Blessed Are Those: A Journey through Revelation – Part 11

Quickening the End - Rev 10:1-11

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – March 16th, 2025

Intro:

• We are just over the halfway point in our journey through Revelation as this morning we turn to chapter ten (page 1068 pew Bible). Last week, after the fifth and sixth trumpets were blown, unleashing demonic forces on the earth, we read the sad commentary on the condition of the hearts of humanity, persisting in their refusal to repent of their evil ways and idolatry. As people’s hearts become harder, the judgments become greater.
• Before the seventh trumpet is blown, there is a pause in the action, which gives time and space for further revelations and the fulfillment of God’s plan. There is a similar pause that also takes place between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals, where all God’s people from every nation, tribe, people, and language are sealed with a mark, which is recorded in Revelation chapter seven. And as we get to the bowl judgements in chapter sixteen, there is another pause between the sixth and seventh bowls where the enemies of God are gathered for the last battle.
• The pause between the sixth and the seventh seals, trumpets, and bowls is one of the reasons why biblical scholars believe these three series of judgments describe the same events from three different perspectives, like three different camera angles at a sporting event.
• I personally believe that the seventh trumpet has not been blown yet because of what happens after it has been blown (Rev 11:15-19), as well as what must happen before it is blown, which we will see from our passage for today. Our primary points from our passage are things for us to know and do: understand the mighty authority of God, quicken the end of the beginning, and receive and proclaim the Gospel.

Understand the mighty authority of God

Revelation 10:1-4 NIV

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

 This is the second of three mighty angels mentioned in this book. The first is mentioned in 5:2 and proclaims, “who is worthy to open the scroll.” The third angel, who picks up a huge stone and throws it into the sea, is mentioned in 18:21, announcing the final destruction of Babylon. All of the angels are created by God and are under His command (1 Peter 3:22; Matt 4:6). They are “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14 ESV).

• The angel that is described here in Revelation 10 is indeed mighty, with a glowing face that comes from being in the presence of God and a rainbow crown that indicates he is commissioned to keep God’s covenant with His people. He is robed with a cloud and has legs like fiery pillars. The cloud and fire should remind us of how God led His people through the wilderness to the Promised Land. And just as God led His people through the wilderness (Ex 13:21-22), this angel is going to lead the people of God to the new and better promised land—the new heaven and the new earth.
• This is a massive angel that no one and nothing will overcome. He has authority over both land and sea, as signified by one foot on the land and one foot on the sea. His voice has the authority of God Himself, like the roar of a lion (Hos 11:10; Amos 3:8). We must understand God’s great power and authority. No one will thwart or overcome Him. His plans will prevail, and His will will be done on earth as in heaven. Be blessed by this knowledge.
• Now, at the shout of this mighty angel, the “voices of the seven thunders spoke.” We don’t know what they said because John was not permitted to tell us, so we are going to have to wait until the time God wants to reveal this. God said a similar thing to the prophet Daniel as he was to “seal up” the vision of Daniel 8:26 and to “seal the book until the time of the end” (Dan 12:4). Paul also talks about a guy who was “caught up into paradise” and “heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Cor 12:3-4). So, there are some things that we are not permitted to know at this time.
• Scripture tells us that “the secret things belong to the Lord our God” (who knows everything) “but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut 29:29 ESV).
• God is not holding out on us or keeping good things from us. Scripture also tells us, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV). We can trust His goodness, knowledge, and wisdom. Know He will give us what we need when we need it, at just the right time and in just the right way to maximize our good and His glory.

 Quicken the end of the beginning

 Revelation 10:5-7 NIV

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

 This mighty angel, who has authority over land and sea, swore by the one who is greater—the creator of all things, the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, the sea and all that is in it—that when He blows the final trumpet, there will be no delay. “The kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever” which we will read about next week (Rev 11:15).

• This is important for us to notice. “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet” - and I think we are living in this period of time - the “mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” Okay, so we need to know what this is.
• The reference to the prophets here encompasses both Old and New Testament prophets. God’s plan for all creation, announced by everyone from Moses to Malachi, Matthew to John, and the writing of the Apostles, is in view here. Paul describes this in Ephesians 1:9-10, that God “made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (ESV). The “mystery” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The “mystery” is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We proclaim Him and God’s plan to unite all things under Him. (See also Eph 3:3-9, 5:32, 6:19; Col 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3; Rom 16:25-27.)
• The “mystery” can only be accomplished when the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the world, and then the end will come. This is what Jesus said:

 Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

 In order for the end to come or the mystery to be accomplished, the Gospel must be proclaimed in all the world. So if you long for the pain of this world to be over and the promise of the next to be ushered in, then “speed its coming” by spreading the message of the Gospel to the ends of the world (2 Peter 3:10-13). We speed its coming by praying, providing, and participating in the will and work of the kingdom of God (see Matt 9:37-38, 28:16-20).

• This is why missions is a big deal around here, and it should be in all of our hearts. It is etched in stone in our mission statement as a church. We exist to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of His name, among all the nations. We give, go, pray, and persevere so that the mystery of God will be accomplished. If you really long for the new heaven and new earth, then participate in seeing the Gospel proclaimed in the whole world; the sooner it is done, the sooner all things will be made new. To do this, we must both receive and then proclaim the Gospel. As John was instructed, so are we.

 Receive and proclaim the Gospel

 Revelation 10:8-11 NIV

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

 John is commanded to take and eat the little scroll, which is the Gospel of Christ that is open to us all. This imagery is like what God told Ezekiel to do in Ezekiel 2:9-3:3; he was told to eat a scroll before delivering God’s message to the rebellious house of Israel. In order to make the Gospel known to others, we must make it a part of ourselves. We must ingest it. It will be sweet to your taste because it is the grace by which we are saved. However, what is sweet is also sour in a way, because the Gospel brings both joy and judgment, comfort and conviction. It is sweet because it is the truth, the message of salvation, the promises of God. But it turns sour because it also contains the reality of judgment, suffering, and rejection for those who refuse to repent.

• This is the experience of every faithful follower of Christ. The Gospel is sweet—it brings life, hope, and reconciliation with God. But it is also bitter—it demands sacrifice, perseverance, and the reality of opposition.
• John is then commanded to proclaim this message to many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. This is the Great Commission echoed once again (Matt 28:19-20). His commission is also the commission of the church, to both receive and then proclaim the message of the Gospel, first to ourselves and then to all the people of the world.
• This passage reminds us that we must first receive the Gospel before we can proclaim it. We must let it transform us from the inside out. We must ask ourselves, have we truly taken it in? Do you understand what it means for you and for everyone and everything? And are we partnering to faithfully proclaim the truth of God to the ends of the earth?

Conclusion

• Remember that God’s mighty authority is supreme—His plans cannot be thwarted, and His will shall be accomplished. We can trust Him fully. Understand the mighty authority of God; be comforted and take courage in His might.
• His purposes will be accomplished, and there will be an end and new begging for all things. Our mission is to speed its arrival by spreading the Gospel. If we long for Christ’s return, we must be active participants in making Him known to the world.
• The Gospel is both sweet and bitter. We must fully embrace it before we can effectively proclaim it. This chapter calls us to a renewed urgency in our faith and mission. Let us not be passive but active in the work of God’s kingdom.

 Communion

 Song

Benediction

Our prayer team is available to pray with you after the service near the “Prayer” sign at the front of the sanctuary and also in the prayer room, next to the offices.

Questions for Growth Groups

1. What stood out to you the most from this passage and sermon? Why?
2. What does the imagery of the mighty angel teach us about God’s authority? How does this impact your view of God’s power over the world today?
3. Why is there an emphasis on “no more delay” in Revelation 10:6? How does this challenge us to live with urgency?
4. The angel swears by “Him who lives forever and ever” (Rev 10:6). What does this reveal about God’s sovereignty over history and the future?
5. John is commanded to eat the scroll, which is both sweet and bitter. Have you ever experienced the Gospel in both of these ways? How?
6. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that the Gospel will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. What role do we play in this mission? How can we participate more actively?
7. How can you personally grow in both receiving and proclaiming the Gospel this week? What steps will you take?