Participants: Ranko Stefanovic
Series Code: RCK
Program Code: RCK000015
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00:24 Welcome again to our program titled
00:27 the "Revelation of the Coming King." 00:31 This program is a part of a long series 00:34 in which we try to cover the entire Book of Revelation. 00:38 Of course, we cannot cover everything, 00:42 but at least to get an insight 00:46 into those different visions of the Book of Revelation, 00:49 so at the end of this series, you will be able to go 00:53 and to study the Book of Revelation for yourself. 00:56 I'm Ranko Stefanovic, Professor at Seventh-day Adventist 01:00 Theological Seminary, Andrews University. 01:03 And I'm so glad to be with you here. 01:05 And I have the best audience 01:07 and the best crew people who are working here. 01:09 They are also my audience there. 01:11 And I'm so excited to study with you this book 01:15 that means so much to me, 01:18 because it is through understanding of this book 01:21 I discovered the gospel of Jesus Christ 01:24 and He changed my life completely. 01:26 He turned it upside down. 01:28 And since that time I haven't been the same person any longer. 01:32 And that's why I'm so excited with you. 01:36 As you know, that the text book for this program, 01:42 it's in my hand here, it's the Bible. 01:44 The Bible, it's the best, 01:46 the best commentary on the Book of Revelation. 01:49 But at the same time if you want to-- 01:51 once this program is over, 01:53 if you want to continue to study the subject for yourself 01:56 and I would like to encourage you to do it. 01:58 You know, everything what is said here 02:01 and what you read and you hear from other people, 02:04 it's our human attempt that we explain 02:10 the difficult text of the Book of Revelation, 02:13 but we have also to study it for ourselves. 02:16 So if you have already provided for yourself 02:19 a copy of this commentary, 02:22 the subject that we will be dealing with today 02:25 is covered here from page 325, 325 02:32 going all up to the page 341, 02:37 so from 325 to 341. 02:44 Before we go and into our subject, 02:48 I'd like us to ask the One, 02:51 who is the real expert in the Book of Revelation, 02:55 that through His Holy Spirit that He can help us 02:58 that there's sometimes difficult text of this difficult book 03:02 can somehow be meaningful and clear to us. 03:06 Our heavenly Father, please be with us 03:10 and give us Your Holy Spirit. 03:13 Give us discernment and understanding 03:15 as we are trying our best through Holy Spirit 03:19 to understand this difficult text, 03:22 but above all to understand 03:24 how much you are interested in human beings. 03:26 You want to draw them to Yourself so that one day 03:30 we all can find ourselves in Your kingdom. 03:34 Please be with us, Father. 03:36 We're asking for Your help and we pray all of this 03:39 in the precious name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. 03:46 As you know that so far for last some of the presentations, 03:51 some of the programs we tried to understand 03:56 the series of the seven trumpets. 03:57 One more time let me remind you that we have been dealing 04:01 with really the most difficult section 04:04 of the Book of Revelation. 04:05 And now I believe you understand why. 04:09 But let's be reminded. 04:12 We saw seven angles with those seven trumpets. 04:17 Whenever one of the angels blows the trumpet, 04:20 the judgments that fall upon the rebellious humanity. 04:25 We saw the seven trumpets represent 04:28 a series of divine intervention in history, 04:32 because what they have done to God's people 04:36 and the way how they treated and related to the gospel 04:39 and the way how actually they rebelled against God. 04:44 And we saw that there was the first trumpet was heard 04:49 and the judgment fall on the rebellious humanity. 04:53 Then the second trumpet, then the third trumpet, 04:57 the fourth, the fifth trumpet, and the sixth trumpet. 05:01 Now when you expect the conclusion of chapter 9 05:06 to read about the seven angels blowing the trumpets, 05:09 suddenly that's not the case. 05:12 We have to wait until chapter 11:15 05:17 to read about the seventh angel. Why? 05:19 Because between the end of 05:24 chapter 9 and chapter 11:15, 05:29 there is a long section that we call an interlude. 05:37 Chapter 10 and the first 14 verses of chapter 11, 05:42 we will try to cover this interlude 05:44 in our next two presentations. 05:48 But before we go into this section, 05:50 we have to ask ourselves a question. 05:54 Why this interlude? 05:57 Let me remind you what we were talking about before. 06:01 We saw the seven seals, the same, 06:05 first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth seal. 06:08 When we expected the seventh seal, 06:10 suddenly there is not. 06:11 We had to wait until the opening of the seventh seal 06:15 in chapter 8:1 but between the sixth seal 06:19 and the seventh seal there was a chapter 7. 06:21 What was the purpose of chapter 7? 06:23 It was an interlude 06:24 inserted between the sixth and the seventh seal. 06:27 What was the purpose of that interlude? 06:30 To provide the answer to the question, 06:34 who is able to stand at the day 06:38 of the great wrath of God the Almighty? 06:42 And the answer was the sealed people of God. 06:45 So chapter 7 identifies God's people 06:49 at the time before the second coming of Christ. 06:53 Now we have the similar pattern. 06:55 We talk already about that. 06:59 Before the seventh angel blows the trumpet, 07:03 we have another interlude 07:05 and I would like to suggest to you 07:07 that this interlude of chapter 10 and 11 parallels 07:11 the interlude of chapter 7. 07:15 When the interlude of chapter 7 identifies God's people, 07:20 the last generation, the faithful people of God 07:24 prior to the second coming of Christ, 07:27 this section, this interlude 07:29 between the sixth and the seventh trumpet 07:32 is telling us about the task 07:37 and the experience of God's people in the hostile world 07:43 as they are waiting for the second coming of Christ. 07:46 So he's telling us about the task, 07:48 what they have to fulfill. 07:49 Chapter 7 identifies them, but chapter 10 is telling us 07:54 what they are supposed to do 07:55 as they are waiting for the end to come. 07:57 And then chapter 11 is telling about the special experience 08:00 that God's people have to go through 08:03 as they are waiting for the second coming of Christ. 08:06 I hope that you will keep this in mind 08:08 as we are now going into chapter 10, 08:10 trying to understand what we have there. 08:12 So please, would you turn 08:14 to the Book of Revelation chapter 10 08:17 and let us read the first verse there, 08:22 first two verses actually. 08:24 Revelation 10:1-2. 08:29 "And I saw another strong angel," or mighty angel, 08:35 "coming down of heaven, clothed with a cloud 08:40 and the rainbow was upon his head, 08:43 and his face was like the sun, 08:45 and his feet like pillars of fire. 08:49 And he had in his hand a little book which was open. 08:54 He placed his right foot on the sea 08:58 and his left on the land." 09:03 What do we have here in this interlude? 09:07 John sees an angel of magnificent appearance 09:13 descending from heaven. 09:15 How does he refer to this angel? 09:17 He says, "I saw another strong or a mighty angel." 09:24 He is using this expression, "another strong angel" 09:27 to distinguish this angel from those seven angels 09:31 who are blowing the trumpets, 09:33 telling us that this angel is not to be put on the same level 09:41 as those seven angels. 09:44 But there is something very interesting please. 09:46 Let's go back to the text. 09:49 It says, "That this angel was clothed with a cloud, 09:53 the rainbow was upon his head, his face was like the sun, 09:59 and his feet like pillars of fire." 10:02 May I ask you one question? 10:04 When we read here the description to these angles, 10:07 is there anything that's comes to your mind 10:11 as we read the description of this angel? 10:14 It's the description of Jesus in Revelation Chapter 1. 10:19 So it brings to mind 10:21 the description of Jesus Himself in chapter 1. 10:26 The rainbow about His head stands 10:31 and represent the covenant. 10:33 You remember the covenant that God made with His people, 10:37 "His face like the sun, His feet like the pillars of fire." 10:41 Among the Bible commentators, there is a big discussion. 10:46 Some commentators they say, 10:48 "You see this angel is Jesus Christ Himself." 10:53 There are others who disagree. 10:55 And they say, "No, this angel actually represent Christ 11:00 and that's why he looks Christ." 11:03 And the question is what is the answer? 11:05 And the answer is yes. 11:09 We are dealing with the angel, 11:11 who is the true representation of Christ. 11:14 And through this angel actually Jesus Christ came Himself 11:19 to appear to John there on Patmos. 11:22 This angel is Jesus Christ in the full authority 11:27 and the full appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. 11:31 But there is something very interesting is here. 11:33 And John is watching this angel, 11:36 he said that this angel had in his hand 11:39 a little book which was open. 11:46 This little book which is in Greek biblaridion 11:52 which actually means a little book, 11:55 distinguishes this book from that scroll 11:59 that John saw in chapter 5. 12:04 Today, many recent studies have shown 12:08 that actually this scroll, this little scroll that John saw 12:15 and recorded here in chapter 10, 12:17 that this scroll is actually related 12:22 to the scroll of Revelation chapter 5. 12:26 And please I would like to suggest to you 12:29 the product of my research, 12:32 because as I explained to you that Revelation chapter 5 12:36 was my doctoral dissertation, 12:39 the topic for my doctoral dissertation. 12:41 So in dealing with that scroll 12:43 I also had to come little bit to Revelation chapter 10 12:46 to see what this little scroll is all about. 12:51 You see the scroll of Revelation 5 is the scroll. 12:55 How does scroll look like? Please, okay. 12:58 This is the scroll. 13:01 Now in Revelation chapter 10, we have the little scroll. 13:06 Can you help me to understand? 13:08 If this is the scroll, how of this scroll 13:12 you can make the little scroll? 13:18 You just take the scissor and you cut it here 13:23 and you can very easily make a little scroll. 13:28 Please keep in mind. 13:29 This is not the kind of book that John saw. 13:32 He saw the scroll. 13:33 So when you have little scroll, you can have a scroll. 13:35 When you unroll it, it can be very long. 13:38 You cut it, and then you have a little, little, little scroll. 13:42 I will suggest you that this is actually the way 13:45 what we have to understand it. 13:46 I would like to suggest to you is that the scroll, 13:50 that little scroll of Revelation chapter 10 13:52 is actually a part of the scroll 13:57 that was in Revelation chapter 5. 14:01 Let me explain little more. 14:03 What is the difference between this scroll 14:06 that we have here and the scroll 14:08 that we have in Revelation chapter 5? 14:10 Of course, in Revelation chapter 5 we have the scroll. 14:14 Here is the little scroll. 14:16 In Revelation 5, we have the scroll that is sealed. 14:22 It's not open. Nobody can read the content. 14:27 But what about this scroll? 14:29 It says that this scroll was opened. 14:34 What do you mean with that? 14:38 Furthermore, studies, they actually show 14:42 that since this scroll was seen, 14:44 he open and provided introduction, 14:47 we will explain this more details little bit later 14:50 as we are going to chapter 10, 14:52 that actually the content of this scroll 14:57 that John received there on Patmos, 15:00 it's somehow related to the Book of Revelation. 15:04 And many biblical scholars, and I belong to that group, 15:07 actually agree that the content of this little scroll 15:11 of chapter 10 is actually recorded 15:14 in Revelation chapter 12 to chapter 22. 15:19 Now you will ask a question, 15:21 on which base somebody can make such a conclusion? 15:26 When we read Revelation chapter 10, 15:27 we see that this little scroll 15:29 somehow deals with the time of the end. 15:33 Where in the Book of Revelation 15:35 we have the portrayal of the time of the end? 15:39 In Revelation chapter 12 to 22. 15:43 The second half of the Book of Revelation 15:45 is the eschatological portion we dealt 15:47 deals with the time of the end. 15:50 But then like now that you see something else, 15:55 because you will ask a question, 15:56 on which base we can conclude 15:58 that the content of Book of Revelation 16:01 is related to the content of this open scroll? 16:04 If you open-- I'm bringing you back 16:06 to the beginning of the Book of Revelation. 16:08 If you open Revelation 1:1, what do we read there? 16:12 Please read with me now. 16:14 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God," who? 16:19 "God gave Him," whom? Jesus, Jesus, okay. 16:27 "To show to His servants the things 16:29 which must soon take place. 16:33 And He, Jesus, showed it 16:38 through His angel to His servant, John." 16:42 Are you still with me? Let's go back. 16:44 It's very important to keep in mind. 16:46 It's Revelation of Jesus Christ. 16:48 The last book of the Bible, 16:50 which God, God, the Father, gave to whom? To Jesus. 16:54 What did Jesus do? 16:56 He gave it to His angel. 16:57 To His angel, and the angel? 16:59 To John. Give to John. 17:00 What did John do? He wrote down. 17:03 John witnessed and he wrote it for the needs of the churches. 17:08 Praise God. Amen. 17:09 Including us, we are included in the group of those 17:12 who are recipients of the Book of Revelation. 17:15 Now let's see something else. 17:17 What do we have in Revelation chapters 4 and 5? 17:23 Revelation chapter 4 and 5, we see Jesus. 17:26 He receives the sealed scroll from the Father. 17:34 Now in Revelation chapter 10, 17:37 this scroll is in the hand of the angel. 17:43 And now this angel reveals the content of the scroll to John. 17:49 And now John writes it down 17:52 and in Revelation chapter 12 to 22, 17:55 actually we have the description of the time of the end 17:58 that is really found in the content of the scroll. 18:00 These are the parallels. 18:03 God, the Father gives to Jesus Christ, 18:06 Jesus Christ through the angels gives to John, 18:10 John records here. 18:11 Chapters 4 and 5 we have the Father gives 18:14 the sealed scroll to Jesus Christ. 18:17 Now in chapter 10 Jesus Christ has given 18:20 the scroll to His angel. 18:22 And now the angel reveals the content to John. 18:25 And now John writes for the needs of the church. 18:29 Oh, boy, if this is true, 18:33 we have a great revelation of that intention 18:37 of the Book of Revelation is all about. 18:41 Okay, more about that just in few minutes. 18:46 But keep in mind, you will be reminded several times 18:50 that actually Revelation chapters 12 to 22 18:53 is the Revelation of the little scroll 18:56 of Revelation chapter 10, chapter 10, okay. 19:01 Let's go, second part of verse 2 it says. 19:05 "That the angel placed his right foot on the sea 19:10 and his left foot on the land." 19:13 When in the Book of Revelation 19:16 we have the earth and the sea it always, 19:20 it always signifies the universal 19:24 the significance of the message. 19:26 Are you still with me? 19:27 When you have the earth and the sea, 19:30 you have the entire globe. 19:31 You have the entire planet earth. 19:33 So what do we have here? 19:35 What is the significance of this? 19:37 Then the angel puts one foot on the land 19:43 and puts another foot on the sea. 19:45 What is the meaning of this? 19:48 That now what the angel is about to reveal to John 19:52 has the universal significance and meaning. 19:58 It concerns everybody on the earth. 20:03 We have the universal scope of the message to be proclaimed. 20:07 By the way, let me just remind you. 20:09 When we go to Revelation chapter 13, 20:11 we have one beast coming out of the sea 20:15 and other beast is coming out of the land of the earth. 20:20 He's telling us that the final events are universal in scope. 20:27 They concern every person in this world. 20:31 Just to simulate your appetite for further study 20:34 of the Book of Revelation. 20:35 So now the angel puts one foot on the land, 20:40 another one he puts on the sea. 20:43 And verse 3, he said, 20:45 "And he cried out with a loud voice, 20:50 as when a lion roars, and when he cried out, 20:55 the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. 20:59 And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, 21:03 I was about to write, 21:05 and I heard a voice from heaven saying, 21:09 'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder 21:13 have spoken and do not write them.'" 21:20 I have good news for you. 21:24 If so far we have been studying 21:27 and looked into the most difficult section 21:30 of the Book of Revelation, the verses that we just read, 21:35 is probably the most difficult text 21:38 in the entire Book of Revelation. 21:41 This is not exaggeration. 21:43 What's the problem? Please would you be with me? 21:46 We have heard seven thunders. 21:48 What are the seven thunders? What is the problem? 21:52 That John, nowhere in the book identifies those seven thunders. 21:59 And that's why people are making all good guesses 22:04 and making great effort, 22:06 you know, in understanding 22:08 who or what these seven thunders are all about. 22:12 But I will suggest to you, if you really try to understand 22:18 the Book of Revelation in the right way, 22:20 the book is not as difficult as it appears. 22:25 Can you help me? 22:27 When you have the difficult text, 22:28 a difficult text, what is the first step? 22:32 To understand the symbolism of the book. 22:33 What is the first step? 22:35 Go to the Old Testament. Amen. 22:36 And we go to the Old Testament. 22:38 We can see that the voice of God is often equated 22:44 with the sound of thunder. 22:47 In the Book of Job 37:5 or maybe you will be more familiar 22:53 with the gospel of John 12:28-30. 22:57 Do you know when those Greeks they wanted to see Jesus? 23:01 And Jesus said, "Father, the hour has come, 23:05 please glorify Your Son. 23:08 And the voice came from heaven. 23:11 It says, 'I have glorified You and I will still glorify You.'" 23:17 But John is telling us 23:19 that people around did not understand. 23:21 They just heard a thunder sound there. 23:27 Actually if you take a Concordance 23:31 and if you go to the Old Testament, 23:33 you can see how many times the voice of God 23:36 is like voice of thunder. 23:38 But there is one particular text that help us 23:39 really to understand what seven thunders are all about. 23:43 I would like you to turn to Psalms 29:3-9. 23:50 Psalms 29:3-9 and you can see 23:55 that you no need to wander all around in order to understand 24:00 the meaning of this symbolism in Revelation chapter 10. 24:04 So Psalms 29:3-9. Are you there? 24:11 Psalm 29:3-9, okay. 24:16 Can we go to the text? 24:17 It says--let's read from verse 2. 24:22 "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name. 24:25 Worship the Lord in His holy array. 24:28 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. 24:33 The God of glory thunders. 24:37 The voice of the Lord is powerful. 24:40 The voice of the Lord is majestic. 24:43 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. 24:46 Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 24:50 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 24:52 and Sirion like a young wild ox. 24:56 The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire. 25:00 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. 25:02 The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 25:05 The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve, 25:08 and strips the forests bare. 25:10 And in His temple everything says, 'Glory!'" 25:13 By the way, you will notice here, 25:15 we have the sevenfold manifestation 25:18 of the voice of God. 25:19 But how is that voice identified in verse 3? As a thunder. 25:26 You can see really that the text of the Book of Revelation 25:29 is not always as difficult as people are making, 25:32 when you do it in the right way. 25:34 When you go to the Old Testament, 25:36 the Old Testament will really give you the key 25:40 to the understanding and the meaning, 25:42 sometimes some difficult text of the Book of Revelation. 25:46 But there is something here very interesting. 25:50 John hears the seven thunders which is the voice of God. 25:54 Did he understand what the seven thunders were talking about? 25:59 Yes, he understands. How do you know that? 26:01 Please let's go back to the text. 26:03 How do you know that? It says in verse 4. 26:08 "When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, 26:11 I was about to write." 26:14 Hey, you write only what you hear, what you understand. 26:17 John heard what the seven thunders said. 26:20 But surprisingly, every time when John is in the vision, 26:25 when he hears something from God, 26:28 he is always urged "write it down," 26:33 except in this case. 26:38 We read here, in verse 4 it says, 26:41 "The same voice was from heaven was saying to him, 26:45 'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder 26:50 have spoken and do not write them.'" 26:57 Now understand why this text is so difficult? 27:02 Boy, I'm waiting for that moment. 27:05 That one day see John in the kingdom of God to ask him 27:10 "what was that those seven thunders 27:13 were saying at that moment?" 27:16 Unfortunately, John was not allowed to write it down. 27:24 But everything else, he was urged, 27:28 he was instructed, he was actually commanded to write. 27:31 The content of the sealed scroll he had to write down, 27:34 except the seven thunders. 27:36 What's that all about? 27:39 By the way, if you go 27:41 to the Book of Deuteronomy 29:29, 27:48 we read that "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, 27:55 but the things revealed belong to us 27:59 and to our sons forever, 28:01 that we may observe all the words of this law." 28:09 Please, friends, allow me just to say something in few minutes. 28:14 When we are dealing with Biblical prophecies, 28:17 we have to understand that not everything about the future 28:22 and what God is planning to do 28:24 at the time of the end is revealed to us. 28:29 Evidently what the seven thunders 28:31 were saying what John heard-- John became excited. 28:33 You will see why he was excited. 28:35 He understood that he was living in the time of the end. 28:37 That what he saw in the vision was the time of the end. 28:41 And what seven thunders were saying he understood that. 28:46 He became so excited because he wanted now 28:48 to reveal it to God's people there. 28:51 Unfortunately, he was forbidden to do so. 28:58 There are some things about the future 29:01 that God never intended to reveal to us. 29:04 Can you guess what? 29:07 God never revealed to us 29:10 who will be in the kingdom of God, 29:11 who will be left. 29:15 You remember that Jesus said that the day is coming 29:19 when everything what is kept in secret, 29:21 finally will be revealed. 29:23 Jesus is talking about people who will be in the kingdom, 29:25 people who will be left. 29:27 It is not revealed to us. 29:29 I'm sorry, friends, it is not revealed to us 29:32 when the end will come. 29:36 Unfortunately, we even do not know how many things 29:40 about the future, in the future will indeed take place. 29:44 There are many things. It's not revealed to us. 29:47 So actually the seven thunders, 29:49 instead of trying to speculate too much 29:51 about what seven thunders are all about, 29:54 are a caution to us, a warning 29:56 that when we study the end time prophecies, 30:00 we must be careful not to venture 30:03 beyond what God intended for us to know. Amen. 30:08 It is simply not revealed to us. 30:13 Not everything is revealed to us. 30:16 But everything that God knew in His wisdom that we, 30:23 as those who really obey God, 30:25 that we are supposed to know, 30:28 the things that are profitable to us, 30:32 for building of our character, 30:34 and for the preparation for the final events 30:37 and for the entries into the kingdom 30:41 that is revealed to us. 30:43 Let's stick to that. 30:45 Wherever I go, boy, I meet very, very good people. 30:49 They are my brothers and sisters. 30:52 But they always would like to learn something 30:54 that God has never intended to us. 30:57 Let's be very careful to ask. 30:59 And I meet people everywhere who are aware 31:03 that it is not revealed in the Bible 31:05 and suddenly they have to claim certain visions, 31:08 certain revelation that God has given to them 31:12 and they have a special light revealed to them. 31:15 Friends, if it was God's intention to reveal to us, 31:18 He would reveal it to John there on Patmos. Amen. 31:22 We would not have to reveal some people 31:24 in different parts of the world, who have special dreams. 31:27 And, believe me, just have a good dinner 31:29 after studying the Book of Revelation tonight 31:31 and you will have special dreams 31:33 and get insight that you cannot find anywhere, anywhere else. 31:37 It's very, very important to be very careful, 31:41 to ask God for the wisdom. 31:43 With greater reverences we are approaching the Bible 31:47 and just stick to the things 31:49 that God has clearly revealed to us. 31:55 Has John wondered why God did not allow him to write down? 32:01 There is something more that happened. 32:04 It was in verse 5. 32:06 "Then the angels whom I saw standing 32:09 on the sea and on the land." 32:11 Keep in mind that we are dealing 32:12 with the universal scope of this message and of this vision. 32:17 "He lifted up his right hand to heaven, 32:22 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, 32:26 who created heaven and the things in it, 32:29 and the earth and the things in it, 32:32 and the sea and the things in it, 32:35 that there will be"-- 32:38 I'm sorry, my New American Standard Version said 32:41 "That there will be delay not longer." 32:44 I disagree with this translation. 32:46 I will explain in few minutes. 32:48 "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 32:52 when he's about to sound, then the mystery of God 32:56 will be finished, as he preached to His servants the prophets." 33:01 Very interesting text. 33:03 And I'd like to invite you to go little bit into this text 33:07 and to analyze and to find the meaning of this text. 33:11 So now the angel is standing on the land and the sea 33:15 and he lifts up his right hand towards heaven. 33:19 This gesture in the Bible, 33:21 it's always associated with making an oath. 33:27 With a solemn voice, this angel swears by the One 33:31 who is eternal and who created the heaven and the earth 33:34 and all that is in them that there will be no longer time. 33:40 I will explain little bit of this phrase later. 33:44 But says that in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, 33:48 you remember last time? 33:49 We talked about the sound of the seventh angel. 33:52 Then the mystery of God will be completed 33:55 as was revealed to His servants the prophets. 34:01 Friends, if you really want to understand this text, 34:04 we have to go to another text in the Old Testament, 34:07 because these two texts are almost identical. 34:09 And we see that this Old-- 34:12 there is another Old Testament text give us 34:14 really the clear insight into the meaning 34:17 what we have here in Revelation chapter 10. 34:20 And actually it's in the Book of Daniel chapter 12. 34:23 I'd like to invite to you to go 34:24 to the Book of Daniel chapter 12. 34:29 So I would like to invite you that we read from verse 4 34:35 which is actually the conclusion of the Book of Daniel. 34:37 This is the conclusion of the Book of Daniel. 34:40 It's chapter 12 from verse 4. 34:44 As we are reading this text, 34:46 please can you somehow underline whatever you want? 34:49 The parallels between what we have here in chapter 12 34:53 and what we have in Revelation chapter 10. 34:57 It says, "But as for you, Daniel, 35:00 conceal these words and seal up the book." 35:04 Keep in mind, Daniel was supposed to seal. 35:06 What do we have in Revelation chapter 10? 35:08 The book is open, unsealed. 35:11 "Until the time of the end, many will go back and forth, 35:16 and knowledge will increase. 35:18 Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, 35:20 two others were standing, one on this bank of the river 35:24 and the other on that bank of the river. 35:27 And one said to the man dressed in linen, 35:30 who was above the waters and the river, 35:32 'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?' 35:37 And I heard the man dressed in linen, 35:40 who was above the waters of river, 35:43 as he raised his right hand." 35:45 Please, please look for the parallels. 35:48 "And his left toward heaven, 35:50 and swore by Him who lives forever 35:54 that will be for a time, times, and half a time 35:58 and as soon as they finish shattering 36:01 the power of the holy people, 36:03 all these events will be completed. 36:07 As for me, I heard but I could not understand, 36:10 so I said, 'My Lord, 36:12 what will be the outcome of these events?' 36:14 And He said, 'Go your way, 36:16 Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed 36:21 up until the time of the end. 36:24 Many will be purged, purified and refined 36:29 but the wicked will act wickedly, 36:32 and none of the wicked will understand, 36:35 but those who have insight will understand.'" 36:41 If you look carefully in this text, 36:44 you will notice something. 36:45 As Daniel is there in the vision 36:48 he hears how some heavenly beings 36:50 are talking among themselves. 36:52 Prior to that he was distracted 36:54 that the end time prophecies of his book 36:57 they have to be sealed, for how long time? 37:01 Until the time of the end. Until the time of the end. 37:04 Please keep in mind. 37:07 If the prophecies of Daniel were to be sealed 37:10 until the time of the end, what does it mean? 37:12 Nobody could read and understand those prophecies 37:15 to get insight the meaning, until when? 37:18 Until the time of the end. 37:20 But the question is how much time 37:24 should pass between that time and the time of the end? 37:28 You will notice that one heavenly being asked, it says, 37:32 "How long will persecution of God's people last?" 37:36 Until the time of the end comes. 37:39 And another heavenly beings answer 37:42 and what does he say? 37:44 "It will be for a time, times, and half a time, 37:50 as soon as they finish shattering 37:52 the power of the holy people, 37:54 all these events will be completed." 37:56 Actually Daniel hears in the vision 38:00 that the end cannot come 38:02 until a certain period of time is completed 38:06 and that period of time 38:08 is referred to in the terms of a time. 38:11 I'm sorry now I have to refer to Hebrew. 38:14 Two times and a half of the time, 38:19 in the way how the Hebrew language functioned, 38:22 a time actually is synonym for a year. 38:26 So let's paraphrase it. 38:29 It's 1 year, 2 year and 1/2 year. 38:36 How many days is that? 38:39 1,260 days 38:44 or if you put it into months, it's 42 months. 38:48 Let me suggest to you, 38:50 all these time designations that we just mentioned, 38:54 time, 2 times and half a time or 1,260 days or 42 months, 39:01 they occur only in the Book of Daniel 39:04 and Revelation chapters 11 to 13, 39:07 nowhere else in the Bible. 39:10 That's strictly time designations 39:12 with reference to the longer period, 39:15 prior to the time of the end. 39:19 Let's go back to the Book of Daniel. 39:22 What Daniel heard in the vision 39:25 that the persecution of God's people last, 39:27 for how long? 39:29 For that a time, 2 times and half a time 39:34 which is elsewhere in Daniel, Revelation refer to as 42 months 39:39 or 1,260 days. 39:44 We will come to this-- 39:45 to this time period in Revelation chapter 11. 39:50 But evidently here, 39:52 what we have in the Book of Daniel 39:54 is the prophecy identical to the one 39:57 that is found in the Book of Revelation chapter 11, 40:00 chapter 13 is the long period of the Middle Ages 40:05 of the persecution of God's people. 40:08 The historic interpreters rightly 40:10 put that time period from the year 538 40:14 to the time of French Revolution in the year 1798. 40:20 We'll talk more about this time element. 40:25 But Daniel was really sad that the end will not come, 40:29 until when? 40:30 Until this prophetic period it's fulfilled. 40:35 The persecution of God's people last for that period. 40:39 Now let's go back to Revelation chapter 10. 40:43 Do you notice here in Revelation chapter 10 40:45 that all those elements 40:48 that are found in Daniel chapter 12 40:52 are found also in the Revelation chapter 10? 40:54 Let's go back one more time to Revelation chapter 10. 40:58 Let's go there. Let's read one more time from verse 5. 41:02 "Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea 41:04 and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven." 41:08 We saw it also in the Book of Daniel. 41:10 Did you see that? 41:12 "And swore by Him who lives forever and ever. 41:14 "We saw it also in the Book of Daniel. 41:19 "Who created heaven and the things in it, 41:21 and the earth and the things in it, 41:24 and the sea and the things in it." 41:26 All these details that we just read 41:27 are found also in Daniel chapter 12. 41:31 There is only one difference and what is the difference? 41:36 That in Daniel we have a time, 41:39 2 times and half a time which is 1,260 days. 41:43 But here in the book of Revelation 41:45 this is replaced with that the time will not be any longer. 41:53 So what is the purpose of this? 41:55 The readers of the Book of Revelation 41:56 in the 1st century, 41:58 who knew the Old Testament so well, 42:01 did not have too many difficulties 42:04 to see the connection between the two passages. 42:07 And evidently John himself 42:10 understood the meaning of this message 42:12 that the time period 42:15 that was prophesied through Daniel 42:21 it's now actually in the background 42:25 from the perspective of vision of Revelation chapter 10. 42:29 The persecution of God's people during the medieval period, 42:32 during the prophetic period of 1,260 days is over. 42:40 And now the planet earth is entering 42:44 into its last period of history 42:47 which is known as the time of the end. 42:52 And there will be no longer an appointed, 42:57 a definite prophetic time 43:00 of which actually Daniel was talking 43:04 in his book in chapter 12. 43:11 So this period that actually came to its conclusion 43:18 in the year 1798, with events French Revolution, 43:22 marks actually the conclusion of this prophetic period. 43:27 And what was now supposed to take place 43:30 after the conclusion of this period. 43:32 Let's go one more time-- let's go one more time. 43:36 Daniel was told to go 43:39 and to seal the visions of the time of the end 43:43 that were revealed to him, to seal his book 43:46 that was here, for how long time? 43:50 Until this prophetic period is fulfilled. 43:52 Please I'm asking one more time 43:54 that we go to the Book of Daniel. 43:56 What will now happen at the end of this period? 44:00 This is very important to keep here in mind. 44:03 Let's go one more time. 44:06 Verse 9, so Daniel 12:9 44:10 and he, that heavenly being, 44:14 who make that oath said to Daniel, 44:17 "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed 44:22 and sealed up until the time of the end." 44:26 The time of the end, 44:27 when does that time of the end come? 44:29 After that prophetic period. 44:31 Are you still with me? What will happen? 44:34 What will happen after that period? 44:36 "Many will be purged, purified and refined 44:40 but the wicked will act wickedly, 44:43 and none of the wicked will understand." 44:45 Understand what? Understand what? 44:50 The meaning of these prophecies of the time of the end, 44:53 but those who have insight will understand. 44:56 By the way, if you go to verse 4 that we read before-- 45:02 let's read one more time, "But as for you, 45:05 Daniel, conceal these words 45:07 and seal up the book, until the end of time. 45:10 Many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." 45:14 Unfortunately, I see sometimes 45:15 people are reading these words to show 45:17 how technology at the time of the end 45:19 will multiply and increase. 45:21 Friends, this is not about technology. 45:24 The statement that knowledge will increase 45:26 is the knowledge of the understanding 45:28 of the biblical prophecies. 45:30 According to the Book of Daniel the time will come, 45:34 after this prophetic period or 1,260 days, 45:39 when people who really fear God 45:41 and who love God so much and they study the Bible, 45:45 finally, we get the understanding 45:47 of these prophecies of the Book of Daniel. 45:51 Now as John is in the vision and making connection 45:55 with the Book of Daniel chapter 12, 45:57 he understand that in that vision, 46:00 that time of the end finally has come, 46:03 when God's people will get a special insight 46:07 into the meaning of those Daniel's prophecies. 46:11 Where is those Daniel's prophecies clarified? 46:16 In Book of Revelation chapter 12 to 22. 46:20 Yes, the Book of Daniel are sealed prophecies. 46:24 The Book of Revelation is apocalypses. 46:26 It means the revelation, the prophecies 46:28 that are revealed and explained. 46:30 And God's people deals with the book 46:34 that is open and revelation of Jesus Christ 46:37 that is given to God's people to know 46:39 how to prepare themselves for the time of the end. 46:42 So, friends, this time there will be no longer. 46:47 It's not the time that people talk 46:49 that we will have now the shortness of time. 46:52 Actually in the Greek language 46:54 there are two words for the time. 46:55 One is the word, "kronos" or "chronos" that people knows. 46:59 From that comes the word chronology. 47:02 It refers to that long period of time. 47:05 Another word is the word kronus 47:08 which refers to the point in time. 47:11 Any guess, which word is used here in Revelation 10:7? 47:17 It's the word kronos. 47:18 It means that there is no a long prophetic period 47:21 any longer for this point on until Jesus comes. Amen. 47:26 Actually for us Seventh-day Adventist, 47:29 the best interpretation of this statement 47:31 comes from the book of Ellen White 47:35 that she wrote in "Manuscript Releases" volume 9, 47:39 pages 319 to 321, when she said, 47:43 "This time, which the angel declares 47:46 with a solemn oath, 47:48 is not the end of the world's history, 47:50 neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time 47:54 which would precede the advent of our Lord. 47:57 That is the people will not have another message 48:00 upon definite time. 48:02 After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, 48:09 there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. 48:13 The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844." 48:18 Friends, one more time, when I travel 48:23 I see many, many good people who would like to know 48:27 so much about the time of the second coming of Christ. 48:31 They try to have the calculation of Biblical prophecies, 48:35 some time elements. 48:37 We have to understand 48:38 that according to Revelation chapter 10, 48:41 after the year 1844, there is no longer 48:45 any definite time period prophesied in the Bible. 48:51 We live in the time of grace. 48:52 Jesus would come already a long, long ago. 48:56 But we don't know actually when He will come 48:59 in the near future. We always have to be ready. 49:01 There is no anymore definite prophetic time. 49:06 As John was listening to these words, 49:11 he actually became so excited. 49:14 The time there is no any longer, 49:17 but actually he came, he was caught in a surprise. 49:21 Then in verse 7 it says, 49:25 "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 49:29 when he is about to sound, 49:32 then the mystery of God is finished, 49:34 as He preached to His servants the prophet." 49:38 John was surprised. The end is here. 49:41 The time there is no any longer. 49:45 But the very end is not yet. 49:49 He still has to wait for that time-- 49:52 for that time to come. 49:55 It is at the sound of the seventh angel 49:58 that all God's mysteries that we just talked 50:01 at the beginning of this program, 50:03 that all that mystery of God finally will be revealed, 50:08 but not too much about this mystery, 50:11 because entire vision concludes with something else. 50:17 At that moment the angel instructed John, 50:22 in verse 8, telling him "Go and take book 50:27 which is opened in the hand of the angel 50:30 who stands on the sea and on the land. 50:33 So I went to the angel, telling him 50:35 to give me the little book. 50:37 And he said to me, 'Take it and eat it, 50:40 it will make your stomach bitter, 50:42 but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.' 50:46 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, 50:49 and I ate it and in my mouth it was sweet as honey, 50:53 and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter." 50:57 And now verse 11, it's very important. 51:01 "They said to me, you must," 51:05 evidently, all the angels together present there, 51:07 "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples 51:12 and nations and tongues and kings." 51:17 This is the conclusion of this vision. 51:20 The same heavenly voice now instructs John to go 51:26 and to take that scroll from the hand of the angel. 51:30 By the way, what happens here 51:33 in the conclusion of Revelation chapter 10 51:36 echoes the similar experience that Ezekiel had 51:40 and recorded in Ezekiel 2:8 to 3:3 51:46 for Ezekiel saw the book. 51:48 And that book was sweet as a honey, 51:52 okay, when he tasted that book, yes. 51:56 But what is the meaning of everything 51:59 that John experienced here in this vision? 52:01 You see, John was so much excited. 52:04 The end is coming, the end is here. 52:07 And the angel told him "Go and take it scroll." 52:10 Friends, when people hear that Jesus is coming soon-- 52:14 what would you say if I tell you, 52:16 I have special instruction, God came and showed me 52:18 that Jesus is actually coming tonight. 52:21 How would you feel? Excited. 52:23 You see, it's good news 52:24 that we really live very, very close 52:30 to the establishment of God's kingdom. 52:31 Jesus is indeed coming soon. And John was excited. 52:36 The time there is no any, any longer. 52:38 And the angel told him "Go and take and eat that book." 52:41 And John ate that book and then what happened? 52:44 It was so sweet like honey in his mouth. 52:48 But after a while what happened? 52:50 In his stomach, he had completely different effect. 52:56 It says it was bitter in his stomach. 53:02 Here in the conclusion of this vision, 53:07 we have something that is very, very important 53:10 with reference to the gospel. 53:12 When people accepted the gospel, 53:14 the taste of the gospel is always good news. 53:19 It's so sweet when we accept it. 53:22 When the people try to live that gospel 53:26 and they take that gospel to proclaim to the world 53:30 that that sweetness disappeared 53:33 and there's that bitter taste of that. 53:37 You will notice when we are talking here 53:39 about that bitter experience of John, 53:43 it's clearly related 53:45 to what is found here in verse 11. 53:47 "They said to me, 53:49 'You must prophecy again concerning many peoples, 53:53 and nations, and tongues, and kings.'" 53:56 When finally John realized 53:59 that the end is not really here yet 54:04 and when this voice was telling him 54:06 that he still has to prophecy, 54:08 he still has to carry out his prophetic ministry 54:11 to proclaim this message, telling him 54:14 what is associated to that message 54:16 and John knew very well how persecution 54:19 and suffering was associated 54:20 with the proclamation of the message. 54:22 That's why he was there on Patmos. 54:24 Actually, added 54:27 to the bitter character of that scroll. 54:33 Well, one question 54:37 remains to be answered. 54:43 Is this vision simply about John? 54:47 And why this experience of John was put here into the context 54:52 between the sixth and the seventh trumpet? 54:55 Let me ask you a question. We explained that. 54:56 What is the purpose of Revelation chapter 10? 54:59 It's an interlude 55:01 inserted between the sixth and the seventh trumpet, 55:04 telling us about the experience of God's people 55:06 at the time of the end, 55:07 as we are waiting for the battle of Armageddon 55:12 when we are at the time of those activities, 55:15 demonic activities in the world, 55:17 when the hostile world does not like God's people, 55:20 they hate the gospel, decide to do something else. 55:24 Is this message what we have here 55:26 simply about John? 55:28 What he experienced about the scroll? No. 55:31 John here stays as a symbol for the church 55:35 because the message that he's supposed to record, 55:37 he's supposed to send to the church 55:40 and the fact that this vision is inserted 55:43 between the sixth and the seventh trumpet, 55:46 it's telling us that this is a prophecy, 55:50 that what happened to John in the vision, 55:53 it will happen to those who will live 55:56 at the time prior to the second coming of Christ. 56:01 Seventh-day Adventist have rightly interpreted 56:06 the conclusion of chapter 10, identify it with experience 56:11 to the great disappointment experienced by William Miller. 56:16 And Miller writes in 1844, when William Miller 56:22 after studying the prophecies of the Book of Daniel 56:25 understood that Jesus would come 56:27 very soon according to his calculation. 56:31 That message was so sweet, so sweet, 56:35 as they accepted that message and believed in that. 56:38 But when Jesus did not come in the year 1844, 56:43 the disappointed Miller experienced 56:46 all the bitterness of the message 56:48 they had believed and proclaimed. 56:50 As a result, many left the movement, 56:52 however, although, disappointed and ridiculed. 56:56 Those who stayed found in John's visionary experience 57:00 the explanation for their disappointment. 57:02 In John's eating of the scroll 57:05 they saw the prophecy of their own experience. 57:08 Friends, that small group of about 100 people 57:10 today has grown in the movement of about 15 million people. 57:15 They have seriously take the message given to John, 57:18 you still have to prophecy, 57:20 those prophecies of the Book of Daniel 57:22 and the Book of Revelation and I'm so happy 57:24 that I belong to that movement. 57:26 What about you? Amen. 57:28 We are waiting for that end to come. 57:30 Yes, and we have to proclaim that message to the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17