God’s Mystery Revealed: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 10)

The last seven years of the Daniel 9 prophecy are begun with a covenant that the “prince who is to come” (Dan. 9:26, the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:3) makes with Israel, a covenant that apparently allows them to rebuild the temple. But this antichrist breaks the covenant in the middle of the seven years and desolates the temple (Dan. 9:27) putting an end to sacrifice and offering by setting up an image of himself to be worshiped and taking a seat in the sanctuary to be worshiped (Rev. 13:14,15; 2 Thess. 2:4). This is the abomination that makes desolate that Jesus described in Matthew 24:15.

Revelation only records the events of the last three and a half years of this seven year period. When does this period begin and what does it look like? Paul describes it as a time when people are feeling great “peace and security” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and this may be because the antichrist’s covenant with Israel brings a period of relative warlessness. If we consider how impossible it seems, given our present conditions, for Israel to rebuild the temple, this covenant will seem like a miracle. The man who accomplishes this might indeed be worshiped.

Many believe this seven year period, half of which is peaceful and the second half of which is described here in Revelation, begins after the rapture of the church, the church’s removal from earth, the catching up Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Perhaps so. But as our passage today shows, there remains much mystery.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Revelation 10 ESV)

The identity of the little scroll is uncertain.  But it too has a message of judgment, as evidenced that it is sweet in John’s mouth but bitter in his stomach.  It is the vindication of all God’s people, but it comes at the price of great destruction.  Likewise, the content of what is thundered is kept secret.  God is not ready to reveal all that will transpire in that day.

What is certain, however, is that with the sounding of the seventh trumpet there will be no more delay.  In a sense all of present history for nearly 2,000 years since Jesus’ coming, has been a delay of the inevitable judgment by the Son.  Even the trumpet judgments of the great tribulation depicted in Revelation have been sparing to some degree.  But with the seventh trumpet the last judgments, the bowl judgments, will be poured out and God’s kingdom will be established on earth by Jesus Christ.

The mystery of God will be fulfilled.  What was previously unrevealed about Him will be revealed.  The One we worshiped though we never saw Him will be made visible to us as we worship in His presence.  All that the prophets have pointed forward to will be completed and He will rule forever over His loyal subjects.  May it be soon.