A Reed Like a Rod - Rumor notes 66

Revelation 11

1 A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, "Rise, and measure God's temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don't measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.

A reed like a rod was given to me

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. (Revelation 21:14-18)

I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then I asked, "Where are you going?" He said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length." Behold, the angel who talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying, 'Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,' says Yahweh, 'will be to her a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory in the midst of her. (Zechariah 2:1-5)

He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, are you brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.

Behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up the steps of it: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad. Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and the space between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed. He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed. (Ezekiel 40:3-8)

Note carefully in these last two passages the focal point of what and why measuring is needed. This is really judgment – to discover functionality as related to the eyes, the ears and especially the heart.

Now, behold, you trust on the staff of this bruised reed, even on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him. (2 Kings 18:21)

"Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, 'My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.'

I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales. I'll cast you forth into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You'll fall on the open field. You won't be brought together, nor gathered. I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky. All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of you by your hand, you broke, and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and paralyzed all of their thighs." (Ezekiel 29:2-7)

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights-- I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. He won't break a bruised reed. He won't quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice. He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands will wait for his law." (Isaiah 42:1-4)

like a rod

He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father: (Revelation 2:26-27)

Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 19:15)

Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it. Yahweh said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand. (Exodus 4:2-4)

His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. (Isaiah 11:3-4)

Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child. But Yahweh said to me, Don't say, I am a child; for to whoever I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak. Don't be afraid because of them; for I am with you to deliver you, says Yahweh. Then Yahweh put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Yahweh said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth: behold, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what see you? I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said Yahweh to me, You have well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:4-12)

Fire is gone out of the rods of its branches, it has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. (Ezekiel 19:14)

Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Lord Yahweh. I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and those who disobey against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am Yahweh. (Ezekiel 20:36-38)

He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Yahweh's voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name: "Listen to the rod, and he who appointed it." (Micah 6:8-9)

This whole chapter is highly relevant to this process of measuring. This chapter is all about conflicting and contradictory views of God that have corrupted the thinking and relationships of God's people.

Rise and measure God's temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it

Yahweh said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he comes forth to the water; and tell him, 'This is what Yahweh says, "Let my people go, that they may serve me." (Exodus 8:20)

Yahweh said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exodus 9:13)

He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said! (Exodus 12:31)

It happened, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Yahweh, and let your enemies be scattered; and let those who hate you flee before you. When it rested, he said, Return, Yahweh, to the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel. (Numbers 10:35-36)

For Yahweh will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act. (Isaiah 28:21)

The following passage contains instructions concerning cities set aside for the Levites and how they are to be measured. These are symbolic of the New Jerusalem where the people set aside for God's work like the Levites constitute the city itself as well as being represented as the temple of God. Some of these cities were designated as refuge cities which has enormous implications for us today.

Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall you give to the Levites. The cities shall they have to dwell in; and their suburbs shall be for their livestock, and for their substance, and for all their animals. The suburbs of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits round about. You shall measure outside of the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. The cities which you shall give to the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to: and besides them you shall give forty-two cities. (Numbers 35:2-6)

I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place. (Isaiah 28:17)

The entire chapter of Isaiah 28 is highly significant and relevant to our time and should be pondered prayerfully to learn how God wants us to be aware of the real issues in contrast to how we usually think about what is going on.

You, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. (Ezekiel 43:10)

measure God's temple

Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, which you are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

(2 Corinthians 6:16)

Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. (Revelation 8:3)

God's temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord's covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed. (Revelation 11:19)

Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Lord Yahweh. I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and those who disobey against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and you shall know that I am Yahweh. (Ezekiel 20:36-38)

Devour the Book - Rumor notes 65

 Assignment: examine the parallels between chapters 5 and 10 before starting this study

Devour the Book (Revelation 10)

8 The voice which I heard from heaven, again speaking with me, said, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." 9 I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. He said to me, "Take it, and eat it up. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10 I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11 They told me, "You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings."

The voice which I heard from heaven, again speaking with me

Clearly this is the same voice we were introduced to previously.

When the seven thunders sounded, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from the sky [heaven] saying, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders said, and don't write them." (Revelation 10:4)

What should be noted again is how this narrative involving the sea/land angel was interrupted by the outburst of the 7 thunders but is now continued. We move on to the rest of the story about this angel.

Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land

What does this remind us of in our previous studies? Notice the strong parallels.

I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. (Revelation 5:1)

I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. (Revelation 5:6-7)

The parallels between these two passages is stunning. It appears that what we are finding here is a rerun of the plot line seen in chapter 5, only this time John is asked to do something similar to what the Lamb does there. The main difference here is that this time the book is open while the one the Lamb took was sealed shut. Of course it is open this time, because the Lamb has already unsealed the book entirely, so when it is John's turn to take the book it is now fully open and ready for use.

What is interesting to note here is that John is simply told to go take the book from the angel's hand. That is all. The rest of the instruction as to what he is to do after taking the book come from the other angel, not the voice from heaven. What meaning might this have? How might this apply to us?

Let's do a quick comparison between these two stories.

Revelation 5	Revelation 10
A book sealed shut	An open book
The book is in the hand of the One on the throne	The book is in the hand of an angel who looks a lot like Jesus
No one in heaven or earth or under the earth can be found worthy to open the book	The angel stands with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land
A mighty angel narrates	A voice from heaven instructs
The hero is introduced as a lion	The angel cries out like a lion's roar
The Lamb has 7 eyes which are the 7 spirits of God	The 7 thunders give expression of the 7 spirits
After the book is taken there is a New Song all about the worthiness of the Lamb hero	Before the book is taken, 7 thunders resonate just like the New Song in chapter 14
The right hand of the one on the throne holds the shut book	The right hand of the angel like Jesus is lifted up to heaven
No one in heaven or earth or under the earth can be found worthy to open the book	The angel swears by the Creator who made heaven, earth and seas along with everything in them
A crisis caused from the inability to find anyone worthy to open the sealed book	No longer be delay
The sealed book produced great distress in John because of what was locked inside the book	In the days of the 7th angel the mystery of God is finished
The Lamb takes the book from the hand of the One who sits on the throne	John takes the book from the hand of the one who stands on the sea and the land

Let me ask another question at this point. What might it actually mean to take the book? What did it mean for the Lamb of God to take the book and to break open the constricting seals that locked it shut? If we come to appreciate what it meant for Jesus to take the book, we might begin to appreciate how the same principle might apply in this symbolic scenario that may be directly linked to our own experience right now. In the process we may discover even more about what it means for the mystery of God to be finished.

I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on earth." (Revelation 5:6-10)

What does this really mean? In what way did Jesus take the book? Was this only about salvaging God's reputation as indeed it certainly involved? Yes, but far more than that, for saving God's reputation necessarily involves revealing the truth about the principles of God's kingdom which are the revelations of what constitutes love itself. For the principles of reality properly understood and appreciated are the laws that define how love operates. It is the lies, slander and insinuations of the enemy about God's motives and methods and principles that has alienated and estranged us from being able to trust His heart and believe that He is purely love and nothing less at all.

The Lamb is the intermediary between God and fallen humanity, not for the purpose of altering in any way the thinking or feelings of God towards us but to accomplish two complimentary objectives. Jesus came to reveal the truth about God's heart to change our thinking about God and simultaneously to identify so completely with us that He could displace Satan as our representative in the assembly in heaven as fully human, our certified Adam. This is why His favorite title while on earth was Son of Man, for as both Son of Man and Son of God He was able to qualify to be inaugurated as our High Priest forever and displace the accuser who has usurped that position from our first Adam.

Taking the book involves far more than we have considered previously. It has to do with identification, one of the most important aspects of salvation. In chapter 5 we find the Lamb taking the book by identifying so tightly with humanity that it got Him killed, but in doing so He achieved purchasing all humanity with His blood so that He could tear open the lies that were keeping the truth sealed inside the book of truth. We learned that the scroll or book that was sealed being held in the right hand of the One on the throne, was likely the evidence needed to vindicate God's reputation, and only the Lamb had the qualifications, courage and credibility to take on that task and win. The immediate response of those watching this happen declared that His qualification was due to His being killed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is all about how Jesus identified with sinners and was made to be sin on our behalf. The key factor here is willing identification.

He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him. Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn't open his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he didn't open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:3-7)

For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This last verse is the formula that links together the two versions of taking the book. What we read in Isaiah is a description of having the book thrown at Him to put it in modern parlance. But the book was not thrown at Him by God as the stern, unforgiving judge looking for a scapegoat. No, it was our false system of justice invented by Satan and embraced by the whole world that indicted and condemned the innocent Son of God and declared Him worthy of torture and death for simply loving His enemies and thus exposing the corruption and fraud hidden under the darkness by His light of love and truth.

Yes, God laid on Him our iniquities. But God's motives were not what Satan has led us to imagine but were reflected in the disposition of the Lamb, for it is the Father's heart that the Lamb came to show us. The Father made Jesus to be sin on our behalf by placing in the psyche of Jesus the full effects that sin has in our psyche so that Jesus could absorb the full extent of the venom of the Serpent and neutralize it forever. And what constitutes the toxic venom of the great Serpent? It is the lies that God is the one upset and eager to punish us because our sins have offended Him and someone has to pay. This is the essence of the big Lie that keeps us in bondage by the fear of death. By absorbing death itself into His own soul and allowing it to take Him into the grave, Jesus defeated all the slander and deception of the enemy that is used to manipulate and control us with fear. This is the price Jesus paid to set us free, not a price paid to God but the cost of His own comfort, safety and reputation in order to break every lie that the enemy uses to seal the truth from being exposed.

Part of The Lie that was deposed at the cross was that if God were to suffer injustice like we experience, He would certainly react with desire for revenge, retaliation or at least punishment of those treating Him with evil. This is all rooted in belief that the foundation of justice is represented as a balance between good and evil, and that justice demands that every sin must have punishment executed or righteousness is a charade. This is why the Lamb was violently tortured and slaughtered, for it had to be proven that God's kind of justice is like our kind of justice. Yet the spectacular failure of Satan to entice Jesus to even entertain the slightest thought of payback became the death knell for his kingdom of darkness and opened the way for the second half of this formula to have its effect in the lives of all who will choose to embrace the truth brought to light by the Lamb.

in him we might become the righteousness of God

This is what correlates to the symbol of taking the open book from the hand of the one whose appearance is exactly like that of Jesus. It is no coincidence that this being looks just like Jesus, for it represents the spirit of the Lamb who is the hero throughout this book no matter what form He appears in, which is quite varied. The symbols used to portray Jesus throughout this book all reveal key truths about God's heart and the methods God relies on to win this war that are in stark contrast with the methods and motives of His enemies. Jesus identified with us in our sins by allowing Himself to be identified as a sinner and receiving the full punishment of the law of sin and death, not a punishment imposed on Him by God. That is key to appreciate, for so long as we imagine God as behind the punishments imposed by the law of sin and death, we remain trapped in The Lie that fuels fears about God, which means we are not allowing ourselves to be made perfect in love.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

How are we made perfect in love that sets us entirely free of the power of fear in our hearts and minds? We escape the tyranny of fear by choosing to identify with the Lamb, not with sin. This is the same way the Lamb chose to identify with us. The Lamb took the book, meaning He identified with us and endured everything we could give Him to intimidate Him to react like we feel like reacting. But it is impossible to defeat pure love, for love is more powerful than death and endures forever. Love cannot be dissuaded by fear, and when we embrace the truth and reality that God is love and that He loves us personally and passionately, His love is what casts fear out of us and sets us free to live full of joy in the truth.

This is what it means to take the open book and to eat it. The book has forever been opened and can never again be effectively resealed by lies of the enemy, for once the truth is made known, it can never be unknown. Once we see the truth about God's love and have tasted it for real, there is no possibility of being ignorant of it again. We will either choose to live in that love no matter how much the enemy throws at us like he did at Jesus, or we will reject that truth to return to the vomit of lies that will destroy our conscious and deface the image of God in our soul forever.

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

What does this mean – to crucify the Son of God again? It means to reject the truth about God's heart in our own heart which leads us to view God through the eyes of His enemy the father of lies. When this is done after knowing and tasting the joy and goodness of God that already convinced us that the lie was a fraud, the choice to re-embrace the fraud has an entirely different impact on the soul than simply being ignorant of the truth as we were previous to knowing God.

But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this. (Hebrews 6:9)

I now see how this invitation to go and take the book is far more than simply an interesting reference to a historical event that transpired over a hundred years ago that fulfilled a prophecy in Daniel. This is an invitation to every one of us to embrace fully the book opened by the Lamb, the book containing compelling evidence exposed by the Lamb who was violently slaughtered for exposing The Lie but in doing so also exposed the surpassing power of Love so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but enjoy life eternal with the Godhead in sweet fellowship and joy.

No wonder beings surrounding the throne broke out spontaneously with the New Song when the Lamb took the book by taking on humanity. They sang this New Song to humble shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem when the Lamb first arrived as a baby and was sheltered in a sheep stable. The New Song continues to resonate in the hearts and lives of all who believe and embrace it for themselves. This means that you and I are being invited to embrace our true identity brought to us through our eternal High Priest who represents us and who is empowered to authoritatively assign us our true identity in place of the false identity we have believed about ourselves all our lives. When we choose to believe this truth that sets us free, we too can learn the New Song and sing it with others so boldly that our voices take on the power of thunder that resonates with the thunders of the 7 spirits of the Lamb. This amplifies the glory of God in our reflections of His love as our lives become transformed to reflect the righteousness that is already our identity that we now embrace.

I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!" I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!" The four living creatures said, "Amen!" The elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:11-14)

This is the very essence of the New Song that came from the voices of the 7 thunders. This is the stunning revelation of the true nature of God's heart as revealed by the Lamb who showed us His heart explicitly. This is the true gospel, the startling good news that has the power to save us from our sins, our fears, our doubts, our darkness brought on us by lies the enemy has used to keep us in bondage to fear. Will we choose today to embrace this as our theme song? Our hope? Our source of identity?

give me the little book

We might be able to conclude after all this that maybe this is a little hymnbook containing all the lyrics and score of the New Song. Maybe that is the name of the hymnbook – The New Song Hymnal. The accompaniment to enhance our singing of this music includes harps, thunders and angels among other options. But it is vital we do not spurn this invitation for ourselves.

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation--which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard; God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:3-4)

See that you don't refuse him who speaks. For if they didn't escape when they refused him who warned on the Earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven, whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can't be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

(Hebrews 12:25-29)

Take it, and eat it up. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey

Your words were found, and I ate them; and your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by your name, Yahweh, God of Armies. (Jeremiah 15:16)

But now thus says Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "Don't be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you. For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.... (Isaiah 43:1-3)

I am the One who created you. This ties right back into what this angel standing on the sea and land cried out, for he swore in the name of the One who created all things. But why would eating this book make the stomach feel so bitter if it tastes so sweet in the mouth?

You, son of man, don't be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you do dwell among scorpions: don't be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I tell you; don't be you rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and eat that which I give you. When I looked, behold, a hand was put forth to me; and, behold, a scroll of a book was therein; He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. He said to me, Son of man, eat that which you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll. He said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. He said to me, Son of man, go, get you to the house of Israel, and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel; not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can not understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are of hard forehead and of a stiff heart. Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don't be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. (Ezekiel 2:6 – 3:10)

Wow! So many parallels to what we are finding in Revelation. Living among scorpions – from the 5^th trumpet. A scroll written inside and out – from Revelation 5 and the introduction of the hero Lamb. Eat this scroll, my words – from here in chapter 10 with a nearly identical description. And the source of the bitterness experienced in the stomach? The rebellious resistance of the people who are most favored by God but who are immersed in fear, dark views of God and rebellious resistance to the truth of God's pure goodness.

Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; (Romans 2:4-5)

Eating the open book, meaning we embrace what Jesus says about God as the only valid way to perceive and think about how God feels about us, will inevitably cause violent reactions from all who have vested interests in maintaining views opposite this. It means if we choose to obey God and share the amazing good news with those who hate it, persecution, disappointment and deep emotional suffering will surely become part of our experience. Yet we are not alone, for some of the most famous messengers in history have encountered this same opposition, even if their own versions of God were far from what we are privileged to receive in our time.

I haven't gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? What his soul desires, even that he does. For he performs that which is appointed for me. Many such things are with him. Therefore I am terrified at his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him. For God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me. (Job 23:12-16)

Job could have benefited from reading Ezekiel's message. Of course that did not come until centuries later. When today we have confused and conflicting ideas about God as we all surely do, the dissonance created by these immature and seeming contradictions can cause us great distress and bitterness. But like Job we can choose to trust God even in our immature capacity to understand and appreciate Him more fully, until the truth finally emerges more clearly as God did with Job.

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4)

Jesus therefore said to them, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don't have life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven--not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever." (John 6:53-58)

It is easy for some to imagine that the words God wants them to speak to a rebellious house of God's children are harsh words, hard words, stern words, even threats and accusations and fault-finding. I know about this all too well, for I was raised by a father who had this mindset that caused all too many wounds in the hearts of many who encountered his zeal to obey what he believed was God's commands to him. One of his favorite texts he often quoted was this one:

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1 KJV)

Coupled with this he also liked to quote another one to justify confrontations (condemning) anyone he believed was sinning while trying to be a member of God's church.

When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand. (Ezekiel 3:18)

These two passages were indelibly imprinted into my mind as I heard them so often as reasons he believed it was his God-appointed duty to point out the faults and transgressions of all around him. I do not say this to fault or condemn him, but simply as an example that not everything we may imagine is obedience to the word of God is obedience in harmony with the Lamb's revelation of God. What my father seriously lacked was a personal experience of agape love, because for him, anything he imagined God as doing, no matter how ugly, had to be wrapped into his definition of love. This lead to terrible distortions and even abuse in the name of God that caused untold damage to his children as well as many others. It also conditioned me to live under constant condemnation and even suppressed hatred of God, all the while repressing it deep inside for fear that to even admit it to myself would result in punishments by God far more severe than what I already experienced from my earthly father. What both of us needed (and God's mercy and kindness brought at last) was a fresh revelation of the true meaning of what it means to eat God's word and then speak it out to others.

The problem my dad had that nearly ruined his entire life and many others around him, is all too common. It was caused by his resistance to believing in the true goodness of God, resistance to embracing the truth that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Because he despised God's goodness, kindness, graciousness and unconditional love, he could not experience it and was unable to reflect that love to his family, friends or to his enemies.

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:1-4)

This is the curse of false religion, for it is linked to the very root of The Lie that denies the saving truth about love and is the cause of all rebellion. Truly the axe needs to be laid to the root of the tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from which we too long continue to feed. This is why we must eat the book opened by the Lamb, for only the Lamb's version of truth about God has the power to save us from our sins, deliver us from our fears and fill us with true joy that is everlasting and undiminished.

It is dissonance between dark versions of what God must be like, and the real truth of God that originates with the Lamb, that results in bitterness and heartache in the lives of those who obey God's command to speak the truth about Him with holy boldness. Our boldness is not like that of those who believe that confrontation is God's delight, but a boldness than comes from assurance and affirmation that the God of love the Lamb portrays and demonstrates is the only truth that has power to attract and reconcile us back to full trust in His heart, a power that is completely free of all fear. Yes, this incredibly beautiful view of God and His unfailing and everlasting passionate love is hated by those who cling to the dualistic views of God, for such teachings provide them a sense of power over others. Only the truth is genuinely sweet to the palate, even though in our experience of seeking to share it with others too often results in terrible sadness as we watch hearts harden against it because they despise kindness as being weakness, not allowing it to lead them to repentance.

This is where we find ourselves in the flow of the prophecy of Revelation. We are passing through a transition phase in this book, where increasing polarization is becoming more complete. The locusts and scorpions have been released with all their tormenting views of God, along with the unleashing of the four chief angels of the kingdom of darkness whose goal is to wreak as much havoc as possible while blaming it all on God as being the cause of all suffering and destruction as we will see in future chapters.

Yet even now we are being invited to go forward and, along with John, take the open book from the hand of the angel who is just like Jesus. We too can eat it up and savor its sweetness, even while knowing full well that the outcome will be different as we digest it and share this love from our gut.

They told me, "You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings."

What happens inside us when our sharing of beautiful truths we are learning about God and about what the Bible is really telling us is repulsed, and we suffer for the sake of Jesus and His gospel? We must keep fresh in our minds the words of heaven reminding us that we should not faint, but to continue speaking on behalf of God's truth. That is the true definition of what it means to prophecy.

Haven't you known? Haven't you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint. He isn't weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, (Luke 18:1)

Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let's do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)

Mystery of God - Rumor notes 64

 

Trumpet Intermission (Revelation 10)

7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets.

the seventh angel, when he is about to sound

This may be a good place to ponder the relationship between the various sets of 7. There is a clear pattern in all three where we find an intermission or insertion between the 6 and the 7 in each set. As well, in all 3 sets it appears that the 7^th is not only the last in that set but seems to strongly parallel each other as a grand climax. The question that many have struggled with is how to interpret these similarities and differences. Do these three sets correspond to each other time wise, or are they to be viewed sequentially? Do each of them have close parallels in parts of their makeup because they are describing the same situations from different directions, or is each set a sequence or pattern that is repeated 3 times, only with increasing intensity each time until the final set when the full power of truth and light is released, initiating the toppling of the empire of evil?

Strangely, I find a mix of these ideas rather appealing. It may be more difficult to defend this position given it cannot be perfectly explained and proven. But that is true about most everything we find in this prophetic document. I believe that prophecy is more flexible than most are willing to allow for, meaning that these symbols and activities described here can have multiple valid meanings and in some cases overlapping meanings that sometimes defy satisfactory explanation. I like the way that Sigve Tondstad explains these three sets, that they are both repeating but also progressive. I think of it like a wheel with 7 spokes that turns. It may appear that the same 7 things go by each time it turns, yet if the wheel is on the ground and not suspended in the air, there will be forward movement as well as repetition. Only with these I also see an added dimension of the last of each set having compelling reason to point to possibly the same point in time, whether generally or very specifically.

So when this says that we are being given insight to the time just before the 7^th angel is to sound his trumpet, I tend to believe this is referring to a time of great import, a time of enormous tension, social and spiritual pressure, of great anticipation and/or apprehension. In all three sets it appears that the interludes are clearly connected to each other as well, yet they also retain a sense of sequence to some extent. It is clear in the interlude found in chapter 7 in the seals there is a holding off of something very dangerous until a group of people are sealed, while in the trumpets this holding off has clearly come to an end with the releasing of the 4 winds that previously had been held in check. Additionally, the 6^th trumpet and the 6^th bowl both refer to the river Euphrates alerting us that something highly significant is going on that is closely related and links these together.

It is almost as if these three wheels with 7 spokes are turning in such as away that while they may begin at different points in time and retain a pattern of repetition, they almost appear to arrive at the same place simultaneously. If so that would make the wheels different sizes, for if you have a larger wheel rolling along with two other size wheels progressively smaller, yet each patterned after the same style, for all of them to arrive at the same spot at the same time would mean each of them would have their beginning point at different places but be seen to be overlapping closer and closer as they make their revolutions. Just an observation that may or may not be helpful here.

when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished

This verse is like a subset of the interlude which in turn is a parenthetical subset embedded into this set of 7's. It is like the core secret buried right in the center of this interlude, and I believe there is a very important reason the 7 thunders are implanted into the center of the description of this angel.

What has come out of our careful analysis of all the passages regarding thunder in our study? Pretty much all of them appeared to relate to the voice of God, yet some of them described a similar sound produced by God's loyal followers giving Him praise and honor and gratitude. What seems to be emerging to my awareness as I have pondered this ever since my study of these trumpets is that the main takeaway might have to do with the learning and practicing of the New Song that is the most potent weapon to be used by God's people. The thunders may describe vividly the sounds that results from learning the New Song, and this sound is seen as nearly identical whether it is coming from heaven or originating on earth.

The question I want to look at more closely is this: Why was John not to write down what he heard from the thunders, and why are they located just where we find them, interrupting the description of the angel standing on the sea and land with his strange book and the encounter John has with that book later? I believe this strategic positioning of these thunders at this specific location in the flow of the story contains the clues that may well unlock what has been obscured about the content of what the thunders may have released in John's hearing but have to be hidden until the right time. And that right time is just where it shows up in the flow of the story, right in the middle of the literal events that are symbolized by this angel and his little book.

So far we have not even begun to unpack the most potent word in this whole verse that lies at the very center of its meaning. This tells us that at this strategic point in the flow of events, the mystery of God is finished. It is time to add this powerful observation to what we are stirring around and observe the effects it may have as we combine one clue after another using the recipe provided here. What is the mystery of God, and how can we distill what it really is from a study of what is given us by the other prophets of God who are called His servants? I think this is crucial to spend some time considering most carefully and intently, for doing so may unleash far more blessing into not only our thinking but even more importantly into our spirit and our experience if we are open to receive what may come out.

What I am seeing as the best explanation so far for why John was told not to write down what the 7 thunders expressed was because of the critical timing involved. John was seeing future history being laid out in symbols in this vision, yet he himself was writing it all down in a point in time that was nearly 2,000 years before it would actually become the situation on this planet. Were he to write down the potent information he heard from the 7 thunders, the enemy would have plenty of time to discredit it, distort it, deface it and neutralize it through subtle deceptions and outright lies just as he has done to the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus it was crucial that John keep the lid on possibly the most powerful ammunition that would be needed at just the right time by the people of God so they could access it in its full and purest form, untainted by the scheming deceptions and distortions that the enemy always uses to neutralize truths that show us the reality of heaven and God's character of love.

Having said this, I believe the time is now ripe for us to take hold of this opportunity to seize the truth as the Spirit unveils it to us both individually and collectively. As we continue to look at the meaning of this sea/land angel and how it is located where it is in the days when the 7^th angel is about to sound, it just might be God's will to begin to infuse the full potency of the 7 thunders' messages into our hearts if we wish to participate as true reflectors of God's heart and voice. And this understanding may involve appreciation of what this mystery is all about that is connected to what the 7 thunders exposed.

the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets

Following are verses related to this mystery. Another resource is a paper called Inheriting Garbage.

the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lampstands are seven assemblies. (Revelation 1:20)

Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn't done it? Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Yahweh has spoken. Who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:6-8)

He said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.'" (Mark 4:9-12)

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27 NAS95)

My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith wouldn't stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory, which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:4-8)

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; (Ephesians 1:9-10)

if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you; how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News, (Ephesians 3:2-6)

with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the assembly; of which I was made a servant, according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; (Colossians 1:24-28)

that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden. Now this I say that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. (Colossians 2:2-4)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving; praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; that I may reveal it as I ought to speak. (Colossians 4:2-4)

Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God's wrath is finished. (Revelation 15:1)

The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power. No one was able to enter into the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels would be finished. (Revelation 15:8)

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

as he declared to his servants, the prophets

In the following passages, think about what needs to be finished as related to what was told to the prophets of old.

He said to them, "Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Didn't the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?" Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

He said to them, "This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44-47)

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21)

No More Delay - Rumor notes 63

 Trumpet Intermission (Revelation 10)

5 The angel who I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky, 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will no longer be delay, 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets.

This description must be kept in the context of what we just finished studying about the 7 thunders and the timing involved in when their messages might be recognized and appreciated. We compared a number of passages about sealing and unsealing that led us to see that things are not hidden by God arbitrarily but rather to protect vital information from being exposed to the toxic corrosion of the slander of the enemy to discredit and dismantle it in our thinking. Many of God's warnings given through His prophets were labeled as conspiracies to discredit them and get people to ignore them, while in fact the leaders themselves were actually the ones who were indeed acting out conspiracies while accusing the ones seeking to expose them as merely conspiracy theorists who should be silenced. We see that same pattern being carried out today with similar effectiveness.

From that perspective, we now look at this angel standing on both sea and land and raising his right hand in a posture of great authority to swear by the highest Source of all authority something extremely important. We saw a parallel description of this angel last time in Daniel (quoted later here) where he is seen raising both of his hands to heaven, though in that description his announcement had to do with timing between the time when Daniel was alive extending down to our time in recent history. Here we find ourselves on the other end of that time period looking at a similar prophecy declaring this time that there is to be no more delay.

The question that should raise itself immediately in our mind is, what is it that is not to be delayed any longer? Is it the time prophecy of the angel in Daniel or is the delay relating to something far more immediate in this context? What about no more delay in knowing what the 7 thunders just announced?

I personally feel strongly that we are currently either living in, or are on the very verge of the time when the power of the messages of thunder heard by John is to be released into our experience. These thunders may not be as much intellectual ideas to be articulated but more along the line of awareness both in our spirit as well as in our intellect that fulfills Jesus' predication of the coming time when God's true worshipers will worship Him the way we were originally designed to do.

But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

swore by him who lives forever and ever

What is the significance of swearing by the One who lives forever and ever?

Contrast this with the mainstream version of creation now being forced on the whole world as the context for our beliefs about our origins. Evolution is the antichrist of the truth about creation and has seeped into nearly all of how we think about reality and how to perceive what is credible. Religion has done a superb job of amalgamating godless evolution and a creator that is a bit too impotent to form our entire world ecosystem in six literal days. This amalgamation is not new but has been the methods used ever since sin took control of the human race. Amalgamation of humans and animals is suspected as being one cause the flood was allowed to destroy the entire planet in Noah's day. Jesus told us that the days of His second coming will be just like it was in the days of Noah. But amalgamation extends far beyond simply playing god in the arena of genetics as we are seeing happen all over the place today. Religion is doing the same thing with the truth as science is doing with nature, and the results are equally dangerous.

who created heaven... the earth... and the sea and the things that are in it

Don't miss the fact that this angel is standing on two of these things listed here – the sea and the earth. This is no coincidence. We are being reminded that there is a God in heaven who is the author and creator of these things that define where we live and how we perceive reality, and that God is from eternity past to eternity future, regardless of any notions otherwise we may cling to in resistance to the truth. This God is love, and to deny the truth about our creation and the Owner of everything and everyone in existence is to choose darkness in place of light.

I have a question to ponder here. What might this angel represent? Are we to assume that it is merely a heavenly being portrayed as delivering a message from God? Or is it possible that, like other angels such as the first three mentioned in Revelation 14, an angel can represent a powerful message of truth delivered through God's loyal followers on earth?

Is it possible that this angel could represent people who are sealed with the Spirit of God with the truth about God's heart, who reflect that truth in the way they think and relate to those around them? Could it be that this angel is reflected in the bold authority exercised by such individuals collectively asserting the truth in every venue representing the entire surface of our planet? Might what they say correspond to the messages just released by the 7 thunders and now reiterated by this powerful movement that was foreshadowed by the boldness of the early believers who confronted similar opposition from intimidation and persecution in the days of the original apostles?

there will no longer be delay

I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7)

A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course. (Revelation 6:11)

Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.

(Revelation 12:12)

The seventh poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came forth out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" (Revelation 16:17)

He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life." (Revelation 21:6)

"In a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not wait. But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." (Hebrews 10:37-38)

But don't forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

(2 Peter 3:8-9)

in the days of the voice of the seventh angel

There is not a lot in Scripture that I can find related to this phrase in the days of the voice... However, I sense that it should at least be considered as something important to ponder. Given the enormous potency of what follows – the mystery of God is finished – I believe the timing given here has to have equal significance. Here are a few passages that might provide some clues that may or may not be useful.

Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come." (Genesis 49:1)

My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp. Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches-- none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough, that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption. (Psalms 49:3-9)

In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44)

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the midst of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. "As in the days of your coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things." The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf. They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, and will be afraid because of you.

Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn't retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. (Micah 7:14-20)

"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!" says Yahweh of Armies.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap; and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to Yahweh offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to Yahweh, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.

I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don't fear me," says Yahweh of Armies. "For I, Yahweh, don't change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed."

(Malachi 3:1-6)

As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it happened in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all. It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)