Friday, April 1, 2016

Revelation, chapter 10, comments: the end of history


1 ¶  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

This angel descends from heaven in a cloud and has a rainbow on his head, a face glowing like the sun, and his feet looking like they are on fire. We have to ask ourselves what is the meaning of what John is seeing. What does this angel represent? Below are interesting cross-references.

God’s appearing in a cloud.

Exodus16:10  And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

Leviticus 16:2  And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

Psalm 97:2  Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

The promise of the rainbow.

Genesis 9:13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

A rainbow around the throne of God.

Revelation 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

A face glowing like the sun.

Exodus 34:28 ¶  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Revelation 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Notice how the visions of heavenly beings are so profound and stark in contrast to the earthly.

Daniel 10:5  Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6  His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

2  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, 3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

Even if by some remote chance we would have all agreed on what the Seven Thunders said we aren’t going to get the chance to find out. This angel has a small book open.

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: 7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Daniel 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Human history’s final act.

Luke 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Romans 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

History from the human perspective is about to end. It is all coming to a point of confrontation. No more chances. No more evil of mankind being filled. Its already filled to the brim and boiling over. When the seventh angel sounds a rapture/resurrection, the marriage supper of the lamb, and the return to seize control of the earth’s kingdoms proceeds.

Notice the phrase voice of the seventh angel and then cross-reference back to this verse to keep from confusion.

Revelation 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

    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. 11  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

John is told to eat the little book and it tastes sweet but is bitter in his stomach. We have other instances where prophets are told to eat written words but in this case they are bitter in the prophet’s stomach. God’s word is sweet to us now but in this coming time, the wrath to come, will be bitter in the extreme. John’s writings for the last two thousand years have been reviewed and studied by many nations, languages, and rulers hoping to understand their place in the end times.

Next, we see the time framed by these chapters repeated from a different point of view.

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