go through probably in the next couple of weeks and pick out some things and focus on them. Now I've been preaching a long time on Sunday morning on the doctrines of the Bible and for a good while now on the doctrines of the last things, the prophetic scheme as it's set forth in the Bible. And what we who are saved are looking for right now at this time is the event known as the rapture. The rapture is the first phase of Christ's second coming. In the rapture he'll return into the clouds. The trumpet will sound and he'll send out the call and all those Christians who have died, their bodies gone back to the dust or whatever, their soul and spirit gone to heaven. At that point their bodies will be raised and reunited with their soul and spirit and they'll be given an immortal body and at the same time those of us who are still alive when that event occurs, those who are saved, that is, and still alive, will be snatched away and given an immortal body, and so shall we ever be with the Lord, the Bible says. Now those who will be left behind That is, those who were not saved at the rapture will be left behind and will face a seven-year period that the Bible describes as being worse than any period in the history of the world. We call it the Tribulation, and we've been talking about that for a good many weeks now. I think this is the 19th sermon on that issue of the tribulation, and so we'll look at something here in Revelation chapter 10. Now my hope is that if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, if you can't go back in your mind to some point in your life, When you deliberately, consciously, purposely called upon Him and asked Him to come into your heart and be your Savior, you need to be saved, and you can be saved today, and I hope that you will. Revelation chapter 10, and we'll read the first four verses. We're going to focus on the latter part of verse 3 and verse 4, but we'll read the first four verses. John said, 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. 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, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth." Now I want you to pay close special attention to the latter part of verse 3 and verse 4. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And so keep your Bible open, please, to this passage, and I'm going to speak to you for a while this morning on the subject, The Seven Thunders. Now, Father, we approach now the preaching of your Word, and what a great blessing it is that we live in a place where we have such free access to your Word. and have the privilege of proclaiming it. And we pray now that this morning you'll help us as we endeavor to bring the message. We pray that the Holy Spirit might empower us, help us to preach in His fervor, unction, and power. We do pray if there's someone here who does not know the Lord Jesus as Savior, that the Holy Spirit would draw them to Him, and that today might be the day of salvation for them. And please help, I pray, those who are saved to be edified and uplifted because they're here this morning. Please bless and help, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. As we noticed in our last study, what's happening here in Revelation 10 is that John is given a vision which symbolizes the fact that God is getting ready to take possession of the earth. He created this earth, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, redeemed it with His blood on Calvary. The judgments of the tribulation prepare the redeemed earth for possession by the Lord. And so in Revelation chapter 10, God's representative in the form of what John refers to in verse 1 as another mighty angel, plants his feet one on the sea and the other on the land, symbolizing the universal rule that will be instituted under the Lord's rule when he sets up his kingdom and rules over land and sea throughout the entire world. But the thing that I want us to notice this morning is that in connection with this symbolism, John tells us of seven thunders. Picking up in the middle of verse 3, John said, when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And so this morning we'll notice these seven thunders. Now let me begin by pointing out that I have no idea what these seven thunders said and neither does anybody else including the people who think that they do know what the thunder said. This is not going to be that kind of stuff and if you know me and have I've been around here a while. You know I don't do that kind of speculative study where we guess what this might be and that might be and the other thing might be. I try to stick right with the Bible. And so this is not going to be the kind of study where we try to figure out what the thunder said. It's always a little bit amusing to think of the things that people either want to know or think they figured out about the Bible. Dr. H.A. Ironside, the great preacher of yesteryear, told about preaching somewhere one time, and a fellow came up to him and said, Dr. Ironside, what do you think were the unspeakable words that Paul heard when he was called up to paradise which he mentions in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 in verse 4. And Dr. Ironside said to him, friend, if Paul who heard the words couldn't tell what they were, why would I who didn't hear them be able to tell what they were? And a lot of truth to that. Since the Lord specifically told John here in Revelation 10 to seal up what the seven thunders said, I can assure you that nobody has it figured out what they said. Now throughout the centuries there have been some interesting and some quite fanciful explanations offered by various people concerning these seven thunders. One interesting concept put together by some Bible student is the connection that he made between these seven thunders and Psalm 29, where we're told of seven aspects of the thundering voice of the Lord. If you'd like to notice that chapter with me, Psalm number 29, It's a marvelous psalm and one of my favorites, but it talks about the thundering voice of the Lord, Psalm 29. Now we're going to read the psalm, but I want you to try to notice as we go through here how many times it mentions the voice of the Lord and the thunder and the number of times that the thundering voice of the Lord is mentioned in this psalm. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. That starts here in verse 3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth. The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars. Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forest. And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood. Yea, the Lord sitteth king forever. the Lord will give strength unto his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace. And so we saw then the God of glory thundereth and the thundering voice of the Lord is mentioned seven times in this psalm. And some have sought to make a connection between these seven occasions and the seven thunders of Revelation chapter 10. Now that's very interesting and frankly it makes probably a pretty good sermon, but I really doubt that the two passages have anything to do with each other. Then there are other explanations that various people have offered through the ages that have been absolutely and completely nothing more than a figment of the person's imagination. people who actually tried to tell us what these thunders said when God specifically told John to seal up what they said. And so then we're not going to try to find out what these thunders said because to me the most obvious thing about them is that God doesn't want us to know what they said. That's why he told John to seal up what they said. But, now don't miss this, While it's obvious that God doesn't want us to know what these seven thunders said, it's just as obvious that He did want us to know that they said something. If He didn't, why would He have had John tell us about the experience at all? And so it seems that the Lord said, as it were, I don't want my people to know what these seven thunders say. But I do want them to know that there are seven thunders and that these seven thunders say something. And so then the fact that God included this account in the Bible indicates that He wants us to learn something from it. The sad thing is that so many folks get so wrapped up in trying to figure out the one thing that God doesn't want us to know, which is what the thunder said. that they completely miss what God does want us to know. Now what is it that God wants us to learn from this account about the seven thunders? Well, I believe that there's first a general truth and then secondly a specific truth that God wants us to learn and so this is what we'll focus on this morning. So I point out to you in the first place this morning about these seven thunders a general truth. Now the general truth that I believe God would have us learn and always keep in mind is this. There are secret things in the providential plan of God that He has determined are not to be revealed to us. Now let me say that again. There are secret things in the providential plan of God that He has determined are not to be revealed to you and to me. Just as we know that there are seven thunders, but we have no idea what the thunder said, in the same fashion there are multitudes of things that God knows will take place in our lives, but that He has wisely chosen not to let us know what these things are. You know, some people seem to have the mistaken idea that following God's will and God's plan will mean that you'll understand everything and that all your questions will be answered. But ladies and gentlemen, the Bible teaches the opposite. The Bible teaches that there are things that God has chosen not to reveal to us. One of the great verses in the Bible that many people are not aware of because it's an Old Testament verse is found way back in the book of Deuteronomy. chapter 29, and the last verse in that chapter, verse 29. And here's what it says, Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. And what an important verse that is. God hasn't revealed everything, the verse said. The secret things belong to Him, but He has revealed enough that we can know how to live for Him. Now some take hold of what God has revealed, learn His Word, seek to obey it and live by it, and they do His will. There are those, on the other hand, who spend so much time bothered and troubled about things that God hasn't revealed. that they completely miss what He has revealed. Listen to what John said, the same one that wrote the book of Revelation. What he said in the Gospel of John chapter 20 verses 30 and 31 after telling us all the account about the Lord Jesus and His life and ministry and all of that. John said this, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples. which are not written in this book, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. So John said Jesus did a lot of things that are not written down in the Bible, but God gave us enough in the Bible that we can know that Jesus is God's Son, And we can know that by believing in Jesus, putting our trust in Him, putting our faith in Him as Savior, we can be saved. He's revealed enough to us that we need to know, you see. Friend, there are 10,000 questions that I have about every subject under the sun that I don't know the answers to, but I do know that I'm supposed to serve God. I do know that I'm supposed to live for Him. I do know that I'm supposed to try to do what He wants me to do. And you know, I'm glad that God didn't reveal to me 35 or 40 years ago many of the things that I've learned since then. Because if He had, I probably would have gotten so far off track that God could never have gotten me back on track. And so that's the general truth that I want you to get hold of. It's true in your life. It's true in my life. It's true in everybody's life. There are things, secret things, in God's providential plan that He has determined are not to be revealed to us. And so we have that as the general truth, and that's something you can take with you and apply it today. There are things you just simply don't know and things you're not going to know until you get to heaven. The same with me. But then secondly, there's not only this general truth, but there's also a specific truth within the context of the Scripture where we're told of the seven thunders and the fact that God sealed up what they said. The specific truth set forth is this, and don't miss this, the end time tribulation period is going to be even worse than the description of it that we're given in the Bible. For in addition to the things that are revealed in the Bible, many of the things that we've seen, there will also be other things that are not revealed which will take place. I mean, in addition to what we're given in the book of Revelation, we're told about seven seal judgments and we're told what they are back in Revelation chapters 6 and 8. Then we're told about in chapters 8 and 9 and 10 and 11, the seven trumpet judgments, and we're told what each of these judgments is. Over in chapter 16, we're told about seven vial or bowl judgments, and we're told what they are. But there will also be, as we take it from this passage in Revelation 10, seven thunder judgments, but we don't know what they are. Now I find it interesting that the word thunder, or a form of it, is found in this passage, in addition to this passage in chapter 10, about the seven thunders. The word thunder, or a form of it, is found exactly seven times in the book of Revelation. In each case, it has to do with some portentous event that's either announced by the thunder or that takes place in connection with the thunder. And in most of the cases, it's seen in connection with judgment being unleashed, just as the sound of thunder in nature signifies the approach of the storm. You find it mentioned in Revelation chapter 4 and verse 5, proceeding from God's throne, the place from which judgments of the tribulation are controlled. You find the word again in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 1 with the voice of the first beast, the first living creature, as he announces the opening judgment of the tribulation. You find it in Revelation chapter 8 and verse 5 in connection with the priestly angel casting fire upon the earth from the altar in heaven. You find it in Revelation chapter 11 and verse 19 in connection with the blast of the seventh trumpet and the judgments which flow from that. You find it in Revelation 14 and verse 2 in connection with the victory of the 144,000 chosen servants of God. You find it in Revelation 16 and verse 18 in connection with the pouring out of the seventh vial, the seventh bowl, that's the final judgment. And you find it in Revelation 19 and verse 6 in connection with the Lord God taking over to rule and reign on earth. And so thunder is set forth in connection with the announcement and the carrying out of God's judgment which will ultimately issue foreworth in the setting up of His kingdom. And from our passage, Here in Revelation chapter 10, we find that in addition to all of the other series of judgments set forth in the book of Revelation under representation of God's perfect number seven, there will also be seven thunder judgments. This awful time of tribulation will be even more terrible than it's revealed to be in the Bible because other judgments which are not revealed will also take place. Let me say to you this morning, I thank God that I'm saved and I'm going to miss all this stuff because I'm going out in the rapture before this thing starts. If you're saved, you'll go out in the rapture as well, and you'll miss all of these things. Now we've seen thus far, we're only halfway through the Tribulation, we're only coming up on the three and a half year mark of the Tribulation, and we've already seen Judgment after judgment after judgment after judgment. We saw under the seals, the first seal judgment, the rise of the Antichrist. The second seal judgment, terrible war and bloodshed. The third seal judgment, awful famine. The fourth seal judgment, the destruction and death of one-fourth part of the earth. The fifth seal judgment, the martyr seal, the persecution and oppression of the people of God. The sixth seal judgment, cosmic chaos. And then the seventh seal, when the seventh seal is broken, out step seven angels. They're given seven trumpets and each time an angel blows a trumpet, another judgment proceeds. The first trumpet judgment, The Bible says, there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth, and the third part of trees was burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second trumpet, as it were a great mountain burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood. the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died, and the third part of the ships were destroyed, the third trumpet judgment, the third angel sounds, and a great star from heaven falls, burning as it were a lamp, and contaminates a third part of the fresh water, and many people die because of the poisonous waters. The fourth angel, when he sounds his trumpet, a third part of the sun, moon, and stars are smitten, so that the day is only two-thirds as light as it normally had been before that. Then the fifth trumpet sounded, and these demonic locusts are let out of the bottomless pit to torment men five months. Then the sixth trumpet sounds, and an army of 200 million, I think it's a demonic army, come forth and they slay one-third of men on earth. And then, we haven't really gotten to it yet, but the seventh trumpet will sound, and out of that, among other things, will come the seven vials, the seven bowls that will be poured out on the earth. And so all of these things happening during this seven year and up through the sixth trumpet, the first three and a half years of the tribulation period, I say again, I'm glad I'm not going to be here. I'm glad that the Lord Jesus is going to come back and take those who are saved away before the tribulation starts. Now the question is, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Have you trusted Him? Have you called upon Him? For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Romans 10, 13 says. That's the verse that brought salvation to me over 40 years ago when my brother showed me that verse and other verses. in the book of Romans. But if you don't know Christ as your Savior, today is the day. The Bible says, Behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation. And today the Lord, if you're not saved, wants to save you. And He will save you if you'll allow Him to. But the choice is yours. You have to open your heart's door and let Him come in. He's not going to burst through the door. on His own and come in unwanted, but if you want Him, He will come in and He will bring salvation, and I hope that you'll trust Him today if you haven't done so. Father, would you bless now these things that we've tried to bring forth