02.29. LECTURE No. 29 -- Rev_10:1-7
LECTURE No. 29 -- Revelation 10:1-7
Revelation 10:1-11 a Prophetic Foreview of Victory - The Mystery of God Will Be Finished The Mighty Angel None Other Than, Christ - The Meaning of the Cloud - The Shekinah Glory of God - The Rainbow an Important Symbol - The Appearance of the Angel’s Face a Mark of Identification - The Little Book If as a Legal If arrant - An Act of Possession The Seven Thunders - We Can Only Guess at What They Said Because Their Message H Been Sealed - The Mystery of Iniquity - The Mystery of Godliness - The Lord Will Surely Come - Don’t Be Foolish
WE have already studied the opening of the seven seals of the Seven Sealed Book, and those things which are to occur upon the opening of the seven seals. Our more recent studies have been concerning the Seven Trumpets, and we have given careful consideration to those judgments which are to occur as each of the Seven Trumpets is blown.
We have only studied, however, concerning six of the Seven Trumpets, and in our present lesson we have arrived at parenthetical passage, to which we must give our attention, before we study those events which will occur at the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
Now let us read and consider what is stated in Revelation 10:1-7, where it says-
‘‘And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
“And he had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth,
“And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
“And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and 1 heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea, and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven,
“And swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer;
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when it shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the Prophets.” A Foreview of Victory In the lesson text now before us, the scene changes from that of judgment and gives to us a glimpse and foreview of the final victory which shall be accomplished when all these things shall have been brought to pass. There is a different note, therefore, in our lesson, from that which we have been studying, but it does not mean that we have in any wise reached the end of God’s judgments, or the final consummation of all things in the redemptive plan as set forth in this book. What we have here is only a lull in the storm, which enables us to see our way ahead, and thereby have courage to press on. A Mighty Angel Our attention is drawn first of all, in our present lesson, to the mighty angel which John saw come down from heaven. The angel is described in the first verse where John said,
“And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the Sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”
From the description given here, it is plainly evident that this was no ordinary angel; for he is described as “another mighty angel.” From the description and the symbolism used here we are constrained to believe that the angel referred to was not an ordinary created angel, but was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and I am sure that the scriptures will sustain us in this view. The Lord Jesus Christ The fact that He is spoken of here as a Mighty Angel is no hindrance to our belief in this regard, because in the Old Testament Jesus was often referred to as the “Angel of God”-the “Angel of the Lord” and the “Angel of His presence.”
You will remember that the Angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham on the day that he offered Isaac upon the altar. You will also recall that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob and wrestled with him all through the night. In Isaiah 37:36, it says-”Then the Angel , of the Lord went forth, and smote in L the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four score and five thousand;” Also in Psalms 34:7, David said, “The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”
And thus we see that there is no hindrance whatever in believing that the angel referred to here in our lesson text was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, having discovered who this mighty angel was, let us give attention to the description of this angel as given in our lesson text.
Clothed with a Cloud
John saw this Mighty Angel coming down from heaven clothed with a cloud. This is a very suggestive statement, to say the least, especially when we understand the history of Israel, and their relationship to the Angel of the Lord, and the cloud of God’s Shekinah Glory.
You will remember that in Exodus 13:21-22, it says,
“The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”
Also in Exodus 16:10, it says,
“And it came to pass as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” And again in Exodus 34:5, it says, “The Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with Him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord.”
You will also remember that when Jesus ascended into heaven a cloud received Him out of their sight, and there is no doubt in my mind but what it was the cloud of God’s Shekinah glory which received Him, and in which He was taken into heaven.
And so, my friends, we see that when it says that this Mighty Angel was clothed with a cloud, we are caused to think at once of how the angel of the Lord appeared in time past in the same manner to Israel in the wilderness, and we may rightfully declare that the garment worn by this mighty angel indicates the presence of deity. Surely no other angel was ever clothed in such manner as this.
We may rightfully conclude, therefore, that because he was clothed with a cloud, the Angel referred to here was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Rainbow Also a Sign
Another mark of identification is that He had a rainbow upon His head. We have already studied about the rainbow in Revelation 4:1-11; and have seen that there was a rainbow round about the Throne that was in heaven. The presence of the rainbow upon the head of this Mighty Angel would indicate therefore that He was associated with the Throne in heaven.
We have also considered the fact that the rainbow is a sign or symbol of God’s grace and mercy.
The rainbow shines brightest against the darkest clouds, and, however severe the storm may have been, the rainbow reminds all flesh of the fact that God will remember mercy in the midst of judgment, and will never again visit the earth with a flood of utter destruction.
How wonderful, therefore, that this mighty angel was clothed with a cloud, and that upon His head there was a rainbow, indicating the deity of Christ and the fact that it was His purpose to bestow grace and mercy in the midst of judgment upon those who would receive His mercy. The Face of the Angel
It also says “And His face was as it were the Sun.”
Here again we have another mark of identification, which causes us to feel and to believe that the One referred to here was Christ.
In Revelation 1:1-20, where we have a word picture of the risen and glorified Christ, in Revelation 1:16, it says, “And His countenance was as the Sun shineth in his strength.”
This is perfectly in keeping with the vision of Christ which was given to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, at which time even His raiment became shining exceeding white as snow.
“And His face did shine as the Sun.”
This also agrees with the vision which Saul of Tarsus had of the Christ when he met Him on the road to Damascus, for he also saw a light from heaven, and heard the voice of the risen Christ saying unto him, “Saul, Saul why persecuteth thou me?” as recorded in Acts 9:1-4. The Feet of the Angel
It also says in Revelation 10:1, “And His feet were as pillars of fire.”
Here again we are reminded of the description of Christ as given in Revelation 1:15, where it says, “and His feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace.”
We conclude therefore that the description in either case refers to the same person, namely to the risen Christ. In the one case the feet represented great purity, and in our lesson text they represent the consuming majesty of the one to whom they belong, and nowhere in the scriptures do we find such a description applied to any ordinary angel.
Thus, by this wonderful description of this mighty angel, the Lord has left us without doubt as to the identity of this great personage. The Little Book
Now in Revelation 10:2, it says, “And He had in His hand a little book open: and He set His right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when He had cried seven thunders uttered their voices.”
I presume the first thing for us to do here is to identify the little book which this Mighty Angel held open in His hand. It should not be difficult to do this, however, since we have already studied about the seven sealed book in Revelation 5:1-14.
In our study of that portion of the Revelation we discovered that the Seven Sealed Book was a book of inheritance. In other words, it represented the title deed of the inheritance which was forfeited by man when he sinned in the Garden of Eden, and which was to be recovered by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, who also was found worthy to loose the seven seals thereof. The Book Is Open
We have every reason to believe, therefore, that the open book in the hand of this Mighty Angel was the same book which the Lamb of God took out of the hands of Him that sat upon the Throne for the purpose of loosening the seven seals thereof.
In the first case the book was sealed, and in our present lesson the book is open, in the hand of this Mighty Angel. This would indicate that definite progress had been made in His work of judgment against the wicked of the earth, and that by the time these events occur, the one who holds the open book in His hand will have won the right to act with authority, which is exactly what He will do, according to our lesson text; for it says, “He set His right foot upon the sea and His left foot upon the earth.”
This was an act of taking possession of that which was rightfully His. Everyone knows that the heavens and the earth are the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. They are His by right of creation.
We know also that they belong to Christ, because in John 1:3, it says, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
Satan a Usurper
We know also that because of man’s sin the earth was cursed and Satan came into temporary possession of the earth by the permissive will of God. Satan is looked upon, therefore, as a usurper, and before the dominion of the earth can be given over again to man, the usurper must be destroyed out of the earth, and the title deed returned to those who disposed it away by sin and transgression.
Understanding these things, the act of this Mighty Angel when He came down with the open book in His hand, and set His right foot on the sea and His left foot upon the earth, is very significant. A Legal Warrant In the first place, in this act of taking possession of the earth and the sea, the open book served as His legal warrant and as His legal right to do so. No man would think of taking possession of any land unless he could produce evidence of his legal right to do so. Through His death upon the cross and by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus won for Himself the right to act as man’s kinsman-redeemer, and it is His purpose in due time to restore unto man all that he lost in the fall when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.
We have already seen how He opened the seven seals of the Seven Sealed Book, and having accomplished this, He had the perfect right to claim possession of the sea and the earth, as described in our lesson text.
Seven Thunders: A Mighty Voice
Now let us note that when this Mighty Angel had come down and had set His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot upon the earth, He “cried with loud voice as when a lion roareth: as when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”
Here we have of cry of this Mighty Angel upon earth, and the response to His cry, which came from heaven.
The roar which He gave was that of victory and of complete mastery. Jeremiah 25:30-31 says,
“Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say unto them, the Lord shall roar from on high and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar upon His habitation; He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes against all the inhabitants of the earth a noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.”
Thus will this Mighty Angel roar against the inhabitants of the earth, who would oppose His right to possess the earth in righteousness. Thus will He roar and manifest His prophetic, Priestly and royal right to possess the earth and the sea. His act will be therefore a warning to all of His enemies who would oppose His purpose to submit to His rule and authority, or perish.
What the Seven Thunders Utter
It is interesting to note that when the Mighty Angel had cried with a loud voice, seven thunders uttered their voices, and in Revelation 10:4, it says,
“And when the thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not.”
Men have always been impressed with the thought that terrible thunders are symbolic of the wrath of God, as if God were speaking to man in His displeasure. We have all heard terrible thunderings during a storm, but not once have the thunders spoken audibly to us.
Truly, we have been impresses by them, and somehow they never fail to strike fear to our hearts, but imagine, if you can, how much greater our fear would be if the noise of thunder were to speak to us in audible tones that we could understand, as they did that day when John was given to see and to hear those things recorded in our lesson text.
The Word plainly says, “When He had cried seven thunders uttered their voices.’’
They did not make an inarticulate noise, such as we are accustomed to hearing when it thunders during a storm, but the voices which John heard were intelligent and full of meaning, profound meaning, no doubt; for John said, “I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not.”
This was an unexpected command, nevertheless John obeyed, and so there are certain things pertaining to the Revelation which were not written, and which will remain a secret until such a time as God is pleased to reveal them unto us. Indeed, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. The Mystery of God Will Be Finished
We now come to a very interesting part of our lesson in verses Revelation 10:5-7, where it says,
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up His hand to heaven, and swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer; but in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when He shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to His servants the Prophets.”
Two Great Mysteries This is a very striking statement, and is of great interest because it occurs at this place in the Revelation.
In the Bible we find mention made of two great mysteries, i. e., the mystery of iniquity, which Paul said “doth already work” and the mystery of Godliness.
The mystery of Godliness is mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16, where it says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
By the mystery of Godliness, therefore, is meant the fulfillment and the consummation of the whole plan of redemption as it is in Christ.
God has a certain plan, and He is working towards the accomplishment and the fulfillment of every purpose which He ordained for our redemption. And to us poor creatures who are born into the world and live out our years in the allotted three score years and ten, it seems as if there is long delay in the accomplishment and carrying out of the great purposes of God.
But in our lesson text there is a word of encouragement, for in the sixth verse the mighty angel is described as swearing with his hand lifted to heaven, that there should be time no longer.
In other words there should be no longer delay in bringing the great work of redemption to a final consummation. This is confirmed in verse seven where it says:
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be finished, as He hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
I want you to notice that it says, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished. The word “days” is plural, and would therefore indicate a period of time, however long or short it may be. In any wise, there would be time enough for the Lord to bring about the consummation of all things pertaining to the mystery of God, which has been declared to his servants by the prophets. The Lord Will Surely Come The fact that the Lord has seemed to delay his coming and has tarried longer than men would have it so, has in many instances caused considerable confusion in the minds of many people. The Lord has already tarried so long and has delayed to bring His plans and purposes to a final consummation, that many people have become suspicious of the fact that Jesus will ever come again. And in their doubting, they try to convince themselves that everything will continue on forever just as it is.
Such people are called scoffers by the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:3-4 where he said:
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lust and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” The Evil Servant In Matthew 24:48 Jesus Himself spoke of the evil servant who shall say in His heart, “My Lord delayeth His coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken, and he said: The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut Him asunder and appoint Him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The Foolish Virgins
Also in the parable of the ten virgins, it was while the bridegroom tarried that they all slumbered and slept, only five of them were ready when the bridegroom came. In Every Age
It is of striking interest to note that in every age men have waited and expected the redeemer to come and the fulfillment of those things which been spoken by the prophets!
Adam and Eve after they had sinned received the promise of a coming redeemer, as stated in Genesis 3:15. Eve believed the promise which God had given, i. e., that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. So when Cain born she said: “I have gotten a man from the Lord.”
As we know she was mistaken about this, for Cain did not prove to be the redeemer, but it goes to show that Eve believed the promise and that she thought, or at least hoped, that God had wrought a miracle by divine intervention and that her son would be the redeemer. Thus was the Messianic hope born and manifested in the heart of the mother of the race.
John the Baptist
There is no question but what John the Baptist, when he looked upon Christ believed in Him as the promised Messiah and that he thought the time for the establishment of the kingdom of righteousness, which God had promised by the mouth of His prophets had come.
Therefore, he preached saying, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Apostles The twelve apostles also shared this belief until after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Even then, they were taught to look for His return, for no one knew how long the age or dispensation of grace was to last.
And it has continued now for nearly two thousand years. And in every period of the church age the faithful, believing remnant of God’s people have been longing and waiting for the return of Christ and the consummation of all things.
But in spite of our anxious desire for Christ to return, there has been long delay.
How many times, just when it seemed as if Christ would surely come, conditions have changed and there has been continued delay, and the Lord still tarries, and we are made to wonder some-times how long He will yet tarry within the veil before He comes to receive His bride and to smite the wicked of the earth.
One Thing Sure! But listen, friends, there is one thing we can be sure of, and that is that even though the Lord has tarried longer than we would desire for Him to, the time will surely come when He will no longer delay.
“For in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.”
~ end of lecture 29 ~