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             No vision can be fully described in sequential order, for often several events happen at the same time, so before John tells of the final trumpet, he inserts the description of another sight. He saw a "mighty angel,"-- a messenger unlike any of the previous angels with their trumpets, and in this symbolic character we again see a "revelation of Jesus Christ."
             First we note the qualitative word "mighty." This immediately sets Him apart, for Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that Scripture, "I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people." (Psalm 89:19). Of Him also the prophet spake, "This that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength. I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." (Isaiah 63:1). And as already noted-- as Redeemer He is fully qualified to carry out all the process of redeeming the lost inheritance, and to restore all things to their original estate, and then "will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shalt know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 36:11).
             "Clothed with a cloud." Again we are immediately pointed back to the Old Testament, where we see Him going before His people, "by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lend them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." (Exodus 13:21). And when He descended upon mount Sinai to speak to Moses before all the people, He said, "Lo, 1 come unto thee in a thick cloud." (Exodus 19:9). Later Moses reminded the people, "the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord God spake unto you out of the midst of the fire." (Deuteronomy 4:11-12).
              Significant that there were not only clouds, but thick darkness, for it prefigured the nature of that whole dispensation which was one of type and shadow, revealing and yet obscuring the way of salvation.
             But now when John sees this Mighty Messenger, there is no mention of thick darkness, for it is a "revelation of Jesus Christ," in glory and power to consummate the salvation of which all former types and shadows foretold. Redemption is to become a reality. Even the cloud is personified in a people-- a "great cloud of witnesses," which "follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth."
             "And a rainbow was upon His head." The glory of the covenant is upon Him-- "And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come." (Malachi 3:1). This is our Faithful One. "He hath remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations." (Psalm 105:8). He is the reality of the new covenant, and the Guarantee of its fulfillment, for He is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith, being "That Great Shepherd of the sheep, (Who) through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (will) make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21).
             "And His face was as it were the sun." The often pronounced blessing is more than words, it becomes experiential. "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6:24-26). It is true that "in a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment," (Isaiah 54:8), but then He promised, "with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." And thus now He is revealed with "His face-- as it were the sun." Every look is filled with utmost compassion and tenderness, with mercy for every man. A radiance that causes light to shine into our hearts. This is "the ministration of righteousness which exceeds in glory." No more condemnation unto death, but the gift of righteousness which shall enable us "to reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17).
             "And His feet as pillars of fire." The "steps" of God are often symbolized as denoting His dispensations-- as step by step He works out His purpose in the succeeding ages. But here a significant change takes place, for rather than movement, it says, "He set His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot on the earth," solidly placed in authority, signifying that He is LORD OF ALL! And that they are "as pillars of fire," emphasizes again the purging, fire-cleansing that shall take place as all is brought into dominion under Him. There is a following "in His steps," as He leads us through all the processings of growth and change, "from glory to glory," but there is also that wonderful consummation of the journey when "him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out." (Revelation 3:12). Or to borrow the words of the Psalmist, "Lord, by Thy favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong." (Psalm 30:7). HE STANDS FIRM IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, and in Him we shall also stand.
             "And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: 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 1 heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." (verses 3-4).
             The message of the "seven thunders" could not be written down, each individual must hear it within himself, as God reveals the mysteries, the secrets which He would work into every life. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us..." (Deuteronomy 29:29). It would be both vain and presumptuous to try and guess what the thunders uttered, but we would ever remain open and alert to "hear what the Spirit saith unto the called-out."
             It was said to Daniel, "The vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days." - "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end." (Daniel 8:26, 12:4). It has been well stated: "Where revelation ends, speculation begins." And many are the strange concepts that issue out of the carnal mind. But revelation comes at the will of the Revelator, and only what He quickens becomes life within, and a solid Word upon which we can stand.
             Paul spoke of one who was "caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2 Corinthians 12:4). The flesh would glory in revelation, and would assume an appearance of pseudo-spirituality, alluding to possessing knowledge of "deep things," but the evidence that we "know the joyful sound," is not that we can talk of mysteries, but that we "shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance." (Psalm 89:15). Possession of truth is revealed IN OUR WALK, not just in our talk, for we are to become the truth we believe.
             "And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up His hand to heaven, 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." Time no longer-- literally, the Greek text reads, "be no more delay."
             "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (Habakkuk 2:3). Two different Hebrew words are used for "tarry" in this verse. The first is "mahah" meaning: linger, seem to delay. While the second one is "achar" meaning: keep behind. Thus we could paraphrase it, "Though the vision lingers and seems to delay, wait for it, for it will not be behind." God's purposes are always fulfilled right on time. What might have appeared as a delay, is actually a part of God's outworking as He continues to bring all forces to bear upon the birth of the new. And then the writer to the Hebrews brings it into a PERSON, saying, "HE that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." (Hebrews 10:37).  Jesus Christ is the personification of the vision-- all that we desire is in Him. And while, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power," (Acts 1:7), be assured, there is a time appointed when He shall say-- "No more time should intervene and there should be no more waiting or delay." (Amplified).
             "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should he finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7).
             The whole picture is of this Triumphant One prepared to carry out that next development in the purpose of God. It is not wrought in one grand sweep-- but "in the days... when he shall begin to sound," the outworking moves forward-- no delays, for now the vision is personified in THE REDEEMER, and He is prepared to bring it to pass. To the vast majority of mankind the purpose of God has been A MYSTERY, but He has "declared it to His servants the prophets."
             "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7).
             "The revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." (Romans 16:25-26). Though declared by the prophets, yet truly it was KEPT SECRET-- because of the blindness of men. The vision has become unto men "as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned." (Isaiah 29:11-12). Those to whom the Spirit imparts understanding of the vision find that it is SEALED WITHIN THEM, to work in them. They cannot freely share the mysteries with those who would "hold the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18). Only when they find "them that have obtained like precious faith," (2 Peter 1:1), can they share confirmation.
             Nevertheless, the revelation is forthcoming, "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit... According to the purpose of the ages which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:5,11).
             Thus, Paul writes, "He made known to us the secret of His will. And this is in harmony with God's merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it-- the purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ; yes, things in heaven and things on earth, to find their one Head in Him." (Ephesians 1:9-10, Weymouth translation).
             Yes, the mystery of God is being revealed, and the time is coming for its fulfillment. However, it was then told to John to take the book which the Angel held in His hand, and to eat it. So "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." (verse 10).
             How true we all find this to be-- the message sounds so great, so sweet in our mouth, God shall be all in all, when the times are ripe for it, He will restore all things. This is the message in the Scroll of Redemption, and HE has loosed the seals thereof. And He shall make this redemption a reality in us; how sweet that is to our taste. But then, the in working process to make that a reality-- how bitter in the belly, i.e. the experiential partaking. The cross is applied, the death to self  is slow and agonizing, embracing far more than we ever thought it would be.
             Then it was told to John, "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." (verse 11 ). No wonder he had to EAT THE BOOK, for "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits." (2 Timothy 2:6). We need to know experientially of His reality before we can rightly declare it unto another. It is one thing to behold the vision from afar, and to have a mental understanding of what will happen, but it is quite a different thing to be a PARTAKER. Yet, Paul cried out, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." (Philippians 3:10).
             EATING THE BOOK-- however sweet it might be in the mouth, also includes the bitterness in the belly, until it has been fully digested and we become ONE WITH THE MESSAGE. Then shall we be found to His praise, and the overflowing joy of His more abundant life shall be ours. Praise His name!
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  (1)  Prinzing, Ray and Doris . REVELATION A POSITIVE BOOK.   Boise, Idaho, 83705  P.O. Box 5822