Sermon Central
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Tribulation (Part Iii) Series
Contributed by Bill Burress on Oct 27, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Continuing the study of Revelation starting at chapter 10.
“The Tribulation”
(Part Three)
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.
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.
