Rev 10:5-11, Part 4 – In The Days Of The Sounding Of The 7^th Angel

[Study Aired Oct 4, 2024]

We concluded our last study of these last 7 verses of Revelation 10 by posing two questions… What exactly is “the mystery of God” and whether “the seven last plagues” are an essential part of “the mystery of God” (Col 1:27).

Therefore I will ask again… What exactly is that mystery of God and does that ‘mystery’ entail that we all experience the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon the kingdom of our old man? Applying “the dream is one” principle (Gen 41:25-26), we can know for sure that “the mystery of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11), and “the mystery of God” (Rev 10:7) are one and the same mystery, and in Colossians one we are told exactly what that mystery is.

We are not left to speculate about this mystery. 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 voice of the seventh angel when He shall begin to sound” in the lives of the Lord’s elect as He declared to His servants the prophets. Here is that great mystery. Here is the secret which has been hidden 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 look at these verses let’s notice just how similar to Ezekiel 2-3 are to Rev 10, which is presented as 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 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 [we] 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 gospel of smooth things that will make us independently wealthy, free from many trials and free from the hated of all men in this life? No, that is not what would cause us to be removed from the hope of the gospel. The hope of the gospel entails believing and teaching that “it is through much tribulation” that we must enter into the kingdom of heaven. The hope of the gospel requires and teaches that “no man can enter into the temple [of God in heaven] until the seven plagues of the seven angels have been fulfilled” 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 “sufferings for you [the church], 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.’

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 “Jesus Christ” in whom “the things which are written therein” are still being fulfilled:

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Here is Col 1:24 in 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 [Saul of Tarsus] 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, 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” (1Jn 4:1) 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 are granted to “try the spirits” and “[to] 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 indeed we are dead to this world.

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.

The seventh angel was the last of the seven trumpet angels. Here is the one thing we know that begins to happen in the days of the last trumpet:

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 twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” 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 ‘seven’ at all, and what “the last trump” signifies is the “finishing of the mystery of God”, which ‘mystery’ is not finished until we draw our last breath while in these clay vessels. All the time from Adam’s last breath, until the second resurrection will seem like “the twinkling of an eye” to Adam and to all who are in Adam because the dead are not conscious of the passing of time. It is not a literal ‘seventh trumpet’. “The seventh trumpet” means ‘the beginning’ of the completion of the plan of God in the lives of His elect. The work of the seventh trumpet is not finished until we have drawn our  last physical breath.

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[gin to be] finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

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.

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be [“changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”, and we shall be] caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air [the spirit, Eph 2:2 and Rev 9:2]: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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] [already] passed away; behold [aorist tense], all things are [already] becom[ing] new.
2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled [aorist tense] us [‘is reconciling us’] to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given [second aorist tense, ‘is giving] to us the ministry of reconciliation;

For those who can receive it, “This generation will not pass till all these things [including “the end” of the age, v 14] shall be fulfilled” (Mat 24:34), is fulfilled in these words:

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation [reading these words, v 15] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

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 into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried 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 in newness of life [in “the earnest of the spirit”].
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 is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead 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, he died 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 things to be true in “earnest of the spirit” (2Co 1:22 and 5:5), then we will know that the seven churches are one church, the seven seals are one seal, the seven trumpets are one trumpet, and the seven plagues are all one complete work of God upon the kingdom of the man of sin whose ‘kingdom’ is the dominion of the corruptible carnal minded beast within all of us.

2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

2Co 5:5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Summary

Our review at the beginning of this study is our summary of that of those verses. 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 Rev 10 are revealing the same message, and that message is that we will endure ‘lamentation, mourning, and woe’, and we will ‘prophesy and witness before many people’ in the days of the voice of the seventh trumpet. 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. The ‘prophesying before many people’ is also revealed in this sixth trumpet, includes the ‘measuring of the temple’ and the symbolism and signification of the symbolic, death and resurrection of the two witnesses (1Co 15:31; Gal 2:20; Rom 12:1).

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.

Verse 11 concludes chapter 10 and the voice of the seventh trumpet has not yet been heard. The significance of this 7^th trump is so great that we are told “the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets” (Rev 10:7).

For reasons which we will discuss in a future study, the seven last plagues of the seventh trumpet are not poured out until chapter 16. The voice of the seventh trumpet, in which the mystery of God should be finished, begins to be heard in chapter 11 chapter, but the seven plagues of that trumpet are not poured out upon the earth until chapter 16. It may sound like this is a linear account of all these events in our lives, but we will come to see that the principle of “the dream is one” must be applied to understand the events of the sixth and seventh trumpets and why chapters 11-16 are all a part of the sixth and seventh trumpets.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Our next study, Lord willing, will be in chapter 11, which concerns the measuring of God’s temple and the death and resurrection of God’s two witnesses.  We are told that these events are the passing of the sixth trumpet which is also called the second woe.

Rev 9:12  One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The measuring of the temple, the testimony and death and resurrection of the two witnesses accompanied by a great earthquake, the falling of a tenth part of the city and the slaying of seven thousand are all a part of “the second woe” which is the 6^th trumpet judgment, as stated in the last 4 verses of chapter 11:

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 10:5-11-Part 3- The Connection Between The little Book And The 7 Thunders  

[Study Aired Sept 29, 2024]

In this study we will consider why the seven thunders are placed where they are right after introducing the little book:

Rev 10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
Rev 10:2  And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
Rev 10:3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

6) What is the connection between this “little book” and the seven thunders which are sealed up and not written?

This little book is introduced to us just before the seven thunders utter their voices. We saw that John, the type and symbol of God’s elect, heard the voices of the seven thunders and “was about to write” what he had heard. If this little book signifies Christ and His Words working their fiery work of judgment within us, if John is the symbol of us and Christ in us being judged in this present time, and if thunder typifies the wrath of God upon the unrighteousness of those who are in the process of becoming His elect, then the connection between the revelation of this little book and the seven thunders, is the revelation of the work of Christ’s Words upon all that is within us which is contrary to those Words of Christ. While we are not given any specifics, which is the meaning of the words “write them not”, we are given to know what those seven judgments entail because the only thing the scriptures tell us is withheld from us, is “what tomorrow holds” and “the day and hour” of Christ’s appearing:

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mar 13:32  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Seal up the seven thunders

7) What is it that has been “sealed up and are not written”? What exactly is thunder? Exactly what is it that we are not being allowed to know?

The only other thing, besides the time of Christ’s appearing, which the scriptures tell us we do not know is exactly what will happen to us in the immediate future… “the morrow”:

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Jas 4:16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

We saw that ‘thunder’ symbolizes the wrath of God, on all that withstands His Word and His Work.

Psa 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

We saw that the Lord withholds nothing good from His elect.

Psa 34:10  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

We know that what the seven thunders uttered did not concern the overall plan and “counsel of God”:

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

We also saw that it is just after telling us that the thunder of God’s wrath will destroy all that is contrary to His Words within us, we are told that “the secret things belong to God”.

Deu 29:24  Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
Deu 29:25  Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
Deu 29:26  For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
Deu 29:27  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
Deu 29:28  And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as [it is] this day.
Deu 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Compare those words of Deu 29 with these words of Rev 10.

Rev 10:2  And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
Rev 10:3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

Since we are told that we will not be given more than we can bear, it is obvious that what the seven thunders utter is “the secret things” which belong to God, concerning whatever lies ahead of us which we are not, at this moment, able to bear.

Joh 16:4  But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
Joh 16:5  But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
Joh 16:6  But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

“But ye cannot bear then now” is the answer to the spiritual significance of the “write them not” part of the seven judgment trumpets. It is in the Lord’s great mercy upon us that we are not given to know the details of the seven trumpet judgments. But there is a connection between the seven trumpet judgments and the contents of the little book. That is why they are mentioned in the same context. While we are not given the specifics of the contents of the seven thunder judgments, we are given to know the counsel of God concerning what is in that little book and how the scriptures describe the Lord’s judgments upon the kingdom of our old man within us. This is the general content of what is written in that little book which is so sweet in our mouths and so bitter in our bellies:

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.

There were no chapter breaks in the original Hebrew manuscripts, and these are the very next words here in Ezekiel:

Eze 3:1  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
Eze 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
Eze 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

Speaking The Truth is a sweet experience but the consequences of speaking The Truth is a revolutionary and bitter experience in our belly both in Ezekiel and in Revelation:

Eze 3:10  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
Eze 3:11  And go, get thee to them of the captivity [in Babylon], unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
Eze 3:12  Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.
Eze 3:13  I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
Eze 3:14  So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

Ezekiel’s witness to the Lord’s people in Babylon while sweet in his mouth, the mouth signifying his heart and mind, became ‘bitter in his belly’ signifying how his witness affected his bodily experience. It is a bitter experience to speak The Truth to those who reject The Truth. The book of Revelation is a confirmation of Ezekiel’s experience:

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.

The only difference between these two accounts is that Ezekiel is sent only to ‘they of the captivity’, while the Revelation account sees us, signified by John, “prophesying again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings”.

Paul had this sweet in the mouth, bitter in the belly experience while witnessing to all the churches he had established:

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

There are well over 40,000 Christian denominations who are all testifying against themselves as spiritually being “carnal… babes in Christ”. They are “in Christ” in the same sense that the five foolish virgins are “virgins”. If we remain a spiritual “carnal… babe in Christ, we will hear the same words spoken by the spirit to the five foolish virgins:

Mat 25:7  Then all those [ten] virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8  And the [five] foolish said unto the [five] wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Being ever vigilant is signified by ‘bringing oil in vessels with our lamps’:

Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

The witness given by the Lord’s elect is signified by the witness of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3, and the witness of the “two witnesses” who speak the Words of The Lord in Revelation 11:

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred andthreescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Without verse 4 we would never know for certain what these “two witnesses” signify. But we have verse 4 and we find what they signify in Zechariah 4:

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

There it is. “This is the Word of the Lord…” That is the significance of the symbol of “the two olive trees” of Revelation 11. “The two olive trees” have nothing to do with the literal number ‘2’. Rather that particular number in scripture signifies all those who faithfully witness the Lord’s Words which are ‘sweet in our mouths’. But those words which are sweet while we faithfully witness to what is right there in the Bible… those same ‘sweet words’ precipitate a very bitter experience in our spirit when that witness is rejected by this world. The details of that rejection are what we are not given to know. But we are made certain to know that the things that are “not written” have everything to do with the bitterness in our bellies and the bitterness of our spirits. Remaining faithful even through that ‘bitterness in our bellies’ is the very meaning of ‘standing faithfully by the Lord of the whole earth’:

Zec 4:11  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand [faithfully] by the Lord of the whole earth.

If we are given to be faithful to the death of our old man while yet living in these corruptible clay vessels, we are considered by our Lord to be “dying daily” in His service (1Co 15:31). He considers us as being “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), and “presenting our [physical] bodies as a living [scapegoat] sacrifice” (Rom 12:1). These verses are all signified by these words  concerning the two witnesses:

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

We also saw the verses of God’s Word which promise to “prepare our hearts” before we are faced with any trial.

1Ch 29:18  O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee: 

Psa 10:17  LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

It is only after we have been prepared, that we, with John, are given ears to hear the voices of the seven thunders and we are prepared for our trials which lies before us. But it is always sealed up, and we only hear it when we need to. It is “not written” because is it for us alone at that moment. “The secret things belong to God” who alone knows what we will do tomorrow, but we do not know because “The secret things [of our trials and tests] belong to God… because we have forsaken the covenant of our fathers… [so] seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”

There should be time no longer

Now let’s look at 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”?

In the days of the voice of the seventh angel… the mystery of God should be finished.

The answer to this question is actually revealed in the next verse, verse 7, where we are told “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be finished as he has declared to his servants the prophets.” When we know what the seventh trumpet is, 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”.

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 judgement of the world in 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” signifies the seven last plagues of God’s wrath 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 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 verse here in chapter 10 and we should begin to understand what “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 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 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.

Notice that Revelation 9:20 refers to these trumpets as also being “plagues”. The Greek word for ‘plagues’ in Rev 9:20 is G4127, ‘plege’. That is the exact same word used in chapter 15 referring to “the seven last plagues” [G4127, ‘plege’]. Therefore, 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. What the seven last plagues accomplish is that they “fill up the wrath of God.” What that tells us is that God’s wrath continues on all sin until “the last trump.” If that seventh and “last trumpet” has no place in our lives, then neither will the finishing of the mystery of God, nor the first resurrection have a place in our lives in this present age.

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.

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 [in this present time] 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.

If that “mystery of the gospel” (Col 1:27) 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 [in] this present time”, 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 a spiritual body”, 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, as so many who teach that there is a way to avoid the wrath of God upon our ungodliness and unrighteousness:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

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 being formed within us as He is being revealed in us. 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 things which are written therein” (Rev 1:3), including the seven last plagues which must be poured out upon all men who wish to enter the temple in heaven (Rev 15:8), 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 are not experienced and “fulfilled” in your life?

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.

We will pause our study at this point and meditate on that question, and we will continue to seek to know exactly what is “the mystery of the gospel”, and whether that ‘mystery’ includes the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon the kingdom of our old man in our next study.

Rev 10-5-11, Part 2 -The Days Of The Voice Of The 7^th 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 15^th 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.