In this episode of Hope for Today, Bible teacher David Hawking delves into the prophetic insights found in Revelation Chapter 10. We explore the vision of the mighty angel standing on sea and land, symbolizing God’s sovereignty over creation. As David unpacks these passages, he addresses the paradox of sweetness and bitterness in divine revelations, reflecting on how they comfort believers while challenging the wicked. Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of what these ancient prophecies signify for us today.
00:24:16 Closing Thoughts and Continuing Revelation Study
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, a lot of us think, boy, I hope tomorrow’s a good day. You know, I’ve read through the Bible on this matter, and I believe that God doesn’t teach that. God teaches there’s a lot of trouble tomorrow. You say, boy, you aren’t very encouraging. There’s going to be a lot of hassles. There are going to be difficulties tomorrow. There’s going to be a problem. No, no, I’m determined. I am going to have a good day. You are not in charge of it. God has ways of messing your plans up. There’s a lot of trouble every day. Man seems to be born for trouble rather than for blessing. But aren’t you glad that in the Lord, we’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. So it doesn’t matter what’s collapsing around us. We’re in the Lord. He’s in charge. Everything’s working out according to his plan.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
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This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. Picture this. An angel descends from heaven clothed with a cloud, face shining like the sun, and he hands you a little book. Not to study, not to toss on the shelf, but to eat. So you do. And suddenly it’s as sweet as honey. Sweet, that is, until it turns sour inside your stomach. Now, in this passage, what is God saying? Why does his word sometimes comfort and other times cut to the heart? Today, David Hawking takes us back into Revelation chapter 10, verses 1 through 11 for a final look at the powerful lessons behind this mysterious scene. Stay right there. First, we’d like to ask you to pray. Pray for hope for today, for God’s guidance, wisdom, and provision for this ministry. Why? Well, because every day we face decisions about how to best reach more people with the pure truth of God’s Word. We need God’s direction to stay faithful, His wisdom to keep our message clear, and His provision to help keep Hope for Today on the air and online. It’s as simple as that. And friend, that’s where you come in. First of all, pray for us. And then secondly, your gifts, your donations, make it possible for us to stream Bible teaching online today. Releasing the program on radio stations, offering free resources like David’s booklet, What is Christianity for Unsaved and New Believers, and free resources such as the booklets on our homepage. It also helps us continue broadcasting across the globe. So if the Lord is leading you to help, call us at 1-800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. You can also contribute online at DavidHawking.org. Let’s get to our study now. Again, turn to Revelation chapter 10, verses 1 through 11 for day three of David’s message, The Little Book.
SPEAKER 02 :
Now, in verse 5 to 7, we have the announcement of this mighty angel. We looked at the appearance of the angel, but the announcement of this mighty angel. The angel, verse 5, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven. Now, I want you to see just three things here. Number one, he symbolized his dependency upon God’s authority and sovereignty over all. He’s standing on the sea and on the earth, and he lifted his hand to heaven. I like that. He symbolized his dependency upon God’s authority and sovereignty over all. God, this is your moment. What a beautiful picture that is. The second thing he did, he not only symbolized God’s authority and sovereignty and his dependency on it, but he swore by the eternal power of God himself. This is very unusual, right? It says in verse 6, and swore by him that liveth forever and ever. James 5.12 says, swear not at all. His advice to us, let your yes be yes and your no, no. You don’t say to somebody, hey, I swear on a stack of Bibles I’m telling you the truth. Well, why bring in the stack of Bibles? Why don’t you just tell the truth? This was common in Jesus’ day. I swear by the temple and the pillars of it that I’m telling you the truth. Well, Jesus said, don’t swear by any of it. Just let your yes be yes and your no, no. Just tell the truth all the time. Then we won’t have to do that. Interesting, isn’t it, how we use that? But there is a valid swearing that’s done by God himself. In Hebrews chapter 6, it says God can’t swear by anything higher than himself. And by two immutable things, his own character and his oath, his promise, by which it’s impossible for God to lie, we have a sure anchor of the soul, knowing that God’s going to do what he said. Who God is and God’s word. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Those are two things that do not change. I am the Lord, I change not. Two immutable things, says Hebrews 6.18. Two things that do not change. God himself and God’s word. God will keep his word. You can count on it. And it’s a sure anchor to the soul when we understand that, that all of God’s promises are built on who God is and what God says, not what man does. So I find it extremely impressive that this mighty angel will swear by him that liveth forever and ever. He swore by the eternal power of God in creation because he said, who created heaven? The point is, this is his. He makes this dramatic announcement and tells the whole world, because in the next chapter we’re going to learn that the announcement is given that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And so this mighty angel is swearing by him who created it all and said, I just want to remind you, he made everything there is. Everything in heaven, everything on earth, everything in the sea, he made it all. Every last parcel of it. And it’s by him that I swear time is going to be no more. The end is here. The mystery of God will be finished. Okay, he not only symbolized God’s sovereignty and authority over everything and not only swore by the eternal power of God himself in creation that it all belongs to him and he knows how he’s going to wrap it all up. But number three, he stated that God’s plans were on schedule and would be fulfilled exactly the way God intended. Aren’t you glad of that? We are not one day behind or one day ahead of God’s plan. It’s going to happen right on schedule. We don’t know, but God does. God wants you to trust him. You don’t even know what a day he’s going to bring forth. Jesus told you not even to worry about tomorrow, because sufficient unto that day is the evil thereof. What that basically means is there’s so much trouble tomorrow, if you knew it in advance, you couldn’t handle it. So God only gives it to you one day at a time. Man seems to be born for trouble rather than for blessing. But aren’t you glad that in the Lord, we’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. So it doesn’t matter what’s collapsing around us. We’re in the Lord. He’s in charge. Everything’s working out according to His plan. And we’re all going to die on time. And if we’re alive and remain, we’re caught up to be with the Lord anyway, so let the MasterCard go to the end of Christ. Amen. We’re out of here. Now, how do we know that he’s stating God’s plans are on schedule? Well, look at this. First of all, the end of verse 6, that there should be time no more or no longer. Some people have the idea that time, like the sequence of time, 24-hour day, clocks, watches, and all that will be destroyed at this point. No, that isn’t the point at all. The point is that the time of the end that we’ve heard about that’s coming and all of that, we don’t have any more delay now. This is it. The angels announcing the last three and a half years are wrapping it up. The mystery of God is going to be finished. It’s going to be done. The word finished, it is done or finished, has an interesting usage in this book later on. Turn to chapter 16. In chapter 16, we have the seven last plagues. And the last plague has an interesting statement. Verse 17 of chapter 16. And the seventh angel poured out his vial or his bowl into the earth. And there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying what? It is done. Back in chapter 10, during the blowing of the seventh trumpet, it will be finished. It will be done. The seventh trumpet blows over the entire last half of the tribulation period. The seventh trumpet announces the seven last plagues, which are the final wrath of God being poured out upon an unbelieving world that’s turned their back on him. Now, the Bible says in chapter 10, verse 7, the mystery of God should be finished as he’s declared to his servants, the prophets. Now, what in the world is he talking about here? The word mystery used 22 times. It’s plural form five more times, 27 times. A mystery, something that was not known previously, but is now unveiled. I found the following. I looked up all 27 times. We have the mystery or the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus speaking about how it would grow during this age. We have the mystery of Israel’s blindness, that blindness in part has happened in Israel until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. That’s sort of related. We have the mystery of the rapture, that we will not all die. Some of us will be alive, but we will all be changed. It was no mystery that people would die and be resurrected, but it was a mystery that there’s going to be a rapture of the church. We have the mystery of his will, which according to Ephesians 1.9 is when he’s going to gather all things in one in Christ under his headship, probably referring to the millennial age. We have the mystery of Christ himself. The Bible even calls it Christ in you, the hope of glory. We have the mystery of Christ and the church pictured by marriage in Ephesians 5.32. We have the mystery of the gospel, Ephesians 6.19. The mystery of iniquity is already at work, 2 Thessalonians 2.7. We have the mystery of God, which is referring to Christ in Colossians 2.2, that in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We have the mystery of the faith, which those that are leaders in our church are supposed to hold on to. That’s interesting. We have the mystery of godliness, that God was manifest in the flesh. The whole mystery about how God became a man, which was hidden in the Old Testament, revealed, of course, when Christ came. We have the mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks in Revelation 1.20. We have the mystery of Babylon the Great, Revelation 17.5, also called the mystery of the woman in chapter 17, verse 7. I just gave them all to you. What’s missing? The one in chapter 10, verse 7, the mystery of God. Well, that’s interesting. There’s not a whole lot of information on this. What do we conclude? Well, we know that it says in the beginning of the verse, verse 7, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel. Look at chapter 11, verse 15. The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. The mystery of God that’s going to be finished is how God’s going to wrap everything up the mystery of his will, Ephesians 1.9, when Christ will rule and reign over the entire world. Apparently that’s what’s being pictured. And we also have chapter 16 that we looked at a moment ago, verse 17, that when the last plague is poured out, it’s finished, it’s done. Picking up the words here that the mystery of God will be finished, it will be done. The mystery of God is why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? Why, oh Lord, have you let this thing go on? And the mystery of God will be finished in the tribulation as we will all see that God had a plan, he worked it perfectly, and he accomplished his will. And his son Jesus will reign over everything. Now the last three verses, we’ve got to wrap it up. Chapter 10, verse 8 to 11, last four verses. It’s a very interesting thing. I call it the application of the message. We looked at the appearance of a mighty angel in the first four verses, the announcement of this angel in verses 5 to 7, and finally, the application of this message. Very interesting. To summarize, John eats the scroll, at least the remaining part of it, the announcement of the seventh angel. He eats it. I’d like you to notice three things. One, it illustrated a previous revelation. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 2, verse 9, down to 3, verse 3. It says, And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me, and lo, a book or scroll was in it. He spread it before me. It was written within and without, same way it’s described in Revelation 5. And it was written in it, listen to this, lamentations and mourning and woe. Moreover, he said unto me, Son of man, eat what thou findest. Eat this book or scroll and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that scroll. And he said unto me, Son of man, eat and fill thy belly or stomach with this scroll that I give thee. Then did I eat it and it was in my mouth like honey for sweetness. But what happens, it turns bitter in the stomach as it pictures the suffering of the people of God. So what I’m saying to you is that I believe that is what is quoted in Revelation. What Revelation is having John do is illustrating a previous revelation that was about the pain, the lamentation, the mourning, the woe, the awfulness of what the tribulation would bring. Blessing, yes, because God’s taking over and finishing this whole mess, but pain because of what the people of God would experience. And the second thing I would mention about Revelation 10, if you want to flip back there, is that it certainly involved a peculiar response, because in his mouth it was sweet, but in his stomach it was bitter. And finally, that it indicated a powerful responsibility. When John heard what God was going to do, it was sweet to his mouth. It’s sweet to all of us to learn. Our God reigns. It’s sweet to all of us to learn. The Lord Jesus Christ will rule and reign over the entire world. The Lord will defeat all the nations of the world and come against Jerusalem. It’s sweet to us. But to those of us who love the Lord and are mature, there is a bitterness of soul. A bitterness in two areas. First, the people of God who will suffer terribly in the tribulation. A multitude that no man can number, the Bible says, are going to be killed for their faith in Jesus. And number two. There’s a bitterness over those who are unbelievers who will be lost forever. And so a powerful responsibility is laid on him. Thou must prophesy. Preach it. And interesting that it says so clearly in Revelation 10, mentioning a favorite phrase dealing with God reaching the world. It says about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. Preach it, John. Proclaim it. Don’t hesitate to say what needs to be said. No matter how awful it hits you as you think about all the tragedies that are going to happen. It’s God’s message. Now you proclaim it. I sat in the office of Israel’s premier several years ago in Jerusalem. with several cabinet members and we were talking about prophecy I was in a congress for the peace of Jerusalem and he asked me about the tribulation period he said do you believe in the tribulation the time of Jacob’s trouble I said yes sir I do he said well we’ve already suffered terribly and our rabbis tell us that Isaiah 53 has been fulfilled in the holocaust under Hitler He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The he is the servant of the Lord and is referring to the nation of Israel, he said. I said, you know, there’s a prime minister, not premier. I said, prime minister, I do understand that you don’t want to suffer ever again. You have a memorial and a monument here in the city, Yad Hashem, a memorial to the name in which you tell the whole story of six million Jews being slaughtered and killed, tortured, under the Nazi regime. I can understand. But I said, one of your own, Yeshua of Nazareth, said that this would be a time of trouble unlike any previous time. And I said, I do not tell you this with joy. I say it with grief. There’s going to be terrible persecution again in Israel. About that time, he looked at me and he said, I think you are preaching now. I said, excuse me, but I do hope and pray. He says, what are your true intentions for we who live in Israel? I thought for a moment and I said, well, my true intentions is the same for every Gentile in the world. Every Jew and Gentile, it’s my prayer, will bow the knee to Jesus as their Messiah and will confess him as their Lord. And then they all broke out in laughter. I was kind of broke the tension of the moment. I wasn’t sure what I had done. And he said, you know, he said, David, that’s why I like you. We can always count on you to tell us what you’re really thinking. And he said, we don’t agree with you. But I say from my heart, he told me, he said, I hope you are wrong. I just can’t imagine suffering again like that. John ate it. It was sweet. God is going to have the victory. But it was bitter in his stomach. Oh, it’s sweet. The Lord’s coming. His kingdom is going to be set up. But there’s kind of a bitterness in his stomach because there is a heaven and there is a hell. And I hope you know the Lord. Father in heaven, we thank you that you’re in charge. And thank you, Lord, that you’re going to rule and reign over this earth. And Lord, as we think about what’s coming in the tribulation, we are excited, thrilled, encouraged, blessed. It is sweet to us. But we are also grieving when we think of family and friends that continue to reject and resist the grace and marvelous kindness of our Lord. For this is the day of salvation. This is the day of opportunity. You tell us to repent and to believe the gospel. You tell us to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Lord. That if we will confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we would be saved. God, I pray that right now, by your Spirit, you’d cause many people to cry out to God for salvation, for deliverance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
How about you? You’re listening today. Do you really have peace in your heart that you’ve been born again of the Spirit of God? that you’re headed for heaven and not hell. Boy, I can’t think of something more important than that. And if you’re not sure, give us a call and ask for help. We have free stuff to help you really understand what it means to know the Lord and be assured of it. God bless.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, that’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. If you’d like to know more about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we’d love to send you two free resources, and free means free. First, David’s booklet, What is Christianity? And the second is a Bible study by mail to help you grow in your new faith. Again, these are free if you’re new to the Christian faith, or if you’re not yet a believer, but you want to know more. Get these by calling 1-800-75-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S. Or in Canada, call 888-75-BIBLE. Bible by the numbers 24253. And you can also request these resources at our website, davidhawking.org. And just before David closes our time, his son Matt’s here, and we’re going to share a powerful resource with you. Matt, what do we have?
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Hope for today is all about the Bible. The whole Bible. And nothing but the Bible.
SPEAKER 03 :
Nothing but the Bible, yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that’s why my dad has written a thorough study of Zechariah titled Visions of the Future.
SPEAKER 03 :
Zechariah is often referred to as the little revelation of the Old Testament. The historical background follows Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem and the return of the Jews to rebuild the temple. The book also speaks of the centrality of Jerusalem in God’s prophetic plan. And tells how this city will become a cup of trembling to all nations. And prophecy concerning a future invasion of Israel, the Battle of Armageddon. The glorious return of the Messiah to this earth and the setting up of a kingdom that will never change. Amen.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, it’s right there in Zachariah, Jim. Right. And my dad’s book, Visions of the Future, will show you all of the vivid details, historical context, explanations of crucial original text terms, cross-references, and fascinating applications for our lives today.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Matt, may God open our hearts and the hearts of everyone listening to the glorious future awaiting all of us who have put our faith in the coming Messiah. Visions of the Future is our featured offer for August, and we have your copy for just $15. And when you purchase, please consider adding an extra amount as a donation to Hope for Today or make a donation by itself. Your gift makes you a part of this ministry. And always, please start by praying for Hope for Today. Well, to get this powerful book by David, Visions of the Future, call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And if God is stirring your heart to give, to make a donation, don’t brush that off. This isn’t about padding budgets. Every dollar you put into this ministry is fuel keeping Hope for Today on the air, pushing God’s word out, and putting a number of free resources in the hands of people who need truth. So if he’s calling you to step up, act on it. To send your gift by mail, write to Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, Tustin is spelled T-U-S-T-I-N, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, Abbotsford is A-B-B-O-T-S-F-O-R-D-B-C-V-2-S-8-P-1. Let’s get back to David.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thanks for listening, friends, to Teaching the Book of Revelation. It has a lot of points in it that are not easy to understand. Even this chapter 10, about a little book and the announcement by the voice of the seventh angel in verse 7, that the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Wow! And what we see here is is an amazing little thing. The voice from heaven says, go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel that stands on the sea and on the earth. And so John goes. He says, give me the little book. And then he’s told, well, take it and eat it, and it’ll make your belly bitter, but in your mouth it’ll be sweet as honey. Yes, the events and judgments of the tribulation are indeed bitter, but it will wind up with sweetness as we learn that there’s going to be a new heaven and a new earth. There’s going to be a resurrection of our bodies as believers. And what John is told here at the end of the chapter is, is that he must prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. Wow. God bless you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, thank you, David. And next time on the program, we open up Revelation chapter 11, where two witnesses take center stage. But who are they? Moses? Elijah? Someone else? Well, the Bible tells us more than you might think. Tomorrow, it’s day one of the two witnesses from Revelation chapter 11, verses one through four. Don’t miss it here on Hope for Today.
In this episode of Hope for Today, Bible teacher David Hawking delves into the prophetic insights found in Revelation Chapter 10. We explore the vision of the mighty angel standing on sea and land, symbolizing God’s sovereignty over creation. As David unpacks these passages, he addresses the paradox of sweetness and bitterness in divine revelations, reflecting on how they comfort believers while challenging the wicked. Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of what these ancient prophecies signify for us today.
