The Opening of a New Interlude

 ... but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:7

Revelation 10:1–11– The Book of Revelation: Worship. Obey. Endure.
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost  – September 4, 2022 (am)

Rev.10 and 11 (latest interlude) belong together, just like Rev.8 and 9 (seven trumpets) did, and also Rev.4 and 5 (throne room) and Rev.2 and 3 (seven churches). But we’re going to handle them separately, just as we did with each of those other couplings. And we’ll work hard to help them hang together in your mind, especially this time when the two parts will be separated by three weeks.

As we’ve said in today’s title, c.10 is the opening of a new interlude, much like we saw back in c.7 between the sixth and seventh seals. But this one between the sixth and seventh trumpets is quite different. That one focused on promise, praise, and protection, undergirding the assurance of God’s people in tribulation. This interlude has three identifiable emphases. (1) It declares the certainty and nearness of the end (1-7); (2) it reaffirms and extends John’s commission to prophesy (8-11); and (3) it clarifies the [call] of the church to bear witness to Christ in the time of tribulation (11:1-13) (Beasley Murray 1994 1439). In other words, cc.10-11 are getting us situated and set up for all that follows. Let’s explore c.10 in three parts.

The Angel – 1

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. (1) Because this is described as a mighty angel, (2) because of how he’s dressed, and (3) because his shout was like the roar of a lion (3), some take this to be Jesus. This also sounds a lot like the description of the man in Dan.10:5-6 Whom we do identify as Christ before Bethlehem (the Angel of the Lord). But it seems unlikely that this is Jesus for at least a couple of reasons: (1) ἄγγελος is never used for Jesus in this book (Ladd 141). And (2) in v.6, he [swears] by him who lives forever and ever; it seems very unlikely that Jesus would do that. It’s more likely that this is a powerful angel on very special divine assignment. But just imagine the glories of heaven and of God Himself if mere angels can be this impressive in appearance!

The Scroll – 2-7

2 [This angel] had a little scroll open in his hand. Calling this a little scroll distinguishes it a bit from the seven-sealed scroll (5:1), but surely the two are related (Beale 1999 527). It’s also reminiscent of the scroll in Eze.2:8-3:3 (also double-sided [Eze.2:10]), both in form and function. It’s revealing what’s to come, but just not as fully as either of those two-sided scrolls. It’s probably what immediately follows here. [As to this mighty angel,] he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, suggesting a universal message, but also God’s sovereign reign over land (on which the dragon will stand [12:17]) and sea (from which the beast will rise [13:1]).

Then 3 [this angel] called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. This is interesting, another series of seven. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” Thunder generally represents judgment in apocalyptic, but the words of these thunders were sealed up (cf. Dan.12:4). This is huge, especially for those who want to set dates or establish chronologies. We can know with certainty that God hasn’t revealed all that will happen because He tells us right here that there’s something He’s not telling us! So, this raises the question, how many series of seven might there be that we don’t even know about? Only God knows. Thus, our attention is best fixed on what He’s actually revealed, and on what He’s told us to do with that, how He’s told us to respond. In short: Worship. Obey. Endure.

Finally, like a witness in court—right hand raised (5), [swearing] by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it (6), all that’s now being judged—he’s affirming that there [will] be no more delay (6). This likely anticipates the beasts rising out of the sea and out of the earth (c.13). It also emphasizes the sovereignty of God over their rising, and the timing of their rising, and the judgments they’ll bring with them as the rise. He’s sovereign over it all.

So, 6 [he] swore… that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. This is that definitive, biblical mystery, the previously hidden redemptive plan of God. The richest and fullest passage that fills in its content most efficiently is Rom.16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith, that is, the full salvation of the nations just as promised to Abram (Gen.12:3), including the full salvation promised to ethnic Jews (Rom.11:25-32), also called a mystery (Rom.11:25), however he plans to do all this—27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. This word mystery (secret [esv]) first appears in the NT in Mar.4:11. Jesus was explaining to his disciples that the mystery is the kingdom of God; it was revealed directly to them but indirectly to outsiders through parables. Here, at the time of the seventh trumpet, the mystery, the kingdom of God, will finally be fulfilled, accomplished, delivered, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. The end is at hand; there will be no more delay! (6)

The Command – 8-11

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey (like Ezekiel’s scroll [Eze.3:3]).” When God’s Word, His will, His plan, is first received, it’s delicious! But once we digest it—once we see, for instance, that the flip-side of our salvation is judgment on the unbelieving (cf. Eze.3:4-11), like we’re seeing here—it can give us quite a stomachache. 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was indeed sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter, just as he said.

V.10 is the metaphor. V.11 is the concrete action. John’s work isn’t done. In fact, it’s reaffirmed, and expanded in specificity. He didn’t just eat the scroll to experience it personally, the sweet and the bitter. He received it and digested it in order to go preach it!  11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” This charge takes us into the thick of it, to the threshold of the very end, the final judgment and final salvation, the bitterness and the sweetness of the mystery of God fulfilled.

The seventh… trumpet (11:15), the loud trumpet call (Mat.24:31), the trumpet of God (1Th.4:16), the last trumpet (1Co.15:52), is shaping up to be a pretty significant event! And this is just the opening of the interlude that’s inserted by John to prepare us for that event!

Conclusion

So, what should we do with this knowledge?

Three Take-away Lessons

Embrace the mystery of God now, whether for the first time with saving belief or with a renewed emphasis on a day-in-and-day-out trust in the completeness of His sovereign love and justice, power, and goodness in all things great and small. His plan will be accomplished! Nothing will stand in its way to stop it, reroute it, or delay it! He’ll fulfill His saving and judging purpose to the praise of His glory! So, embrace it here and now, today! Begin to enjoy it now!

Don’t fear any expression of evil or opposition. As we just noted, no level of pushback from the seen or unseen world will be able to impede God’s purpose and plan on any level or in any way. This world has an expiration date, and time of day! And our God—[he] who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it (6)—has not only determined that date and time (cf. Mat.24:36), but He will accomplish it not only without straining the limits of His sovereignty and power, but without even challenging them! The bitter pill that sours our stomachs doesn’t give Him the slightest pause; He knows without a doubt that it reflects the meticulously precise parameters of His holiness, justice, and mercy.

Strap in now to see how this story finishes. As Peter wrote in a quite similar context (1Pe.1:13 kjv), gird up the loins of your mind! Get yourself ready for the fireworks finale that’s coming in cc.11-16 without any fear that the cacophony of graphic and glorious images, the disturbing and delightful details, will ever, even for a single instant, be out of His hands, or in any category be challenging His control, or exposing any expression of error or overreaction in Him! Psa.113:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. And in this book He’s showing us all that He’s pleased to reveal about His plan and purpose for this world, fulfilling [His] mystery, just as he announced to his servants the prophets (7). Trust Him with that, and come along for the ride!

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Resources

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NEXT WEEK’S SERMON: “One”: A Study in Ephesians 4, Kipp Soncek