REVELATION
John, the last of the apostles, was on the Island of Patmos after having been banished there. Early Christian writers recorded that John was boiled alive in olive oil during the reign of Emperor Domitian in Rome, but he did not die. He had not been allowed to die as a martyr like the other disciples because God had a special work for him to do. God wanted the prophetic book of Revelation to be written to encourage, rebuke, warn, and give hope to the church of that era, as well as the church of today.
In this next lesson, John continues to describe the events he saw in his vision. These events are warnings from the throne room of Heaven about what will take place during these last days. Much of what John had seen parallels events that have occurred throughout history, but darker days are coming. We are living in a world that would rather worship foreign gods than the God above. These gods come in the form of money, sex, drugs, alcohol, greed, murder, and more. Not only are these things taking place in the world, but many of these ungodly acts are taking place in the church and in many of today’s pulpits.
God sent these warnings to John so that His people would not be unprepared in the last days and as a witness to those who do not know Christ. Unfortunately, so many people are asleep, and they keep pressing the snooze button on God’s time clock. God is sending sign after sign to alert people to get ready, for the day of the Lord is near. Despite the clock's ringing, many act as if they never heard it chime. However, the hitting of the snooze button does not stop the clock from ticking. Time is running out!
Quick Review from Lesson 5
a.) There was silence in Heaven for half an hour.
b.) Seven angels were given seven trumpets to blow.
c.) Another angel had a golden censer and was given much incense to offer, which was for the prayers of the saints.
d.) At the sound of the first trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood came down on the earth.
e.) At the sound of the second trumpet, something like a mountain all ablaze was thrown into the sea.
f.) At the sound of the third trumpet, a great star fell from heaven on a third of the rivers and water named Wormwood.
g.) At the sound of the fourth trumpet, a third of the sun, moon, and stars turned dark.
h.) At the sound of the fifth trumpet, the fallen star was given the key to the Abyss, and it was opened.
i.) At the sound of the sixth trumpet, the four angels who were bound at the river Euphrates were loosed.
The Angel and the Little Scroll
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. 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, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 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.” (Revelation 10:1-4).
Throughout John’s vision, he saw many angels carrying out God's judgments. So, in chapter 10, John describes seeing another great angel descend from Heaven. This angel was from God, not one of the devil’s fallen angels. He was clothed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like fire. This description signifies God’s presence as we see the rainbow as a promise, the sun’s glow signifying His brightness, and fire embodying purification and judgment. After the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, a cloud led them by day, and a pillar of fire by night. The Bible says: “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night” (Exodus 13:21). Just as God was with Israel, the Lord is with His children today to lead, guide, comfort, and protect us.
Due to there being no night in Heaven, God’s brightness shines over all who are in His presence. For example, Moses’ face shone with God’s glory when he was given the Ten Commandments upon returning from Mount Sinai. The Bible says: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD” (Exodus 34:29). Also, his face was so bright that the Israelites begged him to cover his face because they could not bear to look upon him. Won’t it be amazing when Jesus returns, and we will never have to use any lamps, lightbulbs, flashlights, or experience darkness of any kind in Heaven?
The rainbow above the angel’s head represents the everlasting covenant that God has with mankind and his mercy even during judgment. Not only does this represent God’s promise to never send a flood to destroy the world again, but it is a covenant that if we remain faithful unto Him, we will receive Eternal Life. The Bible says; “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (Genesis 9:16). Therefore, this angel was a representation of who God is and His everlasting covenant with mankind. This angel embodies God’s faithfulness to His people, even amid the judgments of His ability to redeem and save, which is a message of hope for God’s faithful ones. Just think that even if God’s faithful were here during the Great Tribulation, we can be assured that there would be an ark of safety in God’s arms, where we would not have to worry about our earthly bodies because we would pick up heavenly ones. The Bible says: “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:1-7).
Then John saw that the angel had a small scroll in his hand, with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. The scroll he was holding was the word of God, and the sea represented people, while the land represented the earth itself. Let’s take a moment to examine this scroll. Do you remember when Ezekiel was told to eat the scroll in His vision? The Bible says: “ But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2:8-10). God had chosen Ezekiel to be a prophet for His people. The office of the prophet was not one to be taken lightly, and Ezekiel had to give them every Word that God told him to speak, whether they accepted or rejected it. The eating of the scroll meant the internalization of the Word for the one who had to deliver it. Ezekiel had been given words of warning and sorrow for the Children of Israel, as John had been given words of warning and sorrow for modern times.
God is in control over all the inhabitants of the earth and sea because He created them. The Bible says: “You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them” Psalm 89:9). Man has often taken credit for having control of the earth, and even though God gave dominion to man, he has usually abused it in his blatant unwillingness to surrender and submit to the One who created him.
John describes the angel as having the roar of a lion and the voices of seven thunders. We know that the number seven means completeness, and thunder means judgment, which seems to be a prelude to the seven bowls of God’s wrath to be discussed in the upcoming chapters. “Those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10).
Once again, John was about to write down what he had heard the seven voices of thunder say, but he was told not to do so by a voice from Heaven. Sometimes God reveals things to an individual, but for His own reasons, He does not allow them to be revealed to others at that time. This took place with Daniel when he was shown a vision but was told to seal it up for a future time. The Bible says: “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge” (Daniel 12:4). There’s a time and season for everything. The time of revelation was not at that moment, but God is revealing more and more to His people during these last days.
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