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all right so chapter 10 Revelations so hopefully you’re there and um when we um when we think about the distance from God’s Throne of Splendor down to the abyss of calvary’s cross we have to think that Christ is the Eternal Creator the Lord of all existence exalted infinitely above Earth’s foulness and Decay he is the source of life with myriads of angels to sing his praises and also to do his bidding yet motivated by love for his human race he humbled himself he humbled himself became obedient to the point of death and even the death on the cross he came to our puny planet was born in a cave like barn with smells and filth and was placed as a helpless babe in in a feeding trough when we look at his manhood he endured homelessness when he was thirsty he asked in adulterous for water when he was weary he fell asleep in the boat on a storm tossed sea and he did Miracles there he was sinless and was adorned by the multitudes one day and then the next day condemned as a criminal and died on a Roman cross in excruciating pain for law Sinners Like Us now this that’s the distance from God’s Throne down to Calvary and that’s the measure of his mercy and Grace to Mankind and as one man named newel put it in a poem he said oh the love that Drew salvation’s plan oh the grace that brought it down to man oh the mighty Gulf that God did span at Calvary that will be the message right down or right up to the last day of human history the Apostle John who’s the writer of Revelation is told in The Narrative of the Bittersweet little book that the message of the good news of the grace of God revealed revealed in the gospel of his son Jesus Christ must be announced to that last day so the Book of Revelation as I’ve been saying is about God’s final unveiling of the last days we have already read of many judgments that will come upon the Earth upon the sinful ungodly idolatrous mankind and we saw the Seven Seals and then the six trumpets and the fifth and the sixth trumpets blew and all hell literally breaks loose on the earth the released demons from the from the abyss come upon the Earth to tormented one section of the Demonic Army is permitted to not kill but torment for five months then on the sixth trumpet it sounds and the fourth Angel un loes or the large army from the pit the Bible says and this large army from the East is permitted to kill onethird of mankind by three plagues and now we come to another interlude from chapter 10 to CH 11:14 that is before the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet that’s a very significant trumpet in the Book of Revelation some theologians think these events falling during the middle of the tribulation uh of which I agree this is the right smack in the middle because the seventh trumpet contains the longest message which covers the last three and a half years of the tribulation period that’s called the Great Tribulation it will be the most awful terrible suffering and violence and catastrophe that the world will ever experience it is the time that Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 24 when he says he says for then there will be Great Tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever will so in chapter 10 I want you to notice in verse number one and two the Apostle John sees someone with a little book it says there and I saw another strong angel coming down out of Heaven clothed with a cloud and the rainbow was upon his head and his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire and he had in his hand a little book which was open now do you know anywhere else you find a symbol like this of a little book well we read it this morning in Ezekiel and you’ll also will find it in Jeremiah the prophet but I want you to notice down in verse number seven of chapter 10 it says but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to sound then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants the prophets now you know what he’s saying here do you know what he declared to his servants the prophets with only two or three exceptions every prophet of the Old Testament including Daniel said there is coming a day when there will be a finishing point he is saying here that when the seven trumpets sounds everything that has ever been revealed by the prophets will be fulfilled also all the Good Tidings of the prophets will come to be it will Usher in the second coming of Christ to the Earth to sit on the throne of David but isn’t that what the prophets looked forward to the return of the Theocratic kingdom in which Jesus will be the king and isn’t that what jesus’ disciples asked after he died and Rose from the grave wasn’t that on their mind first we find it if you could turn there in the book of Acts chapter 1 this is what the apostles asked this was foremost on their mind Acts chapter 1 look at verse number six it says so when they had come together they were asking him saying Lord is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel and Jesus said to them it is not for you to know times and epics which the father has fixed in his own authority see that was on their mind right after the resurrection of course they didn’t get the rest of the message of the prophets that they were to take the gospel the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the gospel of the Kingdom to the whole rest of the world and that would take a long time we’re still in that process right now we’re still taking the gospel to the rest of the world so well then you come to Revelation chap 10 and you get the answer to that question so our Focus this Lord’s day is on the mighty Angel and the little book now I’m going to say right in the beginning that the little book is the word of God and this word which we have been given by God to Proclaim and to preach and to announce is a book that is authoritative it is a book that is absolute and it is a book that must be announced right until the last day there is no choice in that we must proclaim the word of God so I want to see the first thing in chapter 10 in verse number one and two that the word is authoritative notice what it says in verse number one it says and I saw another strong angel coming down out of Heaven clothed with a cloud and the rain was upon his head and his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire now this Angel right here is very different than any other angel that we have been introduced to in the Book of Revelation this Angel is presented as one having great majesty and power this is not the sixth angel mentioned in Revelation 9: number 13 nor is this Angel the one who sounds the seventh trumpet in chapter 11 verse number 15 the angel here is very different and very Majestic and yet some people have concluded that this is Christ and even though Christ appeared several times in the oldest as the angel of the Lord this cannot be Christ because there is no evidence that Christ comes to earth midway in the tribulation nor will we see later on that one proclaims makes a vow in the Name of Christ so it therefore it cannot be Christ but this Mighty Angel some said that it could be Michael the Archangel Michael because we know that his name means one who is like God and what you see though here is a mighty angel that represents Jesus and ministers on his behalf that the mighty Angel represents God’s Authority and God’s presence and God’s power the angel is representing Jesus Christ in his actions and his character as his Minister as his messenger and if you look back in verse number one look at the characteristics of this m Mighty Angel he’s clothed with a cloud meaning it’s it’s a symbol of divine presence he has a rainbow about his head meaning that the rainbow always represents God’s covenant faithfulness and mercy in the midst of judgment his face was like the sun now the Angels radiant face means that he had been in the presence of God which was he was reflecting the glory of God somewhat like Moses in the Old Testament where the Bible says when Moses came down from the mountain his face Shone like the sun for this reason because he was speaking with him he was in God’s presence and then also his feet like a pillar of fire a picture of support a picture of stability a picture of strength so the angel from heaven comes with the word of God he comes with a book in his hand to bring the word of encouragement for believers during this time in human history and also a war word of warning to the rest of the world that the Redemptive Redemptive clock is about to run out so an interlude from chapter 10 to chap 11:14 is given before the seventh angel sounds and the Seven trumpet uh proclaims and brings in the rapid fire bold judgments or vile judgments that will be poured out and that will be the end of everything and that will be much more rid you’re going to see then the other ones that we’ve mentioned already so he had a mighty personage about him secondly this Mighty Angel U what did he possess verse number two he had in his hand a little book which was opened a little book which was open let me just say that this little book seems to be a symbol of the word of God as it is delivered to people that this is divine revelation that has already been given the gospel of Salvation so the angel has in his possession a little book and an open book now it could be open because all the seals have been all already broken but it seems an entirely different book than from the the scroll that had the seals or it could be a book that has never been closed like the Bible itself from Genesis to Revelation it is little because most of the message has has already been revealed and then there’s only a small portion that remains or maybe the final portion that remains little may also mean a small portion of the whole scroll containing the plan of God for the ending of the present evil world and the introducing of the kingdom of God in the new Heaven and the new Earth notice also the Angel’s position in verse number two he placed his right foot on the sea and is left on the land now having his foot on the sea and and on the land means that he had authority over the whole world the whole world was involved in whatever this Angel is going to say it is a message to everyone who’s on the planet the mighty Angel brings the word of God with authority for the whole world and his authority is also bolstered by a loud cry in verse number three it says he cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars and when he had cried out the seven peels of Thunders uttered their voice now a lion is known to Roar when it’s about to make its last leap on the victim the seven peels of thunder point to the Perfection or the completeness of God’s intervention in judgment that God’s final judgments will comprehensively impact the whole world nobody nobody on the planet will know some that’s something is happening everybody on the planet will know something’s happening every single one and they’ll know it’s coming from God himself it’s like the psalmist who says about the voice of God the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is majestic that God is using the mighty Angel to speak on his behalf because he is already he’s ready to make the last move he’s ready to bring complete judgment so the Lord has this parenthesis in the beginning in in the middle of this and the Apostle John is ready to encourage uh and to engage actually in writing what he hears the seven peels of Thunder say John’s ready to write remember he’s writing in the Book of Revelation and as he he’s given this these Visions he’s writing everything down and these seven peels of Thunder speak forth and so John hears what they say and he begins to start writing down what they say and notice what happens he’s not permitted to write or to reveal what he heard it says in verse four when the seven peels of Thunders had spoken I was about to write and I Heard a Voice from Heaven saying seal up the things which the seven peels of thunder have spoken and do not write them now this becomes a part of scripture where we have to honestly say I don’t know what they said because it’s not recorded anywhere now God has revealed much but here God has not seen fit to reveal to me man at this time but to keep it secret now that’s reminiscent to Deuteronomy 2929 if you know what that says it says the secret things belong to the Lord but the things that are revealed belong to us now it could be it could be just it could just be that because God is in control the Saints don’t need to know all the details and even saving them or saving The Godly ones there from despair Over The Morbid evil that is coming on the earth in the outpouring of the seven of the vials of the bows of the Bold judgments it could be that the seven peels of Thunder could be another horrible series of judgments Unleashed on the planet Earth and God says no they will not go forth and maybe it’s just to show his longsuffering and his patience in order to extend more mercy and more grace before the final end I think the last one is more to the context so God’s word goes out with authority over the whole earth before the end that’s the first thing about the word of God the second thing about the word of God is the word of God is absolute in verse 5 through 7 the angel now again being one of the main people in this narrative has a solemn oath of course here’s another reason why this cannot be Jesus it says here then the angel verse number five the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven and swore by him so the angel gives a solemn oath he has a small book in his left hand and in his right hand he lifts it up to heaven and what does he swear by notice what he swears by verse number six and swore by him who lives forever and ever secondly who created the Heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the SE and the things in it this is no mistake of who he’s talking about that the events that are coming are brought to pass by the same almighty God who created the heavens and the Earth see what God started in creation he’s the one who could write the last chapter and end it cuz he is The Sovereign ruler but I’m saying that the word of God is absolute and notice what it says in verse number six there’s a sure outcome the angel swears that there shall be time no longer at the end of verse number six notice this little phrase there it says that there will be delay no longer in other words time runs out there will be no further delay there will no longer be an interval of time as we know it the end is now to be consummated that the blast of the seven trumpet is soon to sound forth and unleash all the rapid fire bold judgments judgments that will bring Christ his near return and will manifest his glory to the entire Earth and God’s purposes on Earth will be fulfilled time shall end and Eternity will begin the the kingdom will come as it says in Matthew chapter 6 as we pray thy kingdom come thy will be done God will take back the kingdom and the Earth So Long usurped by Satan and the ungodly he will take it all back he’s letting things happen so everything could take place that he has designed and allowed and finally put away evil forever but there is something else here that this mystery that was designed in the past will continue in the present for this is what it says in verse number seven and this is the answer to the apostles question in Acts chapter 1 where it says in verse 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angels remember the seventh angel has not blown his trumpet yet when he has sounded it says then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants the prophets this brings about the completion of the mystery of God as declared to his servants the prophets what is the mystery of God the mystery of God is the gospel of glad tidings to all people that’s it not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles to All Peoples see that’s the mystery and the prophet spoke it and when the apostles came on this Earth to preach they didn’t preach the New Testament didn’t have it yet they preached the prophets they preached the Old Testament that was their gospel because the gospel was there already it was already there and they came and got more Revelation from God to write the New Testament to make things more complete and more clear so the hidden plan of God will be complete that God’s scheme of redemption will be finished the world doesn’t see what God’s doing they don’t but the children children of God know what God’s doing they know that the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that’s going to say that in chapter 11 they know that the establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth with his son Jesus Christ as Lord ruling and reigning over all the Earth with his Saints with him us coming back with the Lord to rule and reign for a thousand years on the earth we know that says it in the word of God and we know how all these things are going to take place because it’s already in the word of God so there’s definitely a sure outcome in these passages of scripture that are incomparable the final consummation is the great theme of The Gospel announced to and by the prophets notice there it says that the Lord is the one who preached to the prophets remember the prophets didn’t have to study to give their message God gave it directly to them and they gave it directly to the people so it’s the Apostle Paul kind of summed this up in Galatians chapter 3 verse number 8 where it says the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying all the nations will be blessed in him all the nations will be blessed in Jesus Christ and then it leads me to this last point that the word of God is announced it’s announced and it’s to be appropriated so this is kind of a strange part of this passage of scripture because there’s a commanding voice and I believe this voice is the Lamb of God is Jesus Christ saying to this angel or to John to and notice what it says in verse number eight it says go take the book which is open in the hand of the Angel so in other words the command is take the little book verse number eight says then the voice which I heard from Heaven I heard again speaking with me saying go take the book which is open in the hand of the Angel who stands on the sea and on the land so I went verse number nine to the angel telling him give me the little book and again the little book symbolizes the word of God as it’s deliver to people that is divine revelation already given and continuing to be preached throughout time and then of course that is the gospel of Salvation and the word of God has been openly delivered to humanity from the very from for a very long time as we know it remember John just is still writing the New Testament so the book the word of God has been an open book it’s been a book that has been declared actually it’s a book that I don’t know of anywhere where it’s ever been a closed book even through the 400 years of Silence between Matthew or Malachi and Matthew where the word of God was still there God wasn’t speaking through a prophet but the word of God was still there the Old Testament was still there until John the B Baptist stepped on the scene and God began to speak through him as a prophet Helen Allan was born in 1931 in Brooklyn she she became famous for for her paintings and she had a Keen Eye for photography she took a picture of an open book that no matter what you did to it it could not close and in 1999 a year before she died she made a print of the book and called it the book that will not close and right next to it she put the book of Moses I don’t know if she did that consciously I don’t know if she knew she was right on the money but this angel had a book that was open and now the Apostle John is said to do something with it in verse number nine it says Take and Eat the book and he says Take and Eat take it and eat it and make it will make your stomach bitter but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey and then verse number 10 I looked and uh I took the little book and out of the Angel’s hand and ate it and in my mouth it was sweet as honey and when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter now that says a lot there because eating the little scroll or the little book has a two-fold effect the first effect is it is sweet to the Apostle John and those who repent and believe in Jesus as their savior it is sweet the word of God that is devoured and absorbed is indeed sweet eating it taking it is taking eating it is is taking the gospel to your heart and John even in the midst of bitter persecution himself being confined on an island of Patmos because of preaching the gospel even in the midst of that persecution he experienced the Assurance of Eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and the sweetness of delight in his heart by not only believing that message but now proclaiming that message see the prophets had the same exact experience well not the not exactly the same but the same thing when the Lord said to to Jeremiah and to Ezekiel that we read this morning your words were found and I ate them and your words became to me the a joy and the Delight of my heart for I have been called by your name oh Lord God of hosts now if you you know anything about the ministry of Ezekiel or Jeremiah it wasn’t pleasant they went and preached if you notice this morning in the reading every verse said you rebellious people you rebellious people you rebellious people go preach to them the word of God I’m sure he could have done something else better but it was the word of God that burned in his soul it was the word of God that burned in his mind it’s the word of God that he knew was the truth it was the word of God that is sweet in that it is the Word of Promise it is the word of grace and mercy it is the revelation of God’s love toward humanity and that is seen in Jesus Christ dying on the cross where it says in Romans he demonstrated his love in that while we were Sinners and ungodly he died for us see that’s how the word is sweet when when you understand the UN the message of the word and where it heads and that your relationship with God is now made right not by anything you could have ever done but what by what Jesus Christ did in your behalf and the psalmist when he writes about the word of God what does he say in Psalm 19 that famous Psalm the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever the judgments of the Lord are true they are righteous altogether they are more desirable than gold yes than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the drippings of a honeycom see that’s how the word should be to all of us who know Christ you know most people Delight in sweet things don’t they some people believe that we’re born with a sweet tooth I think I have it but not many desire this sweetness when you come and believe in the Lord Jesus and take him as your savior you come to know that the word of God produces a craving in your soul that you could have never conjured up yourself and it’s for the sweetness of the word of God you want to know that the Lord is compassionate you find out in the word he is you want to know that the Lord is full of mercy and that you can run to him with your sin and know you’re forgiven that’s in the word of God and you want to know that the Lord is compassionate and full of loving kindness that’s in the word of God and when you know those things that’s sweet to your soul there’s nothing like it so when you when you eat the book or when we eat the book we partake of its contents we appropriate its statements its promises its affirmations everything contained in the book as we eat it it becomes sweet to us we find partaking in God’s book and understanding the message is indeed something that is sweeter than even honey but there’s a second effect of this book it says here that it became bitter in his stomach after eating it that the second effect is the word of God is bitter the word of God is is bitter because it reveals Divine judgment God is compassionate but he’ll not allow the guilty to go unpunished see God’s love and his mercy and his judgment must go together we can’t separate them and take one without the other we have to have both because it reveals Divine judgment which will be poured out on Earth upon sinful unrepentant Humanity as God deals out his Wrath with the Wicked World and then in Revelation in the end you’ll see the great wi Throne judgment where God opens the books and he examines everyone’s life and he judges them righteously based on what they’ve done and if their name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life they’re cast into the Lake of Fire that’s God’s judgment that’s bitter and then look what he says to John in verse 11 not only eat it not not only appropriate it to yourself but tell the book don’t just keep it to yourself verse 11 it says and they said to me you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and Nations and tongues and Kings so the Apostle John eats the little book like the Old Testament prophets did pointing to the reality that John is not only the last Apostle he’s not only writing the last book of the Bible the revelation of God but he is commissioned to be the last prophet the Apostle John is commanded to prophesy to many peoples that is to Faithfully deliver the word of God as it’s committed to him give it to others divine revelation that has already been given must continue to be announced right up into the very end so that people will hear the invitation of God to participate in the blessing of the word of God the sweetness of the word of God and of the good news of his grace revealed in the gospel of his son so that they don’t have to experience the bitter part of it although the reality of announcing and proclaiming God’s word to many peoples and Nations and tongues and Kings is a bitter sweet experience if anybody does ever does any evangelism you’ll know that’s the case you have the message of the mystery of God on how to someone gets right with the Lord and be forgiven and the promise of eternal life and they look at you with a stare like it just went over the head that’s bitter when you see your loved ones reject the gospel when people you prayed for your whole life die without Christ that’s bitter but then you see people who do come to Christ and that’s sweet that is sweet matter of fact I think that when you evangelize and give the gospel and announce the gospel to people and they believe there’s nothing greater than that you’re on cloud nine if there’s such a number of cloud you’re you’re up there man like God used you to give the gospel to somebody and they get saved there’s nothing like it even when you walk away you say who am I to do that but God used you and it’s good to be used by God it’s good to announce this message that every saint should take and eat with the assurance that the word of God will be sweet and at the same time bitter to those who reject Christ because they remain unrepentant and under God’s condemnation and Jud judgement so it’s clear in in this chapter 10 that the word of God is Not only it’s not only authoritative and it’s not only absolute but it is a word that must be announced it is the only word that will save somebody from their sin it is the only word that comes from God to humanity to save them from Eternal destruction and from a literal hell that they will be cast into someday now when you consider a chapter like this you would have to say that you can trust God to finish things that he started and he’ll finish them on time from beginning to end God is in control also you can rest in the fact that god holds out Mercy in and during the darkest times of life it’s always there for you to come and take and then you can be confident to keep announcing the gospel because there are people yet to be saved one of them may be you and then for all of us to appropriate the word of God so the word of God becomes sweet to our soul and more desire than any other thing anyone could offer you on this side of Eternity because you know it is the truth so Brethren this morning that is the message today for you and I to lean upon the things that are proclaimed in scripture and then to live them and make them part of our life let’s pray Lord thank you again for bringing us together today thank you Lord for the Gospel of Jesus Christ the mystery that has been revealed to the prophets and by the prophets than to the apostles and to the church and Lord that message is still being proclaimed today Lord let us not forfeit it let us not lay it aside but Lord let us be bold in proclaiming it knowing Lord this is the answer answer to men’s questions this is the answer to have someone’s sins forgiven this is the answer on how to be made right with the God who created them and I pray Lord this is something that we would never be silent about not only individually but as a church and I pray Lord in these days we would experience more of the sweetness than the bitterness of the message of the gospel and I pray this in jesus’ Precious name today amen