Afternoon..so, to recap: The first six trumpets bought God's judgment on the World, yet the people ignored the warnings and carried on sinning :( Now there's a little gap before the seventh trumpet is blown.
v1-4-
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said,and do not write it down.”
As humans, we like to be in the know of everything, we like to know whats going on with your friends and how they're doing. But when we are kept from knowing things we become anxious, "why aren't they telling me?" "Is it something I've done?". People have been wanting to know what is written on the scroll for years...and I bet now you've read this, you want to know too. Just like the other scroll in Chapter 5, it is thought it contains something about future judgment. But as John is about to write what the seven thunders had said, he is told to STOP by God.
God told Daniel something along the same lines as this too... (Ch 12 v9)
9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
We are also told by Jesus in Mark 13 that we must be careful and watch out for God's judgment since it is only him who knows when it is..
32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert
God has revealed ALL WE NEED to live for him now. We must not place more emphasis and speculation on what we don't know by trying so hard to find out what that secret is, but focus on what we do know and what we can find more out about while we wait. If God has decided we shouldn't hear about it, then it's best we don't :)
v5-11-
5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven. 6 He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, “There will be no more delay. 7 When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” 10So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.
11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
By saying that God's mysterious plan will be revealed, John was pointing out God's removal of all evil which would bring fear to God's enemies. For Christ's followers, it would bring hope, and peace. It would be alot nicer for us if Christ's return was because of the triumph of his kingdom, but it's unfortunately because things are bad and we want our troubles and worries to go away.
Now, I'm pretty sure we've all tried a toxic waste at some point...sweet then sour (or even sweet and sour sauce)...
...The sixth trumpet has sounded and judgment is sadly just around the corner, but John was given a job to do first. The giant angel had been carrying a little scroll, which John must eat. It tastes sweet in his mouth but disagrees with his stomach.
The word of God is sweet to- great news to many of us. But to some people who don't want to hear it, it can be bitter and sour. The gospels include the bitter truth of punishment we face when we reject God, but it also contains the sweet news of being rescued for those who trust in him.
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