Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
29, 2012
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
The apostle
John found himself caught up into heaven before the throne of God.
He saw Jesus
take a scroll from the hand of God that had been sealed with seven seals. As Jesus broke each seal
and unrolled the scroll a little further, events begin to take place on the
earth and the time that we call the Tribulation begins to unfold.
The Tribulation is a time when God’s wrath is poured out on an unbelieving
world and God begins to make right all the things that have been so wrong.
Built within
the seventh seal are seven trumpets.
We are now looking at the last three trumpets. The last three trumpets bring such terrible things to
the earth that they are called the three “woes”.
We’ve finished the sixth trumpet and while we’re waiting for the seventh
trumpet to sound, there’s a little business that has to happen first.
10:1-7 Rainbow
Angel
: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.
:1 mighty – ischuros –
strong, mighty
:1 rainbow – iris –
a rainbow
:1 pillars – stulos –
a pillar; a column; pillars of fire i.e. flames rising like pillars
:1 another mighty
angel
Who is this angel? He’s different than the seven angels who had been
blowing trumpets.
Some have
suggested that this is Jesus Christ.
Though Jesus is known as the “angel of Yahweh” in the Old Testament, we
don’t seem Him referred to as an angel in the New Testamant.
In the Old Testament before He had taken human flesh in Bethlehem, He
is known as “The Angel of the LORD”, or “The Angel of Yahweh”.
This doesn’t mean that Jesus was a created being like the other
“angels”.
Remember that the word for “angel” simply means “messenger”. There are some
of God’s “messengers” that are a special race of supernatural created beings
like Michael and Gabriel.
Jesus has always been and will always be God, not an angel.
In the New Testament, there no longer seem to be any more references to
Jesus as being the “angel of the LORD”.
Some have
suggested that this is simply an angel.
The same Greek
words for “mighty angel” are used in Rev.
5:2
(Re 5:2 NKJV) Then I saw
a strong angel proclaiming with a
loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”
Now we are simply
seeing “another” strong or might angel.
It might be Michael the archangel, who is definitely involved in the last
days:
(Da 12:1
NKJV) “At that
time Michael shall stand up, The
great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there
shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even
to that time…
Pillar - wilderness, fire, "angel"
:1 a rainbow was
on his head
This may be
just the way this fellow is dressed (and it might look more like a halo than an
arc), but a rainbow
has some significance to us.
It reminds us
of a promise that God made to Noah after the flood:
(Ge 9:14–15 NKJV) —14 It shall
be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the
cloud; 15 and I will remember
My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all
flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
God said that the rainbow would be a reminder that there would never again
be a flood to destroy all flesh.
I wonder if this angel’s rainbow isn’t some sort of a reminder that as bad
as things get, there is still hope. God isn’t just going to wipe everything
out.
: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,
:2 a little book
– bibliaridion – a really small book
The Bible has different words to describe the size of a book or scroll.
There is a book
(biblos)
There is a
smaller book (biblion) (the word used
for the sealed scroll in ch. 5)
There
is an even smaller book (bibliaridion)
What is this little book?
I think it’s the things in the rest of Revelation, or possibly just the
first half of Rev. 11
before the seventh trumpet sounds.
:2 left – euonumos –
of good name and of good omen; in the latter sense used in taking auguries; but
those omens were euphemistically called "euonumos" which in fact were
regarded as unlucky, i.e. which came from the left, sinister omens, (for which
a good name was desired); left, on the left hand
:2 right foot on
the sea
Play “Israel
Coast” map video
If this is taking place on the coast of Israel, then this angel is facing
south.
Some suggest
that this is a picture of “conquest”, just as Joshua had the captains of Israel
put their feet on the necks of the kings they conquered. (Josh 10:24)
(Jos 10:24 NKJV) —24 So it was, when they brought out those
kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the
captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near, put your feet on the
necks of these kings.” And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.
This might be a
picture of God establishing a “beach head” on the planet.
:3 and cried with
a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders
uttered their voices.
:3 roars
– mukaomai – to roar, of a lion
I’m not sure it sounded like that. Perhaps like this …
A lion’s roar is a pretty terrifying thing.
:3 cried out – krazo
– to croak; of the cry of a raven; hence, to cry out, cry aloud,
vociferate; cry out aloud, speak with a loud voice
:3 thunders – bronte
– thunder
:3 uttered – laleo –
to utter a voice or emit a sound; to speak
The language makes it sound as if the seven “thunders” aren’t as loud
as the mighty angel crying out.
: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.”
:4 the seven thunders
John writes about these “thunders” as if they have personality. They have voices, they have something to say.
:4 seal – sphragizo
– to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal
:4 Seal up the
things which the seven thunders uttered
A lot of this book has been about “breaking the seals”, revealing, or opening up
things that have been hidden.
Now John is told to “seal” something to keep it hidden.
Even though there will be people who will try and tell you what these
thunders actually said, there’s no way of knowing because John did not write
them down.
I have to tell you that there are a lot of people who will want to let
you in on the secret of what the seven thunders said.
All you have to do is search the World Wide Internet for “seven
thunders” and you will find no end to people telling you what was said.
Be careful beloved.
If God wanted these things known, John would have been allowed to write
them.
What you will find are people who want to draw you in with their claim
of secret knowledge.
:4 do not write
them
Lesson
Imperfect knowledge
Sometimes we like to have everything in life all figured out.
But sometimes that just doesn’t happen.
Illustration
When
compiling his great dictionary, the young Noah Webster travels to the
Himalayas, where he climbs to the cave of the world’s wisest man. “O great sage,” he says, “tell
me the meaning of life.”
The sage sits Noah at his feet and, with great solemnity, commences to unfold
the meaning of life. When finished, he places a hand on the young man’s
shoulder and says, “Do you have any other questions, my son?” Noah flips a page
in his notebook and says, “You wouldn’t happen to know the meaning of lift, would
you?”
Honestly, there are some questions that even great gurus
can’t answer.
Some people
have questions for God, and they want answers.
Why did my child die? Why am I sick? Why has my life been so rough?
Sometimes there are answers, but sometimes there aren’t.
Are you okay with having “imperfect” knowledge about things?
John is leaving us in the dark when it comes to these
“thunders”.
After the
resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to His disciples to show that He had
risen from the dead. The first time He appeared to the group of His disciples,
everyone was in the room except for Thomas.
Doubting Thomas
said he wouldn’t believe until he saw Jesus and even touched Him for himself.
Jesus did show up and allow Thomas to see and touch Him, but He said,
(Jn 20:29 NKJV) 29 Jesus said
to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have believed.”
Jesus took Thomas’ concerns seriously and gave Thomas the
opportunity to have his questions answered. He offered to allow Thomas to put
his hand onto Jesus’ wounds.
But Jesus knew that there would be a few of us who would
not have that opportunity to witness His resurrection first hand. He said we
would be blessed if we believed even though we haven’t seen.
Sometimes
you have to simply learn to trust God.
He may not always give you the answers to all your
questions.
Are you okay with that?
Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of real answers for
us for many of our honest questions. Christianity is not a religion based on
total blind faith.
We call this study of the answers “apologetics”. There are
some very smart people with very intelligent answers.
Yet for some questions, we don’t have the answers … not
yet.
This is part of what it means to
walk with God. Paul wrote,
(2 Co 5:7 NKJV) For we
walk by faith, not by sight.
We may not always
get to “see” what’s up ahead. We many
always get to “see” what the answers are.
But we trust God
anyway.
So what do we do with things we don’t understand?
Trust in what we know.
When
ancient mariners were caught in a storm at sea, they would let out the anchors
to keep their ship from going off course.
These are the anchors in our lives when the storms are raging.
God is all powerful
Whatever problem I’m facing, God is bigger. There is no
problem that God can’t handle. He can do anything.
(Je 32:17 NKJV) ‘Ah, Lord God!
Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and
outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
(Mt 19:26
NKJV) But
Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but
with God all things are possible.”
(Re 19:6
NKJV) And
I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many
waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord
God Omnipotent reigns!
God knows everything
God might be strong, but does He know what’s going on in
my life?
(Ps 139:1–2 NKJV) —1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know
my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
(Ex 3:7 NKJV)
And
the Lord said: “I have surely
seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their
cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
(Ps 38:9
NKJV) Lord,
all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.
God is good
He’s not just powerful and smart, He’s also good. He is
not evil.
(1 Jn 1:5 NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to
you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
(Ge 18:25
NKJV) Far
be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the
wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You!
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
(Re 16:7
NKJV) And
I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and
righteous are Your judgments.”
God loves me
God might be powerful, smart, and good, but am I someone
that He cares about?
(Ro 5:8 NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Jn 3:16 NKJV) For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(1 Jn 3:16 NKJV) By this
we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren.
If you are struggling with unanswered questions, you’re not alone.
Learn to trust in what you know, learn to trust in the
anchors.
:5 The angel
whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven
:5 raised up his
hand
In order to swear an oath, just like in court – raise your right hand and swear …
The angel is
pointing to the source of the One who makes these words true.
: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,
:6 swore – omnuo
– to swear; to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath
:6 who created …
God created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.
To swear an oath by God is to make a pretty firm, positive, absolute
statement. You have to believe what he is about to say.
:6 delay – chronos
– time either long or short
The phrase means, “there is no time
any longer” or “there is no more time”
“The Message” translation carries
the idea of this word best: “that time
was up”
This is part of the oath – that the
time is up for what’s about to happen.
: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.
:7 the sounding – phone
– a sound, a tone; a voice
:7 to sound – salpizo
– to sound a trumpet
:7 is finished – teleo
– to bring to a close, to finish, to end; to perform, execute, complete,
fulfil
:7 the mystery – musterion
– hidden thing, secret, mystery
:7 He declared – euaggelizo
– to bring good news, to announce glad tidings
The word has “angel” at its root.
An angel is a messenger.
:7 the mystery of
God would be finished
The idea is that the things that have long been prophesied in the Old Testament as well as
the New Testament are going to be fulfilled. Ancient things like:
(Da
7:13–14 NKJV) —13
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like
the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of
Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and
a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His
kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
:7 the days of the
sounding of the seventh angel
It may be confusing to think that the seventh trumpet finishes things up when we’re only
halfway through the book, but keep in mind that just as the seven trumpets are inside the seventh seal, the rest of
Revelation, including
the seven bowl judgments are inside the seventh trumpet – like those Russian
matryshka nesting dolls…
The seventh trumpet will sound when we get to chapter 11
(Re 11:15 NKJV) —15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And
there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign
forever and ever!”
Here we are in the middle of Revelation, and it sounds like it’s all
over. Yet we still have eight more
chapters and seven bowls of judgment before Jesus returns to rule the earth.
Some see the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls happening at the same
time, overlapping, and all ending at the same time. This way we can see the the “mystery of God”
being finished with the seventh trumpet.
But if there is an inclusiveness with the last seal and trumpet, that
the trumpets are all contained in the last seal, and all the bowls are
contained in the last trumpet, then we get to the same conclusion, they still
all end at the same time.
10:8-11 A Little
Dinner Reading
: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.”
:9 eat it
– katesthio (“down” + “to eat”) – to
consume by eating, to eat up, devour
It’s an intensive form of the word “to eat”.
John isn’t just supposed to nibble at this book, he’s to gobble up the
whole thing.
Some people are nibblers.
That’s not the way to eat a cookie. This is …
:9 bitter – pikraino –
to make bitter; to produce a bitter taste in the stomach
:9 sweet – glukus –
sweet
:9 honey – meli –
honey
:9 bitter … sweet
The idea is that when John eats this book, it will taste sweet at first,
but after he chews it and swallows it, it will become bitter in his stomach.
It starts out sweet but ends up bitter.
Illustration
: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.
:10 mouth – stoma
– the mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.
:10 stomach – koilia
– the whole belly, the entire cavity; the lower belly, the lower region,
the receptacle of the excrement; the womb; the innermost part of a man, the
soul, heart as the seat of thought, feeling, choice
:11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples,
nations, tongues, and kings.”
:11 you must – dei
– it is necessary, there is need of, is right and proper
:11 peoples, nations, tongues, and kings
These are some of the subjects that will be in the coming
chapters. John is not done. There is more to come.
:9-11 eat …
prophesy
John is told to eat the book and then he is told to prophesy.
The two are connected.
We see the same
thing in the book of Ezekiel where he told to prophesy to the people, but
before he does, he’s supposed to eat a scroll:
(Eze 3:1–3
NKJV) —1 Moreover
He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak
to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my
mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man,
feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth
like honey in sweetness.
Sound familiar? The idea is that the
scroll from God that you eat is the thing that comes forth as prophecy.
Lesson
Eat the Book
Even though John’s meal most likely
consists of the coming chapters in Revelation, there is a principle here for
all of us.
There are a lot of good materials to help you in your Christian life. There
are a lot of good books, study Bibles, and computer resources that can help you
grow.
But don’t let
that keep you from simply “eating the Book”.
Learn to read the Bible. The whole Bible.
I grew up in a good Bible believing
church. I was a youth leader who taught Bible studies. I even went to seminary.
But I hadn’t
learned the discipline of reading and learning the whole Bible.
Get a balanced diet by eating all of it, not just the comfortable things.
Some of us only tend to read the passages we’re familiar
with.
It might be the things that bring us comfort. It might be
things to feed our curiosity about prophecy.
That’s
like only eating cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You need to
learn to have a balanced diet.
God’s Word is sweet:
(Je 15:16 NKJV) Your words
were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my
heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord
God of hosts.
(Ps 19:10 NKJV) More to be desired are
they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb.
God’s Word is bitter:
When Josiah was king, an amazing discovery was found in the Temple – the
long lost Word of God. They dusted off the book and read it …
(2 Ki 22:11 NKJV) Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the
Law, that he tore his clothes.
There is a bitterness to God’s Word
It warns us of judgment to come.
It convicts us of our sins.
But the wise will listen and take it to heart.
(Ps 107:43 NLT) Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in
our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Lesson
Prepare to be used
John is going to “prophesy again”. But before he does, he needs to eat.
The same principle applies to us.
Our best ministry comes when we are men and women who have “eaten the
book”.
That’s how we’re prepared to follow Him, to work for Him, to speak for Him.
When Paul is about to write his grand treatise on the resurrection, he
starts with this:
(1 Co 15:3 NKJV) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
The truths he’s about to share are things he’s “received”.
What he’s received is connected to “the Scriptures”.
Do you want to be used by God? Eat
the book. Chew on it. Digest it.