Now it’s time for the seventh trumpet to blast forth. But before it does, there is so much horror that has been released upon the earth that those remaining will cry out wondering if this is the end of the earth. Is all hope lost?
The answer to their questions is no. Yes, all this destruction will take place, but there will be a final triumph over evil and destruction. That is the great announcement of chapter 10. God is going to save all who will give their lives to Him, and He is going to make a new heaven and earth that will be perfect and last forever.
All of these present-day prophets of humanism that are telling man that man is his own god are wrong. The earth is going to suffer convulsive and catastrophic horrors. The fact is that the earth and its time are running down, and man cannot stop the process.
But there is good news. And we find that good news in chapters 10 & 11. God is going to conquer evil. Tonight’s study is divided into three sections.
Verses 1-4 – We see the mighty messenger of the great announcement.
Verses 5-7 – There is the declaration and oath of the great announcement.
Verses 8-11 – We see the sour and sweet taste of the great announcement.
Read 1-4. Let’s take a closer look at this mighty messenger of the great announcement.
1. First, he came down from heaven. This tells us that he came from the very presence and throne of God Himself. Last time we saw four fallen angels that were bound at the great river Euphrates. But this angel that we see tonight comes from the throne of God the most exalted place. This tells us that he is the very highest of beings. So he is going to make this great announcement straight from the throne of God.
2. This messenger is robed in a cloud. This symbolizes a majestic, glorious, and heavenly appearance. Just as the heavens are clothed with the glory of the clouds, so this angel was clothed. Again, this tells us that the great announcement that he is about to make was coming from the majesty and glory of heaven.
3. The messenger has a rainbow above his head. This is a symbol of the glory and mercy of God. In the book of Ezekiel (Ezk. 1:28) we see that a rainbow is part of the glory of the throne of God. We saw in this morning’s message in Genesis 9: 12-13 that the rainbow was a sign of God’s mercy shown to Noah. So the glory of God and the mercy of God are seen in this angel. So our fear is lightened a little as we see that this great announcement was to be a message of glory and mercy.
4. The messenger had a face that shone like the sun. This is a symbol of the light, lustre, brightness, brilliance, and splendor of the messenger. So this great announcement is to be the message of enormous light, lustre, and splendor.
5. The messenger had feet like fiery pillars. What does this mean? (Not athlete’s foot). It symbolizes the holiness, purity, righteousness, and strength of the messenger. So this great announcement was to be the strong pillar of God’s holiness, purity, and righteousness to earth.
6. The messenger held a little book that was open. What is the book? Verse 11 says that it is the message that must be proclaimed to the world. What is the message? The message is the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, both the love and grace and the judgment and woe of God. The great announcement was to be the message of Revelation.
7. The messenger planted his feet upon the sea and the land. This symbolizes the gigantic size, strength, and power of the messenger. He was claiming both sea and land, the whole world for God. This great announcement of the messenger was a message that was to involve the whole universe.
8. The messenger had a voice that roared like a lion. This symbolizes the great voice of God, the very voice of the lion of Judah, Christ Himself. So this great announcement is the very message of God Himself.
9. The messenger called forth 7 thundering voices. The number seven symbolizes completeness, fulfillment and finality. Thunder symbolizes the power and strength of God’s voice. You’ve been in thunderstorms before where all of sudden there is such a loud clap of thunder that it causes you to jump. I picture this scene the same way. The power of God will be felt in the thunder. So the seven thunders of God’s voice have the power to complete and fulfill and finalize all things.
But note: a voice from heaven stops John from revealing the message of the 7 thunders. The voice tells John to seal up whatever it was that the seven thunders said.
The point to all this symbolism is this: a great announcement is to be made to the earth, an announcement so great that the mightiest of messengers is sent from heaven to deliver it. The very might of this messenger shows that the great announcement must be heard by all. The awesomeness of this great announcement is seen in what this mighty messenger shows us. Recapping, he shows us that the great announcement:
- comes straight from the throne of God.
- comes straight from the majesty and glory of heaven.
- is a message of glory and mercy.
- is a message of enormous light, and splendor.
- Is to be the strong pillar of God’s holiness, purity, and righteousness upon earth.
- Is to be the message of God’s word.
- Is to be a message that involves the whole universe.
- Is to be the completion, fulfillment, and finalization of all things.
Who is this mighty messenger? Some commentators say that it is Christ Himself. Others say that it is one of the mightiest of angels in heaven. The description given can easily fit Christ or one of the mighty angels, and the meaning of the passage is not changed by holding to either position.
But you might notice that in chapter 11 verse 3, the messenger calls the two witnesses of chapter 11, “my two witnesses.” This points toward the angel being Christ Himself.
Read 5-7. Now we have the declaration and oath of the great announcement. Notice how spectacular this moment is. This mighty angel straddles the whole earth with one foot on the sea and one on the earth, lifts up his hand toward heaven and wraps the great announcement in the most solemn of oaths. He swears by God Himself:
- “By Him who lives forever and ever.”
- “Who created the heavens and all that is in them.”
- “Who created the earth and all that is in it.”
- Who created the sea and all that is in it.”
Once this solemn oath is taken, then the great announcement is made. What is it? That time shall be no more. There will be no more delay of the end. When will it happen? When all the catastrophes have happened. When they have all happened, then the voice and trumpet of the 7th angel will blast forth and the very last events of human history will take place.
We need to note that this climax of human history is the mystery of God, the very same mystery and message that has been declared by the prophets. The ungodly and the evil of the world should have accepted the message of the prophets, but they chose to go their own way.
So, after the 6 trumpet judgments on earth, God is going to launch the last events of human history. What are these last events?
1. The antichrist, the same one who became the world leader and had brought such peace and hope for those left on earth, is now going to turn against the world.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, is going to launch His last judgment on the earth and destroy both the antichrist and his followers—all the ungodly and evil on earth.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to establish His kingdom and righteousness on earth and reign for one thousand years.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to create a new heaven and earth that will last forever and ever.
These are the last judgments that the 7th trumpet is going to bring forth. When the events of the 7th trumpet have taken place, then the mystery of God will be finalized. Then the salvation and redemption of the whole universe will take place.
So there is the great announcement. There is hope for the world. We can be optimistic about it. God is going to save all who will let Him. This is what Paul was talking about in Romans 8: 18-22. READ
This is what Peter was talking about in 2 Peter 3: 10-13. READ.
We will study more about this new heaven and new earth in Rev. 21.
This is what Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 65: 17, and 66:22. READ.
READ 8-11. Now there is the bitter and sweet taste of the great announcement. There are three points that we need to mention and then we are through for tonight.
1. John is commanded by the voice of heaven to go over and take the little scroll or book from the mighty angel. There are two lessons in this for us:
a. The Word of God is never just hander to us. It is never forced on us. If we are to receive its message, we have to take it and study it.
b. God commands us to go over and take the Word of God and study its messages.
2. Second, John is commanded to take and ear and consume the little scroll or book. He does, and when he does, the message of the book is both sweet and sour. Does that mean anything to you? It tells us that the Word of God contains:
- Both sin and forgiveness.
- Both death and life.
- Both judgment and salvation.
- Both damnation and deliverance.
- Both heaviness and joy.
- Both hell and heaven.
- Both bondage and freedom.
- Both destruction and a new world.
- Both corruption and perfection.
When John saw the truth of the world, he tasted the sourness. When he saw the righteousness and perfection and the salvation that is coming to the world, he tasted the sweetness of God’s Word. Ezekiel had a similar experience in his vision in Ezk. 2, where he tasted the sweetness of God’s Word.
3. Lastly, John is recommissioned. He is to proclaim the Word of God to the whole world. He is to proclaim both the sour and the sweet—the judgments that are coming as well as the salvation that is coming.
The final days of human history are about to begin—the days of the 7th trumpet. John is to proclaim the full message of God’s book. He is to hold nothing back.
The point of this, and then I’ll close, is that every minister and teacher of God’s Word is called to proclaim both the sweet and sour of God’s Word, both the grace and the judgment. The minister and teacher is to be faithful to his call. He must hold nothing back. The truth must be proclaimed, for the eternal fate of people is at stake.
