Rev 10:5-11, Part 2 -The Days Of The Voice Of The 7th Angel
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Rev 10-5-11, Part 2 -The Days Of The Voice Of The 7th Angel
[Study Aired Sept 22, 2024]
Picking up where we left off in our last study, we will now consider the phrase “there should be time no longer”.
Let’s consider what is signified by the two verses we have not yet considered:
Rev 10:6 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 10:7 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.
In verse six we are reminded that God is the Creator of the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and all the things which are therein. It is by our Creator that this great angel swears and declares “that there should be time no longer”. What are we being told? The thousand years have not yet even begun, and the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire is not yet finished, so why are we being told “that there should be time no longer”?
Here are several translations which give us a better translation of what is being said in Revelation 10:5:
(CLV) and swears by Him Who is living for the eons of the eons, Who creates heaven and that which is in it, and the earth and that which is in it, and the sea and that which is in it, that there will be no longer a time of delay,
(ASV) and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer:
(ABP+) AndG2532 he swore by an oath,G3660 byG1722 the oneG3588 livingG2198 intoG1519 theG3588 eonsG165 of theG3588 eons,G165 whoG3739 createdG2936 theG3588 heavenG3772 andG2532 the things G3588 inG1722 it,G1473 andG2532 theG3588 earthG1093 andG2532 the things G3588 inG1722 it,G1473 andG2532 theG3588 seaG2281 andG2532 the things G3588 inG1722 it;G1473 forG3754 delayG5550 will notG3756 any longerG2089 be;G1510.8.3
(AFV) And swore by Him Who lives into the ages of eternity, Who created the heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, “There shall be no more delay.”
(ALT) and took an oath the One living into the ages of the ages [fig., forever and ever], who created heaven and the [things] in it, and the land and the [things] in it, and the sea and the [things] in it, that [there] will be time [fig., delay] no longer.
The meaning is indicated by the next verse… “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel… the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets”. When we know what the seventh trumpet is, (the seven last plagues of the wrath of God, Rev 15:7-8), and we know what “the mystery of God” is which He has declared to His servants, then we will understand why we are being told “that there should be time no longer”, meaning there will be no further delay of fulfilling that ‘mystery’.
What is the voice of the seventh angel?
What happens “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”? What happens at that time is the severe judgements of the world which is still within us, as Christ plainly told His disciples just before His crucifixion:
Joh 16:8 And when he [the holy spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
That judgment “must begin at the house of God”.
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
“The days of the voice of the seventh angel is the days in which the seven last plagues of God’s wrath begin to be poured out upon our sins, as detailed in chapters 15 and 16. This study concerns the sixth trumpet, and we are in Rev 10. Chapter 15 lays the groundwork for the pouring out of the seven last plagues of God’s wrath upon our idols and our sins. Here is what we are told in the last two verses of that 15th chapter:
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
“No man is able to enter the temple of God, till the seven plagues of the seven angels is fulfilled.” Put that phrase together with our two verses here in chapter 10 and you should begin to understand why we are told that “there should be delay no longer… In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished” means.
Rev 10:7 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.
The seventh seal, which is the seven trumpets, is opened in the first half of chapter 8. The last half of chapter 8 contains the events of all of the first four trumpets. Chapter nine contains the events of the fifth and sixth trumpets, which are referred to as the first two of “three woes”. These trumpets are even called “plagues” in chapter nine. Referring to the 2 hundred million “army of the horsemen” of the sixth trumpet, “the second woe”, we are told this:
Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
So the events of the seventh trumpet, which is also called “the seven last plagues”, are obviously not the only plagues, and they are not the only ‘wrath of God’. But what “days of the voice of the seventh trumpet” signify is that the judgments of the seven last plagues of the wrath of God begin to do their redemptive work in our lives only when the time to do so is “no longer delayed”. Only then does the chastening and scourging of the Lord begin at the house of God:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come [and “will no longer be delayed”] that judgment [the pouring out of the seven last plagues, chastening and scourging, and the bitterness of eating the little book] must all begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Notice that the events of the experiences of the sixth and seventh trumpet overlap each other. This is revealed in the wording of the introduction of the seventh and last trumpet:
Rev 10:7 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.
The only thing we need to ask now is… What is “the mystery of God” which this sixth trumpet begins to be fulfilled within us? And the answer is:
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is [“no longer delayed”, and is now] made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Was Christ judged by His Father? Did Christ experience the wrath of His Father? This is what we are told:
1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Did Christ’s Father and our Father in His wrath really forsake Christ and turn His back upon His “only begotten son”? We will let The Lord Himself answer that question:
Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
This sixth trumpet ushers into our lives the events of the seventh trumpet which will “fill up the wrath of God”, and begin to reveal within us, the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is [“no longer delayed”, and is now] made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom [His saints] God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
What that tells us is that God’s wrath continues upon all sin until “the last trump”. If that seventh and “last trumpet” has no place in our lives in this present time, then neither will the finishing of ‘the mystery of God’, nor ‘the first resurrection’.
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
If that mystery of the gospel is finished “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”, and if that mystery really is “Christ in you the hope of glory”, then we must conclude that the work of this seventh trumpet begins early in our spiritual lives and continues till we die and are raised up from among the dead and we are changed.
So we really do need to ask ourselves, How then will the mystery of God be fulfilled in you and me if the voice of this seventh angel has no personal application? Christ tells us this is a book of signs and symbols, a book which reveals the beginning and the end of the entire process of “Christ [working] within [us]” as He is being revealed in our lives. He tells us that we will “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” He tells us that these words are “a two edged sword,” and that “things present and things to come are ours.” He tells us we will realize this revelation only as we “look behind us”. So, for all those who believe that this book is telling them to avoid keeping the blasphemous lives which bring upon all men the plagues of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials, instead of seeing this prophecy as an overview of the entire Adamic experience, we ask again, How will the mystery of God be fulfilled in you? How will you enter into the temple of God if these seven plagues, which plagues necessitate the seals and trumpet which precede them, if we buy into the false doctrine that all of this is telling us to avoid this experience rather than acknowledge that this prophecy is the revelation of what Christ is doing within us? …Then none of the prophecies of this book are being experienced by you, and none of the words of the book of this prophecy are yet in the process of being “fulfilled” in your life!
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
We must all want “the things which are written in this book” to be believed and become our roadmap to what the Lord is working within each of us “after the counsel of His OWN will”:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
So what is that mystery of God? We have already referenced this verse but let us rest assured that we are not left to speculate about what this ‘mystery’ is. Here is that mystery which has been so long hidden, and which mystery ever since the death and resurrection of Christ is being finished “in the days of the seventh angel when He begins to sound”, in the lives of all of His saints and in our lives, as He declared to His servants the prophets. Here is that great mystery. Here is the secret which has been hidden from ages and from generations for so long:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Now let’s look at the verses which present the truth of this “mystery of God” to us, and as we do so, let’s notice just how similarly Ezekiel 2-3 and Rev 10 are presented to us as being the necessary circumstances surrounding the revelation of this mystery.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Col 1:23 If ye [are granted the blessing to] continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
We are “holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard”. Why would we ever “be moved away from the hope of the gospel”? What does that good news, that ‘gospel’, entail? Is it a good news of smooth things that will make us independently wealthy, free from trials and cause us to be well liked by all men is this life? Or is it a gospel which teaches that no man can enter into the temple of God until the seven plagues of the seven angels has been poured out in his own life?
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
As Ezekiel phrases this same message:
Eze 2:9 And when I looked, behold, an hand [was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein;
Eze 2:10 And he spread it before me; and it [was] written within and without: and [there was] written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the holy spirit, tells us that “The hope of the gospel” entails his own “sufferings for you, and fill[ing] up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:”
According to the Emphatic Diaglott there is an article before the word ‘Christ’ or ‘Anointed.’ This is how it would better read:
Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in the sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up the wants of the afflictions of the Anointed one in the flesh of me on behalf of the body of him, which is the congregation; (EDT)
Rotherham agrees with the Emphatic Diaglott.
Col 1:24 Now, am I rejoicing in the sufferings on your behalf, and am filling up the things that lack of the tribulations of the Christ, in my flesh, in behalf of his body, which is the assembly, (REV)
“The tribulations of the Christ” are not yet filled up because the “lamentations, mourning, and woe, written within and without the little book” are not yet fulfilled, and the seven plagues of the seven angels are not yet fulfilled in “the Christ” which is the body of Christ, “which is the church”.
This book is called “the revelation of Jesus Christ”.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:
Here is the King James Version.
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Apparently Christ was dead serious when He made this assertion to Saul of Tarsus as he journeyed to Damascus to imprison the followers of Christ.
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Christ was also dead serious when He made these assertions:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred [for The Truth], and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Those who “try the spirits to see whether they are of God” and actually speak those words of God and the words of Christ “line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”, really are speaking the words of Christ, as He said they would.
Luk 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:6 We [those who “try the spirits” and “do not think above what is written” (1Co 4:6)] are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
When we persecute our brothers who “try the spirits to see whether they are of God”, we are persecuting Jesus of Nazareth:
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
So “the mystery of God”, “Christ in us”, is finished “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”. But it is not finished until the seven plagues of the seven angels is poured out in our lives, and that is all being done as we come out of Babylon. As the fuel of our idols is burned up, the pain of those words of fire is reduced till we become comfortable in those fiery words. But the story of King David, and the very fact that we “die daily” and we are being “crucified with Christ”, remind us that the body of this death is with us until we, like Christ, are literally dead to this world.
Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
It is the seventh angel which is the last of the seven trumpet angels. What is the one thing we know happens in the days of the last trumpet? Here is what we are told:
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For all who can receive it, these things are all already being done in earnest in the lives of all who have been sealed with the holy spirit of promise and who know no man after the flesh. ‘Seven’ is not literally ‘seven’ at all.
Here is the study of the spiritual significance of the number seven:
The Spiritual Significance of the Number Seven
“The last trump” simply signifies the finishing of “the mystery of God”. There is not a literal ‘seventh trumpet’. For those who can receive it, this book is “signified” and ‘seven’ does not mean ‘seven’, it signifies the completing of “the mystery of God” which ‘mystery’ is revealed to be “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). But that “hope of glory” entails “suffering with Christ”:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,that we may be also glorified together.
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
This “suffering with Him” is the greatest gift and honor that can be bestowed upon any man in this present age:
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ [Col 1:24, “fill up in my body…”], not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
It is few indeed who can receive the doctrine of these verses:
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are [second aorist tense] pass[ing] away; behold [second aorist tense], all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled [aorist tense] us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given [aorist tense] to us the ministry of reconciliation;
For those who can receive it, “This generation will not pass till all these things shall be fulfilled” (Mat 24:34), is fulfilled in these words:
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [aorist tense] into Jesus Christ were baptized [aorist tense] into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried [second aorist tense] with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk [aorist tense] in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead [second aorist tense] is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead [second aorist tense] with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died [second aorist], he died [second aorist] unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If we fail to “reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive to Christ”, then we will never understand how “the mystery of Christ is finished in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”. But if we do so reckon these things, then we will know that the seven churches are one complete church, the seven seals are one complete sealing away from the physical sight of men, the seven trumpets are one complete trumpet judgment, and the seven plagues are one work of God upon the man of sin who is the king of the kingdom of the beast within all of us.
Summary
Our review of last week’s study is our summary of that study. So we will summarize only what we have seen in verses 6-7, which were not covered in last week’s study. Here are those two verses:
Rev 10:6 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 10:7 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.
We have seen in this study that the phrase “there should be time no longer”, is simply stating that there will be no longer a delay of the events which begin in the days of the voice of the seventh angel. Here is this same verse in the American Standard Version.
Rev 10:6 and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer: (ASV)
We have also seen in this study that whenever a message is repeated, it is repeated with slightly different symbols as a second witness to a single message. Pharaoh’s two dreams were one message showing Pharaoh what was to shortly come to pass. Both the book of Ezekiel 3 and the little book of Revelation 10 are revealing the same message, and that message is that we will prophesy before many people in the days of the voice of the seventh trumpet, that it is through much tribulation, dying daily and being crucified with Christ, that we must enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is through the eating of this little book, in which are written “lamentations, mourning, and woe”, that the mystery of God will be finished in the days of the beginning of the sounding of the seventh trumpet. But all of this, as we will see next week, is revealed in the sixth trumpet, along with the account of the measuring of the temple and the death and resurrection of the two witnesses.
For reasons which we will discuss next week, the seven last plagues of the seventh trumpet are not poured out until chapter 16. The seventh trumpet, in which the mystery of God is to be finished, is mentioned as “sounding” in chapter 11 but the seven plagues of that trumpet are not “poured out upon the earth” until chapter 16.
In our next study we will continue to seek the scriptural meaning of the symbols of the last five verses of Revelation ten:
Rev 10:7 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.
Rev 10:8 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.
Rev 10:9 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.
Rev 10:10 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 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Other related posts
- Rev 10:5-11, Part 4 - In The Days Of The Sounding Of The 7th Angel (October 4, 2024)
- Rev 10:5-11, Part 3- The Connection Between The little Book And The 7 Thunders (September 29, 2024)
- Rev 10:5-11, Part 2 -The Days Of The Voice Of The 7th Angel (September 22, 2024)