In the past several messages we have been considering the content of the seven seals. In the book of Revelation, the number seven is composed two ways: four plus three and six plus one. Both the seven seals and the seven trumpets are composed this way. With the number seven there is addition but no multiplication. The number twelve, however, is the product of three times four. The seven seals mean that in God’s complete move His creatures will be brought to the Triune God. God’s creature — man — will also be brought to the unique God. Thus, the seven seals indicate God’s complete move. The seven seals, which are God’s complete move on the earth and in the universe, are the content of God’s economy. The purpose of God’s move is to bring His creatures, signified by the number four, to the Triune God, and to bring man, signified by the number six (man was created on the sixth day), to the unique God. The seven seals actually bring God’s creation to Himself. The fall of man, which was caused by Satan, has kept man from God. While the fall was a subtraction, God’s economy today is an addition. The fall caused man to go away from the unique God, but God’s economy and His move bring man back to Himself.
Many Christians do not understand the matters pertaining to the sixth seal and the first four trumpets. The sixth seal and the first four trumpets of the seventh seal are mainly concerned with the shaking and the judgment of the earth and the heavenly host. As a result of this shaking and judgment, the earth will no longer be a suitable place for man to live in peacefully. The sixth seal and the first five trumpets are closely related to one another in time, for there is not much of an interval between them. Some, counting from the time of the first horse, say that the great tribulation will last seven years. Those who do have not seen that Revelation covers the whole history of mankind since Christ’s ascension. Their interpretation leaves a great gap between the ascension of Christ and the end time. To have such a gap, approximately two thousand years in length, is altogether illogical according to the Lord’s prophecy, because it was in the first century that He prophesied of the things to come (Rev. 1:19). Furthermore, the scroll in chapter five is a full revelation of God’s economy. As such, it must include the preaching of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel for the producing of the church is a great item in God’s economy. Because it is illogical for there to be such a great gap in this book, we believe that the four horses of the first four seals are an outline of human history from Christ’s ascension until the end of this age.
By careful study we have also seen that the last seven years will probably not begin with the time of the sixth seal, because the period from the sixth seal until the fifth trumpet, which is the beginning of the great tribulation, will be a very short time. It will not be three and one-half years. The great tribulation will last three and one-half years, the second half of the last seven years. If you count the last seven years from the sixth seal, then the time from the sixth seal to the fifth trumpet must be at least three and one-half years. Logically speaking, this is too long. Between the sixth seal and the fifth trumpet there will be four trumpets, the judgments on the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the heavenly hosts. Although it is less severe, the sixth seal, which will be the shaking of the earth and the damaging of the heavenly host, is the same in principle as that of the first four trumpets.
The sixth seal and the first four trumpets are an introduction, a preliminary, to the great tribulation. In none of these calamities will God directly touch man. This will not occur until the torment of the woe of the fifth trumpet and the slaughter by the two hundred million cavalry troops of the woe of the sixth trumpet. After the woe of the sixth trumpet, there will be the seven bowls as the last woe and as a part of the content of the seventh trumpet. The sixth bowl, which is related to the sixth trumpet, will be for the gathering for war at Armageddon. That war will be the great winepress of the fury of God trodden by the Lord (Rev. 14:19-20; 19:15) when He comes down to earth to fight against Antichrist and to cast him into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:11-21). This should be at the same time the seventh bowl will be poured out upon the air to bring in the greatest earthquake and the greatest hail which will be the last plague and the end of the great tribulation.
In this message, we come to Rev. 10:1-11, an insertion between the sixth and seventh trumpets. If we would understand the book of Revelation, we must know which sections are continuations and which are insertions. When we were on chapter seven, we pointed out that it is an insertion between the sixth and seventh seals, showing God’s preservation of His people. That chapter shows the vision of the marking of the remnant of Israel and the vision of the rapture of God’s redeemed ones. Chapter ten is part of an insertion between the sixth and seventh trumpets. This insertion is composed of three visions: the vision of Christ coming to take possession of the earth (Rev. 10:1-7), the vision of the treading of the earthly Jerusalem by Antichrist and his armies (Rev. 11:1-2), and the vision of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3-12).
We must read and study the book of Revelation until we know and are able to recite all the main facts. We should be able to summarize every chapter. In chapter one there are the seven lampstands with Christ walking among them; in chapters two and three the seven churches; in chapter four the heavenly scene; in chapter five Christ as the One worthy to open the scroll; in chapter six there are the six seals; in chapter seven an insertion showing two visions regarding God’s preservation of His people; in chapter eight there are the first four trumpets; in chapter nine the fifth and sixth trumpets; in chapter ten Christ coming to take possession of the earth; in chapter eleven the two witnesses; in chapter twelve the man-child; in chapter thirteen the beast; in chapter fourteen the firstfruit, the worship of the beast, the harvest, and the winepress; in chapter fifteen the overcomers on the glassy sea; in chapter sixteen the seven bowls; in chapter seventeen the religious Babylon; in chapter eighteen the material, political Babylon; in chapter nineteen the wedding feast of the Lamb and the war at Armageddon; in chapter twenty the binding of Satan, the millennial kingdom, the last rebellion of mankind, and the judgment at the great white throne; and in chapters twenty-one and twenty-two the new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem.
Let us now consider the details of Rev. 10:1-11. In this portion of the Word we have a clear vision of Christ coming to take possession of the earth. In this chapter Christ is “another strong Angel,” like the One in Rev. 7:2; 8:3 and Rev. 18:1.
Verse 1 says that John saw another Angel “coming down out of heaven.” Christ is now coming down out of heaven. This vision is a hint that, before the seventh trumpet, Christ is still on His way to earth.
Verse 1 also says that Christ is “clothed with a cloud.” He is not yet “on the cloud,” as in Rev. 14:14 and in Matt. 24:30; 26:64 (Gk.). To be “on the cloud” is to come openly, whereas to be “clothed with a cloud” is to come secretly. This indicates that even after the sixth trumpet, which will be in the midst of the great tribulation, Christ will still be coming secretly, not openly, until He will be seen by all the tribes of the earth, as mentioned in Rev. 1:7 and in Matt. 24:30. By the time of chapter ten, Christ’s coming is still secret. Even at the time of the sixth bowl, during the gathering at Armageddon, Christ will give the warning that He is coming as a thief (Rev. 16:15). He will be wrapped in the cloud until chapter fourteen, when He will sit on the cloud and His coming will become public. By this we see that the general teaching that Christ will come before the great tribulation is inaccurate.
In this vision Christ has a “rainbow” upon “His head.” Here the rainbow indicates that Christ in His judgment upon the earth and in His coming to take possession of it will keep the covenant God made with Noah concerning the earth (Gen. 9:8-17). It also indicates that He is the One who will execute judgment according to the One sitting on the throne with the rainbow round about it.
Verse 1 also says that “His face was as the sun.” Surely here, close to His coming to the earth openly, He will not be like the morning star which appears before the darkest time prior to dawn.
When Christ comes to take possession of the earth, His feet will be “as pillars of fire.” Here, pillars indicate steadfastness (Jer. 1:18; Gal. 2:9). Fire indicates the holiness of God (Exo. 19:18; Heb. 12:29), according to which Christ will execute His judgment upon the earth.
In this chapter Christ has “in His hand a little opened scroll” (vv. 2, 8). This “little opened scroll” is the scroll in Rev. 5:1, which only Christ is worthy to open and which He took out of the hand of God (Rev. 5:5, 7). Now it is in His hand. In Rev. 5:1 it was sealed; in Rev. 10:2 and Rev. 10:8 it is opened. The scroll has been opened because all the seals have been loosed. Here, being only a part of the scroll, it is called a little scroll. Because the main part of the scroll has been revealed, the last part is considered a little scroll.
Verse 2 also says that “He placed His right foot on the sea and the left on the land.” To place His feet on the sea and on the land is to tread on them, and this means to take possession of them (Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3; Psa. 8:6). This indicates that Christ is coming down to take possession of the earth. Only He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy, and only He is qualified to possess the earth. In Joshua, God told the people that they would possess whatever part of the land the sole of their foot would tread upon. They were to walk through the good land, and wherever they set their feet, that would be their possession. Based upon the same principle, Christ, as another Angel sent by God, will come to tread upon the sea and the earth, for the earth and the sea have both been given to Him as His inheritance (Psa. 2:8). Although the earth and sea have been usurped by His enemy, and although He has been tolerating this for centuries, one day He will tolerate it no longer. He will come to claim His rightful inheritance.
Verse 3 says that Christ “cried with a loud voice as a lion roars.” A lion’s roaring is like the wrath of a king (Prov. 19:12; 20:2). This indicates that as the King of the earth Christ is provoked to wrath. In the Gospels, Christ spoke like a lamb, but here He roars like a lion. Chapter three mentions the word of the Lord’s endurance. Endurance means toleration. But by the time of chapter ten the Lord no longer exercises endurance. Rather, in His coming to take possession of the earth, He roars like a lion.
When Christ cried with a loud voice, “The seven thunders uttered their own voices.” The seven thunders should be the ultimate utterances of God’s wrath in full. Verse 4 says, “And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; and I heard a voice out of heaven saying, Seal the things which the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them.” Today, we do not know what the seven thunders said, but one day we shall know.
Verses 5 and 6 say, “And the Angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up His right hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there shall be delay no longer.” The main item of the things in heaven is the angels, the main item of the things in the earth is men, and the main item of the things in the sea is the demons. After the sixth trumpet, there will be no more time of toleration in God’s judgment upon the earth. Hence, the seventh trumpet is the most serious of God’s judgments. It is God’s answer in full to the martyred saints’ prayer in 6:10.
Verse 7 says, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to trumpet, the mystery of God also is finished, as He announced the good news to His own slaves the prophets.” Here we see that the completion of God’s mystery will be at the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet.
The mention of “days” in verse 7 indicates that the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet will last a period of days.
When the seventh angel is about to trumpet, the mystery of God will be finished. In the dispensation from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ, everything was unveiled, manifested, and there was no mystery. It will be the same in the dispensation of the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and the new earth — everything will be unveiled and there will be no more mystery. But in the dispensation from Christ to the millennial kingdom, everything is a mystery. The incarnation of Christ, as the beginning of this dispensation of mystery, is a mystery (1 Tim. 3:16). Christ Himself (Col. 2:2), the church (Eph. 3:4-6), the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 13:11), the gospel (Eph. 6:19), the indwelling of Christ (Col. 1:26-27), and the coming resurrection and transfiguration of the saints as the ending of this dispensation of mystery (1 Cor. 15:51-52) are all mysteries which were hidden in times of the ages (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26). All these mysteries will be over, completed, and finished at the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet. At the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet, not only God’s judgment of wrath upon the earth, but also “the mystery of God also is finished.”
Today, the indwelling Christ and the church are a mystery. The outsiders cannot understand us because we are mysterious to them. When we say, “Praise the Lord! We have Christ in us,” people may say, “Show us.” To this, we can only reply, “I cannot show you, but I know that Christ is in me.” Christ’s dwelling in us is a mystery. When non-Christians receive too much money in change from a cashier in a restaurant, they are pleased and consider it a bargain. But when we receive extra change, we return it. This is mysterious to the cashier. The unbelievers cannot understand what kind of people we are. Do not try to check me out, for I am a man of mystery. Although today is a time of mystery, when the seventh trumpet is sounded, the mystery will be over. At the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet, Christ will be manifested and the whole earth will recognize Him. Then the cashiers will know why we, the mysterious ones, returned the extra change. Perhaps they will say, “We thought they were foolish, but now we understand.” Although they cannot understand this mystery today, one day they will understand it.
While the seals are private and concealed, the trumpets are an open, public declaration. In the opening of the seals, Christ is silent, but in the sounding of the trumpets, He is no longer silent.
In the seventh trumpet, “the good news” which God “announced to His own slaves the prophets,” as in Isa. 2:4; 11:1-10; 65:17-20; 66:22, will be fulfilled; that is, the kingdom in its manifestation will come (Rev. 11:15), and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem will follow (Rev. 21:1-3).
Verses 8 and 9 say, “And the voice which I heard out of heaven was again speaking with me and saying, Go, take the little scroll which is opened in the hand of the Angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. And I went to the Angel, saying to Him to give me the little scroll. And He said to me, Take it and devour it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” The writer of this book not only received the scroll but also devoured it. To devour anything is to receive it into one’s entire being. We must receive the divine revelation, especially the book of Revelation, in this way. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel did this (Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 2:8; 3:1-3).
Verse 10 says, “And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the Angel and devoured it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.” When we receive the divine revelation by devouring it, it is “sweet” in our eating, but it becomes “bitter” in our digestion, in our experience. As we read these life-study messages, they may be sweet to our taste, but in our experience they will all become bitter. Eventually, however, there will be no tears in our eyes, for we shall only enjoy the waters from the “springs of waters of life” (7:17). Today, we know the water of tears. But ultimately there will be no more tears. Instead, we shall drink of the waters from the wonderful springs. Praise the Lord that eventually there will be no bitterness, only eternal sweetness.
Verse 11 says, “And they said to me, You must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” After John saw the little scroll, the last part of God’s economy, and ate it, finding it sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach, he was charged to prophesy again. The prophecy of this book is composed of two sections. The first section is from the first seal to the sixth trumpet; it is in secret. The second section is from the seventh trumpet to the new heaven and the new earth; it is openly manifested. John has prophesied in the first section. Now he “must prophesy again,” that is, to prophesy in the second section of the prophecy of this book. John’s second prophecy concerns Christ’s possession of the earth (11:15; 12:5). This prophecy is simply the seventh trumpet which includes the bowls; the rapture of all the saints; the judgment seat of Christ; the wedding of the Lamb; Christ’s coming back with His selected army to defeat Antichrist and the false prophet; the binding of Satan; the millennial kingdom; the last rebellion of mankind under the instigation of Satan; the judgment of the dead at the great white throne for their eternal destiny; and the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem. This is the seventh trumpet and John’s second prophecy. It is also the content of the little scroll, the last part of God’s economy.
