And I saw another mighty angel coming down out of heaven dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow upon his head, his face was like the sun, his feet were like pillars of fire. Rev. 10:1.
For me, Revelation 10 and 11 have been as difficult to understand as any part of the entire book. A long interlude separates the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15-18) from the horrors of the sixth (Rev. 9:13-21). This section has a different character than the trumpet vision proper. Instead of horrific judgments, natural catastrophes, and the fate of the wicked, we find prophecy, preaching, and the experience of God's people.
Is the interlude of Revelation 10 and 11 connected in some way to the trumpets, or do the two visions have nothing to do with each other? We can answer that question with certainty. You may remember that Revelation 8:13 describes three woes that would occur during the sounding of the last three trumpets. Then Revelation 9:12 said, "The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come" (NIV). So the first woe obviously is the fifth trumpet (verses 1-11) and the second woe clearly begins when the sixth trumpet does (verse 13). But when does the second woe end?
"The second woe has passed the third woe is coming soon" (Rev. 11:14, NIV). The ending of the second woe (the sixth trumpet) does not occur in Revelation 9:21, but rather in Revelation 11:14. That means that Revelation 10 and 11 are not something separate from the sixth trumpet. Revelation 10 and 11 deal with the same events as chapter 9, but from a different perspective. This is also the time of the sealing (Rev. 7:1-4) and the gathering for the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16). The core of the sixth trumpet is just before the close of probation (Rev. 10:7).
You have, perhaps, heard the story of the six blind men who sought to understand what an elephant is like. One of them embraced one of the elephant's legs and declared that it reminded him of a tree. Another grasped one of the tusks and declared that the elephant was like a spear. The blind man who grabbed the elephant's trunk thought that creature must be like a giant fire hose. And so it went. What each blind man determined about the elephant depended on which part he had experienced.
So in the sixth trumpet John describes the same events from two different perspectives. Chapter 9 concerns the activities and fate of the wicked toward the end, and Revelation 10 and 11 offer a view of he righteous and what happens to them during the same period. While Satan's forces mass for the final conflict (Rev. 9:13-21), God at the same time prepares a people to counteract that threat (Rev. 10:1-11:13).
Lord, help me to discern clearly the difference between Your ways and the actions of the enemy as we approach the end.
For me, Revelation 10 and 11 have been as difficult to understand as any part of the entire book. A long interlude separates the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15-18) from the horrors of the sixth (Rev. 9:13-21). This section has a different character than the trumpet vision proper. Instead of horrific judgments, natural catastrophes, and the fate of the wicked, we find prophecy, preaching, and the experience of God's people.
Is the interlude of Revelation 10 and 11 connected in some way to the trumpets, or do the two visions have nothing to do with each other? We can answer that question with certainty. You may remember that Revelation 8:13 describes three woes that would occur during the sounding of the last three trumpets. Then Revelation 9:12 said, "The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come" (NIV). So the first woe obviously is the fifth trumpet (verses 1-11) and the second woe clearly begins when the sixth trumpet does (verse 13). But when does the second woe end?
"The second woe has passed the third woe is coming soon" (Rev. 11:14, NIV). The ending of the second woe (the sixth trumpet) does not occur in Revelation 9:21, but rather in Revelation 11:14. That means that Revelation 10 and 11 are not something separate from the sixth trumpet. Revelation 10 and 11 deal with the same events as chapter 9, but from a different perspective. This is also the time of the sealing (Rev. 7:1-4) and the gathering for the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16). The core of the sixth trumpet is just before the close of probation (Rev. 10:7).
You have, perhaps, heard the story of the six blind men who sought to understand what an elephant is like. One of them embraced one of the elephant's legs and declared that it reminded him of a tree. Another grasped one of the tusks and declared that the elephant was like a spear. The blind man who grabbed the elephant's trunk thought that creature must be like a giant fire hose. And so it went. What each blind man determined about the elephant depended on which part he had experienced.
So in the sixth trumpet John describes the same events from two different perspectives. Chapter 9 concerns the activities and fate of the wicked toward the end, and Revelation 10 and 11 offer a view of he righteous and what happens to them during the same period. While Satan's forces mass for the final conflict (Rev. 9:13-21), God at the same time prepares a people to counteract that threat (Rev. 10:1-11:13).
Lord, help me to discern clearly the difference between Your ways and the actions of the enemy as we approach the end.
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