While God is sovereignly and patiently working out his redemptive purposes in this fallen, sin-cursed world, life can be very difficult. It can be very confusing at times. But all the pain, all the sorrow, all the suffering, all the evil that we see in the world cause us as believers to long for God to intervene. We see the injustice, the things that happen, and our hearts cry out for God to step in and take charge. However, isn't it true that God sometimes appears very slow to respond? It's true that we sometimes feel that he's forgotten us, or he's forsaken us. You know, David felt this way when he cried out in Psalm 13, verses 1 and 2. David said, how long, O Yahweh, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? In Revelation chapter six, verse 10, the tribulation martyrs in heaven cried out to God with a loud voice saying, how long, oh master, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? But as we continue on in our study of Revelation this morning, we're gonna see that there's coming a day, there is coming a day when God's redemptive purposes will be consummated, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to right all the wrongs. He comes back to deliver the righteous, to punish the wicked, and establish His earthly kingdom. There's coming a day when that will happen. However, immediately before that end, that long-anticipated day of Christ's return to earth, there is the sounding of the seventh trumpet that will unleash the seven rapid fire bold judgments. Now we've already seen the fifth and the sixth trumpet judgments, called the first and second woe. And having seen them, we expect the seventh trumpet judgment, the third woe, to follow immediately. But it doesn't. Just as there was a two vision interlude between the sixth and seventh seal judgments in Revelation chapter seven, verses one through 17. We saw the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and also the multitude of tribulation saints. We now come to a two vision interlude. between the sixth and the seventh trumpet. In chapter 10 verse one through chapter 11 verse 14. And those two visions that we'll be looking at are the angel with the little scroll, as well as the two witnesses. This is the longest interlude. this one between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. This is the longest interlude which sets the stage, it prepares us for the sounding or the blowing of the seventh trumpet. And this interlude is intended to comfort God's people by knowing that he is still sovereignly in control of all that is happening. in the world. In light of all that was taking place at that time, God is still sovereign. He is still in control of what was going on. And also, that he has not forsaken or forgotten his people. Again, turn with me to Revelation chapter 10. In Revelation 10 verses one through 11, we're gonna be looking at six elements of John's first vision about the angel with the little scroll. And this morning I want us to look at only the first three, the first three elements. We'll discuss the other ones next time. The first element is what I call a strong angel descends from heaven. A strong angel descends from heaven. Look what John says in verses one and two. Then I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. Now stop there. John's new vision begins with this phrase, then I saw, and we've seen that numerous times. He begins something new when he says, then I saw. This distinguishes this new vision from the greater vision of the seven trumpet judgments that he has been going through. We just finished the sixth, and now we're ready to go into the seventh, but there's a pause, there's an interlude, there's a parenthesis that God has placed here. Now notice here that John sees another strong angel coming down out of heaven. The strong angel is distinct from the seven angels that blow the seven trumpets. We'll see what, again, what qualifies this angel to be strong. It's not like he's physically strong. He hasn't been lifting weights. He's strong in a different way. But notice the glorious description of this angel's appearance. First of all, in verse one, he's clothed, or he's encircled with a cloud. This symbolizes his power, his majesty, his God-given mission of judgment, since the word cloud is often connected with judgment in the New Testament. Second, in verse one, we see, and the rainbow was upon his head. This is not like the rainbow that We saw in chapter four, verse three, that was emerald, or all various shades of green around the throne. This is the multicolored rainbow around the angel's head that not only reflects his glorious splendor, but also it represents God's mercy, his mercy in the midst of judgment. The third in verse one, his face was like the sun. His brilliant, radiant glory lit up the earth like the blazing noonday sun. And then fourth in verse one, his feet like pillars of fire. This includes his legs as well that symbolize his holiness, his firm, immovable resolve to announce God's final fiery judgments on a sinful, rebellious world. Because of this angel's glorious appearance, some say that he's Gabriel, the angel Gabriel or Michael. Some have even said that this is Lucifer. But again, there's, as Lucifer is described in Ezekiel chapter 28, but there's no way to really prove that. Others identify him because this is such a similar description back in chapter one of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this cannot be Christ for at least four reasons. First of all, when John said another strong angel, the word another, there's a couple different anothers. In the Greek, one is another of the same kind, which this refers to. Another word is another of a different kind. So this is another of the same kind of angel. Jesus is God, he's not a created being. So this can't be him for that. Second, Well, the pre-incarnate Christ appeared in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord. In the New Testament, nowhere does it refer to him as an angel. 67 times in Revelation, the word angel is used. None of those are used for Christ. Jesus has always given a unique title. Third, since the angel is coming down out of heaven to earth, There is no evidence that Christ comes to earth prior to a second coming. We've already seen in the rapture in chapter 3, verse 10, believers meet the Lord in the air. Christ is not coming, planting His feet on the earth, which again, the vision of this angel does. And then fourth, We will see in verses five and six that the angel swears an oath by God, which Jesus as God would never do. Hebrews chapter six, verse 13 says, for when God made the promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself. This angel swears by God. God, Jesus, would swear by himself. So anyway, this is not the Lord Jesus. I believe it's best to see this strong angel as similar but distinct from the first strong angel that we saw back in chapter five and verse two. So it's another of the same kind of strong angel. and his glorious appearance reflects the glory of being in Christ's presence. It indicates that he represents God, and he is conveying the will of God. Notice that John goes on to say about this strong angel in verse two, and he had in his hand a little scroll which was open. Now again, as you read this passage, and there's a lot of different views on this little scroll. The phrase little scroll only appears here in this chapter. Three times it appears in chapter 10, that's it. And some say that this is distinguished from the seven sealed scroll that we saw in chapter five and verse one. Others say that it's the same scroll, but merely adds a further description of it. So again, regardless, I personally lean more towards it's distinguished from, it's not the same. But again, you have good people on both sides, regardless of one's view on this. Obviously the little scroll contains only a portion only a portion of the larger scroll, because the larger scroll, as we remember, was written on both sides of this large scroll, where, again, just a portion is in this little scroll. And we'll talk more about that later, next time, the importance of this little scroll. But notice that this little scroll is in the strong angel's hand, and it's open. It's open, it's not sealed, it's wide open. And being open, it reveals all the judgments that are still to come. And then John says about the strong angel at the end of verse two, he placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the earth. Now the action of placing his feet on the sea and the earth which is stated three times in this chapter. Three times we're told the angel has his foot placed on the sea and the earth. Obviously this reveals the gigantic size of the angels from John's perspective. But it symbolizes not only that the angel is representing the Lord's sovereign authority over the entire world. Because all of God's creation has to do with the sea and the land. So it's talking about God's sovereign authority over the entire world. But it's also, symbolizing that the message that this angel is going to announce that we will see a little bit later is for the entire world. This is not for just some little part of the world. This is for everyone. And it brings us to the second element of John's first vision. I call it the seven thunders message is sealed. The seven thunders message is sealed with the scroll in his hand and his feet planted on the sea and the earth. The strong angel now speaks in verse three. Look what he says. And he cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars. Let's stop there. His loud voice reflects the power, the majesty, the authority given to him by God himself. He is, again, sent by God. Notice the loud volume of his cry as compared to a lion's roar. You know, when you watch a movie, I forget what company it is, but it's got that head there and the lion roar, you know, he's roaring out. A lion's roar is how God's voice is often described in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 25, 30, Hosea 11, Joel 3, Amos 1 and 3. Again, it describes how God's voice is like the roar of a lion. Again, this is not God's voice, but this is the angel's voice that is roaring. But the angel's lion-like roar will capture the world's attention, compel them to listen, fill them with terror. And although the content of what he actually says is not recorded here, most scholars believe that it's probably what we will see recorded in verse six when he speaks again. Now notice the response, though, to what the angel loudly roars at the end of verse three. And when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. The seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. Now the number seven revelation we've already seen represents fullness, completeness. The word thunder is often associated with God's judgment. Now obviously this is not literal thunder since the seven peals of thunder utter their voices in a language that John hears and understands. And as we will see, he's about to write it down, what they're saying. So we're not talking about literal thunder. The passage, the context makes that clear. Some say that this is the voice of God, which I think that's pretty clear. Others say it's the voice of angels, talking about Again, seven peals of thunder, you got all these angels that are thundering out. Again, the text doesn't say. So anytime we're not told exactly in the text what, who it is, what it is, I think we just speculate, and that can get us in trouble. But either way, what was spoken came from God, either directly or indirectly. Now look what happened when John tried to write down the message of the seven thunders in verse four. And when the seven peels of thunder had spoken, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, seal up the things which the seven peels of thunder have spoken, and do not write them. The voice from heaven is not the strong angel's voice. Again, whether the voice was God the Father, the Lord Jesus, the Lamb, another angel, none of that's identified. We're not told that voice. But again, it really doesn't matter since the command to not write this down is clearly, clearly came from God. We already know that John was originally commissioned to write down everything that he saw, everything that he heard in his vision of revelation. We saw that in chapter one, verse 11, also chapter one, verse 19. And John has been faithful and obedient to do that all through. We have on our hands today the book of Revelation because John has recorded the revelation of Jesus Christ for us in obedience to what he was commissioned to do. But now as he is ready to write down the seven thunders message, He's commanded, look again at the end of four, verse four, seal up the things which the seven peels of thunder have spoken and do not write them. To seal up means to conceal, to hide, to make secret, to lock up. And the reason John is forbidden to write this down, we're not told, it's not revealed. John MacArthur suggests, and I quote, it may be that the judgment they uttered is simply too terrifying to be revealed. Any speculation as to the specific content of their message is pointless. Had God wanted it to be known, he would not have forbidden John to write it, end quote. Just as Daniel was told to conceal and seal up his prophecy until the time of the end, and the apostle Paul was told not to write down what he had seen when he was caught up into paradise. So John here must seal up the message of the seven thunders until God's timing in the future. Isn't that interesting? In a book of Revelation, where what was sealed by Daniel is being revealed now to us. Even within the book of Revelation, now something is being concealed. These are the only words in the book of Revelation that are sealed. And since that's the case, there's still a sense of mystery even about the end of history. Until God's timing, when he then reveals exactly what the message of the seven thunders is, it's not revealed. God doesn't always reveal everything to us. I think that's obvious to all of us. Even today, God doesn't tell us everything that we may want to know about things. God does not ask our permission before he sovereignly permits all kinds of various trials into our lives. And he is not obligated to tell us why he does that. There are some things that we will never know until heaven. And that puts us in a tension to trust him. Deuteronomy 29, 29 tells us the secret things belong to Yahweh, our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever that we may do all the words of this law. Again, God has certain things that he sovereignly has closed off that he has not revealed it to us in his words so we can understand those. But in the midst of those type of things, especially when life is difficult and confusing, God wants us to trust him. When we don't know what's going on, God wants us to trust him. He calls us to do that, to trust and obey. As the song goes, to trust and obey. There's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. If we truly trust him, we will continue to obey what he tells us in his word, even though we don't understand everything that's going on. Isaiah chapter 50, verses 10 10 and 11, I really like this passage because it puts us in a place that helps us see how we respond when life is confusing, when we don't understand. Isaiah 50, 10 and 11 says, who is among you that fears Yahweh, that listens to the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? In other words, you're totally confused. about what is going on. What does God say? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God. And what happens when we don't do that? Look what it says. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who gird yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of whose fire? your fire, not the light that God brings. We walk in the light of your fire and among the brands you have set ablaze. In other words, we've taken matters into our own hands. We're gonna try to figure it out on our own. We don't know what's happening. We're confused. We're gonna do it. We're not gonna just trust God and obey him. Notice what, What happens? This you will have from my hand, God says. You will lie down and torment. There's gonna be discipline. We're always to trust and obey the Lord while we wait in the darkness of our confusion. He does not want us to take matters into our own hands and to go outside of what he tells us to do in his word. Hebrews 11, six, a passage we all know. Without faith, it's impossible to please him, for he who draws near to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. The people during this time don't know They're not told what the message of the seven thunders is, but God is going to reveal that in His time. It brings us to the third element of God's first vision, which is this. I call it the angel's announcement initiates final judgment. The angel's announcement initiates final judgment. John says about the strong angel in verses five and six, then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it. Let's stop there. Obviously, with the little scroll open in his left hand, the strong angel is now lifting up his right hand to heaven. To heaven, where God dwells. This is a customary gesture for taking a solemn oath. The angel is making a vow, he's taking a solemn oath before God. A solemn oath or vow affirms that what a person is about to say is of vital importance and it is absolute, absolutely, True. Notice again, whom the angel swears by in verse six. And he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it, the earth, the things in it, the sea and the things in it. The angel is swearing here by the ever-living eternal God. and the sovereign creator of everything that exists in heaven and on earth and in the sea. He's swearing before God himself. And although this strong angel And he is strong in the fact that he is majestic, he is glorious in all of the various attributes, as well as his loud, roaring voice. And we see in the authority that God has given him to make this announcement. And although this strong angel is great, he swears by one who is far greater than he is, the eternal creator, God. He's saying everything I am saying is absolutely true. God is my witness. And this clearly shows that this angel is not Jesus Christ. And he swears before God in a solemn oath that what he says is truthful. So what does he say? What he says in his announcement is at the end of verse six. Look what he says, that there will be delay no longer. That is the booming message that goes out like a roaring lion. That there will be delay no longer. Everything so far in chapter 10 has led up to this vital, climactic announcement by this angel. This announcement initiates what answers the prayers of all the saints in chapter eight, verses three through five, as well as the cry of the martyred tribulation saints under the altar. Remember what John said in chapter six, verses nine through 11. And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the witness which they had maintained. Because of their commitment to the word of God, given the gospel, being a witness for Christ, They were killed and they cried out with a loud voice saying, how long, oh master, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And a white robe was given to each of them and it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were to be killed, even as they had been, would be completed also. So the martyred saints were told to rest for a little while longer until the other martyrs joined them. That time has come. Now the appointed delay is over. The angel's announcement initiates or it sets in motion the time period of God's final judgment in the seventh trumpet, which is about to be blown in chapter 11 and verse 15. The seventh trumpet as we've already talked about, consists of the seven rapid-fire bold judgments that are immediately unleashed on a sinful, rebellious world, immediately prior to the second coming of Christ. Robert Mounts describes it like this, and I quote, the drama has now moved to that moment immediately preceding the final scene. From this point on, the apocalypse becomes a multidimensional presentation of the final triumph of God over evil, end quote. Now the strong angel is going to further clarify exactly what he means by this announcement in the fourth element of John's first vision. But we'll look at that next time. The first three of the six elements of John's first vision about the angel with the little scroll, A strong angel descends from heaven, the seven thunders message is sealed, and the angel's announcement initiates final judgment. You know, as I've thought about this, prayed about it, I believe a practical lesson from this passage that stands out the most to me. is the absolute truth that there is coming a day. There is coming a day when God will fully and finally answer the question of God's people throughout all of history. Not just at that time, but throughout all of history. How long, oh Yahweh? How long? before you come and address all of the sin, all the pain, all of this that's going on in the world and even in my life. At that time, the Lord Jesus Christ will right all wrongs. He will deliver the righteous. He will punish the wicked. He will establish his kingdom. And what a comfort, not only for those believers living at that time in the future, but also for us now to know that our God is still in sovereign control of all that is happening in the world. What a comfort to know that. Things are just not randomly happening. God is sovereign and in control. And he has never forgotten and he has never forsaken us. But until that day comes, God calls all of us to continually wait for Him and for His timing with a heart that is willing to trust and obey Him regardless of what we're going through. Especially when we go through very difficult circumstances. And that happens to all of us. God gives us two gracious promises in his word to help us in this regard, to wait continually for him and his timing in the middle of difficult circumstances. The first promise is that he acts on our behalf. He acts on our behalf, Isaiah 64 four says, for from ancient times they have not heard or given ear, nor has the eye seen a God beside you, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for him. There is only one true living God, and praise the Lord. We know Him if we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is involved in our lives. He'll never leave us or forsake. He's always with us, and He acts on our behalf. And He wants us to wait for Him. Then second, the promise that He gives us His strength. He gives us His strength, Isaiah 40. 29 through 31, one of my favorite passages that I have in my office. He gives power to the weary and to him who lacks vigor, he increases might. Though youths grow weary and tired and choice young men stumble badly, yet those who hope in or wait for Yahweh will gain new power They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary. Let me ask you this morning, are you experiencing the strength that only Jesus can give? And he only gives that when we continually wait in dependence on him. We're waiting for Him, we're looking to Him. And since God always keeps His promises, when we do that, we too can say with David in Psalm 31, verse 24, be strong and let your heart take courage. All you who, what? Wait for Yahweh.