Transcription
This is the most critical part. Let me explain why I say that. I say that because up until this point, everything is kind of black and white. The tribulation starts once the first seal is open. You remember, the Antichrist comes on the scene. And so, basically, as you're reading through the Book of Revelation, it's kind of self-explanatory. The White Horse comes out, the Red Horse comes out, you can tell that there's war. The Black Horse comes out, which is famine. And so we start going all the way until we get to this point, chapter 10. This is an interlude.
And then when we get to chapter 10, we're to go all the way, chapter 10 and chapter 11, until the seventh angel blows the trumpet. And then we have another major interlude, chapters 12 through 14. This is where people get all confused. So tonight, it's very important that you stick with me. In fact, if you brought your Bible, I would really encourage you to turn to Revelation chapter 10, because you really want to take notes. Don't just write down your notes on this paper. And the reason why is because you're then going to have to go back and forth. I would encourage you to actually put down scripture references in the margin of your Bible.
All right, now as we go through this, you're going to understand why I say that this is so critical. So turn to the Book of Revelation chapter 10. Chapter 10 is what scholars refer to as an interlude. Now, it's very important that you understand what an interlude is. In literature, an interlude is what we would call parenthetical information. In other words, the author is going to interrupt the chronological flow of events in order to give you additional information that you need to know in order to understand what's going on.
How many of you have ever been reading through a book and then all of a sudden there's parentheses, and inside that parenthesis, it's kind of like, "For your information, you need to know this in order to understand what's being said or what's being tried to be conveyed in the book"? So think of an interlude as kind of like filling in the gaps. You see, as these events are unfolding in chronological order, other things are happening, and John didn't want to stop the chronological flow of events to say, "Oh yeah, and this took place. Oh yeah, this took place." So what he will do is he will just come all the way through these chronological events, and then all of a sudden he'll say, "You need some information." So he does this parenthetical information, he does an interlude. And we're going to get to and explain that first interlude in just a second.
Then he's going to start with the trumpets. He's going to go all the way from the first to the sixth one, and he's going to say, "Oh, wait a minute. If I keep going, you're not going to understand what you need to." So from time to time, John is going to take take time out to fill you in on what else is happening or to give you some background information so you'll have a better idea of what's going on or what has already happened.
Now, if you remember, as I said, between the sixth and seventh seal, there was an interlude because after the Sixth Seal was opened and a polar axis shift occurred, the question was asked, "Well, who can survive the great day of God's wrath?" I mean, all of these things have taken place. Place. We had the Red Horse come out, which was a nuclear war, and then we had famine, and then we had death coming, and and and 25% of the population died. And then you had this polar axis shift. And to be honest with you, the tribulation has barely begun. It's just got things started. Much worse is getting ready to come. But the question is asked, "Who can survive the great day of God's wrath?"
So before moving on to the seventh seal, John took a time out to explain that 144,000 Jews would be sealed to protect them from God's wrath. And John is going to do the very same thing between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgment. Before moving on to the seventh trumpet judgment, he takes a time out to explain a few things. You see, the seventh trumpet begins the second half of the tribulation. Let me throw up a chart up here so you can see it. In fact, take a look at this. Hopefully, you're sitting close enough to see it. But basically, these are the Seven Seals, and then you have the seven trumpets, and then there's an interval, and then you have these seven key figures.
Now, I want you to understand when I talk about the seven key figures, I'm actually talking about these seven key figures on my chart. Now, you need to understand that right after that, it shows a line that says, "This is the first half of the tribulation. This is the second half of the tribulation." I could have put this on the other side, but I didn't. And I'll tell you why, because this interlude takes place after the seventh angel blows the trumpet. And the only reason this interlude is added is because this is information you need to know before we get to the last events of the last half of the tribulation. If you don't understand these seven key figures, you won't understand what's going to take place at the last half of the tribulation.
But the main thing that you want to know is we have studied the Seven Seals. We have studied six trumpets. And as soon as the seventh trumpet sounds, the last half of the tribulation begins, the last three and a half years. So we are now at the halfway point. Now, because of that, John needs to fill you in on a few things. First, first of all, he needs to prepare you for the second half of the tribulation. And secondly, he needs to explain some of the things that happened during the first half of the tribulation that you didn't know about.
Remember, we told you that when the Antichrist comes on the scene, he's going to do two things. What's he going to do? He's going to broker a peace treaty with Israel, but he's going to allow them also to rebuild the Temple. Now, that's not mentioned in there. The only reason we know that is because of the Book of Daniel. So John's been telling you this, and all of a sudden, he just wants you to understand, "Oh, wait a minute, the temple was rebuilt." Now, he's not doing this as an afterthought. I I don't want to give you that impression because the Holy Spirit is guiding him and leading him. But you need to understand that before the abomination of desolation can take place, which happens when? At the beginning of the second half of the tribulation.
Now, in order for the abomination of desolation to take place, there has to be a temple. Because what happens? Oh, let me just go further and say this. What the abomination of desolation is, is the Antichrist is going to go into the temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and he's going to say, "I am God." And he's going to make the sacrifices and the offerings cease, and he's going to say, "You need to worship me. I am God." At that point, the Jews are going to say, "Uh oh, we have made a mistake." That begins the second half of the tribulation.
Now, all of these things that we've been studying in the first half of the tribulation didn't mention the temple, did it? We're going to get to the 11th chapter, verses 1 and 2, and all of a sudden, he's measured the temple, and he's going to give us a little detail in those two verses. But most of us don't catch such as the Dome of the Rock does not have to be destroyed for the temple to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. Most people don't understand that. They think that the Third Temple is not going to be rebuilt until the Dome of the Rock is wiped away or destroyed. People, that's not going to happen. And when we get to chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, you'll see why I say that.
But you also need to know that there were two witnesses that were prophesying during the first half of the tribulation. So in chapter 11, guess what takes place? Not only is the temple rebuilt, but he goes into these two witnesses, Moses and Elijah. Why? Because those two witnesses have been prophesying and have been ministering to the Jews, to the nation of Israel. So when the abomination of desolation does take place, and they see this miraculous resurrection of these two witnesses, they're going to believe. But John didn't tell us anything about it. And when did these two witnesses minister? In the first half of the tribulation or the second half of the tribulation? In the first half of the tribulation. But we didn't hear that.
So before he gets to the second half, the seventh trumpet, all of a sudden, John takes a break. He says, "Wait a minute, there's some information you need to know." And so he writes chapter 10, and then he writes chapter 11. So what you need to keep in mind is chapters 10 and 11, up to verse 14, is an interlude. Don't try to fit it into chronological order. Just understand that he's explaining a few things that goes into the first half of the tribulation, because we're getting ready to stop and go into the second half. The abomination of desolation's going to take place. All of a sudden, Satan is going to turn his wrath upon the woman, and tribulation is going to come such as the world has never seen before. Does that make sense? Is everyone with me? Good.
Because now we're going to go a little bit more in depth than what we've been doing. Turn to chapter 10, verse number one. "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." Now, if you noticed, the description of this angel is very similar to the description of Jesus Christ. Did anyone notice that? No one noticed it? Well, I noticed it when I read it. And many scholars believe that this angel is Jesus. And let me explain why they believe that.
In Exodus 3:1-4, Jesus is referred to as an angel of the Lord. Turn with me, if you would, to the Book of Exodus, chapter 3. Let's read verses 1-4. "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and he came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb: And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush." All right. Now, I want you to notice, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. So who is in the burning bush? An angel of the Lord. Let's keep going. "And Moses looked, and Moses looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed: And Moses said, Well, I'm going to turn aside, and see this great sight, why this bush isn't being burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush."
Now, wait a minute. Who was in the midst of the bush? An angel of the Lord. Here it says, "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush." Now, here's what's interesting. No one can see God's face and live, right? How many people have seen Jesus and lived? You can. But Jesus is also God. So here it says, "God speaks to him." But it also says, "The angel of the Lord was there." In other words, the angel of the Lord is God. And he said, "Moses." And Moses said, "Here I am."
Now, people, this is what is known as a Christophany. A Christophany is an appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. You'll find several Christophanies as you go through the Old Testament. You remember when Jacob wrestled with the angel? Who was the angel? Jesus. Jesus could have taken him at any time. He could have been WWF and whopped him and done all those things, but he didn't. He allowed Jacob to wrestle with him. And when he saw that he wasn't prevailing, in other words, Jacob was going to continue to run, all it says is that he touched his hip. It doesn't say that he threw him down. It doesn't say that it wrenched him. It doesn't say any of that. It says that he touched him. Why? Because he has this divine power. And then Jacob names his place because he has seen God face to face. In other words, he recognizes that this is Jesus. In fact, it's kind of interesting because Jesus is God in the Old Testament. It's kind of he's God all the time. I don't mean that, but in the Old Testament, remember, you didn't see God's face and live. No man has done that. If you notice, he was wrestling with him at night, but it's starting to be daybreak, and the angel has to leave. But Jacob says, "I have seen him face to face." That's a Christophany. That's a revelation of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. But here, in Exodus chapter 3, Jesus is referred to as an angel of the Lord. So it's possible for Jesus Christ to be referred to as an angel.
Now, I want you to notice how John describes this mighty angel in Revelation chapter 10. Go ahead and turn back there. Verse number one. "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." So this angel is clothed with a cloud. Revelation 1, verse number 7, says that Jesus will come with the clouds. So we see a similarity there. Secondly, this angel also has a rainbow upon his head. Now, what does the rainbow symbolize? Does anyone know? The rainbow symbolizes God's mercy in the midst of judgment, just like it did in the days of Noah. Remember, he sent the flood, killed all these people, then he said, "I'll never do that again." And as a sign, a token of this covenant, I'm going to give you the rainbow. So if you remember, in Revelation 4, verse number 3, God's throne was encircled by a rainbow. Now, why was God's throne encircled by a rainbow? It's because it symbolized God's purpose to redeem, not destroy, the world and the human race. When Jesus came, he did not come to judge the world, but he came that the world might be saved. Jesus didn't come to judge the world, he came to redeem the world. The only ones who are going to be destroyed are those who reject Jesus Christ, those who don't want anything to do with him. So when you get to the throne room of God, and we saw that in Revelation 4, verse number 3, there's this huge, not not just his head covered with the rainbow, but this huge rainbow that encircles his throne. Why? Because God is a merciful God. And as we're going through this seven-year tribulation period, the thing that we found out is the reason it's going to take this long is because God's not willing that any should perish, but that all men come into repentance. And so this is a symbol that God is a merciful God, and his purpose is to redeem, not to destroy the world or to destroy the human race.
Now, in essence, this angel that comes down is crowned with mercy. Doesn't that sound a lot like Jesus? Wouldn't he be crowned with mercy? I'd say so. Verse number one also says that the angel's face shone like the sun, as does Christ's face. Look at Revelation 1, verse number 16. "And in his right hand he held seven stars: and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was like the sun shining in all its strength." Wow. Very close similarities. This angel's feet are as pillars of fire, which is how Jesus' feet are described in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 1, verse number 15, says, "His feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace." In other words, superheated.
So for these reasons, a great many scholars, in fact, probably a majority of scholars, believe that this angel is actually Jesus Christ. But I don't believe that, and I'm going to show you why I don't believe that. And I'm just going to tell you, flat out, I'm right. All right, let me explain why I'm right. First of all, John says that this angel was "another mighty angel." If you look back, chapter 10, verse number one, "he saw another mighty angel." The word for "another" is translated from the Greek word "allos," which means "another of the same kind." You see, the Greeks actually had two words for another: "allos," which means "another of the same kind," and "heteros," which means "another of a different kind." Now, if Jesus was being referred to as an angel, you wouldn't use the word "allos." You would use the word "heteros." Jesus would be referred to as "another angel of a different kind."
Let me see if I can give you an example of this. If we spoke Greek, and I was talking about Lisa, I would say that Lisa is another human being of the same kind. No, I wouldn't, would I? Because she's female and I'm male. So I would say, "Lisa is another human being of a different kind." I'm male, she's female, right? If I looked at Drew and said, "Drew is another human being of the same kind," I would use the word "allos" because we're both male. Does that make sense? So if they were going to refer to Jesus as an angel, they would not have used the word "allos." They would have used the word "heteros." He's another angel of a different kind, not like all these other angels we've been talking about. Does that make sense?
But let's go further. Not only that, Jesus is never referred to as an angel in the Book of Revelation. Because we're having so many manifestations of angels, John is going to make sure that you understand when the Son of Man comes, when Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, comes, you will know it. He'll state it. He won't call him another angel. He wants to make sure you understand there's a distinction.
Thirdly, this angel, we're going to find out in verses 5-6, swears by Him who lives forever and ever, by Him who created heaven and what's in it, the earth and what's in it, and the sea and what's in it. In other words, this angel is going to swear by God. Look at verses five and six. Let's read it. "And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 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."
Now, the Book of Colossians 1:15-16 tells us that Jesus is the creator of all things, of all things in heaven and of all things on the earth. Nothing that's here that was created was not created by Jesus. Jesus has created all things. So if this angel was Jesus, he would have sworn by himself, just as God did. Do you remember the story? Hebrews chapter 6, verse number 13, refers to the story. Notice what it says: "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself." You see, in the Jewish culture, if you wanted to swear by something, you always swore by something that was greater than yourself. So God wanted to swear by something, but there was nothing greater than him. So guess what God did? He swore by himself. Does that make sense? But this angel didn't swear by himself. He swore by someone greater than himself, which is God. So as you can see, in verse six, this angel is making a distinction between himself and God, which Jesus would not have done, since Jesus is God, the exact representation of God. He is the creator of all things. So he would not have sworn by God. He would have sworn by himself. That's the third reason I know that this angel is not Jesus.
Here's the last one. Fourth. Verse three says that this angel placed his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth. Look at verse number two. "And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 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." Now, there's a lot of speculation as to what this little book is. Is it the book that Jesus took out of God's hand in Revelation chapter 5? Is it the one that was sealed with Seven Seals that we refer to as the title deed to Earth? Well, some scholars think that it is. First of all, and the reason they believe that is because, first of all, John doesn't say what's in the book, kind of implying that we already know what's in the book. Secondly, the book that Jesus took from God's hand was previously sealed, but as we've been going through the Book of Revelation, each seal was opened. When the first one was opened, you had the White Horse. When the second one was opened, you had the Red Horse. When you had the third one opened, you had the Black. And then it continues on until all seals are open, and then it says that scroll is now opened. And if you noticed here in Revelation 10, verse number two, it says that this angel held the little book in his or he said the little book opened in his hand. Wow. The book is opened. That's why some scholars think that this little book is the title deed to Earth. It is the same book in chapter five that Jesus took out of God's right hand.
But I don't think it is, and I'll tell you why. In fact, I know it's not. I'm right, and I'll explain why. First of all, this is referred to as the "little book." In other words, it is a smaller version. Does that make sense? And in that respect, it stands in contrast to the seven-sealed book, which had so much content that the content was written on the inside and on the backside. That tells us that it must have been of considerable size. Look at Revelation 5, verse number one. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." Now, the whole purpose of writing on the backside is because you ran out of room. And if you continue to put everything on the inside, the scroll would be way too large. So sometimes, in the days of John, you would write on the inside, and when you thought you got halfway through, you'd turn it around and you would write on the backside. But the only reason you did that is because you had too much content. Does that make sense? So this tells us that this is a very large book. Look at Revelation 5:1. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." This is large. It's the title deed to Earth, and it details the divine plan for establishing God's kingdom here on this Earth, for evicting Satan and his followers, and for setting up the kingdom of God here upon the Earth. That's why John distinguishes between the two. One's big, one's small.
So what is this little book? Well, the problem is, you've got to understand the Book of Daniel to understand the Book of Revelation. And it's kind of interesting. I truly believe that God gives wisdom. I really believe that if any of you lack wisdom, you're to pray and ask God for wisdom, and God will give it to us liberally. Lisa will tell you, as I studied many times, that God, "I just don't understand. You're going to have to open this up to me." And God grants wisdom.
Now, what's interesting is in the Book of Daniel, some things are sealed, and it tells you that these will not be revealed until a certain time. And when it's revealed, it will only be revealed unto the wise, those who seek God's face and seek understanding. And so for us to understand certain things in the Book of Revelation, we've got to go deeper. We've got to go back to the other books that deal with eschatology.
So let me tell you what I believe this little book is, then I'm going to explain why I believe that, and I'm going to give you proof of why I say that. All right. I personally believe that this little book is the book that Daniel was told to seal up in the last chapter. That book contained things that were not to be revealed until the time of the end. Now, in the margin of your Bible, I want you to write that phrase: "until the time of the end." Time of the end refers to the last half of the tribulation, that three and a half year period that we're getting ready to study when we finish chapter 10, 11. All right. This book in Daniel that he was told to seal goes right along with the big book that was sealed with Seven Seals, with an exception. It's a more condensed version, and it deals specifically with the Jews.
Now, when we get to the Book of Daniel, and I show you this, you're going to find out that we know it's dealing with the Jews because it's going to refer to this little phrase as "thy people." Because this book is written by Daniel, when he says "thy people," he means Daniel's people. Now, who were Daniel's people? What was Daniel? Was he a Gentile? He was a Jew. So "thy people" refers specifically to the Jews. So this little book is a condensed version. It's what Daniel saw, but he was not supposed to reveal it. He was supposed to seal this up, and this dealt specifically with the Jews for a specific time, which was the last three and a half years of the tribulation.
Look at Daniel 12:4. And then we're going to look at verse number nine. All right. "But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret, seal up the book until the time of the end." Now, what does that phrase "time of the end" refer to? Last half of the tribulation, the last three and a half years. That when the seventh angel blows his horn, all of a sudden these seven vials are going to go, "Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam," and we're going to see the last three and a half years of the tribulation. So it says, "Daniel, keep this prophecy secret, seal up this book until the time of the end." When many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase. We've seen that taking place. And it seems like technology is just growing exponentially. It's kind of interesting. I know many of you have said, "Well, you know, technology can't continue to grow like it is." You just don't know. Last year, I bought Lisa an iPod, and I was being very generous, spent a lot of money, got her an eight-gig iPod. This year, I bought myself an iPod. I like buying myself gifts, so I did that. I bought a 120-gig hard drive. Wasn't even possible the year that I bought Lisa's. Eight gig was like big, and I think you could go to 16 or 32, and that was, you were paying such a huge amount. I wasn't going to do it. Sorry, I would have done it for you. But but you know what's interesting? When I bought my 120-gig, it cost actually less than what I paid for hers. Technology is just growing so fast. And let me tell you, it's not going to stop when the tribulation comes. In fact, we're going to see it grow even more exponentially.
Now, Daniel 12, verse number nine. "But he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." When is the time of the end? The last half of the tribulation, the last three and a half years. So guess when this little book's going to come on the scene? When is this going to be revealed? At the last half. And maybe that's where we are. Revelation chapter 10. So we know what this little book is. Now, let's go a little bit further. I believe that the little book is the one that was sealed until the time of the end, and now it's been opened. I don't mean right now. I mean when chapter 10 occurs, the last half of the tribulation, and it's going to deal specifically with the Jewish people and what's going to happen to them. Daniel's people during the last half of the tribulation.
You see, we've already covered everything that's going to happen during the first half of the tribulation, except for this additional information that John gave us here in chapter 10 and chapter 11. But even that information, chapter 10, 11, has to do with the first half of the tribulation. When we get to chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, he's told to go measure the temple. You know why he's told to go measure the temple? Because that's the temple that would fit on the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock still there. But he doesn't tell him to go measure outside of the court of the Gentiles, why? Because it's going to be trodden down by the Heathen. Wow. So we see the temple, and the reason he goes to measure is because he wants you to know that in the first half, the temple was rebuilt, and it's up there side by side, and you still have this dispensation of the Gentiles taking place. And then after, uh, the first two verses, you go to chap to verse number three, all of a sudden you have the two witnesses that are ministering. And when do they minister? During the first half of the tribulation. But when the seventh trumpet sounds, chapter 11, verses 14-9, the second half of the tribulation begins.
So this little book is the one that Daniel was told to seal up until the time of the end, until it's time to blow the seventh trumpet to start the last half of the tribulation, also known as the Great Tribulation.
If you don't mind, I want to read Daniel chapter 12, all of it, because I want to show you the similarities between Daniel chapter 12 and what happens with this angel in Revelation 10. So let's do that. Daniel 12:1. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince." What time? That time that we're talking about when this angel comes, "which standeth for the children of thy people." Whose people? Daniel's people. "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to the same time." This is going to be the Great Tribulation. This is the tribulation that Jesus talked about in the Olivet discourse, when he said that when you see the abomination of desolation, you flee, because tribulation is coming like you've never seen it before. If you thought the Holocaust was bad in World War II, you've seen nothing yet. If you thought that all of this genocide that's taking place in Africa was bad, you've seen nothing yet. It's going to get bad, so much worse than what you've seen. "And at that time," what time? When this last half of the tribulation begins, "thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth," why they sleep? Because they were martyred, "shall awake, some to everlasting life, and to sh some shame and everlasting contempt. And they shall be W, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Wow. The 144,000.
"But thou, O Daniel, now notice this, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." We've seen that taking place. And it seems like technology is just growing exponentially. It's kind of interesting. I know many of you have said, "Well, you know, technology can't continue to grow like it is." You just don't know. Last year, I bought Lisa an iPod, and I was being very generous, spent a lot of money, got her an eight-gig iPod. This year, I bought myself an iPod. I like buying myself gifts, so I did that. I bought a 120-gig hard drive. Wasn't even possible the year that I bought Lisa's. Eight gig was like big, and I think you could go to 16 or 32, and that was, you were paying such a huge amount. I wasn't going to do it. Sorry, I would have done it for you. But but you know what's interesting? When I bought my 120-gig, it cost actually less than what I paid for hers. Technology is just growing so fast. And let me tell you, it's not going to stop when the tribulation comes. In fact, we're going to see it grow even more exponentially.
Now, Daniel 12, verse number nine. "But he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." When is the time of the end? The last half of the tribulation, the last three and a half years. So guess when this little book's going to come on the scene? When is this going to be revealed? At the last half. And maybe that's where we are. Revelation chapter 10. So we know what this little book is.
Now, let's go a little bit further. I believe that the little book is the one that was sealed until the time of the end, and now it's been opened. I don't mean right now. I mean when chapter 10 occurs, the last half of the tribulation, and it's going to deal specifically with the Jewish people and what's going to happen to them. Daniel's people during the last half of the tribulation.
You see, we've already covered everything that's going to happen during the first half of the tribulation, except for this additional information that John gave us here in chapter 10 and chapter 11. But even that information, chapter 10, 11, has to do with the first half of the tribulation. When we get to chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, he's told to go measure the temple. You know why he's told to go measure the temple? Because that's the temple that would fit on the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock still there. But he doesn't tell him to go measure outside of the court of the Gentiles, why? Because it's going to be trodden down by the Heathen. Wow. So we see the temple, and the reason he goes to measure is because he wants you to know that in the first half, the temple was rebuilt, and it's up there side by side, and you still have this dispensation of the Gentiles taking place. And then after, uh, the first two verses, you go to chap to verse number three, all of a sudden you have the two witnesses that are ministering. And when do they minister? During the first half of the tribulation. But when the seventh trumpet sounds, chapter 11, verses 14-9, the second half of the tribulation begins.
So this little book is the one that Daniel was told to seal up until the time of the end, until it's time to blow the seventh trumpet to start the last half of the tribulation, also known as the Great Tribulation.
Also, "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, Oh my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, that's the abomination of desolation. When does that take place? He told us in Daniel chapter 7, in the middle of the tribulation, in the middle of the 70th week. Now notice this: from the time that the abomination of desolation takes place, there shall be [Music] 1,290 days." There's 360 days in a Jewish calendar year. How long is that? Three and a half years. When the abomination of desolation takes place, you will have three and a half years. So we know that the abomination of desolation will take place, bam, right there in the middle. "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the th35 and3 days." Now, this is a different day period. We'll come back to this when we get to the Millennium period, because from the time Jesus comes in the time of the Millennium period, there's a brief period of days, and we'll look at that, and I'll show you what's going to happen. But go thou thy way to the NB, for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of days."
Now, hopefully, as we've read through this, you see the similarities between Revelation chapter 10 and Daniel chapter 12. First of all, there are three strong angels in the Book of Daniel: Michael, one on one side of the river, one on the other side of the river. And guess what? There are three mighty angels in the Book of Revelation: one in chapter 5:2, one in Revelation chapter 10, and the one in Revelation 18 that I gave you. There's a book that's sealed until the final three and a half years of the tribulation is about to begin. And guess what? Right before, between the sixth and the seventh trumpet, before that seventh trumpet blows, right before it, which starts the final three and a half years of tribulation, John has handed a book that's opened. What book is that? It's the book that Daniel sealed, but now it's time. He said it would be closed until now. It's time. It's opened. In Daniel, the book of Daniel, one of the angels swears by the Creator that the time of the Great Tribulation will be for three and a half years. The angel in Revelation chapter 10, which we're going to get to next week, also swears by the very same person, by the Creator, concerning the length of the Great Tribulation. Wow. He's going to say the very same thing. When he swears that it's for an appointed time, it's not going to be with a delay. Everything that Michael prophesied is going to come to take place. People, Daniel chapter 12 goes hand in hand with Revelation chapter 10. In fact, they fit like a glove. That's why I believe that the little book that's open that's handed to John is the book that was sealed in the Book of Daniel chapter 12. We're now seeing the fulfillment of what Daniel prophesied coming to pass right before the last three and a half years.
Back to verse two. Wow. We'll stop right here. I thought I was going to finish early, and we're not even to verse number two yet. Was verse number one good? People, I'm here to tell you, it's going to get bad for the people who make it through the first three and a half years and they think, "Huh, I can't get any worse." They have no idea. In fact, there's a verse in the Old Testament, I can't remember where it is, I'll try to find it, that basically implies that only one out of 10 will make it through the tribulation. One out of 10. 90% of the people will be dead by the end of the tribulation. That's how bad it's going to get. But you know what? Those who are born again, those who look for Jesus' return, we're going to be raptured. We're not going to have to go through that last three and a half years. We're not going to have to go through the tribulation period because we're going to be with Christ there. But if you haven't received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I'm telling you, I wouldn't take any chances. I would turn in your Bible to the Book of Revelation chapter 10.
Now, as I said last week, this is the point where most people get confused as they study the Book of Revelation. And the reason they get confused is because they don't understand the structure of the book. You see, we're now at the midpoint of the tribulation. And I'll explain how I know that in just a little bit. In fact, if we have enough time, uh, I'll just kind of wait to the end of the sermon, and if I look at my watch, we have enough time, I'll show you how I know that we're at the midpoint of the tribulation. But for now, I just want you to trust me when I say that we're at the midpoint of the tribulation. Can you do that? Can you trust me? Good.
The second half of the tribulation is going to begin once the seventh trumpet blows. Now, because we're at the end of the first half of the tribulation, and we're getting ready to start the second half of the tribulation, this is the perfect time for John to take a time out and kind of fill us in on some details that we're kind of missing. So chapters 10 through 14 are what scholars refer to as interludes. In literature, an interlude is what we would call parenthetical information. In other words, the author, John, is going to interrupt the chronological flow of events in order to give you, the reader, additional information that's going to help you to understand what's been going on or what's getting ready to go on.
You see, in the first half, as each seal was opened, a specific event occurred, and those events were in chronological order. If you look up at the chart, you'll notice when the first seal was opened, out came the rider on the White Horse, the White Horseman. That's the Antichrist. The second rider on the Red Horse did not come out until the second seal was opened. When did the third rider on the third horse come out? When the third seal was opened. And so we see that these events occurred in chronological order. The same thing occurred with the trumpet judgments. As each trumpet was blown, a specific event occurred, and those events occurred in chronological order.
But as those events were occurring in chronological order, other things were also happening, and we didn't know about them because John is only focused on these events that are happening in chronological order. And rather than break the chronological flow of the events, John waited until the end of the first half of the tribulation to fill you in on what else happened. You see, during the first half of the tribulation, the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem. If you remember when we were at the very first seal and the White Horse came on the scene, I told you that the Antichrist was going to do two things. I told you that he was going to negotiate a peace treaty with Israel, but I also told you that the temple was going to be rebuilt. How did I know that? Because I'd studied the Book of Daniel, but I'd also studied the Book of Revelation. I had read ahead, and I knew what was going to take place. John didn't tell us that back then, but he's going to tell us now. He's also going to mention the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah. Their ministry was during the first half of the tribulation, but we didn't hear anything about them. But he wants us to know that there were two witnesses that came on the scene when the tribulation began. Those witnesses are Moses and Elijah. And so he wants to fill you in on that. So John is going to fill us in on that in chapter 11.
Now, in chapters 12-14, John reverses his style of writing. You see, for the first half of the tribulation, he waited until the end to add the interlude. But for the second half, he's going to start with an interlude. He's going to give you a lot of information before he gets to the chronological events of the second half. So it's the reverse of what he did in the first half. And most people don't get that. They don't get chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are what we call interludes. It's parenthetical information. And because most people don't know that, they try to place chapters 10 through 14 in some type of chronological order, and that's why they get confused. It's not supposed to be placed in chronological order. So to make it easy for you, let me explain a few things.
Chapter 10 lets us know that we're at the end of the first half of the tribulation and the second half is about to begin. Chapter 11 explains what else happened during the first half of the tribulation besides just the seals and the trumpet judgments. The temple was also rebuilt and the two witnesses were on the scene.
The seventh trumpet is also blown in verses 14-19 in the 11th chapter. What's kind of interesting is it's the little break in the interludes. I told you that chapters 10 through 14 is an interlude, but there's one little section between that that is not an interlude. It's not parenthetical information. It's like he puts this in parenthesis and, "Oh, I need to add this." And then since we're starting, because when does the second half of the tribulation begin? When the seventh trumpet blows.
So what he does, I want to make sure that you get this. We've got the six trumpets of the seven trumpet judgments. At the end of that, he goes into an interlude because we are at the last half, or the last part of the first half of the tribulation. And so he tells us what else happened in the first part of the tribulation, and then the seventh trumpet sounds. That ends the first half of the tribulation. We're getting ready to start the second half of the tribulation. But before we get to the chronological flow of events, he's got to give us certain information. So he gives us this parenthetical information. Does that make sense?
But you need to understand something. Chapters 12 through 14 is basically general information. You need to know these things to understand what's happening in the second half of the tribulation. But don't try to put it in chronological order, because if you try and put it in chronological order, you're really going to get confused. Does that make sense? Good. I'll continue to explain it as we go through chapters 11 through 14, and you'll understand it.
Last week we covered verse number one in chapter 10. So let's read verse one. "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."
Now, because of the description of the angel, many scholars believe that this is Jesus Christ. But I proved to you last week that this is not Jesus Christ. First of all, he's referred to as "another angel." Now, the word "another" is translated from the Greek word "allos." You see, the Greeks had two words for "another": "allos" and "heteros." "Allos" means another of the same kind. "Heteros" means another of a different kind. Now, when it's talking about this angel, it says "another angel," it uses the word "allos," another of the same kind.
Now, if this were Jesus Christ, it would be putting Jesus on the same plane, the same level as other angels, because it says this is "another angel of the same kind." If this were Jesus, and we were referring to him as an angel, we would have used, or we wouldn't have, but John would have used the word "heteros." This is another angel of a different kind. He's not like all the other angels we've been talking about here in the Book of Revelation. He's completely different than they are. So that's the first reason that we know that this is not referring to Jesus Christ.
Secondly, Jesus is never referred to as an angel in the Book of Revelation. He's talking about so many angels. John wants you to understand that Jesus is the Son of God. He is not an angel. So nowhere in the Book of Revelation will Jesus be referred to as an angel.
Thirdly, the angel takes a vow and he swears by someone greater than himself, God. Now, people, that's kind of normal. But in the Bible, you always did that. If you're going to swear, you would always swear by something greater than yourself. So what's interesting is this angel comes in and he swears by something greater than himself, which is God. Now, if this were Jesus, he wouldn't have done that. He would have swore by himself because he's God, and there's no one greater than God. We found out last week that when God wanted to swear, he swore by himself because there was nothing greater than himself. Jesus would have done the same thing.
And last but not least, this angel comes to Earth and he places both feet upon the Earth. Now, Jesus is not going to do that until when? Until the end of the tribulation, until he comes back for good to set his kingdom, kingdom here upon the Earth. And so we know that this is not Jesus.
So, who is this angel? Well, in all probability, it's one of the archangels. Now, I want you to notice that this angel has a little book in his hand. Look back at verse two. "And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth."
As I said last week, this book is the same book that Daniel was told to seal up in Daniel chapter 12. That book contained things that were not to be revealed until the time of the end. Now, I told you last week to underline that phrase, "time of the end," because "time of the end" is a figure of speech in the Book of Daniel. It refers to the last half of the tribulation. Now, when you get to chapter 10, you're at the end of the first half, about to begin the last half of the tribulation. So Daniel's book is ready to be unsealed.
Look at Daniel 12, verse number four. You could also look at verse number nine, but I thought I'd just give you one. "It says, 'But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret, seal up the book, until the time of the end.'" Notice this word, "until." Why does he say "until"? Because when the time of the end, which is the last half of the tribulation, when it's time for the last half of the tribulation, this is going to be unsealed. And that's what's happening here in chapter 10, verse number two. That's why when the angel comes with the book, it is opened. It's about to be handed to John, and that's what the angel is holding.
Now, as I said last week, this small book is not the title deed to Earth. If you read some commentaries, some of them will tell you that this is the title deed to Earth. It's the scroll in Revelation chapter 5. Remember, God was holding this scroll that was sealed with seven seals in his right hand, and a large angel, or a great angel, and again, this is one of the great angels, the mighty angels. He says, "Who is worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals?" And John begins to weep because there's no man that's worthy. And an elder steps forth and says, "Don't weep. You don't know this, but there's someone that's worthy." And Jesus comes and he takes the scroll, and it begins to open the seals. That scroll is the title deed to Earth. Does that make sense?
Now, this small book in Revelation chapter 10, or little book, is not the same. It is not the title deed to Earth. It's actually a judgment summons. In other words, now that the title deed has been opened, it's time to take possession and evict Satan and his followers. Now, let me show you why I believe this, why I believe that the little book is a judgment summons. And I probably ought to give you a little side note here. That's an English law term, not an American law term. All right? So if you think of judgment summons according to American law, that doesn't make sense.
But what a judgment summons is, is when someone owned a piece of property, someone's in it, they didn't make the payments, or for whatever reason, it's time to evict them. And so you got a judgment summons. They were supposed to appear in court. They didn't pay the payments, so they went to prison, and you would begin the eviction process and possess your property. So this is actually a judgment summons. And I'm going to show you why I believe this.
Look back at verse two. "And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth." Now, in the Jewish culture, putting your foot on something indicated sovereignty over that thing. In other words, you were taking authority over it, taking possession and control. If you want a good example of this, you can find one in Joshua 10:24-26. Notice what it says there: "And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, and Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come ye near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings unto this place: and they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them."
"And Joshua said unto them, Be strong and of good courage: for the Lord will put in the hand of Israel all your enemies which ye have overcome. And it came to pass afterward, that Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were an hundred days hanging upon the trees."
Now, by placing their feet on the kings' necks, it symbolized that they were in complete authority over these kings. They possessed the power and the authority to execute their will over them. And in this case, they killed them.
Now, let's look at the significance of the angel planting his feet upon the Earth. As the kinsman-redeemer, Jesus had the right to take possession of the title deed to Earth. As I said in Revelation 5, that's the book with the seven seals. And now that all of the seals have been opened on the title deed, he now has the legal right to possess the property at any time he chooses. Do you remember us talking about that? In other words, he has the right to take possession of the Earth.
Now, the reason he has delayed taking possession of the Earth after the seventh seal was opened is because he was giving man a chance to repent. You see, once the seventh seal was opened, and we come here to this 30-minute silence, if you remember when that took place, and all of a sudden the prayers of the saints, they had been offered up, and he threw down the golden altar, or the golden incense, and he threw that upon the Earth because judgment was coming. And then all of a sudden, we saw the seven trumpets begin. Well, since the seals were opened, he had the right to take possession. But he doesn't do it. He actually delays it, which is very important, because we're going to find out that there's going to be no more delays now. But he actually delays it. But the reason he delays it is because he wants man to repent.
The whole reason God is allowing all the evil to take place in this world is because once he steps in and Jesus comes back, he has to judge sin, and men will no longer have a chance or time to repent. And so God is patient. He's allowing every person to have a chance to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Now, once he gets to this point, it's time to take possession of the Earth. And by sending one of the archangels to the Earth with the judgment summons, Jesus is indicating his intention to evict Satan and his followers and to take possession of the Earth. So, in a sense, the last three and a half years of the tribulation is the eviction process that leads up to Jesus' return and him setting up his kingdom upon the Earth. And the last three and a half years is going to start when the seventh angel blows the last trumpet in the trumpet judgments.
In fact, go ahead and jump ahead to Revelation 11:15. This is a time when we're studying the Book of Revelation that we will jump ahead. We'll read a little bit ahead. Now, notice what it says: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
Now, I want you to notice that the word "kingdom" is singular. "The kingdom of the world." It doesn't say "the kingdoms of this world." It says "the kingdom," singular. It's singular because all of the earthly kingdoms are really under one kingdom. Whose kingdom is that? Satan's. Do you remember when Jesus was tempted? The devil took him up to the pinnacle and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He said, "If you'll bow down, I'll give you all of this." Why could he say that? Jesus didn't say, "Wait a minute, they're not yours." No, he didn't do that. You see, all of the kingdoms, and I hate to say this, the only thing that's kind of suppressing the evil from being rampant upon this world is Christians. We are the salt of the earth. We keep things from becoming totally putrid. Does that make sense? We actually preserve the world.
But I want you to understand something. Even America is a kingdom of Satan. You just have to look around and you'll see it. That's why there's always evil in every government. You can study what our government has done, and you can see at times it's been very evil. Because of Christian principles, at times it's been very good. I believe that America is the greatest country that's ever been, don't mistake me. But you need to understand, every earthly kingdom is under one kingdom, and that's Satan's kingdom.
But when the seventh trumpet is blown, Satan's world kingdom becomes the legal property of Jesus Christ. It becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Now, notice that the phrase "has become" is written as a past fact. Notice it says "has become." Can you throw back that scripture back up there? Sorry.
Now, notice it says, "The kingdoms of this world are become." Past fact. You want to know why it's translated like that? Because it's written in the original Greek as a tense, middle voice, indicative mood. That means it happened immediately when the seventh angel blew his horn. As soon as he blew the horn, the kingdom of Satan became the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. Wow.
So, the last half of the tribulation is not Jesus working towards to get this. Actually, the last half of the tribulation is basically the eviction process. Satan has ingrained himself in this world. He's going to fight it all the way, and so are his followers. So guess what? The last half of the tribulation is actually the eviction process. Because once that seventh trumpet is blown, the Earth legally becomes Jesus Christ, and he's now taking his, taking possession of it by proxy. And that's the significance of the angel planting his feet on the Earth. It is an act of possession on behalf of Jesus Christ. And the open book that he's holding is a judgment summons. He is exercising his right to possess the Earth, and the angel is his proxy. He's acting on behalf of Jesus. That's why this angel has the attributes of Jesus. It's because he represents Jesus. And it's my personal belief that this is the Archangel Michael. And I'll tell you why.
When you go to the Book of Daniel, when he's writing all of these things, it's all in the perspective of the Jews, known as "my people." Now, for Daniel, he was a Jew. Daniel's people were Jews. Now, what's interesting is these Jews are going to be here on this Earth while the eviction process is taking place. And they're going to become the object of the devil's wrath. Because when God comes to evict him, he knows these are God's special people. And so his wrath is going to be poured out upon them. Daniel tells us that. Just go back and read the book of Daniel, especially chapter 12.
Now, this is why I believe that the little book in his hand is a judgment summons. It contains the things that Daniel prophesied about Satan being evicted and the kingdom of God being set upon the Earth. And it was sealed up until when? The time of the end. That's a figure of speech, which means the last three and a half, the last three and a half years of the tribulation. And that's why at this point, the first half of the tribulation is finished. It's done. Now the book is open. We're starting the end.
Verses three and four: "And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 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."
Now, the fact that God chose not to reveal what the seven thunders uttered is probably an act of mercy. We already know enough about the future to be really concerned about those who are going to be left behind when the rapture occurs. I'll be honest with you, by the time we get to the end of the Book of Revelation, one thought's going to be in your mind: "I don't want to be here when this happens." And you're going to have a different perspective towards your loved ones. When your loved ones die, we automatically at this point go, "Oh man, I sure hope they knew Jesus Christ. I sure hope they went to heaven." But you know what's kind of interesting? You get through the Book of Revelation, you realize how close we are to this occurring. You're going to have a different perspective. Your perspective isn't going to only be that way when death occurs, but you're going to be thinking, "Boy, I hope they're ready when Jesus comes back. I hope they go up in the rapture." Because if they don't, it's going to be bad. So I think, personally, that it's a good thing that God chose not to reveal what was said, because if he revealed what was said, probably it was something that we wouldn't be able to take.
Look at verses 5 and 6: "And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and in the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer."
As I said, this angel places his feet upon the Earth. He's holding the judgment summons in his left hand. He takes the book of judgment, the book of Daniel, which is the judgment summons, and he takes an oath. He raises his right hand, like we do in a court of law, and he swears by God that there should be time no longer.
Now, people, that's very important. I want you to underline that phrase, "time no longer." What in the world does he mean by that? "Time no longer." Well, that phrase is translated from the Greek words "chronos ouk estai," which, if you translated literally, would be "there will be no more time." Now, that doesn't mean that time will no longer exist. You have some wackos out there that think that this means that time will no longer exist because we've entered into eternity. And then they tell you that in eternity, there's no time, because time is a measure of change. In eternity, things don't change. I don't believe that. I believe you're going to have time in eternity. It's just infinite time. Does that make sense? Now, if it doesn't, don't worry about it. But they say that we've entered into eternity and there's no more time. But that's not what this is saying.
This is saying, "no more time" in the sense of time is up, no more delays. It's like loaning someone money, and they told you they're going to pay you back. And so when it comes time for them to pay you back, they say, "I really don't have it. Can you give me a few more days?" And you say, "Okay, you got three more days to come up with the money." And then the three days come and go, and you call them up and you say, "Three words: no more time." What do you mean by that? No more delays. I want my money now. And that's what this means. No more delays. It's time to start the eviction process so Jesus can take possession of the Earth for 2,000 years. We've been praying, "Thy kingdom come." And for 2,000 years, God has been delaying it.
When we started the tribulation process, we saw some Christians that were martyred early in the process, and they were saying, "How long, Lord?" And he says, "Be patient. There's more martyrs coming." And he's delaying the time. When the seven seals are opened, Jesus has the title deed to Earth. He has the right to possess it, but he doesn't do it. He delays the time. But no more. This angel comes down, he puts his feet upon the Earth, he has the judgment summons, which is the little book in the Book of Daniel, he raises his right hand, and he swears by God that there will be no more time, no more delays. It's time to begin the eviction process.
So what you've been praying for, that God's kingdom will come, will come upon the Earth. It's now time for the kingdom, not plural, but singular, the kingdom of the world to become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. So when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, there's no more delays. Time is up. The eviction process begins. Jesus is finally taking possession of what is legally his, and now he's going to evict Satan and his followers.
Now, as you can imagine, they are not going to go quietly. They're going to put up a fight. But that's okay. And the reason it's okay, it's not that God couldn't just immediately poof and they'd be gone. He has made the eviction process a period of three and a half years because through the eviction process, Israel's eyes will be opened. Go back and read Daniel 12. He talks about them being refined and them coming out of it.
At this point, the majority of Jews, so we say in a general statement, Jews do not believe in the Messiah. But at the end of the tribulation, when Jesus returns, they will look at the one whom they pierced and they will repent, and the nation as a whole will become born again. They will become part of the church, or part of the body of Christ, I should say. And so, in this eviction process, Israel's eyes are going to be opened. Because the Messiah they were looking for is not the Messiah that is God's Messiah. The Messiah they are looking for is the Antichrist. And when he comes on the scene, they're going to think he's the Messiah until the abomination of desolation. At that point, they know he's not. But they still don't know that Jesus is the Messiah, the majority. But through this three and a half years, their eyes will be opened.
Verse seven: "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."
Now, that word "voice" is the Greek word "phone," and actually our word "phonics" comes from it, and different things like that in English, but it means sound. So if you have the King James Version, just cross that out and write above it, "sound." But "in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he when he shall begin to sound," talking about the seventh trumpet judgment, "the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."
Now, I want you to underline the phrase "in the days." That's very important because this verse doesn't say "when the seventh trumpet sounds." It doesn't say that. It says "in the days." And I'm going to paraphrase: "when the seventh trumpet sounds." Now, let me tell you why that's important. This tells us that the sounding of the seventh trumpet is not to be thought of as a single moment in time. See, when we think of the seventh trumpet sounding, we think of it as happening and it's over. This is not to be thought of as a single moment in time, but rather it embodies a period of time. How long of a period of time? Three and a half years. You see, the seventh trumpet not only begins the last half of the tribulation, it also includes the last half of the tribulation. The seven vials of God's wrath, they're all a part of the seventh trumpet judgment. You see, the seventh trumpet is just a signal for the last trumpet judgment to begin.
So if you asked me, "What is the last trumpet judgment?" I would tell you, it's the last three and a half years of the tribulation. And that's what it is. Notice what it says in Revelation 11:15: "Oh, there it is. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.'"
Now, let me ask you something. When this trumpet blew, what event occurred? Well, the kingdom of this world became the kingdom of our Lord. Did you see an event take place? Did anything physical happen? No. The kingdom of Satan became the kingdom of God, and the eviction process begins. But nothing physically happens. It's just now is the time for this to take place. So the seventh trumpet starts the last three and a half years of tribulation. It starts the eviction process. And during that time, the mystery of God will be fulfilled.
Look back at verse seven: "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."
Now, I want you to underline that word "accomplished." It's translated from the Greek word "teleo," which means to fulfill or to bring to completion. So what this is saying is that in the last three and a half years of the tribulation, the mystery of God is going to be finally completed. It's going to finally be accomplished. Everything God wanted, and the mystery of God is going to be accomplished.
Now, does everyone know what the mystery of God is? All right, I'm going to explain. The mystery of God is basically God's plan of redemption. Pastor, how do you know that? Well, I'm going to give you three scriptures. If you study Romans chapter 16:25-26, Ephesians 6:19, and Colossians 2:2, you'll find that the mystery of God refers to God's plan of redemption. So whenever you see the mystery of God, know one thing: the mystery of God refers to God's plan of redemption.
Redemption. Why is it referred to as a mystery? Because it was a secret until it was revealed to God's prophets. Only the initiated know what it is. And that's what a mystery is in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So this is what Revelation 10:7 is talking about: the mystery of God, or in other words, the total redemptive plan of God, not just man, but of all creation, God's redemptive plan.
Now, the mystery of God, God's plan of redemption, includes: the mystery of the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51), the mystery of Israel's blindness (Romans 11:25), the mystery of Christ in the church (Ephesians chapter 5:31-32), the mystery of Christ in us (Colossians 1:26-27), the mystery of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew chapter 13), the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16), the mystery of lawlessness. Why are some people evil and not of God? Because they rejected the Messiah. That's the mystery of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7). All of these mysteries are a part of God's redemptive plan, which is known as the mystery of God. All these little mysteries are all a part of one big mystery known as the mystery of God, God's complete redemptive plan.
So I want you to notice what verse 7 is saying: "The mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." Now, remember, verse 7 is right after verse 6: "no more time." But God's redemptive plan will be accomplished, just as he declared to his prophets. No more delays. These prophecies that God gave are going to be fulfilled during the last three and a half years of the tribulation.
Look at Daniel chapter 12. I'm going to read verses 6-11. "One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 'How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?' The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever: 'It will be for a time, times and half a time. And when the power of the holy people has been finally broken, then all these things will be accomplished.'"
What is that power over them? Satan has blinded their eyes to who Jesus is. All these things will be completed. "I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?' He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.'"
"From the time that the daily sacrifices are abolished and the Abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days." That's three and a half years plus 30 days. And I'll explain when we get to the end why there's 30 extra days. So once Daniel's sealed book is unsealed, you have three and a half years. Once the judgment summons is served, the eviction process begins, and it's going to take three and a half years.
Verses 8, 9, and 10: "Then the voice, the voice from heaven spoke to me again: 'Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.' So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. 'Yes, take it,' he said, 'and eat it. It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach.' So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach."
Now, he tells him to eat this. "Eat" is a Hebrew idiom. It's a figure of speech. It means to consume knowledge by reading and studying. And we use the same figure of speech today. When a person is really interested in a subject, how many of you went to college? You found out what you really loved, so you declared your major, and you got into that department, and man, you just ate it up. You read a lot of information about that subject, you studied it, you took classes on it. And when you were talking about it, what did you tell people? "Man, I just ate it up." You see, that's a figure of speech. So we use the same figure of speech today.
So when he tells him to eat it up, what he's telling him is, "Read it and study it." So the angel tells John to read and study this small scroll. And when John first reads it, it's sweet. Now, why is it sweet? It's sweet because it's wonderful to see God's redemptive plan coming to fruition, to see God's redemptive plan being fulfilled. But after he begins to digest the information, "digest" is also a figure of speech. It means to consider and meditate on what you just learned. So when John first reads the small scroll, it's about the last three and a half years. It's this judgment summons. It's what Daniel was received. This knowledge, he sealed it up, but it talks about what's going to happen to the children of Israel during this last three and a half years.
When John takes it, he eats it. Man, it's sweet because God's redemptive plan is going to be fulfilled. But then as he begins to meditate on it, he begins to digest the information, it's a different matter. After he really considers what's going to happen during this three and a half year period, it turns sour in his stomach. Why? Because he realizes how awful these things are going to be during this three and a half year period, during this eviction process, when God comes and he kicks Satan out of heaven and he tells him, he gives notice, "Nope, you're no more." It begins in heaven, and he goes down there, and he's going to actually take over the Antichrist's body. He's going to be filled with Satan. And when God begins to evict him, he's going to turn upon the woman who gave birth to the Child Jesus Christ, and that's the children of Israel. And so he's going to pour his wrath on the children of Israel.
Now, when he first reads this book, he says, "Yes, God's kingdom's coming. It's great." And then he begins to meditate on it, and he goes, "Man, this is going to be a horrible time." And it turns his stomach bitter, just thinking about all the suffering and the pain and the death and what's going to happen. Makes him sick.
Verse 11: "Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.'"
Now, the reason that John is told to prophesy again is because he's been soured by what's about to occur. And the human reaction when you get sick to your stomach, when it becomes bitter inside, is to do what? To stop. Not to go on. But he needs to finish prophesying. This revelation needs to be completed. So he's given a divine command to continue to prophesy because we need to know what is going to happen during this last three and a half years, and it needs to be recorded because when it takes place, these Bibles are going to be there, and they're going to turn and they're going to say, "Look at this. God outlined what was going to take place, and we have seen it take place." And it's going to bring the children of Israel to the Messiah. And that's the end of chapter 10.
I have just 2 minutes. Now, I'm going to explain how I know that Revelation 10 is at the midpoint of the tribulation. I've kind of been telling you all along, but I haven't just come out and said it. So let me just do that. Remember that Revelation chapter 10 corresponds with Daniel chapter 12. I mean, they are so similar. Just got to read the two. The little book in Revelation 10 is the book that was sealed in Daniel 12. It's going to be unsealed. We were told at the end of the tribulation, or I'm sorry, at the end of time, in other words, the last three and a half years of the tribulation. And in Revelation chapter 10, it's open, which tells us it's time for the last three and a half years. And Daniel said, from the time his sealed book was opened and revealed, would be 1,290 days, approximately three and a half years, plus 30 days. That's how I know that Revelation 10 is at the midpoint of the tribulation.