The Lord’s will from heaven is displayed on the earth. The testimony of the mighty angel and the two witnesses. The earth will be under no allusions as to Who they are rejecting.
Revelation 10: The Angel and the Little Scroll
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.
2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,
3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.
4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down."
5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven
6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,
7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in 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 little scroll. And he said to me, "Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.
11 And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."
Revelation 11: The Two Witnesses
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,
2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.
6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,
8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,
10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."
19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
Things to think about…
1. Who do you think of the mighty angel is in Rev 10? He has a rainbow over his head, legs like pillars of fire, a scroll and a loud voice like a lion roaring, Rev 10:1-3. Is this Christ? I don’t believe so. This is a very powerful angel. Remember a powerful angel took the scroll from the lamb in chap 5. This could be the same angel. He is a representative of the Lamb and as such swears by Him who lives forever, vs 6. This picture is also representative of the angel that gave Ezekiel a scroll to eat, Ezek 2:9, 10. John is also told not to write everything down that he had heard, Rev 10:4. Some words are just for the edification of the one receiving the message.
2. It is interesting to note in Rev 10:7 which says “but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets”. The prophets could easily refer to Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Zechariah who all prophesied about this period in history. The mystery could be more than the revealing of the antichrist and the time of the covenant being broken with the Jews by the antichrist. The mystery may well be regarding the return of Christ and the setting up of His Millennial temple (Ezek 47,48) and kingdom, Isa 65:17-25, 66:12, Zech 14.
3. John eats the scroll. It is sweet to the taste but bitter in the stomach Rev 10:10. The angel tells him he must prophesy to peoples, nations, languages and kings. John certainly does this – not only after Patmos as an old man, but mainly through this letter. The word of God is sweet for the Christian, but it contains some hard truths and often requires us to do things that ‘turn our stomach’. But the promise is that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. His Spirit allows us to remain faithful with His word.
4. John was given a measuring staff and told to measure the temple, Rev 11:1. But at this point the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed – AD70 and John is writing around AD95. So which temple is he talking about? Or is it a figurative rather than a literal temple. I believe it is a literal temple and I believe the timeframes are literal I.E forty two months and 1260 days. These are the same figures the prophet Daniel quotes, Dan 7:25, 9:27, Dan 12:11 and of course will have great significance at this point in history. Some commentators have thought Daniel’s numbers refer to Christ’s literal ministry on the earth, but John is quoting the same numbers post cross by many years – about 60 years at this point. The temple referred to will be the third temple that the Jews intend building on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. These two witnesses will prophesy for 3 and a half years in Jerusalem, Rev 11:8 – Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, and this is where these men will also be killed, which has been given over to the nations to trample under foot, Rev 11:2.
5. These two witnesses will perform many signs and wonders on the earth, Rev 11:3-6. These two men have ministries and powers similar to those of Moses and Elijah. Satan disputed over the body of Moses and Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. These prophets were the two who were with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John. They may well be these two witnesses spoken of here. But will be destroyed by Satan, “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit”, Rev 11:7. Their deaths will make the earth rejoice for a season, Rev 11:10 – but then these two men will be resurrected after 3 and a half days. This is representative of the Lord whom they follow. But even at this point though 7 thousand in Jerusalem will be killed by an earthquake – the rest gave glory to God. Many Jewish people will be saved at this point in history – hallelujah. God’s promises to His people will be fulfilled, even though it will be through the most intense period of tribulation.
6. Imagine the amazement of seeing these two men stand on their feet after 3 and a half days of being dead. Lazarus was 4 days dead in a tomb and was raised from the dead. Our lord was 3 days in the tomb and resurrected. The 2 witnesses will testify to the resurrection and the judgement that will swiftly come on the earth. Their resurrection will be an undeniable witness to Christ’s word and work. They are then taken to heaven. A great earthquake in Jerusalem which will kill 7000 will begin the final period of sorrow and judgement upon the earth.
7. While these events are determined for Israel and Jerusalem there is a global plan that is being fulfilled, Rev 11:15-19. Ultimately the time of judgement will come upon the nations that have set themselves up against the Lord from all history up to this point – small and great will be judged. Blessed are those individuals and nations that honour the gospel both to Jew and Gentile. Pray for peace to be upon Jerusalem and Israel.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. 6:30pm every Wednesday. 5:30pm prayer.
Prayer Points
1. Those being baptised on the 3rd Nov.
2. A new admin and finance officer for CBC. Pray for God’s choosing in this role.
3. Pray for the US as they enter into the elections in a few weeks.
4. Prayer for Israel, Gaza and Lebanon for peace to descend over the region.
5. Pray for Tuesday night that it would be a time of healing and hope
6. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR and the development of a project team.
7. Keep praying for PlayPatch on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
8. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School.
9. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
10. Church finances to continue to grow and expenses to be more than met.
11. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
12. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
13. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church once a month on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
14. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
15. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. The faithful preaching by Doug and worship team
2. More new visitors on Sunday. Pray they feel welcomed in the church
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Baptisms 3rd Nov morning service – 9:30am
2. Members meeting – AGM - 24th Nov after the service
3. PlayPatch Friday mornings – 9:30am. Contact Anna for details
4. Prayer meeting 5:30pm and Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
5. Carols Sunday 22nd Dec starting from 3pm.
6. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
7. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for October...
Q. 25. Why did they eat the forbidden fruit? A. Because they did not believe what God had said.
Bible References – Gen.3:1-6; Heb.11:6.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
