation 5, 1 and the little book written here. So it's probably best, I think, to discern these are different, yet properly close related. And the little book is perhaps the short version of the disposition of all things, the portion that John himself will see and uh write. And the context of the little book are nowhere revealed in Revelation, but they surely seem to represent in this vision the written authority given to the angel. Um so it's pretty interesting. And then the mighty angel swears by God, and he uses eternal power. The angel declares that there will be no more delay, and the mystery of God will be completed. He sets his right foot on the sea, his left foot on the land, and the angel's stance projects his authority over both land and sea. His authority is either direct, you know, if the if it's a mighty angel is Jesus, it's direct. If it's it's indirect, if it's an angelic being, is a messenger of God. And his stance indicates total authority over the entire earth situation. And so we see that all power was universal. All things were under his feet. And this really stresses, this emphasizes God's sovereignty and certainty of his timetable. Think of a courtroom where there's the final decree, final judgment is about to be executed. Nothing can stop it, and all hidden plans are in God's control. Five through seven. So he raised up his hand to heaven, swore to him and lives forever. This mighty angel gave a solemn oath, declaring that the end of all things is totally irrevocable, and is set in motion, and there was absolutely no turning back, and nothing could stop this. And the mystery of God would be finished. What mystery is he talking about here? That's a very interesting statement. A mystery, something no one could know unless it was revealed. If you could know it by intuition or personal investigation, it isn't a mystery. It's hard to say what this precise mystery of God is, because the phrase is similar, same as used in many different aspects of God's plan. You know, he talks about in Romans 11, 25 with the ultimate conversion of the Jewish people in the end, end times. God's purpose with the church, the mystery of the church, Ephesians 3, bringing in the fullness of the Gentiles is called a mystery, Romans 11. And the living presence of Jesus in the believer is called the mystery of God. And even the gospel itself is called the mystery of Christ in Colossians 4.3. And so as we look at this, it probably refers to the unfolding of the consummation of all things, the finishing up plan of uh of the ages. Then the voice, which this is verses 8 through 9, heard from heaven, spoke to me again and said, Go take the little book, which is open in the hand of the angel, stands on the sea and on the earth. 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, and it will be sweet as honey in your mouth. So take and eat it. John was commanded to take this little book from this mighty angel and eat it of all things. Um to say that God never forces his revelation on anyone. And we also must be willing to take that, what what he has offered. That may be often be the case, but in in many cases, uh Paul on the road to Damascus, you know, Paul was knocked off his his donkey, and he was shed the light. So he was taking this, he he ate this little book, and it was sweet as honey in his mouth, but after he ate it, his stomach became bitter. And he said to me, Prophesy again against my people, uh, again about my people, many nations, tongues, and kings. So it was sweet in his mouth, it tasted good, and it was bitter too. I think the sweetness is the joy of God's truth, God's promises. But the bitterness is the sorrow. John saw the sorrow, the judgment, the trials revealed within God's plan. He saw what was going to happen in the future, he saw evil, he he saw the people that would not repent, even though they knew God but they rejected him, they hid themselves in caves from the one that sits on the throne, and they blasphemed him, and they kept worshiping their idols. So John is instructed to proclaim God's word, the gospel, signifying or indicating that the prophecy involves both encouragement and warning. It's encouragement to those that are being saved, and it's a warning to those that are being damned. Imagine reading a prophetic message. It's glorious on one hand and true, yet the content reveals impending suffering, which is both comforting and alarming at once, at the same time. Is that not what the gospel news is? Good news and bad news at the same time. You know, the more people hear the gospel and the more they reject it, the greater the judgment. The more revelation, the more judge eternal condemnation. That's why I think in Isaiah and in John, where it says that he hid them so that they would not understand, hearing they wouldn't hear, seeing they wouldn't see. I don't think that's just God saying, Nah, I don't want you to be saved. I think it's also I'm trying to protect you from the greater condemnation. John is told, once again, in verse 11, to tell the nations, the peoples, the tongues, the kings. He's told to prophesy about many peoples and nations. It's indicating the that the prophecy of the tribulations is global in scope. You know, no other time in history, except the last hundred some odd years, has the world been so easily connected. I mean, that's one of many other reasons. Other reasons why I think we're close to uh the rapture is that number one, the rapture doesn't could happen anytime. We could be raptured and then uh the the Antichrist rises, signs the covenant a hundred years later. I doubt it, but could be. I think we're close because if if he doesn't rapture us, we're gonna logically speaking, it almost has to be soon. We have May 14, 1948, and we know that the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, is a huge prophecy. And and we could go into many prophecies that were for were fulfilled with that. Their language resurrecting, their people resurrecting, um their uh I said their language resurrected Hebrew, uh their their cities blossom them, the fruit, I mean everything. And uh we also see AI, uh we see the severe anti-Semitism and calling good evil and evil good. We can go on and on. But the big on a global scale, we're seeing things uh the world's greaterly uh connected than ever before. I think that's uh pointing to uh a definite eminency of Christ. So as we look at this, that this this what's coming, the church will not be in because we're not appointed to wrath. But chapter 10 of Revelation clearly points out God's sovereignty and certainty. The mighty angel sealed in the sealed thunders emphasizes nothing can thwart God's plan and his timing is precise. The nature of prophecy, the little scroll shows the prophecy can be a sweetened tooth, truth, tooth to, and I don't want to truth decay. Yes, sweet in truth, bitter in judgment, revealing both uh hope and warning. Globally, God's plan during the tribulation affects all nations, peoples, demonstrating universal authority. In preparation, I believe that John's role reminds believers that God's word must be proclaimed faithfully, even when the message is difficult to bear. And so next week we'll be looking at Revelation 11, the two witnesses. Uh, who are those two witnesses? What will they be doing? And uh, yeah, so as we're going through Revelation, this has been a blessing. Hope it is for you too. It's just a little bit, Dr. J in the Bible is a little break off from Grace in the Shadows. Hope you guys have a great weekend. Once again, all fathers have a happy Father's Day, and uh lead lead your families well. Point them to Jesus, the one who sits on the throne. And remember, God can take your mess, turn to a message for his glory for your good.