Well, we thank you again for coming. Happy to see you, and will you turn in your lesson in the book of the Revelation to chapter ten, and your lesson page will be number seventeen in your lesson book. And we come to a very interesting parenthetical section which follows the blowing of the fifth trumpet, or the sixth trumpet rather, in chapter nine. Chapter ten, may we read the chapter through? that we might have the scripture before us before we look at the notes. John writes by the Spirit to say, And I saw. And please let me emphasize those three words again. And I saw. When you read the book of the Revelation, John is telling what he saw, as well as what he heard, we know that. But you have the reference so frequently, the phrase, I saw. I saw, and John is telling exactly what was hit the sea in the vision that God gave him on the island Patmos. And on this occasion we read, John declares, I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head. His face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. He had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the tree, his left foot upon the earth, cried with a loud voice as when a lion roared, and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. When the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Feel up those things, which the seven thunders uttered and write them not. and the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, swear by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, 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 better translated than the dishes should be no longer a delay. But in the days of the voice of the Sabbath angel, When he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophet. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, eat it up. shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey. And as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter, and he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before properly, perhaps, of many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings. May God bless the reading of this chapter from His precious word. Look at your lesson sheet by way of introduction to our study today, for we have an explanation that's needful as you look at the introductory paragraph. You find particularly at the ending of the sheet the title of this parenthetical section, which goes not only through chapter ten, but even into chapter eleven down through verse fourteen. You please note the heading, parenthetical section between the sixth and the seventh trumpet judgment. And by way of explanation, the introductory paragraph goes on to say, there was a similar interval between the sixth and the seventh field judgment, which we noted in chapter seven. The parenthesis in our present section is connected with And supplementary to the sixth trumpet judgment. And this is proved, when we shall get to chapter eleven in verse fourteen, where the proclamation is made, the second woe is passed. Behold, the third woe comes quickly, and the parenthesis is divided as we have it before us here into two sections. Now please note, what we have following is the division of the whole parenthetical sections. between the sixth trumpet judgment and the sounding of the seventh trumpet judgment. First of all, in chapter ten, we have the action of the mighty angel, which will be our immediate study. Then the second section of the parenthetical portion brings before us the state of Jerusalem and the testimony of the two witnesses that are found recorded in that chapter eleven. and we shall find ourselves, and we shall see in a later study, if not today, we shall see in chapter eleven, we shall be completely upon Jewish ground in the background of the Scripture. But our study today begins in chapter ten. Let me please note with you verse one, for here we have the action of the mighty angel, and first of all, we have his personal description. Now, if we look at the description of this angel, Please may I state, once more by way of emphasis, one of the greatest things to get the blessing from the book of the Revelation, is to recognize the place that Christ holds, and by which he is revealed in the character of his person, as well as in the judicial character of his work, relative to the great judgment that are coming. Now, as we look at chapter ten and verse one, Let me read that first verse while we find John saying, I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven. Now note the personal description, because it's very important to realize, for we would ask the question, who can this mighty angel be? First of all, he's described as being clothed with a cloud. Second, a rainbow was upon his head. Third, His face was as it were the sun, and for his feet had pillars of fire. Now, if you please look at your lesson sheet, we have some explanations that I believe will help, relative to that first verse. First of all, his personal description clothed with a cloud. Now, will you please, and again we must emphasize what we have before, the continuation of symbolic language And the symbols that are found in the book of the Revelation will never be understood unless we know the Bible from the beginning to the end. For we find many answers to the book of the Revelation in the understanding of what the symbols in the Old Testament represented, as they are so also presented to us in the book of the Revelation. And you note the explanation on your lesson sheet. A cloud is associated with God's presence in the Old as well as the New Testament. We will not turn to the many scriptures, but let me point out to you with the first scriptures that are mentioned there in the book of Exodus, chapter forty. When the tent or the tabernacle rather by Moses built was finished, as soon as it was completed, the furniture was all in place, and then the glory cloud of God's presence manifested itself and filled the tabernacle. Then you may also remember you can go even further in the Old Testament as they traveled through the wilderness. There was a cloud that followed them day by day. That was the cloud of God's presence. Divine presence. In Sunday school as a young man we all used to teach the children to sing him regarding a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. led them through the wilderness. That cloud was the presence of God. They followed it. When the cloud moved, the nation moved. When it got, the nation stopped and camped. And at night if they journeyed, it was a pillar of fire. So it was indicative of the presence of God with that. A divine presence, if you please. Now you have other references, I mention it. Matthew seventeen, you've got the Transfiguration Creed. And remember, a bright cloud covered the whole scene. When Peter opened his big mouth and said the wrong thing, dear Peter, more than his guilt-free tabernacle. One for thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah. And the bright cloud covered the whole thing, and the voice was in the cloud said, this is my beloved son here again. What was that bright cloud? divine presence. You have another reference too in Acts chapter one and verse nine, the ascension of the Lord Jesus and the cloud received him out of their sight. Please go further than thinking it's just a literal cloud in the sky. Ah, let us remember he was the divine son of God and in the divine character of his person. associated with him in his ascension and glorification with the cloud of divine glory. And then you have also Matthew twenty four, verse thirty. Let me just mention briefly, you read Matthew twenty four, it's very appropriate to the study in the book of the Revelation regarding the Great Tribulation. And at the end in chapter twenty four and verse thirty, we are told that he covered with clouds. He's coming in clouds of glory. We note that from chapter one and verse seven in the book of Revelation, which we have a reference to here. Behold, he covers his clouds. Please let me say, here's a mighty angel. And the cloud is described regarding him as being clothed with a cloud. The second, there's a rainbow. The rainbow upon his head. And in chapter four, remember, go back to chapter four, please. And remember in chapter four that as John describes the glory of heaven and the throne of heaven there, go to verse three. He that sat was to look upon, that is sat upon the throne, the throne of God was like a jasper and a sardine stone. There was a rainbow around about the throne in slight light unto an emerald. Agenda, please let me say, please let me, look. Though it's a name described as being a mighty angel, please remember, the Lord Jesus is just as glorious in his person over the angels as their creator as he is over them as. And associated with all the angelic hosts is the head of them all. He's the head of all creation. You can place him in the head of every facet of the creation as being the mighty creator. And then on the other hand, I'm sure you realize in the Old Testament, you've got the expression, the angel of the Lord, the angel of the Lord. Who wrestled with Jacob at the brook? The angel of the Lord. Who appeared in the menorah and his wife and prophesied the birth of Sampson? arose on the flame of fire that was offered on the sacrifice they gave in worship to this angel, none other than the angel of the Lord, the Christ of God, the Son of God, the Jehovah Jesus of the Old Testament. It's associated with the divine person. And may I say very humbly, but very carefully, I'd rather associate the description of this angel with my Lord Jesus than with an angel. He's the one that very fittingly, not only in the past and in the present, but in the future. It's to be manifested as such. And so you have the rainbow. Look, look your expression on the explanation, rather, on your sheet. It was around the throne. It is the symbol of God's everlasting covenant with the earth. And only a divine person could wear the rainbow. God gave it to Noah, where the rainbow was in the sky. the promise and the commonly you'll never destroy the earth with a blonde. And may I say it again, this was the throne in chapter four. The rainbow has to be associated with the divine person. Then note the third description. His face was as the sun. Now I'm sure you reckon him. Let me put them together with his feet, pillars of fire. Look at your explanation. And you've got his description. We find him in chapter one. His countenance was as the sun and his feet as pillars of fire. It describes the Savior in Revelation, one, fifteen and sixteen, where his judicial glory is given. Go back to chapter one. Read it for yourself, please. We saw the description of the Lord beginning this wonderful book, as we saw him as the competent judge. And let me please read. We have it in the titularity in verses fourteen and fifteen. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his teeth, like unto fine grass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. And then, if I may go back, please, you also find, you also find, as you go down at the end of verse sixteen, rather, his countenance was as the sun. shining in its strength. Again may I be reminded with you, even in chapter seventeen of Matthew, the transfiguration. Dear Peter, James, and John saw the scene of glory in its face, shone like a sun in all of its glory. And may I say again, much as I valued the joy of knowing the might and the power of angelic hosts and their supernatural might and strength, and glory that God has given them of the holy angels. Surely we can reckon. Did we not see in chapter, preceding in chapter eight, an angel priest? Did we not recognize that that angel priest was again another manifestation of the priestly work of our Lord Jesus at the golden altar of incense where prayer arose through the virtue of his own value, his own person and work? as the prayers were sent to the throne of God. And certainly we can recognize. I will see more proof of who he is, too, as we go on. Now look at verse two. He had in his hand a little book open. And please note the explanation, if I may use it immediately. This little book is open. Not sealed as in chapter five. And the contents are already known. Evidently referring to the action of Christ that follows. Now the little book is open. For what follows reveals something that you find flawed in the Old Testament again and again and again and again. So may I say right from the very beginning of time, right from the Garden of Eden, there is a promise of a deliverer, of a Messiah. of one who would be victorious over the work of the enemy, Satan. Who would crush the head of Satan? Those Satan would bruise his heel. And from the beginning of time, the human race was taught divinely by God directly in the promises he made. There would come a deliverance, a king. There would be. if I may put it in the vernacular of the scriptures and the Jewish form of it, the Messianic Kingdom. I read a book very recently by Dolly Brought with us, read it through, and all of it is in a wonderful fact, that even in countries of heath and paganism, there are legends that can be traced back when those pagans in their early history of time believed that one would come to deliver them from the power of sin. It's amazing to realize, in the Oriental lands particularly, that some of their legends trace back some of the forms of God's divine promise. I'm going to give you one scripture to prove what I say. When you read Romans chapter one and begin at verse eighteen and go to the end, you've got the origin of the pagan nations. That before God decries the condition of those pagan nations, he declares, when they once knew God, they knew it. There's not a nation on the earth. The one in its origin. It has the traditional knowledge of God. But they glorified him not as God. They were foolish. and led their way in rebellion. And you know the result. But they once knew God. May I solemnly say, let me make an application for our own country. What shall we say today? It once knew God. What departure matters then? But oh, how we can recognize God has not been without revelation of himself, whether it's in creation, greater still be blessed for the word of God that is revealed itself through even in a greater way. But once they knew God. And what joy it is to realize. Please, let me read verse four on. For what follows are the end of the verse, for the following words will declare what the little open book contains. And here are the words. He had in his hand a little book open, and then he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth. Now look at your lesson explanation, please. I'd like to follow that through. This little book was not seen, contents already known, referring to the action of Christ that follows. Note, His right foot is on the sea. His left foot upon the earth. It is the symbol of what has already been made known in prophetic writings concerning his coming kingdom. And you have some messianic references to the Old Testament. It could be many, many, many more. But you've got some references in the Old Testament. And you and I wound up inside. May I say this? I believe... And I don't speak in character, but I speak in regard to the quantity. The quantity of truth, divine truth, one particular subject in its greatest quantity in the word of God is unquestionably the kingdom. The kingdom! You've got it all the way through the Old Testament, from Genesis on, and all the way through the New Testament. And kingdom truth is not a new truth. You know what is the new truth in this range is church truth. That was never revealed before. King the truth was known. And the little book that was open for what follows reveals the fact. He puts his foot on the sea and another on the land. And what a symbolic figure it is. He's the mighty ruler and conqueror of the earth to be the king of kings and the Lord of lords. raining over it all. One can recognize the symbolic meaning of this gesture as we come to what we're approaching now, when the Lord is about to finalize his judgment and take the kingdoms of the world from inside. And John sees the approach of it as he looks in his vision here. And let me read the chapter through. at the end of chapter of that second set that letter be the last sentence. We must take the kingdom of the world. He must take rather the kingdom of the world and make them his own. Why? You know, I wish he'd put his foot down now, don't you? Oh, the joy will be when he puts his foot down on this wall and on this. Did you ever notice something at the end of Romans chapter sixteen where Paul writes regarding the strength that you will bruise the serpent's head under your feet. You will crush the serpent's head under your feet. For when the Lord Jesus puts his foot down, the saints are going to put their feet down too, in glory women, united regarding the kings of the world, Here I put it in another expressive way. Link it with the Lord Jesus. You and I who are saved. When he comes in glory, we're coming with it. Now let me quote the book of Jude, verse fourteen and fifteen. When Jude prophesied, O Robbie, he writes the prophecy of Enoch, the servant from Adam, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with. Ten thousands of his saints. So you know when the Lord puts his foot down on the world and on the sea, we're coming down with him. And the world is going to be under our feet too. Do you get the figure of your truth? Beloved, right now the world stepped on you and me. That's right. It stepped on him. It derided him. It hated him. And he said to his disciples, the world hated me and will hate you. But what a day will be in the reverse when Jesus comes. Good Lord, let me say it. Please let me say it. We will share the victory that he's going to enjoy when he comes as the conqueror of the world. King of kings, Lord of laws. One wrote the lovely hymn, let all of them look for hasten the coming of the Lord by earnest consecration. And then goes on to say, When the Lord arranges people to come, we shall come with him in glory. The saints shall shine in glory when the Lord Jesus comes. Colossians chapter three. And you find, I think it's in the third of the fourth verse, when he shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory. Oh, beloved, this is it. This is an anticipated action of the Lord Jesus. He's about to step and claim the whole world. Now let's read on, if I may. Let's go with me to verse three and four. And note the voice of majesty and power. He cried with a loud voice as when a lion roared. When he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write. I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Feel up those things which were seventh under Southern and write them now. Look, Gillette, and she breathe very briefly, expresses with expressive of his wrath, his indignation, and his righteous judgment, as when a lion roars. You know, the lion has often been called the king of the jungle, and one recognizes the typical and the symbolic suggestion of his majesty. and of his might and of his power when the Lord Jesus comes. Let us go back to chapter five. Let us go back chapter five with me there. Please. Where we saw the Lord Jesus in the midst of the throne. Let me read with you. As John writes in verse four and five. In verse four he says, I went much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, that seal book. neither to look nearer than one of the elders said underneath, Weep not. Behold, and no, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the rudest David hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And one can well recognize the field of expression in chapter ten as when a lion law rests. It's the roar of a mighty conqueror. It's the roar of of a mighty victor. Mr. Roth, please may I say, it suggests also that fan fact is coming to destroy the victims that will be worthy of his judgment. And that's a solemn realization. But let's look at your lesson sheet, please, as we go on. As we note that first sentence, it expresses his wrath, his indignation. and his righteous judgment he comes to deal with the earth in righteous anger and you ask questions that you could read up look at that one in chapter twenty six of Isaiah will you please I'd like you to just check that one with me in the prophecy of Isaiah there's a unique prophecy there and in chapter twenty six verses twenty and twenty one and there are some very unique prophecies in the Old Testament and these particular ones are noted very notable, and they even refer to the same conditions that we are studying in the book of the Revelation to the last time. Chapter twenty-six, verse twenty and twenty-one, listen to these words. One can recognize the voice of the Spirit of God to those believers of that godly remnant that will be the people of God in that coming time. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, shut thy doors about thee. hide thyself, as it were, for the little moment, until the indignation be overpassed. Now, though, for behold, the Lord cometh out of his grave to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also shall disclose their blood and shall no more cover her slain. Can I pause for just a moment with you to refer to that scripture? and recognize the solemnity of the word. When you read the book of the Revelation, you've got a lot of blood, a lot of blood, blood, blood, blood. And the love of the earth is going to be stained with much blood. I say it in love, but I say it in truthfulness. The coming judgment, and those who are we've already seen rather than to the trumpet judgment. We saw much destruction in the sixth trumpet judgment, and we should come later on. We should see more than that. Remember the prophecy that says there'll be blood to the bridle of the horses in the land of Israel, for the space of so many furlongs, and the description and even the number of furlongs, the distance that is mentioned. was approximately the distance of the land of Israel, north and south, running two hundred miles north and south in the land of Israel. Beloved, please let me say, there's much destruction to come. There's much destruction to come, and there'll be much blood. And as Isaiah says, the Lord's coming out of his place, and he's going to visit the inhabitants of the earth. For what? Their iniquity. And he's going to shed much blood. And so we can recognize the roar of the lion, the thunders of the voices that John hears, are all expressions of the coming judgment. And please note, at the end of that paragraph on the letter C, you've got the fact data, the seven thunders that John heard were not explained. Now this is a mystery I could not tell. No one can tell what they contain or what they signify. John was about to write. No. And if I may give this suggestion that Simon would indicate too terrible to write of John, don't write it. Don't write it. But then go on. And now we find in verse five through seven the significant action of this angelic one. Verse five, six, and seven, let me read the words, that the angel which I saw stand upon the sea, upon the earth. He lifted up his hand to heaven. Now, please remember, this is a vision. After what proportion John saw in regard to the tribes of the angelic scouring of this blessed one, we have no knowledge. So one can recognize by implication It certainly suggests the power and the mind of one who could put one foot upon the sea and the other upon the dry land and raise his hand heavenly in connection with the heaven above. Let me repeat again. I say it very frightening. I don't believe another person but the Son of God himself could be this angel. By the very symbolic vision that John saw as he thus lift his hand heavily. Now know his voice in verse six, to swear by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, the things that are therein are, and the earth and the things that they are in are, and the thing and the things which are therein, that there should be no time, meaning no longer do it. Let me read your lesson and explanation first for a little bit. Please may I point out, as we read that paragraph on the letter D, the significance of his actions, Christ will come down to take possession of his rightful inheritance. The earth belongs to him. You know what? At the end of the age, you know what the nations are going to do? They're going to fight against God. And the earth belongs to us. It doesn't belong to you. Absolutely. That's what they're already doing. Claiming it for themselves. It's ours. May I point out that you've got, I've got a reference there. Psalm chapter two, verse seven through nine. We touched that Psalm once before. We will not repeat it. But we know that at the end of the age, the nations and the people gather together against the Lord and against his Christ, saying, Let us break their bands of thunder and pass their cause away from us. See that citizens of heaven shall last. The Lord shall have them in derision. And we know that the Father's head of the Son asked of me, I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the possession of the earth for thine inheritance. Thou shalt rule them with, jack them in pieces, and rule them with a rod of iron. And beloved, please, see, I thought I was thinking of a psalm this morning very early. The earth is the Lord. The psalmist will again and again. The earth is the Lord. It is so. And if you may please know, as he offers and makes the declaration of swearing this oath, it's on the ground of his creation of the earth. It's on the ground of his created glory. He created it. And he... Go back to chapter four in the book of Revelation again. Will you please? One of the great testimonies in heaven that the saints will give before the throne of God. Let me read the last verse in chapter four. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are when we're created. And my beloved, may I say bluntly, they were all created for his glory, glory for his pleasure, but that is used them for his own pleasure. And the Lord's going to put a stop for My. It's amazing what the Lord permitted men to do. The psalmist mentions in one of his psalms how they have made many inventions. They sure have. Now they're making a typewriter that you talk to into and it writes. Man told me in one of my when I was checking on one of my old typewriters said, you'll have to have one in the southern accent and one with the northern accent. It's amazing what the Lord permits man to go and do and reach in his own ingenious. And yet by his wisdom he knows not God. And one can recognize the preciousness The day will come when the law will... Well, I'll tell you very finally, he doesn't need the computer business that's coming up. It's astonishing, it's amazing, but it's all pointing to the end of time, and the end of the Gentile age. And may I say, when the law gets through with the earth, IBM will be out of business and all the rest of the world. The Lord's going to take over. And may I give you this important fact. Relative to his kingdom. The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth. He will be known the Lord. Know the Lord. Know the Lord. I doubt there will be any TV. But suppose there are. They'll be talking about the Lord. I mean, instead of the nasty things you have to listen to today. or the contrast. Because he's coming and when he comes. And what joy will be to realize the change. He's the creator. He belongs to him. And I humbly say it's about time he came back and claimed it. And surely it must be near. Theodolus Ray, when she called me this morning concerning the death of her mother, said, Oh, Brother Grandma, she said, the world's conditions are getting worse. I said, yes, they are. I said, the coming of the Lord is near without doubt. And I said, I for once said, I don't want to live here much longer. I'd rather have the Lord Jesus come and may he come soon. And what joy it will be. And please note, now note in verse seven. Let's go to verse seven quickly. And then we go back to the paragraph on our lesson sheet. But in the days of the voice of this seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound. that's the seventh angel with a trumpet, when he shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants and prophets. Now look at your paragraph. Let me read it all the way through. Christ will come down to take possession of his rightful inheritance. The earth belongs to him, and there are many references that you have you can follow at your convenience. He solemnly flares that it will be done At the moment of this vision that John records, in the chronological time of the fulfilling of these judgments, he will say it's going to be done without any more delay. Without any delay. Without any delay. Now what is the mystery of God? Which we read is to be ended. It is a mystery that God has not interfered with the government of the earth. for about two thousand years. He's been letting men have free reign during the period of God's grace, while the gospel is preached, yes. That's coming to an end, as indicated here. And the church, which may seem to be in the ruin in its testimony, the world, which also is a wreck, and if you'll be threatened with total destruction, and human rebellion is rampant, God's patience will be at an end. But may I go a little bit further at the end of that verse seven? The mystery of God should be finished as he has declared to his servant the prophet. I'm sure we can go further back than even this present dispensation. What do you have in the past? What do you have in the Old Testament? Please let me point out to you very quickly and simply. You go to the first period of time when God made man in the Garden of Eden, and in that very short period of innocence, their Adam and Eve were until they were driven out. And God had to drive them out from the tree of life because of their rebellion and sin. But that's not the end of the story. You go further. You come to the patriarch. You come to the antediluvian age, if you please. Before the great flood. And you see man getting farther and farther away from God. And God repented of him that he had made man. And God declared that he had become corrupt. And only Noah and his family were found righteous in his life. And he judges the earth. And you find judgment. Then you come to the times of the patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and so on, and the bringing in of the people of Israel from Abraham to Christ. And what do you find in the history from Abraham to Christ or through your Old Testament? And here you come into the ministry of even the prophets in the latter part of your Old Testament, all the way from Isaiah on to the end, to Malachi. And what's the message of the prophets? The message of the prophets. You know what it is? Good and evil. good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness. And you've got the history of the righteous and the unrighteous, the godly and the ungodly, living together, going through the history of time. But the prophets all so foretold. There would come an answer. Let me give you one precious suggestion. The book of Psalms, for instance. Did you ever know this? The beginning of the Psalms in chapter one, this is a godly man. It's the ungodly. There you have the two branches of the human race. Then there is godly, those that are ungodly. And as you travel all the way through the book of the Psalms, you'll read human history. The godly, the ungodly, the righteous, the unrighteous, and the good, the wicked, and all the way through the book of the Psalms. You see them mingle together. And how oftentimes the psalmist was perplexed, the wicked prospered, the godly prospered. One particular psalmist, chapter seventy-three, the psalmist was very impatient over the state of the wicked, and the ungodly, feeling that he had not cleansed his hands for a good reason, when he perhaps was suffering and then ungodly were prospering, until... He went into the presence of God and he saw the end of the ungodly. And when he saw the end of the ungodly, he knew he was wrong. Thou is like a beast. For I'm ever with thee. Thou was holding me by my right hand. Thou was guiding with thy counsel and bring me to glory. And he saw the end of the ungodly. And when you come to the end of the book of Psalms, It's been quite often commented, and you've noted it, I'm sure. The last few psalms, a handful of the psalms at the end, one forty-five particularly to the end, the full of praises, praises. And then what you find, the last verse in the last psalm, every psalm has a hallelujah, every verse there has a hallelujah in it, praising the Lord. But the last verse says, the last sentence, let everything that has breath, praise the Lord. What do you have? You've got the prophecy here to the end of time. The Messiah will be upon the earth. And everything that's got breath upon the earth will be praising the Lord. Not many people have got that breath enough today, you do it already. But the whole earth will be filled with the praises of the Lord. You hear more hallelujahs than the millennial kingdom that ever been known in the whole history of the world. Praising the Lord! The Lord himself upon the earth reigning. And I'll bless it to recognize it. Now let's please go to verse eight and nine quickly. And let's see in verse eight and nine. As we come to that, we see it. And he goes through to the end of the chapter. Verse eight. The point which I heard from heaven spake unto me again. Said, go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. I went unto the angel and said unto him, give me the little book. He said unto me, take it. Eat it up. It shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. I took the little book out of the angel's hand. I ate it up. It was in my mouth sweet as honey. And as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said to me, thou must prophesy again before. I think the Greek translation is, you must prophesy again. Even further are many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. Now, please note, we've got a reference here to the eating of the little book. Let's go to the book of Ezekiel and get a typical meaning of eating the book. My wife asked me this morning, why did he eat the book? Well, Ezekiel chapter three, please, verses one to three. You have a nice explanation there. Ezekiel chapter three. Now, Ezekiel was a prophet that God called in the days of Israel's captivity, in the days also corresponding to the days of Daniel, as well as, as well as Zechariah and so on. But in Ezekiel chapter three, and verses one through three, here's the call of God to Ezekiel. And as he calls him, he gives him this command, verse one. Moreover, he said, Let me go back to chapter two. Get the connection of verse nine. When I looked at the vision that God gave him, behold, and hand was sent unto me, and lo, a roll of a book was therein. And he spread it before me. And it was written within and without. And there was written, therein. Now, no, lamentation, mourning, and woe. Moreover, he said unto me, Father man, eat that thou findest. Eat this roll. and go seek under the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it? And it was in my mouth as honey for weakness. And then he go to verse four. He said unto me, Son of man, go get me under the house of Israel and seek. with my words under them. Now what was the little book? The little book was without question the doubt God's word that he had for his people, even in the case of Ezekiel. And God gave Ezekiel. Did you ever notice this? You've got to emphasize it all the way through the prophetic book. The repetitious trade that the prophets kept saying what? Thus said the Lord. Jeremiah wrote, I may have a reference there, no I don't, but you can put it down in Jeremiah fifteen and verse sixteen. Jeremiah said, Thy words were found, and I did eat them. And it was to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by thy name. And may I say, looking at Ezekiel, as well as Jeremiah, and looking at any servant of God, please let me say, I can't feed you the word of God unless I've been eating it. You get the truth. You cannot feed any other of the Word of God unless you eat it. And one can recognize that contents of the Word of God, they ought to be massacred, spiritually eaten, and thus taken it. And you know, it's a wonderful thing to realize the soul feeds. Then the Lord Jesus said, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, he have no life in you. Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, that's what? Eater in the life. It's not physically eating. It's spiritually. The soul needs to eat. And my beloved, please let me say it with his ego. Likewise with John. He's deliverable. He's its content. And we'll have a double reaction. Please note your paragraph, please. Let me read it on your sheet. We must digest the divine communications before we are able to communicate them to others. A two-fold reason, three, dear. And then we point out, in connection with the context of this book of the Revelation, it is a book of prophecy. And I'm persuaded, I challenge you to contradict me, but what we've already studied, what we have yet to study, you all will have to confess some of it is sweet, and some of it is what, dear. You've got to confess. The contents of the book, there's a sweetness, but there's a bitterness. Sweet to the taste, sweet in the mouth, and it is delightful to thus understand prophecy. But then when you swallow some of it, it turns your stomach a little bit to see what God's going to do in relation to the judgments upon the earth. And so John was told to eat it, and eat it. As he did, let me read a paragraph through. The prophetic revelation, its first week of the taste, when God communicates it. And it really is. You know what? I wonder how many of you remember the first time you ever heard the Lord Jesus was coming again. Four. I think it was year nine, I went to the Lord in my own movie. It went back in nineteen hundred and twenty-six, I think it was. My memory is really getting good. But anyway... I led him to the Lord as he had asked me for a ride, maybe about seventy miles toward my hometown. He was on the way to Buffalo of all places. But there he was going. And as I learned to the Lord, I talked to him the whole seventy miles about this Christmas. And oh, when I told him, the Lord was coming again. Oh, he says, let him come. And I looked at him and said, Say, you told me you were ready to meet him when you got in the car, but you weren't. Well, I am now, he said. The joy when you hear the Lord coming. Precious truth. It is, Rita. Well, I'll tell you, be the best patient you could ever get if he came today and took his home. But oh, there's a bitterness. When you realize the love, Beyonce, the entrancer, the antiquity of the world, and the cup of the world, the cup of iniquity, coming to the full. Please, we'll come to a later chapter, I think it's the fifteen or sixty, and the cup of iniquity comes to the full. We already will say, how can the world get worse in its corruption of sin and wickedness than what it is now? And there is a sweetness. Let me finish the reading, please. The prophetic judgments announced also cause bitterness and sorrow. We can say that prophecy both gladness and sorrow. Then finally, John is the continuous prophetic ministry, prophesying concerning people and nations and tongues and kings. And this we will find being done in the further chapters of the Revelation. Let me read the last verse in our chapter please. The angels said unto me, Then thou must prophesy again. concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. There was much yet to say. Beloved, how precious. But let me just recapitulate this thought. For what we've covered, the Lord's given us this morning. Some things that are sweet. Relative to his coming. Some things that are bitter. For the judgment that they're coming upon the earth. But oh, may you bring before us the responsibility as well as the privilege eating the book. I'm glad. You know, they'll always sing that chorus. Some may get tired of it. I never get tired of that chorus. Make the book listen, the Lord. I tell you what, I'm not satisfied that I know everything from this wonderful book. And I hope you're not either. But oh, the joy of realizing. You can eat it every day, and sometimes you get a new kind of food Sometimes you're reading, well, Lord, I never saw that before. How often is that happening? So thank God, may we like John take the command of the Lord and eat the book, as he told his teaching, as he told Jeremiah, and as he told others, and as he told his servant John, may we do the same, shall we pray? Oh, beloved and blessed Father, No other book could ever give us what we've studied today. There is no human writer, even the best of them, even the most godliest, could ever pen such divine words that we've covered today in this chapter of the Revelation. We thank you for the Holy Spirit, who thus wrote to his servant John, and gave this glorious great vision, solemnized as well as steady our heart. Lord Jesus, we often need to be made steady. We feel this old world rocking and reeling, like a drunken vessel. And sometimes, Lord, we swim in the vortex of it, Lord, and become dizzy. Lord, steady our heart. that he are mine. Lord, we thank you you can put your foot on the land of the sea that you can say it's mine. And someday you're coming to claim it. And we say, with all sincerity, even so come, Lord Jesus. Even so come today. Even so come, Lord Jesus, taking thy bride away. Oh, how my heart is yearning, longing for thy returning. Even so come, Lord Jesus. even so come today. Amen. So may he come today.