We have now come to the 3 and half year point of the seven year tribulation period. That means we are half-way through the tribulation period. How do we know that? We know that because of what Daniel prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27. And I thought, since we are midpoint in the tribulation, we would begin this morning by reviewing all that has happened thus far.
At this point the rapture has happened and the tribulation has begun. In the tribulation the Antichrist is still rising to global power. He is not yet Satan incarnate but he is certainly motivated by Satan. World war has broken out, violence has increased to the likes we have never seen, there is global famine, persecution escalates on those who have come to believe in Jesus post rapture, and there has been a global earthquake.
We have also seen the 144,000 Jews sealed, which was during the first interlude. After that, we observed 30 minutes of silence in heaven. Then, the first four trumpet judgments happened, which targeted the environment. After that, the fifth trumpet judgment occurred which led to the abyss being opened and from the abyss stinging locusts came upon the earth tormenting those who did not have the seal of God on them for five months. And finally, we examined the sixth trumpet judgment and a third of mankind was slain by an army of 200 million demonic troops from the abyss. Despite all that, the people remained hard-hearted towards God, not willing to repent of their sins.
Now we come to our second interlude in Revelation Ch.10 through Revelation Ch. 11:14. If you recall from Revelation 7, the first interlude, an interlude is when Jesus causes a cessation or temporary stop in the tribulation judgments. And as we discovered in Revelation 7, interludes are important, and our aim today is to discover the reason for this temporary stop in God’s judgment. However, because this interlude covers many verses, we are not going to cover all of it today. Today, we are to focus our attention on verses 1-11 in Revelation 10.
The first thing that John tells us in verse 1 is that he “saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.”
We don’t know who this “mighty angel” is. Some believe he is just an angel. Some believe he is an archangel; we know from Psalm 103:20 that archangel’s were referred to as mighty. Some believe this “mighty angel” is Jesus. And there is good reason to believe this “mighty angel” is Jesus, because of the description John gives of this “mighty angel’s” appearance.
In verse 1 John tells us this “mighty angel” was “wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face like the sun, and his legs like pillows of fire.”
This is the same description of what the prophet Ezekiel saw the day the Lord appeared to him in Ezekiel 1. This also fits the description of what Matthew records the day Jesus was transfigured in Matthew 17. And it fits the description of when John encountered the risen Jesus in Revelation 1:12-18. So, it may very well be Jesus.
Then we see in verse 2 that this mighty angel “had a little scroll open in his hand.”
If you can think back to Revelation 5:1, John saw a scroll with writing on the front and back, and was sealed with seven seals in the right hand of Almighty God that only the Lamb could open, which turned out to be the seven seal judgments that we studied in Revelation 6. Some believe this is that scroll. It’s open because Jesus has broken the seven seals to reveal what’s inside, which again can be read about in Revelation 6. However, there are some that believe this is a different scroll altogether.
Now in verses 2 & 3, John sees that this mighty angel has “set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.”
This is another good reason to believe this “mighty angel” is Jesus: John describes the voice of the mighty angel like the voice of a roaring lion; and so did other prophets. For example, the prophet Isaiah recorded the voice of the Lord being that of a roaring lion in Isaiah 31:4. So did the prophet Joel in Joel 3:16 and the prophet Amos in Amos 1:2 and the prophet Hosea in Hosea 11:10.
But also notice here that John describes this “mighty angel” as having one foot on the sea and the other on land. There are two suggestions for why this is: First, its suggests that this mighty angel is very large in size, which may be why the scroll appears to John as little. And secondly, it suggests that the words of this mighty angel deal with all of creation.
Also notice in verse 3 that when this “mighty angel” called out with the voice of a lion, “the seven thunders sounded.”
It is believed that “the seven thunders” is the voice of Almighty God, because Psalms 29:3 describes God’s voices as thunderous. The question becomes: if this is the voice of Almighty God, what is He saying?
We do not know. In verse 4 we discover that John is not allowed to record it. John writes, “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” There have been some attempts by scholars to explain why John is not permitted to reveal what was spoken, but it’s all speculation. The truth is we don’t know what was written and we don’t know why we are not allowed to know. It’s a mystery. But what was said is not the essence of this passage.
Next in verses 5-6 John writes, “And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 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…”
The angel with his hand raised is meant to be a picture of one pledging an oath by an uplifted hand, much like what is done today in a courtroom before someone takes the stand. And notice that he makes this pledge in the name of the One who created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, which is Almighty God. But what is this angel pledging?
According to verse 6, the mighty angel is pledging “that there would be no more delay.”
This implies something has been put off to a later time. It implies something has been postponed. It implies the progress of something has been impeded or hindered. And now the time has come for that something to happen. Which now brings us to this question: what is about to happen?
According to verse 7, the mystery of God is about to be fulfilled.
“But that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” In other words, this mighty angel is announcing what will take place with the seventh trumpet judgment. And what’s going to take place is what God announced to the former prophets, which is this: that all things in heaven and on earth will be united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
When did God announce this? God announced this mystery through the apostle Paul in Ephesus 1:9-10, which says that God, “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” So, when the time comes for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet the mystery of God, which God made known through the apostle Paul, to unite all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, will be complete.
And lastly, I want you to see what John is instructed to do with the scroll.
In verses 8-11 John records, “Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, ‘You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
So, what did John do with the scroll? He ate it. This may sound strange, but it’s the same thing Ezekiel the prophet had to do in Ezekiel 3, before he proclaimed the Word of God to Israel.
Why was John instructed to eat it? In John’s case, he is being commissioned to continue to prophesy “about many peoples and nations and languages and kings”. And the reason John was told to eat the scroll is because it was to give him knowledge concerning the things yet to come, things concerning the end time, which are recorded on this little scroll, which he has been commissioned to proclaim. So, he needed to receive God’s Word before he spoke it. And the best way for John to take in the message or the content of the scroll was to eat it.
Now you may wonder what is to come after this? What else is there to come? Much. There will be the seventh trumpet judgment, which includes the casting of Satan from heaven to the earth to torment Israel. We have the two witnesses which will proclaim the Word of God for 1,260 days. We have, finally, the rise of the Antichrist and the false prophet. Then we have the seven bowl judgments, which will be a time that the world has never seen before. A period that we call the great tribulation. A time that will be much worse than what we have already discussed. Jesus referred to this period like this in Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” Jesus even said concerning this period of great tribulation, “if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” In other words, those days will be so great in tribulation, if God had not limited the duration no one would be saved, but for the sake of those who are followers of Jesus, the elect, God mercifully limits the days of the great tribulation. And we are going to discuss all this and more.
You may also wonder why the scroll tasted sweet to the taste but was bitter to the stomach? That’s because the message that the scroll contained is bitter-sweet. As one commentator put it, “God’s Word is sweet to us as believers because it brings encouragement, but it sours our stomach because of the coming judgment we must pronounce to unbelievers.” The bitterness of the scroll indicates that the judgments to come shall come with even greater tribulation. The sweetness of the scroll indicates the judgments, as bitter and as crushing and as difficult as they shall be, shall come with mercy. Meaning, that all the judgments of God up to this point and leading into the great tribulation are designed by God to produce repentance in the unbelieving, and when the people repent, God will show them mercy.
This is one important fact we must understand to Revelation.
God is not in heaven looking to see how much wrath He can pour on the world just because He can. God is not pouring out His wrath just to watch His creation suffer and die. God is not sitting on his throne finding humor in the torment and death of the wicked.
God’s wrath has a good reason. God’s wrath is not pointless. God’s wrath is not meaningless. God is merciful and His wrath has a two-fold purpose: first to bring judgment on the sinner; secondly, to produce repentance in the sinner.
Remember, according to Ezekiel 18, God finds no joy or pleasure or satisfaction in seeing the wicked die in their sin and spending an eternity in hell separated from Him. 1 Timothy 2:3-5 tells us that what God desires and what God finds pleasing is for “all people to be saved”, which is why he sent Jesus to be a “ransom for all people.” Understand then, it is always God’s goal to see His creation saved, and that remains true even after the rapture, during the tribulation period.
What does this passage tell us? How can we apply this passage?
The whole purpose of this passage is to announce what God is about to do with the seventh trumpet: bring everything under the Lordship of Jesus, thus fulfilling His word, which He spoke through the prophets. The other purpose is to commission John that he may continue to speak the Word of God concerning the things to come.
As we have now come to the midpoint of the Tribulation, what this passage tells us is that God is in control. It tells us, as Dr. Herbert Carter said, “God’s judgment shall come to pass and without delay.” It tells us that God has a predetermined plan, which has been announced in His word. It tells us that everything that is to happen leading up to the rapture and after the rapture, will happen according to God’s predetermined timeline. It tells us that everything that has happened over the last 3 and half years of the tribulation period is happening according to God’s perfect plan.
It tells us that nothing and no one, not the devil or any demon in hell can thwart what God has already foreordained, because God shall do what He has purposed. It tells us that a day is coming which has been predetermined by God, before the foundation of the world, for things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, will be put under the feet of Jesus Christ. It tells us that the Antichrist and the forces of evil stood defeated before they ever started. And it tells us a day is coming when every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, whether you like it or not.
And we can apply it by being hopeful. Hopeful in knowing that God is in control. Hopeful in knowing that all the events taking place in the world right now are happening according to God’s timeline and God’s purpose. Hopeful in knowing that God’s plan is good and just and merciful. Hopeful in knowing that one day the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them will come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Hopeful in knowing that one day evil shall be conquered. And hopeful in knowing that although God is a God of wrath, He is also a God of mercy, and stands ready to forgive any sinner who turns from their sins and puts their faith in His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.