God Wins: The Message of the Book of Revelation
A Series by Ray Jewell
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. 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, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 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.”
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 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! 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.”
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.”
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.’ 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. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” – Revelation 10:1-11
I’ve always loved a good “who done it” in literature and film. The Bible talks about mysteries. The prophet Daniel made a living and kept himself and others alive because of his God given ability to disclose the meaning of mysterious dreams.
The apostle Paul writes extensively about mysteries in his letters (Romans 11:25, 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7, 15:51; Ephesians 1:9, 3:1-9, 5:32, 6:19; Colossians 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:2-3; 1 Timothy 3:16). At least half of these references are in correspondence with the Ephesian Church (including 1 Timothy 3:16 since Timothy was leader of the church in Ephesus). Remember this, Ephesus is the first church mentioned as a recipient of the Apocalypse. All of the seven churches are in the region known as Asia Minor. It is more than a coincidence that Asia Minor was a thriving ground for a smorgasbord of religions (including Judaism, Christianity, platonic dualism and Gnosticism, and mystery religions).
And now, in the book of Revelation, the word mystery plays a key role. The whole book is about revealing what is going to happen soon. So, even though the word mystery shows up only four times, the entirety of the book is about showing what God is going to do, both to those who follow the Lamb and those who do not. And the emphasis on soon early on in this letter makes it clear this is something that is going to be accomplished in the immediate future, not way off in the 21st century.
The “mystery”: here in Revelation 10 seems to be a reference to those who follow Christ will follow in His footsteps. The paradoxical nature of Christ being victorious over Satan by His death on the Cross is mirrored here by His followers being victorious over the minions of Satan by their suffering and death and by their being faithful to the end (like Jesus was faithful all the way to death and beyond).
When I commented yesterday that I needed to do further research on the idea of mystery in the Bible, my good friend and book guru, David B. Swanson, purchased for me the Kindle version of a book entitled Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd. I’m not a speed reader, but the comment from the previous paragraph was gleaned from their chapter on mystery in the book of Revelation.
The coming of the end of this age is approaching (described as the “interadvent” period by Beale and Gladd). The mystery here in this chapter is a reminder that God wins and so do those who are faithful even unto death. Mystery revealed. We attain life through death (a paradox seen throughout Scripture).
What does that mean for those of us trying to live out this truth in our world today? First I think it means we can take risks, we can put our faith on the line, because we know if we stay true to the Lamb, no matter what comes our way, we will dwell with Him for eternity.
What does that look like? It means rubbing shoulders with those who are the minions/pawns of Satan. If our mission is to seek and save the lost, mirroring that of the Messiah Himself, then we must be willing to put everything on the line to fulfill His desire, right?
Lord, you know how weak I am. I can do nothing outside of Your power and presence in my life. You know my fears when it comes to sharing Your truth and love to others. Yet, not my will, but Yours be done. Amen.
Until next time,
TO THE GLORY OF GOD!
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