Saturday, February 03, 2007
Revelation 10 ~ Jeff Ludington
Revelation 10
Recap:
Prayer:
Vs. 1-3
1 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. 2 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, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
· Thank God, John doesn’t start off boring!
· Immediately we have a picture of Christ or something like Him
“another mighty angel coming down from heaven”
· The rest of the description beyond this really speaks to something that should be Jesus
· But! – this says “another”
o SO: is it another mighty being messenger
o OR: is it another appearance of Jesus
“robed in a cloud”
· We see this description consistent throughout scripture
· A robe signifies a picture of some type of royalty and/or honor
· A cloud gives us the idea of divine presence
o We see the cloud surrounding Mt. Sinai in Exodus
o Jesus ascends in a cloud in Acts
o Hebrews talks about it as well
· So, it leads us as bible readers to see this a Jesus here
“a rainbow above his head”
· Unless you were born in Long Beach, Frisco
· A rainbow is symbolic of God’s covenant to Noah
Noah:
· 1700 years after creation
· God destroyed the wickedness on Earth by a flood
· Only 8 people survived
· A God promised not to destroy the entire planet by a flood again
Introduce:
- sweet verses sour idea using the grace verse flood
Notice that we have not had destruction in Revelation by flood!
· In spite of all of the destruction and difficulty
· God is faithful
· Jesus is seen here honoring the covenant relationship with humanity!
“His face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars”
· Very reminiscent of Chapter 1
· You can go back and listen to that one for more info
Only Jesus could have all these attributes:
· We see Jesus described like this in Chapter 1
· We then see him “looking like a lamb who was slain” in Chapter 4
· We see Him here now
Remember: This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John
· We are supposed to learn more about Him
· We are supposed to see more of Him
· We are supposed to walk away with a different perspective
· So, we get many views of our King and our Lord
Vs. 2
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,
· Now this scroll is open in His hands
· We watched the scroll get opened one seal at a time in Chapters 4-6
· Now it is open, and it is available for the whole world
o We see this by land and sea
o Bothered covered by this divine messenger
Sea and Land:
· This shows us that this divine message held in His hand is for the whole Earth
Vs. 3
3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
· Again, very Christ-like
· Lion = the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
7 Thunders:
· Seven thunders probably speak to the power in Jesus voice
· The first comment is about a shout that sounds like a lion roaring
· The next is 7 thunders
Possibly a tie to a Psalm 29
Psalms 29
A psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
There is power in the voice of Jesus Christ!!!
· Revelation 1 – like the rushing waters
· Psalm 29
o Thunder
o Lightning
o Shakes the desert
o Cracks the trees
Vs. 4
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."
· When I read this, I want to scream
o “Why now?”
o “It was just getting good!”
o “Don’t seal it up!!!”
· Jesus speaks … but John is told not to write it down
· But clearly, we don’t understand all that God is doing here
A very similar thing happens in the Book of Daniel:
Daniel 12:5-9
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
Sometimes, the plan of God is yet to be revealed!
Vs. 5
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 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! 7 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 will come a day when all of God’s plans will be revealed
It is also true that God’s plans are revealed daily:
· How many of us have sat around praying about stuff and waiting
· Then, one day, it happens
· God reveals Himself to you
· God opens your eyes to something
· God gives you a new step of faith to take…
So, not only will all of God’s plans be made known someday, many are made known with each new day.
· God is constantly revealing Himself on Earth
Vs. 8
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
· Jesus is holding the open scroll
· He tells John to take the open scroll
Many see this as the distribution of God’s Word 500 years ago in the Reformation:
· In the 7 Seals and the first 6 Trumpets we have seen a lot of tribulation
· We have see the Earth suffer
· The church persecuted
· Those outside the church be punished
· And now, there is a reprieve between sufferings
During the Reformation the Bible was printed for the lay-person in over 9 languages in Europe alone!
So this time of trials and suffering pauses for just a bit:
· And the pause centers around a book or a scroll
· We see that we even get a reprieve when we dive into scripture
John is commanded to take it from Jesus:
Vs. 9-End
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
So why does it taste sweet and then turn sour?
· Kind of a confusing passage
· We get the word of God tasting sweet
o But not it turning sour in the stomach
o That doesn’t make sense to us
Let’s see what it says:
· He takes the scroll, or the Word of God
· He eats it, or takes it all in
· It tastes sweet to him
o But then it turns in his stomach
· Then he is commanded to go prophesy again to many people
The response to God’s call on our lives isn’t always just sweet and easy!
· Often it is very difficult
· Often it leaves us very nervous and sour in the stomach
Consider this from the things in John’s past:
John: Heard the words of life from Jesus Himself
· How sweet it must have tasted to hear those very words
· Then those words told John that he would watch his Lord die
o Sour must have been one of the feelings he felt
o Can you imagine the knots in John’s stomach as Jesus was crucified?
John: went out and preached the Gospel to many
· How sweet to see so many lives changed
· As we know from History, John was boiled in oil for his efforts in the Gospel
o A very sour price to say the least
John: went and planted churches in Asia Minor
· A very sweet assignment
o The ability to minister to the people
o The charge of sharing the sweet words of Christ to the un-churched
· Then he was imprisoned for his efforts of faith
o Another very sour feeling of isolation on Patmos
Most of all:
· John was given the sweetest thing of all
o He was ushered into Heaven
o He saw the very throne-room of God
o He saw the Lamb that was slain
o He saw the angelic host and the Elders worshipping before the throne
o He participated in the greatest worship event ever held
· But, then – he saw the most horrible thing of all
o Destruction of his fellow man
o The planet God created – was being destroyed by it’s creator
o People persecuting the church
o People misleading one another
Friends, there is nothing more sour that John could have seen!
As well as no sweeter scene than the one in Heaven
The Word of God is:
· A fountain of living waters flowing over us
· A river of peace that washes all fear and pain away
Also the Word of God is:
· A double-edged sword
· Dividing soul and spirit
· Bone and marrow
Friends, how do we God’s Word today?
· Do we take the bad with the good?
Are we willing to do what it takes, even when it turns our stomach bitter with knots?
CONSIDER THE GOSPEL:
· Not the one we tell, but the one Jesus lived!
Share the Gospel:
· Christ must have had a sour knotted stomach in the Garden of GethsemaneBut the sweet taste of grace overpowered it
Recap:
Prayer:
Vs. 1-3
1 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. 2 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, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
· Thank God, John doesn’t start off boring!
· Immediately we have a picture of Christ or something like Him
“another mighty angel coming down from heaven”
· The rest of the description beyond this really speaks to something that should be Jesus
· But! – this says “another”
o SO: is it another mighty being messenger
o OR: is it another appearance of Jesus
“robed in a cloud”
· We see this description consistent throughout scripture
· A robe signifies a picture of some type of royalty and/or honor
· A cloud gives us the idea of divine presence
o We see the cloud surrounding Mt. Sinai in Exodus
o Jesus ascends in a cloud in Acts
o Hebrews talks about it as well
· So, it leads us as bible readers to see this a Jesus here
“a rainbow above his head”
· Unless you were born in Long Beach, Frisco
· A rainbow is symbolic of God’s covenant to Noah
Noah:
· 1700 years after creation
· God destroyed the wickedness on Earth by a flood
· Only 8 people survived
· A God promised not to destroy the entire planet by a flood again
Introduce:
- sweet verses sour idea using the grace verse flood
Notice that we have not had destruction in Revelation by flood!
· In spite of all of the destruction and difficulty
· God is faithful
· Jesus is seen here honoring the covenant relationship with humanity!
“His face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars”
· Very reminiscent of Chapter 1
· You can go back and listen to that one for more info
Only Jesus could have all these attributes:
· We see Jesus described like this in Chapter 1
· We then see him “looking like a lamb who was slain” in Chapter 4
· We see Him here now
Remember: This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John
· We are supposed to learn more about Him
· We are supposed to see more of Him
· We are supposed to walk away with a different perspective
· So, we get many views of our King and our Lord
Vs. 2
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,
· Now this scroll is open in His hands
· We watched the scroll get opened one seal at a time in Chapters 4-6
· Now it is open, and it is available for the whole world
o We see this by land and sea
o Bothered covered by this divine messenger
Sea and Land:
· This shows us that this divine message held in His hand is for the whole Earth
Vs. 3
3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
· Again, very Christ-like
· Lion = the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
7 Thunders:
· Seven thunders probably speak to the power in Jesus voice
· The first comment is about a shout that sounds like a lion roaring
· The next is 7 thunders
Possibly a tie to a Psalm 29
Psalms 29
A psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
There is power in the voice of Jesus Christ!!!
· Revelation 1 – like the rushing waters
· Psalm 29
o Thunder
o Lightning
o Shakes the desert
o Cracks the trees
Vs. 4
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."
· When I read this, I want to scream
o “Why now?”
o “It was just getting good!”
o “Don’t seal it up!!!”
· Jesus speaks … but John is told not to write it down
· But clearly, we don’t understand all that God is doing here
A very similar thing happens in the Book of Daniel:
Daniel 12:5-9
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
Sometimes, the plan of God is yet to be revealed!
Vs. 5
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 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! 7 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 will come a day when all of God’s plans will be revealed
It is also true that God’s plans are revealed daily:
· How many of us have sat around praying about stuff and waiting
· Then, one day, it happens
· God reveals Himself to you
· God opens your eyes to something
· God gives you a new step of faith to take…
So, not only will all of God’s plans be made known someday, many are made known with each new day.
· God is constantly revealing Himself on Earth
Vs. 8
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
· Jesus is holding the open scroll
· He tells John to take the open scroll
Many see this as the distribution of God’s Word 500 years ago in the Reformation:
· In the 7 Seals and the first 6 Trumpets we have seen a lot of tribulation
· We have see the Earth suffer
· The church persecuted
· Those outside the church be punished
· And now, there is a reprieve between sufferings
During the Reformation the Bible was printed for the lay-person in over 9 languages in Europe alone!
So this time of trials and suffering pauses for just a bit:
· And the pause centers around a book or a scroll
· We see that we even get a reprieve when we dive into scripture
John is commanded to take it from Jesus:
Vs. 9-End
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
So why does it taste sweet and then turn sour?
· Kind of a confusing passage
· We get the word of God tasting sweet
o But not it turning sour in the stomach
o That doesn’t make sense to us
Let’s see what it says:
· He takes the scroll, or the Word of God
· He eats it, or takes it all in
· It tastes sweet to him
o But then it turns in his stomach
· Then he is commanded to go prophesy again to many people
The response to God’s call on our lives isn’t always just sweet and easy!
· Often it is very difficult
· Often it leaves us very nervous and sour in the stomach
Consider this from the things in John’s past:
John: Heard the words of life from Jesus Himself
· How sweet it must have tasted to hear those very words
· Then those words told John that he would watch his Lord die
o Sour must have been one of the feelings he felt
o Can you imagine the knots in John’s stomach as Jesus was crucified?
John: went out and preached the Gospel to many
· How sweet to see so many lives changed
· As we know from History, John was boiled in oil for his efforts in the Gospel
o A very sour price to say the least
John: went and planted churches in Asia Minor
· A very sweet assignment
o The ability to minister to the people
o The charge of sharing the sweet words of Christ to the un-churched
· Then he was imprisoned for his efforts of faith
o Another very sour feeling of isolation on Patmos
Most of all:
· John was given the sweetest thing of all
o He was ushered into Heaven
o He saw the very throne-room of God
o He saw the Lamb that was slain
o He saw the angelic host and the Elders worshipping before the throne
o He participated in the greatest worship event ever held
· But, then – he saw the most horrible thing of all
o Destruction of his fellow man
o The planet God created – was being destroyed by it’s creator
o People persecuting the church
o People misleading one another
Friends, there is nothing more sour that John could have seen!
As well as no sweeter scene than the one in Heaven
The Word of God is:
· A fountain of living waters flowing over us
· A river of peace that washes all fear and pain away
Also the Word of God is:
· A double-edged sword
· Dividing soul and spirit
· Bone and marrow
Friends, how do we God’s Word today?
· Do we take the bad with the good?
Are we willing to do what it takes, even when it turns our stomach bitter with knots?
CONSIDER THE GOSPEL:
· Not the one we tell, but the one Jesus lived!
Share the Gospel:
· Christ must have had a sour knotted stomach in the Garden of GethsemaneBut the sweet taste of grace overpowered it
