A GLORIOUS ANGEL AND A MYSTERIOUS BOOK
#601 A GLORIOUS ANGEL AND A MYSTERIOUS BOOK
Scripture Revelation 10:1-11, NIV Orig. 5-5-1973
Rewr. 3-4-1979
Passage: 10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
[Purpose: Continuing the Bible study from Revelation]
Introduction
Chapter 9 with its sixth trumpet closed in a very strange way. It called our attention to a fast-approaching day of unequaled terror. Along the way, it told about a coming time of warfare that would see 200,000,000 warriors massed for battle. However, these warriors are pictured not dropping atomic bombs on mankind, but moving out on horseback and killing as they go.
A young man in total seriousness asked me recently if I thought that there might be any connection between these warriors on horseback here in our computer age, and all of the talk going on about the energy crises. He ventured to suggest that perhaps the reason that they were on horseback, was because all of the mechanized war machines had ground to a halt in the absence of fuel. Well, I will leave you with that to ponder on your own. If this could be true, then it would mean that something ‘sans pareil’ is going to happen before nuclear energy and solar energy get sophisticated enough for war machines.
Our chapter for this evening is a sort of parenthesis between the sixth and seventh trumpet. Whenever something transactional is about to occur in the book of Revelation, there is always a brief transitional period. This one is most important because it is marked by the coming end of the age. Every interpretation of the book of Revelation that is worthy of consideration holds that the Seventh trumpet is the end of the present age. The historists tell us that on the occasion of the 7th trumpet, Christ will therein come in judgment. The futurists mark the event as the time when Christ will come to establish His Millennial Kingdom. Whatever we may choose to believe about that, the year 1979 seems to be positioned not very securely, somewhere in this parenthetical period, between trumpet six and trumpet seven.
Let’s go on and take a good close look at this GLORIOUS ANGEL AND THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK.
I. A Revelation of Inexpressible Impact, but Its Meaning is to be Withheld. V3f “The seven thunders crashed their reply and as I was about to write what they had said, a voice from heaven said, ‘Don’t do it, their words are not to be revealed.’”
First of all, a look at the angel. While this angel is not said to be the Lord Himself, the description leads us quickly to understand that it must be either the Lord, or some created being who comes immediately from His presence. He was seen coming down from heaven: John 6:38, I came down from heaven; Acts 1:11, This same Jesus which was taken away.
The angel was robed in a cloud. Psalm 104:3, God maketh the clouds His chariots; Exodus 14:19, The angel of God and the pillar of the cloud are pictured as giving light to Israel and darkness to the Egyptians; I Kings 8:11, The priests had no room to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the House; Ezekiel 11:22f, The prophet is instructed to declare the desolation of the once holy temple—he pictures the glory of God leaving the temple, staying a moment over the door, hanging above the east wall of the city reluctant to leave a place sustained so long by His glory, moving from there to the mountain to the east (the Mount of Olives). There was a rainbow over His head—Genesis 9:13, the rainbow was a sign of covenant. The angel’s face shone like the sun—Revelation 1:16, His face shone like the sun in brilliance; Matthew 17:2 [In] transfiguration His face did shine as “white as the light”; Acts 9:3 and 26:13, A light from heaven brighter than the sun; Matthew 14:2, The SUN of righteousness. His feet were like pillars of fire—Revelation 1:15 His feet were like unto fine brass, tempered by a furnace.
Have you ever had a confrontation with someone or some occasion of danger? Do you remember how weak-kneed you were when it was over?
Now, a quick look at the book. It was a little book. Jewish Talmud. John—the world can’t hold books written about Him. Easy to major on unimportant details. It was an open book. Revelation 5:2-4, You do recall do you not the occasion of John being transported into heaven where he saw the seven-sealed scroll, and his first dismay when it seemed that no one would be able to open it. The emphasis has turned from an unopened scroll of major proportion to an opened scroll of impact proportion. The earlier picture of the scroll was that it was the title-deed to the world. Now not the picture that forms. The Christ-angel comes. In His hand is the wide opened title-deed to the world which cannot be refuted. Around His head is pictured the rainbow which in chapter 4 was seen encircling the throne of God. He plants His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot upon the land, and He lays claim to what is His. It was a book of justice. I sat and talked with one of you recently about all we see about us that just isn’t fair. In these 13 years in Baptist pastorates I could have written books on what is and isn’t fair, about people who suffered unduly—at least in my interpretation of things—and I have seen people who did not get what they deserved, and I have felt myself thinking “It’s a good thing I am not God, or I’d fix your wagon.”
Next, note the seven-fold thunderous reply. There comes to this book of justice the seven thunderous interpretations of judgment. Psalm 29. Understand please that this judgment is marked upon those who have usurped the place and the property of God. And every man who has done this will get exactly what he deserves. Note the continuing series of sevens: the scroll was sealed with seven seals; the seventh seal opened upon seven trumpets; in the interlude between six and seven there are seven thunders. The seven thunders are the final act of judgment redemptively the end of the age. Revelation 9:20f. Look for a moment at the sealing of the message: John knew; he was not allowed to reveal; the Christian is sealed off securely from this final act of judgment (II Corinthians 12:4); it is herein established that there will be no more delay—KJV, time. Revelation 6:10, How long, O Lord, dost thou not judge and avenge? Hebrews 10:37.
II. The End is Near and it will be a Glorious Conclusion [to] the Plan of God, but the Time Remaining is to be Used.
The final fulfillment of God’s plan awaits the seventh seal. Ephesians 3:21, May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:25, This so-called “foolish” plan of God is far wiser than the wisest plan of the wisest man, and God in His weakness—Christ dying on a cross—is far stronger than any man.
John and all who walk by faith, walk believing that the end is near, but with resolve to be used of God until the end. A message about enlightenment about the Word—Go and get the scroll from the angel. Yes, take it and eat it [Revelation 10:8-9]. The word of spiritual revelation is never forced on any person. If he comes to possess it, it will be because by faith he has claimed it.
John is told to assimilate the message of the scroll and that it will be sweet to the mouth and bitter to the stomach. Psalm 19:10, Sweeter than honey and the honey comb. A quaint Jewish custom of alphabet being written on the slate with a mixture of flower and honey; he licked it clean. But look again at the occasion of the prophetic word being delivered to the nations. Remember Amos—Damascus/ Gaza/ Tyre/ Edom/ Ammon/ Judah/ Israel. I Peter 4:17, Judgment must first begin with the house of the Lord.
Closing
Are we as the people of God, ready to take seriously the command of God to assimilate the Word of God for delivery to the peoples, nations, tribes, and kings. As much as we claim to love, honor, and revere the Word, it may well be necessary for God to lead us through periods of difficulty before we are able to be used of Him.