The Mystery of God Revealed

In the book, The Apocalypse Today, Thomas Torrance states, “Surely there is a question here we must ask of ourselves. If there is no wormwood, are we really in touch with the Word of God? If our message is not disturbing and even sometimes tormenting, may we not wonder whether we have ever really eaten God’s holy Word?... Why does the Church of Jesus Christ today sit so easy to her surroundings? Why do Christian people live such comfortable and even undisturbed lives in this evil and disturbed world? Surely it is because we are not true to the Word of God.”

Before we get into the text today, I want to ask the simple question, Why? Why do we study Revelation or Eschatology? What is our purpose? First of all, we know Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and other apocalyptic books of the Bible are difficult, but are essential to understanding the Bible as a whole. If we choose to ignore end-times theology, we are left with only a partial understanding of Scripture. For the Bible is one, big puzzle that fits beautifully together. Another reason I choose to study eschatology is because I believe there is a gross misunderstanding of Revelation and other apocalyptic texts. I believe we should be honest and pursue truth, and if necessary overturn bulwarks of eschatological thought. My “Why” is about truth. My question to you is, will you consider truth as preeminent or will the lackluster theories of yesterday be enough? I say God inspires thought and truth pursued with humility and peace, but also with the passion to overturn ideas that are not found in the Biblical text. Is truth more important than tradition and group think? And are you willing to come on a journey of truth for the glory of God?

May it never be that we are not true to God’s word, but diligently seek him, working with his Holy Spirit, praying for divine wisdom, and always speaking the truth – popular or not! Our text today is Revelation 10-11, let’s start with chapter 10.

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. ² 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, ³ and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴ 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.” ⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ 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, ⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.” ⁹ 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.” ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” Revelation 10:1-11

The book of Revelation has a seven by seven structure. This section of the book is in the third section, which includes chapters 8-11. It is part of the seven trumpets. When we get to chapter 10, we have an interlude or break between the sixth and seventh trumpets. When the Apostle John deals with the seven seals, you have a similar interlude in chapter 7, between the sixth and seventh seals.

So, as we begin the chapter we find a mighty angel. Commentators differ on who this angel might be, but the text seems to indicate it is Jesus himself. Now, why would I say that? Well, first of all we know that when the term, “angel of the Lord,” is used in the Old Testament, it often refers to God himself. But also we have the description in the text. First of all, this angel is wrapped or clothed in a cloud. We should ask ourselves who can be clothed with a cloud? Well, if we remember Exodus chapter 40, we are reminded of the glory cloud. The presence of God was clothed with a cloud and covered or filled the tabernacle. In Leviticus 16:2, the Lord tells Moses, “I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” David Chilton has suggested that the created angels actually form the cloud, meaning that Jesus is wearing the heavenly host. John 1:51 states, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The next thing the text says is there is a rainbow over his head. In Revelation 4 the text tells us there is a rainbow around the throne of God. In Ezekiel 1:28 we are told the glory of God looks like a rainbow in the clouds.

Next, we have that his face was like the sun. This imagery is clearly Messianic. We can look at many scriptures that use sun imagery. For example, Revelation 1:16, which states, “In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” Also, the transfiguration in Matthew 17:2, “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” In Malachi 4:2 Jesus is called the “sun of righteousness”.

The text of Revelation 10 continues by saying his legs were like pillars of fire. This is certainly another reference to a glory cloud. And when you take all of this into account, it seems clear the angel in this text does represent Jesus the Messiah.

So, what is Jesus doing in this vision? First of all, he has an open scroll in his hand. But he also is standing on the sea and land. This gives a picture of an enormous being. But what else does it mean? To answer this we need to consider where the prophecy will end up. In chapter 11, which is the conclusion of the first half of the book, at the end of the chapter, the seventh trumpet is sounded, and verse 15 says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The picture of the mighty angel setting his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land is symbolic. It symbolizes Jesus reclaiming his authority and sovereignty over the earth from Satan. In verse seven of chapter 10 it states, “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.” This is talking about Jesus coming to earth, becoming the sacrificial Lamb, being raise to life and ascending to heaven. God’s covenant with his people would be fulfilled. The mystery of salvation would be available to all people.

Then the text returns to the little scroll that is open. Jesus is giving the scroll to the Apostle John. We are reminded of Ezekiel 3 when the prophet eats the scroll. In Revelation there is a duality, the scroll is sweet as honey in John’s mouth, but it is bitter in his stomach. So, the message is dualistic. It is about Christ and his victory, but it is also about the judgment of God on his enemies. The righteous triumph but the wicked are destroyed. R. J. Rushdoony has stated, “Salvation and judgment are two aspects of the same event.” As to the scroll, it seems apparent the little scroll is the book of Revelation since that was a specific prophecy given to John. And that brings us to verse 11, where John is told he must prophecy again! Now, it is true that the book of Revelation is divided into two parts, chapters 1-11 and chapters 12-22. And some believe this reference in verse 11 to prophesying again is talking about the last half of the book. This is certainly possible; however, it is also possible that John received the divine revelation twice. As I have previously noted, Bible scholar Ernest L. Martin has written that the Apostle John actually saw the visions of Revelation on two different occasions. The first time was around 56 C.E. during the reign of Nero, and the last time was around 96 C.E. during the reign of Domitian. I believe the first publication of the book was between 56-60 C.E., and then an expanded version of the book was written in the 90s. Of course, it is difficult to know this for sure, but it is one possibility for why the dating of the book is so difficult and why John appears to have received divine revelation twice.

With that thought, let’s transition to chapter 11, which is a continuation of the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. First, let’s read verse 1-3.

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

We notice the Apostle is told to rise and measure the temple of God. And we are immediately reminded of Ezekiel 40-43 when the prophet sees a vision of the New Temple. Now, in Ezekiel it seems clear the New Temple represents the New Covenant Church or people of God. But why is John being asked to measure the temple? William Hendriksen notes, “measuring the sanctuary means to set it apart from that which is profane.” It is a separation but also protection from God’s wrath. When we look back to the first interlude in Revelation seven, between the sixth and seventh seals, we have the 144,000 who are sealed and protected by God. You have the same thing here in chapter 11, God is protecting his people. We have something very similar in Zechariah 2:1-5 where Jerusalem is measured. Again we have the symbolic separation of the sacred and the profane for divine protection.

Now, a very important detail is that John is told not to measure the court outside the temple. Again, we have this separation, but it is even more than that. The phrase in our English Bible, “leave that out,” is talking about not measuring the outer court. The word for “leave” in the Greek is “ekballo” which means to “cast out”. This means unbelievers are “cast out” and will not receive the divine protection that is reserved for God’s people. The reason I think this is important is because this Greek word for “cast out” is used when Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant. In Matthew 8:10-12 the text states, “ When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.” Jesus is saying that national Israel or the Jews will be cast out. And what does the text say next in Revelation 11 – “they will trample the holy city for 42 months.” In other words, the Jews did not get divine protection, but would be trampled and destroyed for 3 ½ years. Does this refer to the Jewish War and the events leading up to 70 A.D. Yes, I believe so. David Chilton notes, “The message of these verses, therefore, is that the Church will be saved through the coming tribulation during which Jerusalem is to be destroyed by an invasion of the Gentiles.”

Now, as we transition to verse 3-14, the text is discussing the two witnesses. Now, the first thing to realize is that starting in verse 4, the Apostle is referencing the vision of the golden lampstand from Zechariah 4. In Zechariah there are two olive trees, which are two witnesses or anointed ones. In Zechariah this seems to represent Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the governor. So there is a connection between the royal house and the priesthood. But Revelation has already made it clear that the kingdom of God is comprised of a royal priesthood, or a kingdom of priests. And we also know Jesus Christ himself is the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy as our high priest and king. But what does Revelation mean by these two witnesses? It is very clear the text of Revelation is referring to Moses and Elijah. Let’s read what the text says, “And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. (vs. 5-6). In Numbers 16 during Korah’s rebellion fire comes down from heaven at the word of Moses and consumed the rebels. In 2 Kings 1 fire came down from heaven at the word of Elijah. We are also reminded of the 3 ½ year drought that occurred at the word of Elijah in I Kings 17. And the act of turning water into blood and producing plagues reminds us of the Exodus and Moses. There is no question the verses in Revelation are a clear reference to Moses and Elijah (law and the prophets). But is that all the two witnesses refer to? I don’t think so. First of all, when we look at the last book of the Old Testament, we find both Moses and Elijah mentioned. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi 4:4-6

And we know the Elijah mentioned here is actually John the Baptist. We know this because the Bible tells us so in the New Testament.

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Matthew 11:13-14

And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” ¹¹ He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:10-13

And we also know that Jesus fulfills all the law and prophets and is our King, Prophet, and Priest. In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses states, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—“. Peter quotes Moses in Acts 3 and makes it clear that Jesus was a prophet like Moses and the fulfillment of what Moses spoke. So, where I am going with this? I believe the two witnesses in Revelation are in fact Moses and Elijah of the Old Testament. But they are also John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. The text is covering the Church universal, the Old and New Covenants. So the two witnesses are two individuals and certainly the greatest two witnesses for the kingdom are Jesus and John the Baptist. But guess what, that is not all! When we go back and look at the text in Revelation 11:4, it says, “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands.” This means the two witnesses are two individuals but they are also lampstands, which in the book of Revelation means churches. In Revelation 1:20 the text tells us the seven lampstands are the seven churches. It is also interesting to note that of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3, only two of them, Smyrna and Philadelphia, did not get a rebuke from Jesus. So, the two witnesses are Moses and Elijah, but they are also John the Baptist and Jesus. In addition, the two witnesses represent the Old and New Covenant prophetic witness. So, the text contains a double duality. It covers the anointed ones of the Old and New Testament and more broadly the Old and New Testament universal Church.

When we look back at the first interlude in Revelation, we find the 144,000 that are sealed. You can go back and listen to my teaching on that section, but in a nutshell the 144,000 represent the universal Church, the Old and New Testament saints. And I think here in the 2^nd interlude we have something similar. We have the Old and New Testament individual witness of the olive trees, and the corporate Old and New Testament church with the lampstands. While the two witnesses are individual anointed ones, they are also the Old and New Covenant saints, the universal people of God.

Now, let’s take a look at Revelation 11:7-8. “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”

This is the first time in Revelation the beast is mentioned. We will get more into this later on in the book. The beast is of course, Satan, but also the anti-Christian system that has worked against God and his people throughout history. When we think of the prophetic witness being killed we might think of John the Baptist when he was martyred by Herod. Or even Christ as the sacrificial lamb who was murdered by the Jews and Romans. But again, it is more than that. Remember when Jesus speaks to the religious leaders in Matthew 23. He tells them their fathers have murdered the prophets. But also that he will continue to send prophets, wise men and scribes who will be persecuted and killed. So, again these verses in Revelation do indeed refer to the corporate Old and New Covenant prophetic witness for Christ.

There is another reason I believe what I am telling you. In verse 7 it states that the beast will arise and make war with the witnesses and kill them. But in Revelation chapter 13 it talks about the beast again. And it states that the beast that rises out of the sea exercises authority for 42 months. In Revelation 13:7 the text states the beast makes war on the saints to conquer them. How does the anti-Christian beast attempt to silence the testimony and witness of the Church - by killing them. The two witnesses and the saints of chapter 13 are one and the same.

Now, it is important to realize the text does not just mention the beast as the oppressor. In verse 8, there is a clear reference to Jerusalem, and this would be apostate Jerusalem, those who murdered the prophets. God’s people suffer at the hands of the beast and apostate Jerusalem.

Now, I would like to deal with the 3 ½ year references in the text. Chapter 11 alone mentions 42 months and 1260 days, which could be referred to as 3 ½ years. But it also mentions 3 ½ days. The first thing to note is that the reference to 3 ½ years is mentioned many times in the Bible. For example, in Daniel 7:25 the text states, “time, times, and half a time,” which means 3 ½ years. This timeframe is half of a seven and symbolizes a limited time when the wicked are triumphant. It is a time of tribulation that is cut short. But the text also mentions 3 ½ days. Again, we have half of a seven. This appears to mean there is a compressed period of persecution. In other words, the trampling of the holy city is 3 ½ years. The witnesses prophecy for 3 ½ years. But the celebration of the wicked over the demise of the two witnesses and their testimony of truth is only 3 ½ days. The time is very brief. And what happens after this brief period?  “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.” (vs. 11-12)

There is no doubt this refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For through his resurrection all things were changed. In fact, now we are resurrected into new life. David Chilton notes, “Through the resurrection of Christ the Church and her testimony became unstoppable. In union with Christ in his ascension to glory.” With the resurrection of Jesus, all the saints, Old and New, rise with him in power, glory and dominion. The story of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 is in fact the story of the witnessing Church. The Church is told to come up here and reign with Christ as joint-heirs of the kingdom of God.

I want to wrap-up by discussing the end of Revelation 11, which is the 7^th trumpet. Starting in verse 15, the 7^th angel blows the trumpet. And remember we have just seen the resurrection of Jesus and his saints right before this. What comes next? The angel blows the 7^th trumpet. And what do the voices in heaven announce? “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Then we have heavenly worship by the 24 elders and God’s temple in heaven is opened. The resurrection of Jesus Christ inaugurated the kingdom of God. The door of heaven was no longer closed, but open to mankind with the life, sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. The kingdom of Jesus is victorious, he has conquered all the worldly kingdoms, not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit. Jesus is victorious and ushers in victory for his saints and the kingdom will cover the earth. The 7^th trumpet announces the coming of God’s kingdom in all its fullness through the victory of Jesus.

In Revelation 10-11, we have three main ideas:

• A giant angel who puts his feet on land and sea to reveal and manifest the mystery of God.
• Two witnesses that prophecy with power, but also suffer at the hands of the beast and apostate Israel. Yet, even though they are killed, they are raised to life with Jesus in his resurrection.
• Jesus and his kingdom are victorious and Christ reigns forever – the heavenly temple is opened.

When we understand that we are apart of the prophetic witness of Christ and his kingdom, and that we are raised to life with him in victory, we will not fear things in this life. We will speak boldly of the truth we know in our hearts with full confidence of the eternal victory that has opened heaven’s door to all people through Jesus Christ!