Chapters 10 and 11 contain stories that, to be perfectly honest, leave me saying, "Huh?" I don't quite understand the "little scroll" or why John had to eat it. I don't quite understand who the "two witnesses" are, but it's a pretty amazing story, to say the least. Because I've read the "Left Behind" fictional series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, I have images in my mind about how this will all play out. For instance, Rev. 11:9 talks about what will happen after the beast from the Abyss kills the witnesses. "For three and a half days men from every nation will gaze on their [dead] bodies and refuse them burial." Jerry Jenkins uses television to accomplish this in his books, which makes perfect sense if you think about it. How could men from every people, tribe, language and nation see the dead bodies of the two witnesses? Through television!
One verse that brings questions to my mind is 10:4. John sees what he describes as a "mighty angel" coming down from heaven. He's the one holding the little scroll that John will have to eventually eat. But when this angel shouts in verse 3, "the voice of seven thunders spoke." Just as John is about to write down--to put on record--what the seven thunders said, this is what the angel tells John:
"Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
I have a question mark beside this in my Bible. Why couldn't John write it down? What was said that we aren't supposed to know? Jesus has allowed so much to be revealed, why not this? It truly intrigues me. I'm thinking it must be pretty intense. Maybe too intense for us humans to handle.
Then the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. And according to 10:7, this is when the "mystery of God" will be accomplished!
Wow! Pretty interesting stuff!
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