“The Tribulation”
(Part Three)
Revelation 10:1-11
In verse 1-6 we find a “mighty angel”. Some people believe that this is Jesus Christ while others would say it is an unidentified angel.
You will never find Jesus appear as an angel in the book of Revelation, or anywhere else in the New Testament.
Hebrews tells us that Jesus is greater than the angels.
This is a powerful angel, but we have to remember that God created the angels to fulfill the work he wants them to do.
And in verse six the angel swears by the one who lives forever and created everything.
This angel is making an oath by God.
Hebrews 6:13 tells us that when God made a promise to Abraham “since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself.”
This angel swore by someone greater than himself, the Creator God.
Because of the Holy Trinity, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus is with God at the beginning of the Creation.
Now we do not know what was spoken by the seven thunders because God would not allow John to write them down.
This same thing was told to Daniel 8:26, “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given to you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
It is a reminder to us that we do not know everything about the future.
If the words that the seven trumpets spoke were vital to us then God would have revealed them to John so we would know.
And the angel says that there will be no more delay because God is going to judge the earth.
The mystery is God’s strategy to redeem people through Christ. God has delayed His Judgment because He doesn’t want anyone to perish.
In verse 9 John says that the angel told him to take the scroll and eat it. The tasting and eating is the same thing as hearing and believing.
The love of God for man and eternal salvation is sweet but those who reject Christ will suffer God’s Judgment.
John saw Christ coming back to take control, which was the sweet, but saw the devastation of the unbeliever, which is the bitter.
Chapter 11 of Revelation has been said to be one of the most important and detailed chapters in the bible.
Revelation 11:1-19
Read verse 1
John was told to measure the temple of God. What is the temple he is talking about?
This is not the temple in Jerusalem because it had been destroyed years before John had received this revelation.
Most likely the temple here is referring to the church and the spiritual condition it.
Read verse 2&6
The reason the angel tells John not to include the outer court because they are the Gentiles.
The angel is referring God’s chosen people here, the Jews.
The two witnesses will preach so effectively that no one will be able to plead ignorance of the Gospel.
They will preach for 42 months (3-1/2 years) which is the last half of the Tribulation period.
But who are these two witnesses? To me all indications they are Moses and Elijah.
The Old Testament was made up of law & prophesy, Moses the law and Elijah the prophesy.
Both Moses & Elijah left this world before their ministries were completed.
The Hebrew people held that at least two witnesses were needed to establish the truth of legal testimony.
And Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the prophesy, both of which give testimony to Christ.
Verse 6 says these men have the power to shut up the sky. Scriptures tells us in I Kings:17 that Elijah had the power to stop the rain.
These men also had the power to turn the water into blood and we all remember in 7th chapter of Exodus how Moses turned the Nile River into blood.
And in II Kings Elijah had the power to send fire down from Heaven and devour a captain and his 50 men.
And Malachi 4:5 God says, “I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
Read verse 7& 8
God has protected the witnesses up till now and then allowed them to be killed to show the wickedness of the people and the persecution of the saints.
Verse 8 says they will lie in the streets of the great city.
This also is a symbol for corrupt and evil worldly power.
This act describes the wicked Sodom, the oppressive Egypt, and the hard-hearted Jerusalem, the city that rejected and crucified Jesus.
Read verse 9 & 10
The way they tormented the people was by prophesying against their wicked lifestyles and showing proof that they were telling the truth.
Read 11 & 12
The two witnesses are vindicated here for what they did. Their enemies watching this would see the final proof that they were Godly men.
Notice how it all parallels Christ fate. Witness – Opposition – Death – Resurrection – Ascension. The exact same things Christ did.
Read verse 13
This is the first time in the book of Revelation that evil people acknowledge God. Notice it doesn’t say that they repented.
Giving glory to God is acknowledging His Greatness but it still doesn’t forgive without repentance.
People today say they believe in God and acknowledge Him but still live unrepentant and sinful lives.
So now we come to the seventh trumpet.
Read verses 14-19
As the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, this signals the last terrible judgments to begin.
Now in Heaven this is a most jubilant time. Heavens choir around the throne will be singing because the long awaited Kingdom of God is to be established.
The mystery is finally cleared up.
Acts 1:6-7 So when they met together they asked Him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore your kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.”
All of Heaven will be rejoicing and we the saints will be part of it. Won’t that be great?
Verse 18 says that the servants will be rewarded. These will be those believers during the Tribulation.
These are the ones who would not accept the mark and remained steadfast to Christ.
Read verse 19
When God gave instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and it’s contents in the Old Testament he gave specifics and details.
This would be exactly the same as the Heavenly Temple and in Hebrews we can confirm this.
Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in Heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the Tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
In verse 19 this Heavenly Temple is opened and in it is the main piece of furniture which is the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant had a golden throne on it’s top, which was the place where the blood of a spotless lamb was sprinkled on the day of Atonement by the High Priest.
When this was done, symbolically this throne was changed from a throne of judgment to a throne of mercy.
It was there that God met man’s need for forgiveness in the Old Testament.
Every believing Jew knew that the Ark was where God dealt with their problems of sin and their separation from God.
The fact that God opens Heaven’s Temple and shows the Jews the Ark is to remind that He will be faithful to His covenant of forgiveness that He makes with those who will accept Jesus.
Te flashes of light and the violent thunder is a warning to those who reject Jesus and that the final judgments are approaching.
Illustration: Thunder & Lightning
