WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY NORTH PARK AP OSTOLIC CHURCH PASTOR A. MARK G ARC I A LESSON 10 04/25/2012 REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST A STUDY BASED ON REVELATION UNVEILED BY TIM LAHAYE MIGHTY ANGEL AND LITTLE SCROLL (Revelation Chapter 10) The first nine chapters of the book of Revelation have brought us almost to the middle of the Tribulation. The seven seal judgments covered the first quarter, the seventh seal introduces the next quarter (the trumpet judgments), and now chapters 10:1 11:14 comprise a parenthetical section given to John just before the prophecy concerning the last half of the Tribulation. MIGHTY ANGEL It is interesting to see how prominent a role angels play in the book of Revelation. They are mentioned more than sixty-six times throughout the book, always in a position of service. They do not create things, but fulfill the administration of God in human affairs. This is not the first time we have been introduced to a mighty angel, in Revelation 5:2 we find the same word used. This mighty angel has in his hand a little scroll, which we will describe in connec- tion with verse 8. He stands with his right foot in the sea and his left foot on the earth, indicating that he has authority over all land and sea surfaces. He then cries with a loud voice, the signal for seven thunder like voices. SEVEN THUNDER-LIKE VOICES The voices that sound like seven thunders are a unique feature in the book of Revelation. John is prepared to write down what these thunder like voices say when he hears another voice, (10:4). These voices could be the voices of other angels that sounded in such mighty volume as to resemble thunder, but since we are not told in Scripture the exact identity of the voices, it is dangerous to speculate further. Notes:
Page 2 MIGHTY ANGEL AND LITTLE SCROLL ( CONT ) MIGHTY ANGEL IS NOT LORD JESUS CHRIST Revelation 10:6 The angel is making an oath by the only sure guarantee, that is, God Himself. This angel swore by someone greater than himself, for he lifted up his hand toward heaven and cried and swore by the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, who obviously he was not. This angel, then, is swearing or giving oath on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ: There will be no more delay! The Greek word chronos (khron'-os), used here, has two meanings, time and delay. It is obvious that time is not the appropriate meaning, for there is time after this event. In fact, three and a half years of tribulation follow the utterance made here, plus the one thousand years of the millennial kingdom. The NIV has correctly translated this word delay : There will be delay no longer. Humanity has been living in the time of God s delay for centuries, but this angel warns the human race that God is about to conclude His patience in the face of their rebellion against His will, and that soon the final consummation will take place. MYSTERY OF GOD Revelation 10:7 The mystery of God here referred to can only mean salvation. One of the characteristics of salvation involves the mystery of how a holy God could love sinful human beings sufficiently to send His only Son into the world to die for their sins. This was made known to the prophets, God s servants in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. That this mystery is soon coming to a close is apparent by the act that forty-two months of the Tribulation period have expired when this statement is given, and, as we will see in Revelation 12:6, at this point there are only 1,260 days of humanity s known history left, apart from the kingdom age. WHAT IS LITTLE SCROLL? Revelation 10:8-11 Several suggestions have been made as to the identity of the little scroll. Some say it is the seven-sealed scroll given to the mighty angel, who in turn gives it to John. If this is true, the little scroll is the title deed to the earth, with the title description on one side and the seven seal judgments on the other. Since the seven seals have been broken and it has been revealed what the seven seals are, perhaps there is no longer need for this book. Thus, John is told to eat it. Another suggestion is that the little scroll is the new revelation to John of events from this point on to Chapter 19. In either case, it is the prophecy of God concerning future events. Since the mighty angel is pictured as standing with one foot in the sea and one foot on the land, John must no longer be in heaven. He has apparently returned to the earth to take the little scroll. It is a scroll, therefore, that has to do with events that are to happen on earth.
Page 3 After John asks the angel for the little scroll, he is told to take it and eat it, though warned that it will be sweet to the taste and bitter to the belly. After he had eaten the book, he was told to go speak to the house of Israel. The obvious meaning of these symbolic references to eating the word of God is that before someone can be a spokesman for God, he must digest the Word of God. Then John is told to prophesy again (Revelation 10:11). The picture of sweetness in the mouth and bitterness in the belly indicates the typical quality of L E SSON 10 God s Word, which is sharper than a two-edged sword. The sweetness comes to John in the predictions concerning our blessed Lord s return; the bitterness comes to John in being confronted by the fact that judgment is pronounced on the earth. TWO SUPER WITNESSES (Revelation Chapter 11:1-14) Revelation 11 is an integral part of the small parenthesis that began in 10:1 and continues to 11:14. This chapter has to do with the spiritual life of Israel; chapter 12 concerns the coming persecution of Israel. In chapter 11 we find that Israel will revert to the Old Testament form of worship. They will rebuild the temple apart from the Messiah since they believe He has not come. Thus they will construct the temple of rejection. In addition, this chapter unfolds the revelation that two supernatural witnesses will be recalled from Old Testament days to convey God s message to the Jerusalem area. These two witnesses are another illustration in this book that God is so keenly interested in the souls of people that He will even send two supernatural witnesses to convince lost humanity. In spite of these witnesses and the 144,000 of chapter 7, the majority will reject God s offer of salvation. Israel will basically remain in unbelief until the time of her great persecution. Join us for NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Thursday, May 3rd 10AM 6PM NPAC Sanctuary Come in the morning, during lunch, or after work. Join us as we pray for our nation with the conviction that God will continue to shed His grace on us!
Page 4 TWO SUPER WITNESSES (CONT ) TEMPLE TO BE REBUILT Several passages of Scripture refer to the Temple of the end time. In Matthew 24:15 the Lord Jesus referred to the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, indicating that at the end time, in the middle of the Tribulation period as Daniel predicted, a temple will be desecrated by the Antichrist. It is estimated that with unlimited money, modern technology, and the signing of the covenant with the Antichrist for seven years (Daniel 9:27), which will give the Jews access to the Temple Mount and permission to rebuild, it could be accomplished in as little as nine to eighteen months. REBUILDING TEMPLE IS A REJECTION OF CHRIST Jesus Ministry 3 + years 3.5 years Public execution Public Miracles Public reaction to verdict JESUS AND TWO WITNESSES Cross outside walls of Jerusalem Healing Cheering Witnesses Streets of Jerusalem Judgments Grave 3 days & nights 3.5 days Resurrection 3 rd day 3.5 days The fact that Israel will rebuild the Temple indicates that she has not received the Messiah. Therefore we suggest the following chronology of events: The act that will start the tribulation period is the signing of the covenant with the Antichrist, which will become an ungodly league with an evil power, indicating that Israel at the beginning of the Tribulation will not be predominately Christian. Then 144,000 servants of the Lord will go forth witnessing, reaching a multitude of gentiles that no one can number; but they represent the remnant, not a major portion of the Jewish Nation. Instead, the Jews will make this ungodly league with the Antichrist, permitting them to take the city of Jerusalem from the hands of the Arabs. They will build the Temple and once again institute the sacrificial system, rejecting Christ. Worldwide celebration Rapture Ascended up from Jerusalem Ascend up from Jerusalem
WHO ARE SE TWO WITNESSES? Revelation 11:3 At this point, colorful and dynamic individuals come on the scene as the special witnesses of God. God will give power to them; this power is for the purpose of witnessing God s power in distinction to that of the Antichrist. A variety of suggestions have been offered as to the identity of these two witnesses. Because God has not chosen to tell us exactly who they are, we can offer a suggestion. Some of the most reliable suggestions are Elijah and Moses. Malachi 4:5-6 predicted that Elijah would come before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. Moreover, we find that the use of fire in the Old Testament was limited to Elijah, who called down fire to consume the altar in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 18:20-40). He also withheld rain from the earth for three years. Therefore, it seems more than likely that Elijah is one of the two witnesses. There are three good reasons why Moses is the second witness during the first part of the Tribulation period. In Matthew 17:1-5, when the Lord Jesus was transfigured before His Jewish witnesses Peter, James and John two representatives of the Old Testament were brought before their view: Moses and Elijah. Their purpose was to discuss with Christ His impending death. Moses manifested power to bring plagues on the earth and to turn water into blood during the days of Pharaoh. Elijah did not do these things, but had power to call down fire from heaven and to The universal hatred of the world s population for these two prophets of God gives us unusual insight of what the moral conditions of the majority of the world will be at that time. stop rain. Therefore, it reasonably follows that these two men will be given the miraculous powers they already demonstrated while on the earth. Moses is an integral part of Jewish family tradition. It seems logical, therefore, that he will become one of the witnesses, for Moses and Elijah combined represent the entire Old Testament to the Jewish nation. WORK OF TWO WITNESSES Page 5 L E SSON 10 They are likened to the two lampstands and the two olive trees of the book Zechariah. Since this Old Testament symbol is used to convey the message of two men
Page 6 TWO SUPER WITNESSES (CONT ) proclaiming God s faithfulness, we assume Elijah and Moses will do the same. They will be on the scene during the first half of the tribulation period to counteract the lying wonders of the Antichrist. They will also prophesy (Revelation 11:3), which means they will preach concerning the things to come. No doubt they will be warning people on the basis of the book of Revelation concerning events and interpreting them as they relate to the people. It is probable that they will be the special witnesses of God to the holy Land, whereas the 144,000 are witnesses throughout the entire earth (Revelation 7:9). We further find that they will testify, Revelation 11:7 tells us that they have finished their testimony. Evidently this indicates the preaching of the gospel. True testifying is preaching the gospel, whether it be in the Church Age, the Tribulation, or the Millennium. WITNESSES KILLED Revelation 11:7-10 The beast that comes from the Abyss refers to the beast described in Revelation 13:1-7. The beast is an expression used here for the first time; the fact that he will come up out of the Abyss is a reference to the death and resurrection of the Antichrist, as we will see in more detail in chapter 13. The beast or Antichrist, the man of sin, will hate the two witnesses, make war against them, and kill them. However, note that he will have no power over them until they have finished their testimony. In other words, they will be Immortal until their work is done which can be said of all God s servants who walk in obedience to His will. The completely degenerate and inhuman characteristics of people living during the Tribulation period are seen in Revelation 11:8, which inform us that the bodies SATURDAY, MAY 5TH @ 8:00 AM NORTH PARK APOSTOLIC CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL
Page 7 L E SSON 10 of the two witnesses will be left open in the streets of Jerusalem. The Holy City will be so degenerate spiritually that she will be called Sodom and Egypt, Sodom being a symbol of immorality and Egypt a symbol of materialism. The modern medium of television makes possible the fulfillment of verse 9. In fact, ours is the first generation that can literally see the fulfillment of this scripture in allowing people of the entire world to see such an awesome spectacle. This is one more indication that we are coming closer to the end of the age. Verse 10 tells us that people throughout the world will enjoy a Christmaslike celebration, giving and receiving gifts because these preachers of righteousness and holiness are now dead. WITNESSES RESURRECTED Revelation 11:11-12 The resurrection of these men will be the final confirmation that they were men of God, another illustration that God does not forget His own. This will provide a frightening scene for the peoples of the earth when they see on television these two despised witnesses caught up into heaven. But the universal hatred of the world s population for these two prophets of God gives us unusual insight of what the moral conditions of the majority of the world will be at that time. They will love the Antichrist and his immoral standards for society and rebel against God and hate morality. Then, as now, there will be three kinds of people on earth: 1. the followers of Antichrist, 2. the tribulation saints, and 3. the still undecided. Fifty percent of the world s population will have been killed in the seal and trumpet judgments, and a great multitude that no one could count (Revelation 7:9) will be saved by this midpoint in the Tribulation period. Only God knows how many believers will have already been martyred. Though some evangelizing will continue during the last half of the Tribulation period, what Jesus called the Great Tribulation, will continue while 144,000 witnesses remain. But it will not be like the
NORTH PARK APOSTOLIC CHURCH Primary Business Address 2515 Lemon Grove Ave. Lemon Grove, CA 91945 Phone: 6192-229-2800 Fax: 619-667-8821 E-mail: npac@apostolicpower.org Join Us Online! www.apostolicpower.org MISSION STATEMENT To passionately pray, preach, teach and live through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is His greatest act of love toward us. VISION STATEMENT We are called to be a Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-dependent church that operates with simplicity and excellence as we love God with all our being and love all others with the same passion. great soul harvest of the first three and one-half years. GOD S JUDGMENT ON JERUSALEM Revelation 11:13 As a result of the shocking treatment of these two faithful witnesses of God by the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem, the Lord will send a great earthquake, destroying a tenth part of the city and slaying seven thousand people. The remnant may refer to the Jewish inhabitants of the city who, after seeing this judgment turn in faith to embrace the message of the two witnesses so recently resurrected. All of these events take place before the third woe in verse 14, which identifies these two witnesses who live, preach, die, and are resurrected during the first half of the Tribulation period.