November 5: SEVEN THUNDERS!
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, “Seal” up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. Revelation 10:3-4 KJV
Before Jesus was crucified, John was with Him as the time of His crucifixion drew near. Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” [But] the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered… (John 12:28-29a NKJV).
John knew what it was like to hear and understand that thunderous voice, the voice of the Father speaking to His Son. Sixty-plus years later, as the aged Revelator marveled at the magnificent visions from heaven during his time of imprisonment on Patmos, he perfectly understood the message of the seven thunders. No doubt the enthusiasm with which it was delivered sent a bolt of energy and contagious enthusiasm straight to John’s heart. Oh, how ready he was to write these words! But the instructions to write them not were not just given as a “tease” to the rest of us. The fact is that the entire message was already written! There was no need to write this message again. Jesus opened to John the sealed book of Daniel, “seven” signifying that all of Daniel’s writings were to be opened and understood. Then that same voice uttered further instructions.* These instructions painted a prophetic picture of what would happen to the faithful remnant after the Dark Ages ended and the time of the end (Daniel 8:14; 11:40; 12:9) began.
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer (Revelation 10:5-6). In Revelation, the sea symbolizes Roman Catholicism and its rise from the fallen and divided pagan Roman Empire (Jeremiah 51:25; Daniel 2:41-43; 7:7-8, 20-21; Revelation 13:1; 17:1,15); the earth came to symbolize the place where Protestantism initially found a safe haven from the deadly persecutions of the Roman church (Revelation 12:16; 13:11). Today, these two former enemies are in the process of forming a coalition that will exercise worldwide power and influence (13:14-17). They will unite under the banner of a false Sabbath. The above passage also contains an explicit reference to the fourth commandment (compare to Exodus 20:11), as a reminder to all of God’s people to understand and honor His commandments, including the fourth.
…time no longer… There are elements of prophetic significance in Daniel’s book that are given specifically for the last days of this fallen world. There is no more waiting, as they are made clear for us now. Other translations are written “delay no longer” in reference to the previous shutting, and later opening, of Daniel. John understood that the little book open (Revelation 10:2) in God’s timing would ignite His last-day faithful ones to carry the pure, unaltered gospel message to all the world at the time of the end, the days in which we are now living.
…the Word of life… which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1b,3
*See tomorrow’s devotional