Revelation Now :

Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation

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A Mighty Angel and Seven Thunders : Day 39

"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.' Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, 'There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.'" (Revelation 10:1 to 7)

This passage is a kind of interlude between the sounding of the sixth and the seventh trumpets. The sixth trumpet has already sounded, but the seventh does not sound until 11:15, and in between there are terrible things happening.

The Mighty Angel

"The mighty angel" in this passage is described in terms which show that he came straight from the presence of God and the Risen Christ. He is clad in a cloud and the clouds are the chariots of God, for "God makes the clouds his chariot" (1). He has a rainbow on his head and the rainbow is part of the glory of the throne of God (2).

The rainbow is caused by the light of the angel's face shining through the cloud. His face is as the sun which is also the description of the face of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (3). His voice was as the roar of a lion like the voice of God, "the Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem" (4). Clearly this angel has come from the very presence of God; some think that he is none other than the glorified Christ himself.

The angel has "one foot on the sea and one on the land". In his hand the angel has a little roll, unrolled and opened. That is to say, he is giving John a limited revelation about a quite small period of time. When the angel speaks, the seven thunders sound. They are most likely a reference to the seven voices of God (5)

Final Judgments on the Earth

"A mighty angel" appears in heaven and comes to announce the final judgments on the earth. His right foot is set on the sea and his left foot on the land to indicate that his words deal with all creation. Angels are described (6) as ascending and descending on a cloud, but this mighty angel is wrapped in one. John seems to be back on earth for he sees the Mighty Angel coming down from heaven towards him.

The angel now makes an announcement and affirms it with an oath. Sometimes the announcement has been taken to mean that "Time shall be no more". That is to say, time as we know it is about to be ended and eternity to begin. It is more likely that the meaning is that there is no time left, that there is to be no further delay, that Antichrist is about to burst upon the scene in all his destructive terror.

Show Down between Good and Evil

When this happens, the mystery of God would be fulfilled. The whole purpose of God in human history will stand revealed. Much in life is difficult to understand; wickedness seems to hold sway. But, as John saw it, there is going to be a final show down. God and Antichrist, good and evil, will face each other; final and total victory will be won, the questions will find their answers and the wrongs will be righted. Beyond all the strangeness of the picture stands the truth that history is moving towards the inevitable triumph of God and that, though evil may flourish, it cannot in the end be triumphant.

Destiny

Some people would love to know what tomorrow holds for them. They think that if they knew the future, they might feel better about their present circumstances. Maybe they are destined to inherit a fortune or marry a beautiful wife? They imagine that there is a chink in heaven and the All-knowing God is somehow leaking out information.

The clear words of Jesus in the story of Lazarus and Dives describe the impenetrable gulf fixed between heaven and earth. Unfortunately, there are many people who are willing to take advantage of this kind of superstition. This is probably behind the misplaced fascination in fortune telling, ouija boards, horoscopes and tarot cards. God reveals what would happen in the future in this book. But John was stopped from writing it down. "Do not write it down" John was told. It is not to be revealed just yet. God has told us all we need to know to live for him now. In our desire to be ready for the end, we must not place more emphasis on speculation about the last days than on living for God today. When God's plan for human history is completely revealed, all prophecy will then be fulfilled. The end of the age will have arrived.

Meditation

Would we really be happier if we knew what was going to happen to us in the future?

Prayer

"Deep peace of the Running Wave to you,"

Notes

(1) Psalm 104:3 (2) Ezekiel 1:28 (3) Matthew 17:2 (4) Joel 3:16 (5) Psalm 29. (6) Acts 1.9

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."

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