The Word This Week
Revelation 10:1...
As we arrive at Chapter 10, half of the world’s population is dead. We do not know exactly what the number of dead is, since we cannot calculate how many were raptured prior to the Tribulation. But since there are presently almost 8 billion people alive on the planet, we know this is a huge number.
Those who have died are those who have repented and been killed by those who are unrepentant – and - those who have refused to repent and been killed by the seven seal judgments and by the six trumpet judgements which have transpired so far.
This is a time of turmoil upon the earth as it has never been before.
As had been the case of a parenthetical pause after the sixth seal judgment prior to the seventh seal being opened by Jesus, we now come to a pause in the action following the sixth trumpet judgement, which had been the horrific appearing of a 200-million-strong demonic army on the earth by which a third of remaining mankind had been killed. (After a fourth of mankind had been killed earlier when the fourth seal had been opened.)
Now there is a pause in John’s narrative to reveal to us what has been happening as the six trumpet judgments have been sounding. (This pause is long, stretching from Chapter 10 all the way to Chapter 16, when the bowl judgments begin to be poured out.)
There is much for John to describe, beginning with this mighty angel he sees coming down to the earth with great power, and with a very similar description to how John described the Lord Jesus Christ in Chapter 1. (In fact, many people think this is the Christ – because of John’s description of what he sees. However, I believe this is another angel of the same kind – yet perhaps mightier, than the angels we have previously seen.)
Seven thunders sound, and a sealed message is provided about (presumably,) all that is about to unfold to the end of days.
And as this mighty angel prepares to sound the seventh trumpet, he first gives John a little book to consume. Whatever this “book” contains, it is sweet to the taste and bitter to the stomach.
Only after consuming the contents of this little book, (a scroll?) is John commanded to continue his prophecy, which he does. There is much for him to prophesy.
Pastor Bill
As we arrive at Chapter 10, half of the world’s population is dead. We do not know exactly what the number of dead is, since we cannot calculate how many were raptured prior to the Tribulation. But since there are presently almost 8 billion people alive on the planet, we know this is a huge number.
Those who have died are those who have repented and been killed by those who are unrepentant – and - those who have refused to repent and been killed by the seven seal judgments and by the six trumpet judgements which have transpired so far.
This is a time of turmoil upon the earth as it has never been before.
As had been the case of a parenthetical pause after the sixth seal judgment prior to the seventh seal being opened by Jesus, we now come to a pause in the action following the sixth trumpet judgement, which had been the horrific appearing of a 200-million-strong demonic army on the earth by which a third of remaining mankind had been killed. (After a fourth of mankind had been killed earlier when the fourth seal had been opened.)
Now there is a pause in John’s narrative to reveal to us what has been happening as the six trumpet judgments have been sounding. (This pause is long, stretching from Chapter 10 all the way to Chapter 16, when the bowl judgments begin to be poured out.)
There is much for John to describe, beginning with this mighty angel he sees coming down to the earth with great power, and with a very similar description to how John described the Lord Jesus Christ in Chapter 1. (In fact, many people think this is the Christ – because of John’s description of what he sees. However, I believe this is another angel of the same kind – yet perhaps mightier, than the angels we have previously seen.)
Seven thunders sound, and a sealed message is provided about (presumably,) all that is about to unfold to the end of days.
And as this mighty angel prepares to sound the seventh trumpet, he first gives John a little book to consume. Whatever this “book” contains, it is sweet to the taste and bitter to the stomach.
Only after consuming the contents of this little book, (a scroll?) is John commanded to continue his prophecy, which he does. There is much for him to prophesy.
Pastor Bill