The Mysteries of God
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
We are picking back up in Revelation chapter 10 tonight. The last time we were together, we covered chapter 9, and studied the last three trumpet judgments.
REVIEW:
What is the difference between the 7 seals and the seven trumpets?
ANSWER: The trumpets are more intense
Ex: 1/4 earths population < 1/3 earths population
What are the locusts that come out of the bottomless pit?
Who will they turn on?
ANSWER: The people who worshiped them followed them and not Jesus.
Why does God send these plagues upon the earth? (What is His desire for mankind to do in spite of the suffering upon them?)
ANSWER: Repent
CHAPTER 10 IS PARENTHETICAL
Question: What does that mean that this chapter is parenthetical?
The present mysteries of God
The present mysteries of God
Revelation 10:1–4 “I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.””
The mighty angel
Some say this angels is Jesus, but Jesus is never called an angel in the book of Revelation.
Also the angel makes an oath which seems out of place for Jesus to do
Some say this angels is Gabriel, but he is never named so we could only assume it is Gabriel
But the identification of the angel is a part of the details we have been given
What we do have is a symbolic description of the angel
Rainbow upon his head:
QUESTION: What was the symbol of the rainbow in Scripture?
symbol of God’s promise
Face like the sun: this is a symbol of God’s glory
glory is magnificence, splendor, his awesomeness
Feet like pillars of fire:
symbol of God’s guidance
we see this in the wilderness wanderings where God led His people by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day
And he had in his hand a little book which was open
The last time in this book we saw a “strong angel” was in chapter 5.
And the strong angel proclaimed in chapter 5, “who is worthy to open the scroll to break its seals” and Jesus steps forward to take the scroll
And we also see this strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice like the roar of a lion
and we also find a scroll or a book (same word in Greek), in this chapter but this time it is in the hand of the angel.
What does all this mean?
All throughout the book of Revelation we see angels doing God’s work.
Angels are the representatives of each of the seven churches
Angels are standing at the four corners of the earth withholding God’s judgement
Angels are the ones who seal the 144,000
An angel releases the demons from the bottomless pit
Angels blow the seven trumpets of God’s judgements
And here the strong angel has a scroll in his hand and a message in his mouth
And when he cries out with a loud voice and then the 7 peals (waves) of thunder uttered their voices
Now who are the seven peals of thunders?
I think it is safe to see is the voice of God
Revelation 4:5 “Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God”
So the angel cries out and God speaks, and it is in an understandable language because John is going to write it down as he has all throughout this chapter
But God stops him and tells him to seal up what he had heard.
The word “seal up” means to keep it secret
In other words, God tells John this particular message that you have heard is not for people to know, it is for your ears only
Principle:
There will always be great mysteries about things we do not understand about what God has done and about what God is doing
When I first came to faith, I used to try to guess what God was going to do next
And what I learned is no matter what I was always wrong.
I thought God wold do something this way and that way and I was never right
I even came to the conclusion that God did everything exactly opposite of what I thought He would just to show me I will never figure God out
What the servant of God must learn to do is be content with what God has revealed to him
Be content with the sufficiency of Scripture
I see so many people who enter into discipleship and do not have a full understanding so they reject it
Or people who think they find contradictions so they develop doubts about the Bible
Be content with not knowing the details
You may be in a situation right now and demanding God to make known to you why
BUT God never gives all the details!
God never has to explain Himself to us!
God never has to reveal every part of His plan for our lives!
God has the right to disclose information, just like He has done with John in Revelation chapter 10
But He gives us enough
IF you don’t know everything about Scripture join the club
If you don’t understand all the details of your present sufferings, join the club
And here is what will help you in those times of secrecy
Knowing the ways of God.
There is a difference in knowing what God does and why God does what He does
And when we know why God does what He does, we no longer need to know what God is doing
The eternal mysteries of God
The eternal mysteries of God
Revelation 10:5–7 “Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.”
What was it that the angel has proclaimed
He swore that there will be delay no longer!
And that the mystery of God is about to be finished, just as he preached to His servants and prophets
QUESTION: What is the mystery of God?
The truths that have been hidden from God from generation to generation!
The truths about eternity, about God’s triumph over evil, about Jesus Christ reigning as King of the world
John is told, now those mysteries are finished! They are now being revealed to the entire world as God brings this age to a close and all that we see as reality comes to an end
QUESTION: Who were these mysteries preached to?
ANSWER: The prophets and the servants
God has made it known to His prophets and His servants that the wicked will be judged
God’s people, God’s prophets have known these truths from the time God opened their hearts to know them
These are time tested convictions that are placed within the heart of every believer that God will bring this age to an end
It is these truths that compel the Christian to never turn away from God, for to do so would forfeit eternity
What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Conviction means it has been determined. It has been settled in the heart! The evidence for truth has been provided by the Holy Spirit and the believer knows that it will come to pass just as God says!
And the truth about eternity, about God judging wickedness, about Jesus being the only way to God has been settled in his servants and prophets.
The revealed mysteries of God
The revealed mysteries of God
Revelation 10:8–11 “Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they *said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.””
“Take it and eat it”
What an odd thing God tells John to do
Not hold it
Not read it
Eat it!
What are we to make of this?
What is this Scroll?
The scroll contains the plans, the will of God concerning the world
In other words it is the very words of God that are coming to pass at that moment
And this fits perfectly in with the whole of Scripture and to how it tastes
Psalm 19:9–10 “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The Word of God is like honey in the mouth of believers
Reading the Bible is like a taking a spoon and dipping into a jar of honey and taking it down
Honey is pure
It is rich in flavor
It soothes the throat as it goes down
It satisfies that craving for something sweet
And it needs nothing. Nothing is every added to honey, it is completely sufficient on its own
But then he says, “it will make your stomach bitter”
That is because the word John would prophesy contain lament, warning, and judgement
John is now commissioned here after eating the scroll to prophesy, which means to communicate the message he has devoured
Application
God’s Word contains both bitter and sweet messages
Not everything we read and digest goes down like honey
Some things taste good, and some hurt a little
Nearly every passage of Scripture contains a word of comfort, a word of correction, and word of rebuke
And the people of God must not be people who only desire honey
The old saying goes, “sugar preaching leads to truth decay”
We have to be people who can receive truth that comforts and truth that wounds
Without them both we will not have the whole counsel of God’s Word.
If you can read the Bible and never find any truths that bring correction or realignment, you are not reading it correctly
Always approach God’s Word like a child, applying it to yourself (not the other people in the church)
Do not look over the bitter parts as if they are not important
