Our Mission in a Time of Judgment (Revelation 10:1-11:14)

Big Idea: In a time of judgment, hold fast to God and his word, and boldly share the gospel because the resurrection is coming.

It’s been a few weeks since we looked at the book of Revelation, so let me catch you up.

We’re in the central part of Revelation. We’re almost halfway through. And the center part, from chapters 6 to 19, are about one thing: judgment. This part of Revelation describes three overlapping cycles of judgment: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of God's wrath. The main point is that our sovereign God is actively judging the wicked and saving His people throughout history. Our suffering isn’t meaningless. God’s justice will prevail. While human opposition to God may seem powerful, it will ultimately be defeated. God’s judgment is certain; his mercy persists for anyone who repents; and his victory is assured.

If you get confused, focus on the main message of this part of Revelation. Though evil appears powerful now, God promises to both judge wickedness and show mercy to those who repent. God is sovereign over history, and he and his people will prevail.

That’s my quick and dirty recap. One thing I pointed out a few weeks back is that, in every cycle of judgment — the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls — there’s an interlude between number 6 and number 7. Today’s passage is right in the middle of the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets of judgment.

The interlude addresses a crucial question: How should God's faithful people respond during this time of divine judgment? What role should believers play in this period of waiting, when the world appears to be descending into darkness? Revelation chapters 10 and 11 provide us with a clear directive. It gives us two visions that reveal two things we need to do. Here’s the first.

Hold Fast to God and His Word (10:1-11)

In Revelation 10, John encounters an angel coming down from heaven. He’s “wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire” (Revelation 10:1). He’s impressive, and some of the description reminds us of the glory of Jesus, but this isn’t Jesus. He’s a powerful angel, and he’s huge with “his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land” (10:2). He’s colossal. He’s not some powerless angel. His size symbolizes God's authority over the world and the importance of the message for all.

And he has a little scroll in his hand. What is this scroll? We can’t be sure. It may be the scroll of chapter 5 that represents God’s plans for history. It could be the remainder of this book. At the very least, it’s related. I think it represents God’s sovereign plan for history, including the new heaven and the new earth. It’s what God will do.

The angel calls out with a loud voice in verse 3.

When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 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.” (Revelation 10:3-4)

On top of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls, you have seven thunders. They’re probably similar. Thunder usually represents judgment. This is probably another series of God’s judgment on the world. But we don’t know, because a voice from heaven tells John not to write it down. There are some things God reveals; there are some things that God doesn’t reveal, and that we just don’t know.

According to verses 5-7, we can be absolutely certain of this: God will fulfill his sovereign plans for history. “…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” (10:7). What is this mystery? Mystery in the Bible doesn’t mean something that is difficult to understand. It means something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed. What is this mystery that is being fulfilled? That God’s plan to create a people for himself from every people and nation is being fulfilled. He will unite all things under Christ, and he will judge all those who resist his reign. His promises are unshakeable, and his revealed will shall be accomplished without fail.

But then something significant happens in verses 8 to 11. John is told to eat a scroll that will taste sweet like honey but will become bitter in his stomach. This striking imagery isn't original to Revelation. It deliberately echoes an earlier prophetic vision from Ezekiel 2 and 3. There, Ezekiel encounters a scroll unfurled before him, covered on both sides with "words of lamentation, mourning, and woe." Like John, Ezekiel is instructed to eat this divine document before delivering God's message to Israel. Both prophets experience the same initial sweetness, though John alone is warned of the coming bitterness.

And then John is told in verse 11 that he “must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

What does all of this mean?

In this time of judgment, John and God’s people need two things if we’re going to be prepared.

First, we need a vision of God that will take us through the hard times. We need the vision of God in this passage. God is on his throne; even his angels are colossal. He has promised that he will carry out his plans. They’re a sure thing. As Jim Hamilton says:

Be confident that God is Lord of all and will accomplish his purposes. The angel stands on the sea and the dry land, reminding us that all things are under Jesus’ feet. No terrorists, no rogue governments, no dictators, no usurpers of democracy, no kings, no tax collectors, no corrupt government officials, no hypocritical senators are going to stand in the way of God’s accomplishing his purposes… God’s purposes will still come to pass. God is Lord of history, and his will is going to be done.

This is a word that we need right now in this world of chaos!

How worried are you about this world? Meditate on this passage. Meditate on God, who is in control and who promises that his plan is unfolding for history without delay.

Second: Eat the scroll. By this, I mean: take the words of God and ingest them. Study them. Think about them. Hide them in your heart. Let them delight you. Don’t just learn or study it; assimilate it, take it into your lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into your very body. If we’re going to stay faithful, we need to ingest God’s word.

But as we do, be prepared that there will be sweetness and bitterness to it. It contains words of comfort, and it contains words of judgment. As you study God’s word, you will find that it will be both sweet to you. It will also give you a stomach ache.

God's plan brings both comfort and challenges to believers. It's sweet because the gospel is sweet. It is comforting to know that God is in control and works all things for the good. However, following God often means facing hardships and trials, though these difficulties serve a greater purpose. This reminds us that the path to victory often involves going through tough times.

But we need it. Ezekiel needed to ingest it; John needed to ingest it too. And so do we, if we we’re going to survive God's judgment.

If we’re going to survive these difficult days, hold fast to God and his word. That’s the first thing we need to do.

But there’s a second:

Second: Boldly Share the Gospel (11:1-14)

The interlude has two visions. We’ve just seen the first. Here’s the second vision, and it has two parts. Fair warning: this may be the most difficult and disputed chapter in Revelation.

In verses 1 and 2, John is told to measure the temple. What does this mean? Again, this is piggybacking on a couple of stories from the Old Testament. In Zechariah 2, a man prepared to measure Jerusalem for rebuilding. In Ezekiel 40 to 47, a man with a cord and measuring reed surveyed the area inside and outside the temple. In both of these cases, what they were measuring didn’t even exist. These were visions that showed that God still claimed ownership; that God would restore what had been lost. He would not allow destruction to be the final word. And so it is here. I believe the temple had already been destroyed by the time John wrote this; the new temple had become the church. This vision is telling us that God claims ownership of the church. God is taking stock of his people so he can protect them all. He will watch over his people to the end. We are protected by God.

But then in verse 2, you have the court outside the temple that is not measured, and that’s trampled by the nations for 1,260 days or 42 months. We face two questions here:

• What is this court outside the temple? Again, interpretations vary. Some argue that it is part of the church that is trampled. Tom Schreiner argues that this refers to the outer bodies of believers. They may be killed. Others interpret this to be false believers, or just the world at large. I tend to think that this vision is telling us that God’s people are protected, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer. We will go through a time of trial. It will get hard.
• What is the 42 months? It comes from Daniel 7:25 and 12:7. Again, Revelation is full of symbolism What does this signify? According to Numbers 33, Israel went through stages or stations as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land. They stopped 42 times. It was a time of testing. Later, Elijah prayed for the heavens to be shut over Israel because of their idolatry, and there was no rain for 42 months (Luke 4:25). I think this vision picks up on this. There will be a time of testing and suffering that God’s people will go through. I interpret the 42 months as the period from Christ’s ascension to His return. It will not be an easy time. It will be a time of testing and judgment.

There’s so much to try to understand here. Let me just try to summarize it. The church will be protected, but we can expect to suffer. We will suffer. It will be for a limited time. There will be a period of terrible suffering that will come to an end.

And what is going to happen in that time? Verses 3 to 14 tells us: there will be two witnesses. They’re also called two olive trees and lampstands in verse 4. They will prophesy for this entire time. They will be protected by God so that nobody can harm them. But then, in verses 7 to 9, they will be killed by the beast before God raises them again and judges the world.

Wow. What is this all about? There are two witnesses, because the word of one person isn’t enough. You need two in order to be believed. These two witnesses, olive trees, and lampstands represent the church. Between Christ's ascension and his return, we are tasked with preaching God's word during difficult times. Sometimes it will look really bad. Sometimes it will look like we’ve been defeated. Sometimes it will look like the church is all but dead. But even if we are killed for our witness for Christ, we will be raised on the last day and vindicated, just like Jesus. And, in the end, according to verse 13, some will perish, but many more will end up believing in God as they come to fear him and trust him.

Let’s put this all together.

What does this part of history look like? Judgment. Look all around you. Signs of God’s judgment are everywhere. And it’s going to get worse. God will judge the evil in this world.

How should God’s people respond? They should do two things. One: Cling to who God is and what he’s revealed. Second: With God’s protection, tell the world the good news of a Savior who invites them to bow in repentance and worship. And if they kill you for it, big deal. Resurrection is coming.

In a time of judgment, hold fast to God and his word, and boldly share the gospel because the resurrection is coming.