The Day That Time Will Stand Still

Rev. 10:1-6

Today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I confess to you this morning that I am not up to the task of giving you words that will proficiently address the horror of 9/11 in any way that is consoling or convincing. However lets drift in our minds to a time of yesterday.

That morning started as any other morning with people participating in normal activities of the day. In fact the sounds that we first hear of the first attack was recorded by a news crew conducting an interview in the streets of NYC. Out of the blue with no warning came the sound of the whining jet engines straining against the sharp turns they were being put through to line up on one of the twin towers. Echoing off the other skyscrapers were the sounds of what seemed to be an aircraft in distress and it ended with the horrifying sound of crashing metal against metal as it slammed into the tower, spewing glass and concrete hurling down all around the base of that structure.

Somewhere down deep inside us still feels that scene as if it had just happened. It causes your eyes to immediately to well up with tears.

Within the next few hours over 2000 souls, who thought this to be just another normal day of activity, would be cast out into eternity.

As horrific as that scene was and as shocked as a nation could be it pales in resemblance to the catastrophic significance of the event we’ll discuss today.

I. God Created Time For Man

Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. In what we know as the beginning, because God has no beginning. He dwells in eternity and not time. Time has no effect upon God. In V. 4-5 God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day The record of the creation of Time is recorded for us here in Genesis. Time is a unique concept outside of eternity that was designed just for God’s crowning work….Man. This concept of time that God created puts limits on everything that we know. It governs our awaking and sleeping. It limits our existence on the earth. It even puts boundaries on the longsuffering of God. Nothing that we can conceive fails to be affected by this thing called “time.” If an event takes place it is either in the Past, the Present, or The Future. Theologians believe by the signs of the Times and what we understand about Bible prophesy that we’re living in the last days. The “Last Days” speaks of the Second coming of Christ. I Thess. 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

This will mark the end of the world as we now know it. These events will note something else that is quite significant…. The End of Time.

II. God Will Do Away With Time

When we are in Heaven and all the End-of-Time events have taken place, we will also live in Eternity which will last forever with no end.

John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Not only does the Lord speak of eternal life but to the fact there is coming a “last day.”

Time will be no more. This concept of time that God created for man will have served it’s purpose and will be done away. There will be no limits or restrictions on us such as time. There will be no day nor night. There will be no old age or the wrinkles of aging taking it’s toll on our bodies. As shocking as that may be to you, it is still not as shocking as our text today.

III. God’s Great Declaration

A. The identity of the Angel - He has some characteristics that belong especially to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. The rainbow around the throne of God (Rev. 4:3) sits like a crown on the head of this messenger. Whoever this angel is he has the authority of God’s throne given to him.

2. God is often identified with clouds. A cloud received Jesus as he ascended to heaven and when He returns it will be with clouds.

3. The face that the angels face is “as the sun” corresponds to the description of Jesus Christ in Rev. 1:15.