Good News And Bad News Series

“The Great Unveiling: Good News and Bad News”

Rev. 10:1 – 11:19

The phrase of “I have good news and bad news” has pretty much been immortalized. It’s often used jokingly, sometimes seriously; it points to the fact that things could be worse, or perhaps that things could be better. It reminds us that the sweet is often mixed with the bitter.

So it is in life. Picture a young bride, shortly before her wedding day, having the ability to envision her future. She sees a beautiful wedding, scenes filled with bliss; she and her husband have beautiful children; and the entire family will all reside, in eternity, in heaven! She’s inspired and excited so begins to rejoice at this good news. But then the bad news scenes scroll by – her life will also see the terrible prolonged illness of her husband, his untimely death, her resulting poverty, loneliness and pain. She must go through all of this on the way to meet the Heavenly Father! That’s the Bad News, the bitter mixed with the sweet. Similarly, Revelation paints the picture our future, one in which the good news is tempered by the bad.

First of all, hear the words of the first 7 verses of chapter 10, which tell us THERE IS A TIME: “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."There is good news and bad news. Let’s check out THE GOOD NEWS. As a representative of God THE ANGEL HAS MASTERY OVER LAND AND SEA. He stands there as the eternal Creator. Even as God once spoke and created the world, so He will speak and create again! And notice that He holds the Word, and towers over the affairs and world of humankind! He is in charge!

We discover that the 7th trumpet, the time of final judgment, is ready to blow! The complete mystery of God will be made known; Christ will finally judge the world. THERE IS AN ANSWER TO THE PERPLEXITIES OF HISTORY. There will be no more delay in the bringing about of this terrifying scene of history! This is the prayer actually uttered first by the Psalmist (2:5-9): “Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, my holy city." The king proclaims the LORD's decree: "The LORD said to me, `You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.'" The Psalmist predicted it, and the martyrs had questioned “How long, O Lord?” And here is the answer – NOW! WITHOUT DELAY! That’s the good news – nothing stands in the way – judgment will occur!

But did you catch the BAD NEWS here? All the restraints will be removed! That means the anti-Christ will be let loose. What Daniel predicted (Daniel 12:1) will come true: “A TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER HAD BEEN.” It’s like this – remember the old TV westerns? There was always a good guy and a bad guy. The good guy wore the white hat and the bad guy wore the black hat. And no matter what the problem was, the show always had to end in a draw between the two – it was the only way to make a hero of our idol! And so in the next to last scene, as the sun was fading in the west, the two paced nervously towards each other on a now barren main street, as the population peeked out their windows! And, sure enough, the good guy, though he drew second, was more accurate, and won dual. One person won, and the other lost; yet, in a way, all had suffered! And so the picture before us is one of a final dual, and a total victory where the wrongs will be righted, the problems will be solved, and God will finish what He began! But the bad news is there must first be the final dual. The time of judgment, of good news, will also be a time of terror, of bad news.