TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IN BIBLE PROPHECY
Lesson 26: The book of Revelation's most chilling prophetic interruption.
I The mighty angel's symbolic splitting of the seven trumpet
narrative into two distinct parts.
A A question naturally surfaces at the end of the Sixth
Trumpet World War prophecy, "Who was the invader?"
B The answer to this question is deferred until later
due to the arrival of an unexpected messenger who is
carrying an urgent dispatch from the Captain of the
Lord's host.
C John's firsthand report on this incident reveals the
reason for the messenger's mysterious interruption of
the seven trumpet narrative.
1 "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven,
. . . And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set
his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the
earth, And cried with a loud voice" (Rev. 10:1-3).
A The mighty angel interrupts the narrative of the seven
trumpet events with an important announcement; but,
before he begins to speak he deliberately "sets his
right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the
earth."
B Why is the angel's deliberate movement probably the most
chilling symbolic prophetic action in the Bible?
1 One third of the earth will be burned up in the First
Trumpet Atomic War but two thirds of the earth will
be left unburned.
2 One third of humanity will die in the Sixth Trumpet
World War, but two thirds will survive.
3 Thus, the angel's physical act of setting one foot on
the sea and the other foot on the land symbolically
illustrates that the little book's message pertains
to the whole world, not just part of it.
C The mighty angel's interruption, therefore, effectively
splits the narrative of the seven trumpet milestones
into two distinct parts.
1 The first part encompasses AWWI and the subsequent
trumpet events, up to and including, the Sixth
Trumpet World War.
2 The second part includes the remaining sixth trumpet
events and the events that will occur during the
seventh trumpet time period.
3 Together these two parts yield a damage assessment
report of the entire seven trumpet tribulation epoch.
4 The mighty angel's interruption divides the damages
inflicted on the earth during the Great Tribulation
epoch into two measurable components.
5 What does the angel's dramatic interruption of the seven
trumpet narrative, coupled with his prophetic body
language, in effect say?
- Whereas some people were relatively unaffected by
the previous calamities, everyone will be subjected
to the traumatic events described in the little book,
during the second half of the tribulation epoch.
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the
earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who
created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the
earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and
the things which are therein, that there should be time no
longer: (Rev. 10:5-6).
A There are two other noteworthy variations in the reading
of the expression: "there should be time no longer."
1 The NIV renders it, "There will be no more delay!"
2 Albert Barnes favored the translation "the time shall
not be yet."
B Where would we expect to find the proper interpretation
of this declarative expression?
- In the text that follows verse six.
7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound
his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just
as he announced to his servants the prophets
(Rev. 10:7, NIV).
A The days between the end of the Sixth Trumpet War and the
sounding of the seventh trumpet are defined here as the
period of time when the prophecies concerning the last
days of man's reign on the earth will cease to be a mystery.
B Inasmuch as the greatest prophetic "mystery of God"
through the centuries has been the question of when
Christ will return, it follows that the culmination of
the finished mystery of God cannot become reality until
Christ returns and sets up His earthly kingdom.
C Accordingly, the statement: "the mystery of God will be
accomplished," defines the day the seventh trumpet sounds
to be the day Christ will return, "just as he announced
to his servants the prophets."
D What conclusions can be drawn concerning the variations
in the reading of the expression: "there should be time
no longer"?
1 Since the object of the expression is to state that a
whole series of events leading up to Christ's return
will be fulfilled before the seventh trumpet sounds,
then it follows that the translation, "there should
be time no longer," does not give the true sense of
the angel's pronouncement.
2 For obviously time does not end and eternity begin;
nor does Christ immediately return and set the
affairs of this world in order; since John proceeds
to disclose the events that will occur during the
post-Sixth Trumpet War period leading up to the
sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
E Why does the translation, "There will be no more delay,"
also present difficulties for the same reasons?
1 A survivor existing on the perimeter of a barren
radioactive wasteland, (having endured the hardships
of AWWI and the Sixth Trumpet War), would question
the integrity of a declaration stating, "There will
be no more delay."
2 Especially when the speaker continues to detail
several more years of ever increasing tribulation,
before the day of no more delay finally arrives, upon
Christ's return.
F Therefore, the expression is best represented by the
third proposed translation which Albert Barnes
rendered--"And the angel lifted up his hand to heaven,
and swear by him that liveth for ever and ever, That the
time should not be yet; but, in the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the
mystery of God shall be finished."
G This translation is in keeping with the mighty angel's
mission, which is to interrupt the normal course of the
seven trumpet narrative with a special informative
message from the Captain of the Lord's host--"that the
time is not yet" for His return.
H Why did God send the mighty angel to warn in advance
that Christ would not return immediately after the Sixth
Trumpet War?
1 God knew that if Christians incorrectly expected
Christ to rescue them from further hardship at a time
commonly referred to as the mid-tribulation rapture,
they would fail to properly prepare for the
continuing spiritual battle of the nuclear age.
2 At this point in the Great Tribulation it will be
imperative for Christians to push the fight for the
lost in the time remaining before the seventh trumpet
sounds.
II The opened little book emphasizes again that "the time is
not yet" for Christ to return.
8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me
again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open
in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and
upon the earth.
9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the
little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up;
and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy
mouth sweet as honey.
10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and
ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as
soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter (Rev. 10:8-10).
A The little book contains the rest of the Book of
Revelation.
B The majority of its contents explain the mysterious
events leading up to the sounding of the seventh
trumpet.
C The little book's message will be sweet in the mouths of
today's Christians when they tell others about these
awesome prophecies concerning the last days.
D But when Christians are actually swallowing the book--
literally living and dying during the day-to-day ful-
fillment of the final events of the age--they will find
that the events described in the little book will be
bitter indeed.
11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many
peoples, nations, languages, and kings" (Rev. 10:11, NIV).
A The final directive to John emphasizes the main point of
the mighty angel's message, "The time is not yet when
the mystery of God shall be finished."
B Therefore, "you must prophecy again" about the events
which will come to pass in the years following the Sixth
Trumpet War, since they will concern "many peoples,
nations, languages, and kings."
III The significance of the Captain's urgent directive calling
for every Christian's immediate response.
A After filing his firsthand report on the mighty angel's
unexpected interruption, John continued to transcribe
the rest of the seven trumpet visions.
B His first entry upon resuming this task described an
assignment that he was instructed to carry out
immediately.
1 And was given to me a reed like to a staff, saying: Rise
and measure the shrine of God and the altar and the (ones)
worshipping in it (Rev. 11:1, IGENT).
A The Greek word for reed is kanon, which means a measuring
line or rule. The Hebrew word, kaneh, also means "a
reed."
1 The English word, canon, as derived from these
languages, refers to the canon of Scripture--the books
of the Bible which are officially accepted by Christ's
earthly Church as the inspired Word of God.
2 Hence, even as the ancients used a hollow stalked,
cut reed, as a measuring-stick for keeping the
construction of a building true to the designer's
plan, so also is John instructed here to use the Holy
Scriptures, (the measuring reed of the Church
containing the rules of the Christian faith), to
determine the true dimensions of every aspect of
Christ's earthly Church.
B The command instructs Christians living in the time of
the prophecy's fulfillment, to carefully consider which
features of the Church measure up to the specifications
God set forth in His original plan for building His
earthly Church.
C The reference to the reed being "like to a staff" sums
up the fact that God's written Word is strong, like "an
iron staff" (Rev. 12:5, IGENT), which "cannot be broken"
(John 10:35).
D The word "saying," in the expression "a reed like to
a staff saying," means the Spirit of God speaks through
the reed, the canon of Scripture, to the sons of men
about the spiritual battle plan for the nuclear age.
E The command to "measure the shrine of God" symbolically
orders a comprehensive review of every detail of God's
battle plan for successfully completing the building of
Christ's earthly Church, despite the foretold opposition
against His work in the closing years of the nuclear age.
F "And the altar."
1 The altar was the place of sacrifice upon which men
sought pardon for their sins and reconciliation with God.
2 In the days following the Sixth Trumpet War, Christians
are instructed here to measure the cornerstone of the
Christian faith--salvation through Jesus Christ who died
for their sins.
G "And the (ones) worshipping in it," i.e., measure the
people who are professed members of Christ's Church to
see which ones, among those calling themselves by
Christ's name, are true Christians and which are not.
H From the previous two instructions, how will the true
Christians stand out from the counterfeit Christians?
1 They will be actively working on Christ's plan for
building His earthly Church.
2 They will name Christ, and Christ alone, as the author of
their faith.
2 And the outside court of the shrine cast out outside and
thou mayest measure it not because it was given to the
nations, and the holy city they will trample forty and two
months (Rev. 11:2, IGENT).
A "The outside court of the shrine" refers to what the
Jews called the "court of the Gentiles."
- The Gentiles could come into the outer court, but they
could not proceed into the walled inner court on pain of
death.
B Only Jews who had access to the inner court, and to the
altar, would be measured as true worshippers of God.
C To an uninformed observer the outer court of the temple
and the people assembled therein would appear to be as
much a part of the worship service as the people
assembled in the inner court and the temple itself.
1 The point being made here is that in the eyes of the
world, anyone attending a church operating under the name
of Christianity is considered to be a Christian, even
those who do not personally believe in Christ.
2 Hence, the additional instruction to "cast" the outer
court "out outside and measure it not," properly means
that all counterfeit Christians are to be decisively
separated from the true body of believers in the days
following the end of the Sixth Trumpet World War.
D "Because it was given to the nations," reveals the most
significant outcome of the Sixth Trumpet War.
- The meaning is that the "outside court," (the visible
outward trappings of Christianity), will be given into
the hands of the nations by the leaders of various
Christian denominations.
E "And the holy city they will trample forty and two
months" is a definite reference to Jerusalem, which,
according to this verse, will also come under the
control of the nations after the Sixth Trumpet War.
F The presence of the reference to Israel's loss of full
control over Jerusalem indicates that the modern Jewish
state will suffer severe damage at the hands of the
200-million man army, when it invades the Middle East.
G The rest of the mighty angel's little book will confirm
this position and it will also identify the nation that
will send a 200-million man army crashing into the
Middle East after AWWI.