1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,120 Thank you, priest team, thank you church for your voices. 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,320 I can go on and say thank you, thank you, and thank you again 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,640 and again. But I will say this, I am 4 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,200 thankful that this church loves the Bible because we love the 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,120 God of this word. And so, yes, this is a 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,600 celebratory time. We're recognizing our fourth 7 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,160 year anniversary, but we will put no pause to our study in the 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,840 Book of Revelation. And so let's come now together 9 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:28,040 to Revelation chapter 10. And our goal is to read all of 10 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:29,680 this together. We're going to do that right 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:35,760 away and then seek God's help to understand it as we always do. 12 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:42,160 The Book of Revelation chapter 10, beginning in verse one. 13 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:50,080 Then I saw another mighty Angel coming down from heaven, wrapped 14 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,160 in a cloud with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like 15 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:56,720 the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 16 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:01,680 He had a little scroll open in his hand, and he set his right 17 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,680 foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and called out 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,040 with a loud voice like a lion roaring. 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,880 When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 20 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,920 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, 21 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,600 but I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up what the seven 22 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,320 thunders have said, and do not write it down. 23 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,680 And the Angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the 24 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,680 land, raise his right hand to heaven, and swore by him who 25 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,040 lives forever and ever, who created heaven, and what is in 26 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,760 it, The earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it. 27 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,640 That there would be no more delay, but that in the days of 28 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,720 the trumpet called to be sounded by the 7th Angel, the mystery of 29 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,480 God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the 30 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,360 prophets. Then the voice that I had heard 31 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,240 from heaven spoke to me again, saying, Go, take the scroll that 32 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,560 is open in the hand of the Angel who is standing on the sea and 33 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,200 on the land. So I went to the Angel and told 34 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:03,800 him to give me the little scroll. 35 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,240 And he said to me, Take and eat it. 36 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,639 It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it 37 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,880 will be sweet as honey. And I took the little scroll 38 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,880 from the hand of the Angel and ate it. 39 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,720 It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, 40 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:26,600 my stomach was made bitter and I was told you must again prophecy 41 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:31,560 about many peoples and nations and languages and kings. 42 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,720 Father, we humbly ask for your help. 43 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,640 Lord, we pray that you would deposit the energy in our minds, 44 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,600 the openness in our hearts, the power for the delivery of this 45 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,800 word. We pray that you would cover 46 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,800 every single element of this moment that we may leave here, 47 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,680 knowing that we've heard from you and that you would receive. 48 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,600 Oh God, what is your due? Our submission and our worship 49 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:04,040 in response to these truths. Have your way Lord, oh have your 50 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,000 way. Be exalted in this place. 51 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,480 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 52 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:15,560 Now, we would think that after learning about the 5th and 6th 53 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:21,320 trumpet, and naturally, we would be led to examine the final 54 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:27,320 trumpet, the 7th 1:00. But that's not what happens, is 55 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,120 it? Instead, we encounter an 56 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,160 interlude. There is this intentional 57 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:41,000 interruption with a profound vision before us, and if we're 58 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,080 actually careful in our study of revelation, we would have picked 59 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,560 up by now that there seems to be a pattern. 60 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,160 If you zoom out, you would recognize that this has happened 61 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,520 before. Remember, we are still looking 62 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:01,880 very carefully at the three series of judgements that God 63 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:07,920 will perform in the last days before the return of His Son. 64 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,040 Three sets, each consisting of seven events. 65 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:19,079 And if we zoom out, we would realize that with the first set, 66 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,240 the seal judgments, and now the second set, the trumpet 67 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:28,720 judgments, there is this break between the 6th and the 7th act. 68 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,120 So let's rewind. Do we remember what happened in 69 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,560 the first set of judgments when the Lord opened the 6th seal? 70 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,520 Well, we didn't immediately go to the 7th. 71 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,840 We received this vision in Revelation 7 of the 144,000 72 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:50,560 servants of Israel who were set aside for a purpose, following 73 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,280 with the innumerable amount of people who are standing before 74 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:55,480 the throne of the Lamb and worshipping Him. 75 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,120 And only after that we go to the 7th seal. 76 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,560 Well, the the same thing happens now with the 6th trumpet, the 77 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,400 second set of judgements. We don't immediately go to the 78 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,520 7th trumpet, but there is this pause, and we receive yet 79 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,240 another vision, and the same pattern will occur again. 80 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,360 When we look at the final set of the six bowls of God's wrath, 81 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,600 there is this brief little pause between the 6th bowl and the 82 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,920 7th. Well, this is interesting, but 83 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,160 we have to ask the question why? Why did the Holy Spirit include 84 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,440 these interludes in this way? And the answer is actually quite 85 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,600 simple. It's in order to reorient the 86 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:41,760 reader and to offer encouragement that as the 87 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:46,200 curious and longing student is examining these terrifying 88 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,200 episodes that are being predicted about the last days, 89 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:55,360 there would be these helpful breaks that strongly encourage 90 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,440 the faithful, reminding them that God is sovereign over all 91 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,440 these things that will unfold on the earth and that the Saints in 92 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,760 the end will be triumphant. That's what we see here. 93 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:12,800 So listen very carefully. Although the Book of Revelation 94 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:18,080 prophecies about chaos, it is not chaotic in itself. 95 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,600 This book is beautifully crafted. 96 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:26,640 It is organized, it is carefully structured, and we should all 97 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,040 perceive that. So we have an understanding of 98 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,960 why we have this break and why really it's a pattern. 99 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,560 But is there more to learn about this vision that we just read 100 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,080 together? Answer Absolutely. 101 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,440 And as I was meditating on this passage throughout the week, 102 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:46,240 something stood out to me. I realized that as John was 103 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:52,160 describing this vision, all of his senses were engaged in the 104 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,400 experience. Did you notice it? 105 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,880 He says in the beginning that he saw something. 106 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,600 Then he says I heard. And then by the end he talks 107 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:08,680 about touching and tasting. The only thing really left out 108 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:13,120 is him smelling. But those details are meant to 109 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:19,960 signal that what John is seeing here is extremely profound. 110 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:24,760 It is all consuming. And when learning this upon 111 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:27,480 meditating on it, my prayer has become Lord. 112 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,120 As we look at it now and examine what He saw and heard and 113 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:36,160 touched and tasted made impact us in every way possible in an 114 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,320 all consuming way. So that's exactly how we're 115 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:39,720 going to organize our time today. 116 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,040 We're going to begin by looking at what John saw, then what he 117 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,520 heard, then what he touched and what he tasted and made the Holy 118 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,760 Spirit do something special in each of us As a result. 119 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:55,760 Shall we begin what he saw? A mighty Angel, verse one down 120 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,920 to verse 3 tells us. And we learned last week that 121 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,320 after describing powerful demons and hordes of fallen spirits who 122 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,720 will wreak havoc on the earth, John now refreshingly sees a 123 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,720 holy Angel descending from heaven. 124 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,320 But this is no ordinary Angel, he says. 125 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,720 She's a mighty Angel. And we quickly learned why. 126 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,320 Did you see the descriptions of this heavenly messenger? 127 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,760 They are impressive, so impressive that it has LED some 128 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:30,400 to designate this Angel to be Christ himself because the the 129 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,440 features that you find here in verse one are very similar to 130 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,000 the descriptions of the Lord Jesus back in Revelation 1. 131 00:08:38,159 --> 00:08:42,960 So some are satisfied in saying this Angel is actually Christ 132 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:47,040 himself. I respectfully have to disagree 133 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:49,160 and I'll give you a few reasons why. 134 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,760 First, John writes, I saw another Angel, another Angel. 135 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,160 That word, another in the original describes not another 136 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,280 category, but another of the same kind. 137 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,360 And so the original reading you would, you would recognize that 138 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:08,800 he's actually speaking about an Angel of the same kind, of the 139 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:10,520 ones that we just previously studied. 140 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,680 There would be another Greek word used to introduce a 141 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:16,880 different being of a different category, which would be Christ. 142 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,480 He is no Angel in the sense of a created being. 143 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:24,520 He's above the angels, so we know right away that this mighty 144 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,120 Angel is another in the sense that he's following the sequence 145 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,240 of the angels that have been mentioned beforehand. 146 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,640 Secondly, whenever John speaks about Jesus in the Book of 147 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,640 Revelation, there is never any ambiguity. 148 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,200 Almost every time there is a messianic or divine title 149 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,280 attributed to him, and we've seen that continually as we 150 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:45,760 started this book all the way up to this point. 151 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:47,200 We're going to continue to see that. 152 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,840 And so there's no secret about who Christ is in this book. 153 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,080 Virtually every time he makes an appearance, it's obvious. 154 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:59,040 Mighty angels, on the other hand, have appeared before in 155 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,040 this book, specifically in chapter 5 and in chapter 18. 156 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,080 And in those contexts, it's so evident that these are 157 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:11,320 subordinate created beings, though they are mighty. 158 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:17,720 Lastly, though there are more reasons we can give, the fact 159 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:21,760 that this mighty Angel descends from heaven to earth should be 160 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:26,120 enough to dispel the notion that this is Christ, because 161 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:30,040 depicting Him in this way would suggest a coming back to the 162 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,280 earth that does not align with the characteristics of His 163 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,600 second coming. He is going to return to the 164 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:40,040 earth, and that's coming at the end of the tribulation, not at 165 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,600 this point. So it'd be very confusing to 166 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:44,760 suggest that this is the Lord Himself. 167 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,480 But acknowledging that this is not Christ is not the main point 168 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,600 of this description, is it? There is much to learn and with 169 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:59,120 all the features that we see, I want to focus on 2/2. 170 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,160 What's above this angel's head and where his feet are planted. 171 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,000 Let's talk about what's above his head and where he decided to 172 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,520 stand. What? 173 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,600 Why are we told that there is a rainbow arching over him? 174 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,680 Why do we need to know that? Well, we have to remember that 175 00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,600 in Genesis 9, the Angel was a symbol that God chose to do 176 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,080 what? To make a promise to humanity 177 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,280 that he would never judge the world by what? 178 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:31,640 By a flood again. And for some reason, it makes a 179 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,800 reappearance. And I believe it's an 180 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:40,640 encouraging thought. It's as though John wants us to 181 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:46,720 see that the mercy of God is still in the mind of God, even 182 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,080 as he is ready to unleash His greatest judgments, that the 183 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,760 Lord has not forgotten His promise. 184 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,760 And this one detail teaches us that you and I have no reason to 185 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:06,440 ever fear that in the the fury of God's holy wrath that He 186 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,240 would break His promises in the pursuit of it and the execution 187 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,840 of it. No matter how bad people get. 188 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,480 And, and at this point in revelation, it's going to be the 189 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:17,840 worst that the world has ever known. 190 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,640 He will never allow his judgement to be exercised with 191 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:28,240 with clouded anger or unrestrained passion. 192 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:33,360 Instead, he is ever mindful of his pledges. 193 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:37,440 He is stable and He is steadfast. 194 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,360 And I want you to just imagine the trepidation, the fear that 195 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,960 we would live in if the Bible even gave us the slightest clue 196 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,200 that this God, who owns everything and is is above 197 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:52,000 everything, is capable of turning back on His Word. 198 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,920 There would be no sustainable hope for you and I if we were 199 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:00,000 even given a hint of God doing such a thing. 200 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:04,600 But no, instead we come here and our hope is reignited. 201 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,920 Why? Because the symbol of God's 202 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:12,000 faithfulness that is introduced to us in Genesis is still being 203 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,800 upheld at the very last book in Revelation. 204 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,760 His reliability remains unbroken. 205 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,160 That's what we find here. Yes, he is ready to judge. 206 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,520 Yes, he's ready to bring the final cycle of judgement before 207 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,280 the return of the culmination of all things. 208 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,720 But all we see a rainbow to show us that God has not forgotten 209 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,640 his Word. He has not forgotten His mercy. 210 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,320 But what about the placement of the angels feet? 211 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:42,120 It says in verse 2 that he set his right foot on the sea and 212 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,600 his left foot on the land. Now that might not be 213 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,680 significant until you realize that that details repeated 2 214 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:53,320 more times in this chapter. So in verse 5 and in verse 8 we 215 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,440 read again that this Angel is standing upon the sea and 216 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,800 standing upon the land. What's the emphasis? 217 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:03,200 It's very obvious to show us the absolute control and sovereign 218 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,760 ownership that God has over this entire world. 219 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,960 It's under His feet, represented by this Angel. 220 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,520 You know where my mind went, That wonderful declaration in 221 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,480 Isaiah 66 verse one. Thus says the Lord, heaven is my 222 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:24,000 throne, and the author is what the earth is my footstool. 223 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:27,880 What is this house that you would build for me? 224 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:32,680 And what is this place of my rest as a way of communicating 225 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,800 and conveying His His greatness? The Lord wants his people to 226 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:44,080 envision this planet as a piece of furniture to God, as his foot 227 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,320 rest. And that's not just to 228 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,240 illustrate His vastness, but to also under score His Majesty 229 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:58,760 that it's all under Him, it's all subjugated to Him, it's all 230 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,320 for him and through him. Nothing is outside of his 231 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:07,360 influence. And as glorious as that is, yes, 232 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,600 we have this vision of the bigness of God. 233 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:15,480 But in that same declaration in Isaiah 66, it becomes even more 234 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:21,320 heart stirring when you realize that this massive God is willing 235 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:27,800 to draw near to us creatures. What does he say in Isaiah 66 236 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:29,800 verse two? Let me remind you, it's so 237 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,920 powerful. All these things my hand has 238 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:38,040 made and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. 239 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:40,920 But this is the one to whom I will look. 240 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:47,320 He was humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. 241 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,600 You know that word there when it says, But this is the one to 242 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,840 whom I will look. That's not a quick glance, 243 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:59,920 that's a meditative glance. That's a careful attention 244 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:05,920 granted to something. And this awesome God who lays 245 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:11,000 his feet, figuratively speaking, on this planet, looks on the 246 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:17,800 person who is broken, who recognizes their neediness, and 247 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,480 who trembles at God's Word, who reveres him. 248 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,200 God says, I look up. This awesome God looks upon such 249 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,600 a person, and this is what John sees. 250 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,960 He sees this. If this mighty Angel could have 251 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,480 his feet on the land and the sea, how big is God? 252 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:38,160 And we can call him Father, and you can call him anytime of the 253 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:42,200 day, in the middle of the night. And he does everything in his 254 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,120 power and wisdom to take care of you. 255 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,200 It's a wonderful thought, it's a wonderful thought that this 256 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,800 world he plants his feet on, and yet in Christ we're told that we 257 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,120 are seated with him in heavenly places. 258 00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:00,480 What kind of grace is this? It's an amazing thing to 259 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,440 consider. But we now move on to what John 260 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,720 heard, which is really the second point. 261 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,240 What he heard, the seven thunders. 262 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,079 So he writes after this mighty Angel called out with a loud 263 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:19,640 voice like a lion roaring, that there were these 7 peels of 264 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,920 Thunder that follow that roaring voice. 265 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,720 So 1 Thunder clap, another Thunder clap, and another 266 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,400 Thunder, 7 in total. And this is more significant 267 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:38,040 than noise and rumblings because John tells us that in these 268 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:41,960 Thunder blast there was something being articulated, 269 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,800 something was being said because he was ready to write it down. 270 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,720 And that shouldn't surprise us, because more than once in the 271 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:49,760 Hebrew Scriptures we learned that God's voice is like 272 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,360 Thunder. And here it comes again. 273 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,760 And John. And verse 4 says that he was 274 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:01,360 ready to write down what was spoken in those thunderous 275 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:06,240 declarations. And that little detail alone is 276 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,240 special to me. What detail that John was ready 277 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,440 to write? What's so special about that? 278 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,000 Why do I need to know that John was ready to write? 279 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:20,920 I'll tell you why, because that was His mission in the Book of 280 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,320 Revelation. What was His purpose? 281 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:27,560 According to Revelation 119, Jesus told him right there for 282 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,880 these things that you have seen, the things that are and the 283 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:32,560 things that will take place after this. 284 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,680 So the fact that we see here in Revelation 10 that He's ready to 285 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,880 write speaks to the attentiveness and the readiness 286 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,200 of His obedience. Do you see that? 287 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:46,760 I see it at the moment He heard the sound, he remembered what he 288 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:50,360 was called to do, and he put that pen to his parchment and he 289 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:54,360 was ready to record it. That moved me, that put a smile 290 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:58,400 on my face when I was meditating on Revelation 10, because I see 291 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,040 a model of faithfulness. I see that though he was 292 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,080 commissioned in Revelation 1, he still was faithful 9 chapters 293 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:09,680 later. That he didn't get distracted, 294 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:14,600 that he didn't become slack in his service, that he didn't lose 295 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:19,200 momentum regarding his mission. He was the same. 296 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:22,880 He was reliable, he was faithful. 297 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:27,960 And I don't know about you, but that caused me even in this to 298 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:32,800 ask the Lord help me imitate that kind of focus and 299 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:36,400 steadfastness in whatever you called me to do, no matter how 300 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,920 small, no matter how great. I want you to be able to see 301 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:44,200 Lord in me, someone that you can rely on, someone that you can 302 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,200 trust in, someone that you can Commission. 303 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,440 This moves me. He's ready to write. 304 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:54,320 And we should say, Lord, find me doing what you've called me to 305 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,920 do until you call me to do something else. 306 00:19:57,680 --> 00:19:59,520 And that's exactly what John experienced. 307 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,680 Because as he's about to write, unexpectedly, another voice 308 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,040 comes to him and tells him to do what? 309 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,560 Seal it up and don't write it down. 310 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,400 Well, this is strange. Don't write it down. 311 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,040 And most Christians want to know why. 312 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,520 Why? Why was he told not to write it? 313 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,640 And what did he hear? And guess what? 314 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,640 I don't know. And that's the point. 315 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,480 That's exactly. We're not going to speculate 316 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,840 here. And no preacher should ever 317 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:41,640 attempt to try to make something where the Bible is silent. 318 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:48,720 That's a dangerous thing to do. But here's a worthy thought, at 319 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,880 least for me. I began to question, if the Lord 320 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,440 did not want us to know the message of these 7 thunders, 321 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,360 then why go through the trouble of telling us about them in the 322 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:58,960 first place? I think that's an appropriate 323 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,160 question, right? Maybe you've had this 324 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,880 conversation with someone, you're out with them having 325 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,000 coffee or maybe somebody in your living room and they all of a 326 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,360 sudden say, oh, by the way, I I know about this or that, but I 327 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,520 can't tell you about it. Have you experienced that? 328 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,160 It's like, OK, then why did you tell me that you knew about it? 329 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,960 If you're not going to tell me why probe me? 330 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:25,600 Why open my curiosity? But here's the difference. 331 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,280 The Lord is far wise or more intentional in what he does in 332 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,040 this vision. He's not trying to tease us in 333 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,080 this failing. He's actually communicating 334 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,560 something. And what he is reminding us is 335 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:39,080 that you don't need to know everything. 336 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:43,400 You don't need to know everything. 337 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:48,240 There are some things that are secrets that belong to Him, and 338 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,440 He has the prerogative not to share it with us. 339 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:52,400 Now, that bothers some Christians. 340 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,720 That especially bothers the skeptic. 341 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,360 But put simply, as His creatures, we are not given 342 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:03,880 answers or explanations to everything. 343 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:07,520 But here's where we can rest. Here's where we can hope that 344 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,880 what the Lord has revealed is essential and adequate. 345 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,600 Never forget this reference. It's a very easy one. 346 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,840 Many of you know it. And Deuteronomy 2929. 347 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:20,480 The secret things belong to who? The Lord. 348 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,480 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, But the things 349 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,840 that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever. 350 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,840 Why? That we may do all the words of 351 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,800 this law. So understand what's being said 352 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,240 here in Deuteronomy, that there are some things God will keep to 353 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,840 Himself. And in Revelation 10 we're being 354 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,760 reminded there are some things that I know about that you will 355 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,960 never know about, at least now. But the things that He has 356 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,000 chosen to show us have a purpose. 357 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,400 And the way you can translate this verse in Deuteronomy 2929 358 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,920 is the following. What He has given us is 359 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,840 necessary for our obedience in pleasing Him and for our 360 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:03,480 well-being and our transformation. 361 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:06,920 That's it. What He's given us from Genesis 362 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,640 to Revelation, though, some things are not so obvious and 363 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,680 requires some investigation. The things that are outside the 364 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:16,600 realm of knowledge, you don't need to be concerned about it. 365 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:21,080 But because God in His perfect discretion has concealed those 366 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,680 things, because He doesn't see it fit or necessary for our 367 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,640 obedience or our transformation, everything that has been given 368 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,880 suffices. And there are a lot of 369 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,520 Christians, unfortunately, who spend too much time speculating 370 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,360 and debating about things that the Bible doesn't even give you 371 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:38,000 answers for. Instead of putting that energy 372 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,440 to what He has given you so that you can know his full pleasure 373 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:47,520 and his will and his wisdom and His grace. 374 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:51,880 But the careful student would have looked at this and say, OK, 375 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,320 I understand what you're saying preacher, but he revealed it to 376 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,560 John. I get it, God doesn't reveal 377 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,040 things to his, his creatures, those created in his image. 378 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:07,240 But why did John get to hear it and not me? 379 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,360 Well, you just now introduced another lesson for us, that yes, 380 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:14,840 God has hidden things from all of us. 381 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:16,840 There are some things that we'll never know on this side of 382 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:20,040 eternity, but there are some things that the Lord chooses to 383 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:26,960 perform on others and keep from us, and we should trust in His 384 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:28,720 wisdom as a loving Father when He does. 385 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,320 There's some things that God deposits in a person, a brother 386 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:38,240 or a sister, that He will never give us, and vice versa, and we 387 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,760 should be equally trusting when we perceive that. 388 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:47,520 Not envious, not angry, not comparing, not coveting, 389 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,520 resting. Oh, how many verses drum that 390 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,920 truth? Well, let me give you 1 after 391 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,480 listening this, this the gifts of the Spirit in First 392 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,520 Corinthians 12. Paul says this at the end of 393 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,880 First Corinthians 12 verse 11. All these are empowered by 1 and 394 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:11,520 the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as He 395 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:18,000 wills, as He wills. That's something that shows us 396 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:22,560 at least two things. One that the Spirit of God is 397 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,160 the one who works in each of us. He, he's the author of any 398 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:31,280 blessing that flows out of us, and that should destroy all 399 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:33,160 pride in any sense of superiority. 400 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,800 The Spirit is the one who apportions these gifts, so how 401 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,520 dare we boast in any of them? And he says that to the same 402 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,960 group of believers. But more than that, it also 403 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,200 confirms how He works in each of us uniquely. 404 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,640 And that should destroy and demolish envy and disunity as a 405 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:56,800 result of our jealousy, perhaps. So instead of looking at 406 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,840 somebody else and saying I want what you have and I'm actually 407 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,320 going to fight you for that, and I believe I should have that 408 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,200 position and I should have that recognition. 409 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,120 Realize that it's the Spirit of God who works in that person. 410 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,280 And so instead of causing rage, it should cause you to rejoice. 411 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:19,040 This is God's work. This is God's doing, so we have 412 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,360 to train ourselves to understand that that yes, I even when we 413 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:24,000 see John, he receives his revelation. 414 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,400 Why? Why John and not another 415 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,400 apostle? Well, historically he was the 416 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:32,160 last living one, but just in terms of principle, again, we 417 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,040 have to step back and realize God's sovereignty and all these 418 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,160 things. And so this is what John hears. 419 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,240 He hears thunders, he hears the message. 420 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,960 We don't get to hear it, but what a lesson about how we need 421 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,280 to humble ourselves and things that we can't understand or 422 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:50,960 perceive in our own lives. But finally we come to what he 423 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,120 touched and tasted, and we're going to combine these things. 424 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,560 The little scroll. Let's read again verse 8 of 425 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:03,400 Revelation 10. Then the voice that I had heard 426 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,080 from heaven spoke to me again, saying go, take the scroll that 427 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,200 is open in the hand of the Angel who's standing on the scene on 428 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:10,880 the land. So I went to the Angel and told 429 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,080 him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, take 430 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,560 and eat it. It will make your stomach 431 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:19,840 bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey. 432 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,960 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the Angel, and 433 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,000 I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. 434 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,800 But when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter, bitter. 435 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,600 And I was told you must again prophecy about many peoples and 436 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:36,880 nations and languages and kings. So in preparation to write down 437 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:41,280 the remaining prophecies about the last days, John, 438 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,920 interestingly, is not told to write anything down, at least 439 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,760 yet. He's still to eat something. 440 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:55,240 And amazingly, this is not something unique in our Bibles. 441 00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:00,000 We've seen this before. But before I get to that, here's 442 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,920 what the Angel foretold. When you put this scroll in your 443 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,920 mouth, it's going to be sweet to your taste, but when you digest 444 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:13,120 it, it's going to be bitter. Now, why would these judgments 445 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:15,960 be sweet? Why would these remaining 446 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,160 prophecies and predictions be something enjoyable? 447 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:23,120 Well, because they would speak of the fulfillment of our 448 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:24,560 salvation. They would speak about the 449 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,000 return of Christ, the establishment of his Kingdom, 450 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,960 Him dealing with wickedness forever and ever and ever. 451 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,720 And to the believer, that's sweet, that's wonderful. 452 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,240 We relish in that. We find hope in that. 453 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,720 We realize He's going to conquer, He's going to triumph, 454 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:42,320 and we will reign with Him. That's why it's sweet, but it's 455 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,360 also bitter because the same prophecies that hold promise for 456 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,880 the redeemed carry a message of doom for the ones who have 457 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:55,400 denied him. And that's really the experience 458 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:57,320 of reading through the Book of Revelation. 459 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:01,120 It's a mixture of sweetness and bitterness because we realize 460 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,240 our future, but we also think of the future of those. 461 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:08,440 Maybe if some we know and it turns our stomachs and it causes 462 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,840 us to be heavy hearted, but that's just the reality of it. 463 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,880 This dramatic picture of John eating the word, by the way, as 464 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,560 I mentioned earlier, is nearly identical to different accounts 465 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,840 in the Scriptures, namely Ezekiel. 466 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:26,840 You remember Ezekiel early in his ministry in chapter 2, he 467 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,840 was told to do something very similar, take this scroll and 468 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,080 eat it and it was going to be sweet to him. 469 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,000 Even though there were woes and lamentations on that scroll, he 470 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,480 had to eat it. You find Jeremiah testifying in 471 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:43,000 chapter 15 that he had found God's Word and he ate it and it 472 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,680 became a joy and a delight to his heart. 473 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,840 What about the psalmist David? How many times I see you spoken 474 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,760 about the Word being like honey to his lips, being enjoyable and 475 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,560 delightful? Yes, we see this consistently, 476 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:03,920 and the fact that so many of God's faithful servants have 477 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:09,800 been recorded to engage with God's Word in this way tells us, 478 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:15,000 by way of principle, how we should also experience His Word. 479 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,120 And I want to give you a few points to consider. 480 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:24,840 First, we are to believe that the source of our spiritual 481 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,160 nourishment and deepest delight is in the Word. 482 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:33,200 That's the first thing to neglect. 483 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:40,120 This Word guarantees weakness. It guarantees A vulnerability to 484 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:44,360 spiritual ailments and other issues that you would expect 485 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:49,680 with your body if you ignore feeding it and a healthy diet. 486 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,560 But the the language consistently in the Bible when 487 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,480 it comes to the word with God's most faithful messengers is not 488 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,440 nibble on my word. Let's not sample it. 489 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:01,720 Let's not stick a toothpick in it and take out whatever you 490 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:08,200 have and eat it for the week. Eat it, eat it like a meal, this 491 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,280 is a meal and feast on it. Chew it, which speaks of 492 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:14,440 meditation. Digest it. 493 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,680 Let it impact the deepest part of who you are and watch how 494 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,880 overtime it will work in and through. 495 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:23,960 You have to approach this word. This language is not just being 496 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,120 poetic, it's signaling to something. 497 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,720 This is your food. Can I ask you something? 498 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,840 What's your diet like lately? What is it? 499 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:37,200 Have you eaten recently? And listen, being fed once or 500 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:39,760 twice a week from this pulpit is not going to be enough. 501 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,120 Anything you hear from this pulpit should be supplementary 502 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:46,360 always. You personally, with this scroll 503 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:48,400 that has been given to you, what do you do with it? 504 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,440 Well, every time we see it being presented to one of these 505 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,760 prophets, they devoured it, they ate it. 506 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,520 But secondly, you and I also must be willing to accept the 507 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:03,480 sweet and the bitter of the Word. 508 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,400 There are too many Christians, unfortunately, who are selective 509 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,840 in their interaction with the Scriptures. 510 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:13,640 So they want the wisdom but not the warnings. 511 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,480 They want the promises, but not the punishments. 512 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:20,720 They want the success, but not the suffering. 513 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,840 They want heaven. But preacher, don't you dare 514 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:29,240 talk about hell. They want Christ as Savior, but 515 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,320 Christ as judge, Christ as destroyer. 516 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,120 You can't pick the sweet and leave out the bitter. 517 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,440 You must be willing to take it all in. 518 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,160 I told you how this is very reflective and it parallels 519 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,960 almost Ezekiel's experience. Ezekiel is a little bit more 520 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,720 detailed though and how he was told to eat his scroll of his 521 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,040 time. Let me read you one verse from 522 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:01,320 Ezekiel 31. The Lord says, Son of Man, eat 523 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:06,040 whatever you find here. I love that. 524 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,040 Eat whatever you find here. Eat the scroll and go speak to 525 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,880 the House of Israel. Eat whatever you find here. 526 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,840 You can't discriminate. You can't be picky. 527 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,640 You have to understand that everything from the genealogies 528 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:25,360 to the miracles has to be part of your diet. 529 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,120 Everything from the prophecies of judgement to the prophecies 530 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,280 of hope. You have to be willing to put it 531 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:37,560 on your plate, eat whatever you find here. 532 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:42,520 And that's that's one of the the treasures of expository 533 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,120 preaching. Maybe sounds fancy, but it's 534 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,480 very simple where you go to the Bible as a church and you cover 535 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,960 books at a time, chapters of those books verse by verse. 536 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:54,640 Why? Because it forces you to have a 537 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:58,600 balanced diet if you just remain topical. 538 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,800 Everybody has an inclination, A leaning, and you might be 539 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,240 repeating yourself or going to text that you prefer that are 540 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,520 less controversial. No, no, no, when you go to a 541 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:08,199 book and you're saying we're starting this book, you got to 542 00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:10,719 go through all of it sweet and the bitter. 543 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,199 And so we must be willing to do the same with our own engagement 544 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:20,840 with the word of God. Lastly, this is so important. 545 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,040 If you and I desire to be effective messengers of the 546 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:30,960 truth, then we must first absorb the message ourselves before 547 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:36,440 sharing it with others. In virtually every example of 548 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:39,120 the prophets who are eating the scroll, there is a pattern. 549 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:48,760 There is an order you must eat before you speak, and that is a 550 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:50,920 profound truth. Notice what the last verse of 551 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,639 our chapter is. After he told them to eat and 552 00:34:53,639 --> 00:34:55,840 after he ate it, you must again prophecy. 553 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:01,000 He was only commissioned after he faithfully received the word. 554 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:03,560 And it's no different for you and I. 555 00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:08,200 Again, if you actually want to be an ambassador of Christ that 556 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,240 unashamedly shares the truth with your Co worker, with your 557 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:14,960 family, with your church, you have to take God's word and 558 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:20,560 allow it to internally process to get in your blood, so to 559 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:23,160 speak, to settle there long enough. 560 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:28,840 Listen until you feel it. John felt the message before he 561 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:32,600 preached it. Why? 562 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:39,080 Because when you feel it, when you experience it, you gain a 563 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:43,720 vitality and an impression that can't be known otherwise. 564 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,240 There is a vast difference between understanding the word 565 00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:50,680 and experiencing it. Big difference. 566 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:53,320 And I think a lot of us here can tell the difference between 567 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,720 someone who is teaching, for example, because they studied, 568 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,160 and someone who is preaching because they have tasted. 569 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:02,880 You could tell. You could tell. 570 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:10,440 There's a conviction, there's a passion, there's a life that 571 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:14,880 backs it up. And to any aspiring preacher in 572 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:17,760 this place, though this is applicable to all of us, you 573 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,240 need to eat the Word and feel it before you dare even open your 574 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:22,720 mouth and share it with anybody else. 575 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,000 What is it done to your soul? If it doesn't stir your soul, 576 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,800 how do you expect it to stir other people's souls? 577 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:32,480 This is the principle, John. Eat it and feel it, and then you 578 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:36,880 prophecy. So if you are here, dear 579 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,200 brother, and you are waiting on God to be used as a mouthpiece, 580 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,960 can I tell you what you should be doing while you wait? 581 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:47,320 Devour this Word all day as much as you can, with your schedule, 582 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:48,640 your responsibilities, your hobbies. 583 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,640 Devour it and eat it and let it move your soul. 584 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:55,080 And when it moves your soul and you open your mouth, it will 585 00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:58,600 move other people's souls. And that's not just for the 586 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,600 preacher. You don't need a pulpit to be a 587 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:02,920 messenger. And so I understand that this 588 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:06,160 applies to you as well. Father, husband, businessman, 589 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,880 nurse. God wants you to taste His Word, 590 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:14,440 and when you do, you'll be more effective communicator of it. 591 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,480 Well, we can wrap things up, but I want to make one final remark 592 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,240 because it's what's important to remember where this vision is 593 00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:24,800 leading us and what it's preparing us for. 594 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,240 We gained a lot of practical truths from this, but let's kind 595 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:28,880 of zoom out and look at this contextually. 596 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,760 What is this vision really setting things up for? 597 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:36,360 Let's go back to verse 5 down to verse 7, and this is our final 598 00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:40,120 portion today. It says in the Angel whom I saw 599 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,600 standing on the sea and on the land, raised his right hand to 600 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,760 heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who 601 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:47,120 created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it 602 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,640 and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more 603 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,560 delay underlying that part. There's going to be no more 604 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,960 delay here. That's a clue, by the way, that 605 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:58,920 the Book of Revelation is chronological. 606 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,320 Majority of it is. At least there are some 607 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:04,480 flashbacks. There is no more delay. 608 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:07,920 And then he goes on to say what but that in the days of the 609 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:13,760 trumpet call to be sounded by the 7th Angel, the mystery of 610 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,440 God will be fulfilled. So remember, there's an 611 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,520 interlude. We saw the 5th and the 6th 612 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,880 trumpet sounded and alarmed in the previous chapter. 613 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,640 Now there's this break and this Angel is telling John to tell us 614 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:29,120 we're about to sound the 7th trumpet. 615 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:33,760 And I want to let you know that this is going to accelerate 616 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:38,120 things, and the mystery of God in the sounding of the seven 617 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:43,400 trumpet will be fulfilled. Now, the Greek word for mystery 618 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:49,520 often refers to a divine truth that was once concealed, now 619 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:51,360 revealed. Paul uses that word more than 620 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,760 once in his letters. Something that was once hidden, 621 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:57,800 now made to be known. And the mystery of God here in 622 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:02,360 this chapter speaks about the hidden divine plan of God for 623 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,280 the ultimate redemption and completion of history and 624 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:11,920 salvation and judgment. The, the, the final phase of all 625 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:13,760 things. That's the mystery of God that's 626 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:16,440 being proclaimed here. And here's what's interesting. 627 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:19,600 It's the mystery of God that has been proclaimed. 628 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:21,240 What did he say? The last part there by the 629 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:25,840 prophets, by the prophets. You know what that tells me? 630 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:31,600 That the prophets of old have predicted the last days. 631 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:35,080 They have spoken in their prophecies about the culmination 632 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:38,200 of the age. Why is that important to know? 633 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:42,080 Because what we believe about the end times as New Testament 634 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,480 Christians is grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures. 635 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,960 It's not separate. And why is that also important 636 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:51,840 to know? You cannot afford to develop 637 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:57,160 your framework, your doctrine of the last days, without engaging 638 00:39:57,160 --> 00:40:00,640 with the Old Testament. Do you know how many Christians 639 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,400 are doing this these days? They're developing most of their 640 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,240 doctrine thinking that the Old Testament has no relevance. 641 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:09,240 Well, what are we told here in these verses? 642 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:12,160 That the mystery of God concerning the last days will be 643 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:14,240 fulfilled as spoken of by the prophets. 644 00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:16,360 So what do we know about the prophets in the end times? 645 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,760 We should know because there's a continuity, there is a 646 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:24,600 connection. And though they predicted it 647 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,720 from the days of old, it was with lesser detail and 648 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:30,880 specificity. Now we come to this book and we 649 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:33,840 realize that mystery of God is becoming more and more clear. 650 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:38,760 It's going to be fulfilled from this point on to the end of this 651 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:42,480 text, and you and I are going to experience that. 652 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:45,640 Another way of understanding what this mighty Angel is 653 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:47,840 communicating is that we are approaching a clear 654 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:52,200 understanding of the very end of the end. 655 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:58,400 And that's going to happen with the seven bowls of judgement. 656 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,760 And they're very unique for two reasons. 657 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:04,240 One, they're going to be a lot faster than the previous sets 658 00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:06,840 and they're going to be a lot more destructive. 659 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:14,000 So with that being said, John shows us many things that should 660 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,040 consume us. Consume your thoughts, consume 661 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:23,640 your affections, consume your sin and devour it and spit it 662 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:27,520 out of your life. Let's ask God to help us apply 663 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:47,950 these truths for His glory. Father, we thank you that You 664 00:41:47,950 --> 00:41:50,910 have led us in our study of revelation to the threshold. 665 00:41:51,870 --> 00:41:56,120 A turning point, really, of our understanding of the last days. 666 00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:00,760 But oh God, you have proven yourself yet again that even in 667 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:05,000 a cryptic chapter like this, you can speak so practically to us. 668 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,480 And Lord, thank you for showing us what John saw and what he 669 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:12,320 heard and what he touched and what he tasted. 670 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:17,560 Help us see how awesome you are. Help us hear what you have 671 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:19,880 revealed and not be so concerned with the things that we can't 672 00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:25,400 understand. And help us taste the word, help 673 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,080 us eat it. I pray, Lord, with my brothers 674 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:30,680 and sisters, that we would wake up in the morning with a craving 675 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:34,440 for the word, that we would learn how to snack on the word 676 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,760 throughout the day and enjoy it and chew on it and, and just 677 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:41,880 devour it, knowing that one of the fruits of it is that when we 678 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:45,520 speak, it will come from a place of experience, not just 679 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:49,880 knowledge. And Lord, thank you that you've 680 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:54,480 given us this interlude to remind us that though this world 681 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:59,680 will grow in its horror and devastation as you prophesied, 682 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,840 you are in control. It's all permitted by you. 683 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:05,280 You are supervising every detail. 684 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:08,640 And if that's true for history, how much more for our lives? 685 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:12,200 Help us rely. I don't know who came in here 686 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:15,400 with a heaviness, but Lord, may they leave here lighter, knowing 687 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:20,400 that this awesome God, he's near to the broken hearted and he 688 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:22,480 looks upon those who tremble at his word. 689 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,560 So Lord, help us tremble at your word and help us taste it at the 690 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:29,960 same time. But we've come to worship you 691 00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:32,560 because we know that this book is true and that you are 692 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:34,680 faithful. You are faithful to all your 693 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,480 promises you'll never forget. Thank you for this. 694 00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:41,160 In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen. 695 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,400 Brothers and sisters, let's stand together, let's sing, 696 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:48,000 let's worship Him and honor Him and glorify him as his people.