1.
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:
2.
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,
3.
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4.
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.
5.
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6.
And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
7.
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
‘THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY’
‘The mystery of God.’
Revelation 10:7
A difficult chapter to understand, yet there are one or two practical lessons we may learn from it.
I. The mystery of God.—There is much in the Divine nature and in the Divine character we cannot understand. So, too, in God’s dealings with mankind. They are often so mysterious that we cannot fathom them. Nor should we try to do so. There are many things we shall never know till ‘time [shall be] no longer.’ ‘What I do thou knowest not now,’ said the Lord to His disciples, ‘but thou shalt know hereafter.’ Never be afraid to say quite frankly, ‘I do not know,’ when you cannot discover the Divine will. But in heaven all things will be made plain.
II. The faith of the soul.—The Christian life is a life of faith. There is no need to attempt to pierce the secrets of the Most High. We know the Father loves us, and that all things work together for good to them that love Him. It is our wisdom and our strength to trust in His love. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.’ The path may seem dark and uncertain, but, if He is leading, we can trust Him to bring us right at the last.
III. The revelation of Jesus Christ.—But while there is much yet to be made known, what an abundance of knowledge has been revealed to us by Jesus Christ. He has shown us the Father; He has shown us the Father’s love; He has opened unto us the living way; He will be with us all the way; He will lead us at last to heaven, where we shall see no more ‘as through a glass darkly,’ but ‘face to face.’
8.
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9.
And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10.
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
11.
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.