Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ, my Redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then row, row, pillows, row the golden morning is fast approaching. Jesus soon will come to take his faithful and happy children to their promised home.
Oh, we see the leaves of the golden morning Piercing through this night of bloom oh, we see the mercies of the golden morning that will burst the tomb.
The gospel summons will soon be carried to the nation's round the bridegroom then will cease to tarry and the trumpet sound O, we see the gleams of the golden morning Piercing through this night of gloom O, we see the gleams of the golden morning that will burst the tomb Attended by all the shining angels down the flaming sky the judge will come and will take his people where they will not die O, we see the gleams of the golden morning Piercing through this night of gloom O, we see the gleams of the golden
[00:02:16] Speaker B: morning
[00:02:20] Speaker A: that will burst waters the tomb.
[00:02:31] Speaker C: Welcome to the Voice of Hope, a Bible teaching program produced by Heralds of Hope. I'm your host, Anthony High.
In this episode, we continue our journey through the Book of Revelation.
Most of us have asked at some point, why does God wait so long?
In Revelation 10, a mighty angel arrives with a stunning announcement.
The waiting is almost over.
But before the final judgments fall, God pauses.
And what happens in that pause says everything about his heart toward people.
Before we enter today's teaching, we at Heralds of Hope want to take a moment to celebrate God's work in our ministry.
This month marks 58 years of media ministry, and we're humbled by how God has used this work to provide pastors, ministry leaders, and seekers with tools to meet Christ and make disciples of Jesus.
Thank you for being part of that story.
Join us as J. Mark Horse teaches from Revelation, chapter 10, verses 1 to 11.
Now let's open God's word together.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: That's it. You crossed a line. I've had all I can take, and this stops now. I've had it up to here.
You know, all of us have either said words like that or we at least thought them.
We found ourselves in a situation that tested the limits of our patience. And when those limits were passed, we felt like we had to act.
The Bible repeatedly encourages and commands us to practice both patience and forbearance.
And yet, if you know anything about human history, God's people have struggled with the fact that God's Patience seems far greater than ours.
And many of those struggles are recorded. You can read them in the Psalms. Here's one from Psalm chapter 94, verses 3 and 4.
How long shall the wicked, O Lord? How long shall the wicked rejoice? They pour forth words. They speak arrogantly.
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
And then the prophet Habakkuk cried out, you eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you cannot look on wickedness with favor.
Why then do you look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are you silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?
But then, conversely, some people mistake God's patience for his approval or his indifference.
In Romans 2, 4, 5, Paul wrote, Do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are accumulating for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
And make no mistake, the time is coming when the cup of God's indignation will be full and the unbelieving will be forced to drink it.
Revelation 14:10 records that those who worship the beast shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.
He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and and in the presence of the Lamb, so worshiping the beast in his image and receiving his mark of identification. That is the ultimate repudiation of God's patience and his mercy.
The text for our study in the book of Revelation Today is chapter 10, and it marks the beginning of an interlude within the trumpet judgments.
The seventh trumpet, which contains the seven bowl judgments, isn't sounded until Revelation, chapter 11 and verse 15.
And it's the culmination of the three woes that were pronounced all the way back in chapter 8 and verse 13.
The bowl judgments aren't revealed until the beginning of chapter 15.
And so this interlude, as I'm calling it, is introduced by a unique celestial messenger.
This section from chapters 10 through 14 could be considered the proverbial eye of the storm as far as the tribulation is concerned.
Now, that doesn't mean that there will be peace on the earth, because the nations will be in turmoil. The Antichrist will be trying to gain complete control over the entire world, as well as over every facet of human existence.
So keep that in mind as we turn our attention to the text, Revelation, chapter 10 and verses 1 through 11.
I'm reading that text from the Word of God.
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.
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, and cried with a loud voice as when a lion roars.
When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
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.
The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, and 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. 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.
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.
So I went to the angel and said to him, give me the little book.
And he said to me, take it and eat it down, and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.
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.
And he said to me, you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.
Our observations of the celestial messenger in this text will help us to understand God's unfolding plan for the final days of human history.
The first observation is a stirring sight.
John writes, I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven.
Now it seems evident that this angel isn't one of the seven trumpet angels. As I noted in the introduction, the seventh trumpet doesn't sound until chapter 11 and verse 15.
And it's preceded by a new series of visions that begin here in chapter 10, verse 1, and run through chapter 11, verse 14.
Nor is this angel one of the four fallen angels who were associated with the sixth trumpet.
The extraordinary appearance of this angel and the uniqueness of his Message indicates that his mission is of great importance.
In John's vision, he sees the stirring sight of this angel descend to the earth in real time. In other words, it's happening as he watches.
And the angel is wrapped or enveloped in a cloud, and he has a rainbow on his head.
Now, in Scripture, clouds can represent different things.
One of them is glory, but another is judgment.
Jeremiah 4:13 and Ezekiel 33, among others, associate clouds with God's judgment.
So I conclude that this angel is a messenger of judgment.
And further, he has a rainbow on or above his head.
And of course, the rainbow symbolizes God's covenant.
God's judgment is about to be unleashed in keeping with the covenant he made with his people.
Further, the angel's countenance is like the sun and his legs like pillars of fire.
He is the embodiment of Psalm chapter 104, verse 3, where it says, who makes his angels, spirits, his ministers, a flame of fire.
Now, the description of this angel is similar to the description of the Son of Man in Revelation, chapter 1, verses 15 and 16.
But this angel is not Christ, because Christ is not an angel. And scriptures such as Hebrews 1 and others consistently teach us that Christ is distinct from and far greater than angels.
I believe the language here is intended to show us that God sent this angel to announce judgment according to God's plan.
In the hand of the angel is a little book, and it's lying open.
The contents of the scroll aren't revealed to us until Revelation chapter 11 and verse 13.
The grammar indicates that this book was opened at some point in the past, and it remains open.
That is in contrast to the seven sealed scroll that we looked at back in chapter five.
Back there, the Lamb takes that seven sealed book from the hand of the one sitting on the throne. And then in successive chapters, the scroll is unrolled, unveiling the judgment symbolized by those seals.
But this book is different. It's already open. And it is specifically called a little book, referring to its small size.
A single Greek word describes the previous scroll, whereas the diminutive form is used here to describe this one.
And then John goes on to describe this unique angel as colossal. He's standing astride the earth and the sea. His right foot is on the sea and his left is on the earth. And that seems to imply that his mission involves the whole world.
It's really a bold and graphic picture.
Let's move on then, to the next observation. It is a simple prohibition.
As John continues to observe this stirring scene, the mighty angel cries out with a loud voice like a roar of a lion.
That doesn't mean that the sound John heard wasn't understandable and was merely a noise. It was just very loud.
And then, in response to the angel's cry, the seven thunders uttered their voices.
Remember, seven is the number of completeness.
In Psalm 29, David describes God speaking through the sevenfold voice of a thunderstorm.
And then in John 12, 27, 29, Jesus said, this.
Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour.
But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.
And then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it and will glorify it again.
The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered.
Others said, an angel has spoken to him.
So when the seven thunders had sounded, John was preparing to write down what he heard.
And so that has to mean that what he heard was understandable.
You know, I have this mental picture of John raising his writing instrument and preparing to make the first pen stroke, when all of a sudden the voice says, don't do that.
Instead, the voice from heaven commands, seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered and do not write them.
That's the opposite of the command that John was given in Revelation, chapter 1 and verse 11, where he was told to write what he had seen and heard.
However, this command is similar to the one that was given to Daniel in Daniel, chapter 12 and verse 4.
Evidently, the seven thunders are aspects of divine wrath that God orders to be concealed for the moment rather than to have them be revealed.
You might also recall that the APostle Paul in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 3 and 4, also saw heavenly things that he was not permitted to disclose or speak about.
So try to imagine the impact this stirring sight and this simple prohibition had on John as he recorded this vision.
And that leads us to the next observation, a significant proclamation.
In verse five, John resumes the picture of the mighty angel astride the land and sea.
And in that unique position, he raises his right hand toward heaven.
And as you know, that is the customary gesture in Scripture and even today of someone who is about to take an oath.
The angel swore by the living one for ages of ages.
And that's a common phrase in the Apocalypse for God's eternal existence. You can see it in Revelation 1, 18, 4, 9 and 10 and 15, 7.
And this oath proves that this angel is not Christ.
In speaking of God, the angel includes his creative activity that spans the universe and then what is the subject of the angel's oath?
The King James Version says that there should be time no longer.
New King James and others say there will be no more delay.
That's more accurate because this is not the end of time nor the cessation of time. It simply means there will be no more delay in the fulfillment of the seventh trumpet.
And this is the answer to the question of the souls under the altar in Revelation 6:10, who were crying out, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge your blood on those who dwell on the earth.
In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, or the seventh trumpet, when it is about to sound, chapter 11, verse 15, then the mystery of God will be finished according to the good tidings, he declared. And I want you to notice the plural days regarding the seventh trumpet, as we will see these judgments occur over a span of time.
And we should also note that this final trumpet contains the last of the three woes pronounced in Revelation, chapter 8 and verse 13.
This woe will be the worst one of all.
The angel then refers to the mystery of God.
Mystery in Scripture is that which has previously not been revealed, and we can see that in passages like Romans 11:25, 36 and Ephesians chapter 1, verses 9 through 10.
Here, apparently, the whole purpose of human history is in view.
It includes judgment, as is described for us in the book of Revelation, and the overall outworking of history that includes the salvation of the Jewish people and of others who come to faith in Jesus Christ.
The angel says that the mystery of God will be declared, and that is the same word that is used to announce the good news of salvation.
So as we reflect with John on the stirring sight and the simple prohibition and the significant proclamation that brings us to our final observation, which is a singular scroll.
Once again, John hears not the voice of the angel, but the voice from heaven.
And the voice commands him, go take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth, so leaving his position by the doorway to heaven. Chapter four, verse one. John moves to meet the angel and to obey the command the voice from heaven gave to him.
What was in this little book that was so important?
It contains all the information regarding the seventh trumpet with the bowl judgments, and we find these in Revelation chapters 15 through 17.
Accordingly, John says to the angel, give me the little book.
And that's not a request, it's a command. As John is obeying what he was commanded to do, this angel is also a creature under authority. And so he responds by saying, take it and eat it down, and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.
Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah had similar experiences. However, in their case, bitterness isn't mentioned.
The clue to the symbolic meaning of eating the little book is found in verse 11.
It specifically states that the book's content is prophecy, future prophecy regarding the middle and second half of the Tribulation.
You know, even today, to many professing believers, prophecy is, we might say, sweet.
They're interested in teaching on prophetic scriptures.
Some speakers and authors have made a very lucrative business of that sweetness and that interest through books and movies and conferences.
However, the sweet taste the prophecy left in John's mouth was quickly followed by bitterness in his stomach.
That should be the experience of every genuine believer.
According to Ezekiel 33:11, God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Let me read Ezekiel's As I live, declares the Lord God. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
That sentiment is not limited to Israel. It's God's heart for everyone, for all people.
You know, even as we've been viewing these horrible judgments that will be visited on the wicked during the Great Tribulation, we must remember that judgment is not God's ultimate goal.
No, these judgments are being poured out with the hope that mankind will repent and turn to God.
There's a sense in which these judgments are acts of mercy. They are meant to bring mankind face to face with with the holiness of God and to cry out to him in repentance.
According to 1 Thessalonians 4:13 18, the only way to escape this coming judgment is by way of the Rapture. And to qualify for the Rapture, one must accept Jesus as the Messiah. And not just intellectually, but in a transformative way.
Jesus must be both Savior and Lord.
This knowledge of the coming judgment should motivate every believer to share the Gospel.
None of us who is a Christ follower should ever have the attitude, oh, I can't wait until the wicked get what they deserve.
You know, we must remember that apart from Christ, we are under the same judgment.
And just as we have little concept concerning the glories of heaven, I believe we have little concept of the horrors of eternal hell. And sadly, there is a continuing element within Christendom that seeks to diminish the horrors of hell or erase them completely through the false teachings of conditional immortality and universalism.
May God have mercy on us.
We must remember that John's real life experience mirrored the prophecies that were being revealed to him.
He had partaken of the Word of God, and he had experienced the sweetness of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus.
And yet it was because of this same Jesus that he was in exile.
This is a reminder to us that life with Christ is a mixture of joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, blessing and suffering.
But in the end, it will be worth it all to see our Savior face to face.
The angel's final message to John was, you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.
This statement points to what has already been disclosed and describes vivid dramatic action in the present tense. We could read it like must again be prophesying.
Yes, there is still much more to come. According to Revelation 11:15.
And John would prophesy in the presence of this list of people who are mentioned seven times in the book of Revelation, beginning with chapter five and verse nine.
The invitation John was given to eat the scroll is God's invitation to everyone who would participate in the blessing of his word.
In John 6:63, Jesus said, It is the Spirit who gives life.
The flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Furthermore, he said in the context of his prophetic teaching in Matthew chapter 24, Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
We live in a time when the Word of God is being neglected, ignored, minimized and twisted to suit the lifestyles of those who reject absolute truth.
But you know something? We must not forget the inescapable law of sowing and reaping. Yes, we are free. Free to choose what we do with God's Word and how we respond to it now.
But ultimately it will stand in judgment over us.
The day is approaching when there will be no more delay.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, there came a time when God closed the door and the time to enter the ark of safety was past.
No one knew back then when that door was going to close, and no one knows when the door of salvation will close in the future.
Today the door is still open.
Will you enter and find safety, or will you live on in sin and experience the awful judgments that are described in this book?
I pray you will heed the message of this celestial messenger and seek Christ Today.
[00:26:05] Speaker A: The judgment has set. The books have been open.
How shall we stand in that great day when every thought and word and action.
God, the righteous Judge, shall wait.
How shall we stand in that great day?
How shall we stand in that great day?
Shall we be found before him wanting, or with our sins all washed away?
[00:26:55] Speaker C: That concludes today's teaching in Revelation, chapter 10. Here on the Voice of Hope, the image of John eating the scroll stays with you. The word of God is sweet, but when we truly understand what is coming to those who reject it, that sweetness turns into something heavy.
God takes no pleasure in judgment. His desire is that people turn to him and and live.
If today's episode stirred something in you, we'd love to hear from you. Your responses and stories mean so much to us.
You can reach us at heraldsofhope.org contact or by email at hopeheraldsofhope.org or by phone at 866-960-0292.
Again, that's 866-960-0292.
To explore more of our Bible teaching, visit heraldsofhope.org programs.
You can also listen to and share the Voice of Hope wherever you get your podcasts.
Join us the next time as we continue our journey through Scripture. And until then, may God's Word strengthen your faith and remind you that his work in the world is far from finished.
Thank you for listening to the Voice of Hope.
[00:28:35] Speaker A: How shall we stand in that great day?
How shall we stand in that great day?
Shall we be found before him wanting or with our sins all washed away.
