Revelation 10 and 11Revelation 10 and 11An Angel Announces the End of Time

IntroductionIntroduction

Scene change between the 6th trumpet and the 7th trumpet

Question – What happens to prepare the way for the second coming?

What does God do to prepare his church?– Matt 25 Parable of 10 virgins

Angel of Rev. 10Angel of Rev. 10

He has his feet on “land” and “sea” with a “little scroll” “open”

Compare Daniel 12:5-9

Same angel

Angel of Rev. 10Angel of Rev. 10

Daniel’s angel closed the scroll until the time of the end

John’s angel has an open scroll – time will not be delayed – time of end is here

Who is this Angel?Who is this Angel?

Daniel = Michael (Jesus)

Revelation = Rainbow (Rev. 4), face like sun, legs like fire, loud voice (Rev. 1) = Jesus

What is this Scroll?What is this Scroll?

The scroll that was sealed in Daniel is now open

It is the book of Daniel!

Daniel’s prophecies would now be understood

When would When would the endthe end be? be?

Daniel 12:6-13 Until the end of the

time, times, half a time (1260 days) v. 7

538 AD – 1798 AD Daniel’s prophecies

would be opened about 1800!

Were DanielWere Daniel’’s prophecies s prophecies understood before 1800?understood before 1800?

200 AD – Julius Africanus believed that the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 were 490 years were from the “time of Artaxerxes up to the time of Christ”

1200 AD – Joachim of Flora – devout Catholic monk believed the 1260 days of Dan. 7 ran from the time of Christ up until the time of the Holy Spirit – which he believed would come shortly

Were DanielWere Daniel’’s prophecies s prophecies understood before 1800?understood before 1800?

Martin Luther suggested that the 1260 days began between 602-610 – during the reign of Eastern Emperor Phocas, who called the pope the “head of all the Holy Churches”.

Were DanielWere Daniel’’s prophecies s prophecies understood before 1800?understood before 1800?

Others offered dates of the end from 1655-1866 for the 1260 days.

However, when the pope was exiled in 1798 during the French Revolution many commentators began to see that it had just ended – Bell, King, Cunningham, Maitland, Keith, Bickersteth, Irving, Croly, Habershon, Wolf among many others

Renewed Interest in ProphecyRenewed Interest in Prophecy

As soon as the pope was exiled, Protestant scholars began to study prophecy again

Many came to see that the next great fulfillment of prophecy was the prophecy of Daniel 8 – the 2300 days – and they came to believe that would happen in 1843-1848 AD

Sweet but Bitter!Sweet but Bitter!

10:8-9 John takes the scroll and eats it– Tastes sweet but a terrible stomach ache– Ezek. 2:10-3:4 -11 Ezekiel eats a scroll

that is sweet but its message turns bitter– Message is sweet the results are

disappointing! 10:11 Prophesy again to all people,

worldwide– Little scroll contents, a prophetic

revelation to be given to all people

No More Time!No More Time!

Rev. 10:5-11 - The angel swore by God, that there should be no more time (Gr. “chronos”)!

The mystery of God was to be fulfilled! The prophecies of Daniel are ending.

Then He commanded John to eat the scroll – it was sweet and then it became bitter!

What Happened After 1800?What Happened After 1800?

William Miller, oldest of 16 and father of eight was converted to Christianity in 1816

He studied the Bible for 15 years – comparing every text - until 1831

William MillerWilliam Miller

As early as 1818 – he believed that Christ would cleanse the sanctuary of Daniel 8:13,14 as early as 1843 – but didn’t want to preach!

1831 – his nephew asked him to preach at their local church

William MillerWilliam Miller

In time, as more and more people converted, they came to believe that Christ would come back on October 22, 1844

The Millerite movement (1831-1844) attracted about 135,000 people in America and in Europe

Great DisappointmentGreat Disappointment

Many described this movement as the “sweetest” time of their spiritual lives

However, October 22, 1844 came and went without the second coming of Christ

Bitterness of DisappointmentBitterness of Disappointment

After this movement there was much bitterness and many left the movement in discouragement

Many continued to study – Hiram Edson – and began to prophesy again

““Measure the TempleMeasure the Temple””

Their mistake was that they thought the sanctuary was the Earth, not the one in Heaven

They needed to re-examine the temple in Heaven

Results of the Millerite Results of the Millerite MovementMovement

Out of this movement came a few churches

The biggest one grew from a mere 10,000 believers after the Great Disappointment to over 17 million members in over 220 countries of the world (Seventh-day Adventist Church – 1863)

Other Adventist Other Adventist DenominationsDenominations

– Church of God-Saints of Christ, 40,000 members

– Church of God 7th Day, 11,000 members

– Evangelical Adventists – non-existent– Life and Advent Union – merged with:– Advent Christian Church – 25,000

members– Seventh-day Adventist church – 18

million members

Seventh-day AdventistSeventh-day Adventist

What is the difference?Message began to include:

– Salvation– Bible and Sabbath– 2nd coming– Sanctuary– 3 angel’s messages– Spirit of Prophecy

Fulfillment of Rev. 10?Fulfillment of Rev. 10?

Angel on “land and sea” – America and Europe “Eat the scroll” – study and understand Daniel “Sweet in the mouth” – initial joy of looking

forward to the second coming “Bitter in the stomach” – the disappointment of

Jesus not coming “Prophesy to many nations, tongues, and

peoples” – Adventist movement prophesying in all the world

Chapter 11 Two WitnessesChapter 11 Two Witnesses

Rev. 11:1 Measure the temple, altar, people– Temple = Most Holy Place

•Most holy place – Atoning blood, law of God

– Altar of incense - intercession– People of God – made holy

Rev. 11:19 Temple and ark of the covenant

Day of AtonementDay of Atonement

– Day of Atonement •Atonement for sanctuary, altar of

incense, congregation•Blood of the sacrifice sprinkled on 10

commandments

– Restoration of heavenly sanctuary message•Preparation of God’s people for 2nd

coming

Measure What Temple?Measure What Temple?

The one in Jerusalem is destroyed

Heavenly sanctuary was clue for early Adventists to understand 1844

Outer Court Trampled 42 MonthsOuter Court Trampled 42 Months

Same time period as Daniel 7 – 1260 days (42 months x 30 days)

1260 years (Num. 14:34, Ez. 4:6)

Time period when people were in outer court – called themselves Christians, but didn’t understand sanctuary

Two WitnessesTwo Witnesses

These witnesses were to testify in sackcloth for the same time period – 1260 days (v. 3)

Holy Scriptures – Old and New Testament

Two witnessesTwo witnesses

Two olive trees and lampstands (v. 4) – Zechariah 4:2,3

Fire comes out of their mouth and consumes their enemies (v. 5)

Power to shut Heaven…Power to shut Heaven…

Shutting Heaven: reference to the story of Elijah (I Kings 17:1)

Water…blood: reference to Moses and the first plague in Egypt (Ex. 7:19)

When they have When they have ““finishedfinished””

Verses 7-9 seems to indicate that once the two witnesses finish then the beast will arise from the “abyss” and “make war” with these two witnesses

They would “conquer and kill them” and leave their bodies in the “great city” which is called “Sodom and Egypt”

When They Have FinishedWhen They Have Finished

For “three and a half days” “those who dwell on the earth” would “rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents”

After the 3 ½ days – the two witnesses would return to life and go up to Heaven – a great earthquake – a tenth of the city would fall – 7,000 people would be killed – the rest were terrified and gave glory to God

What Happened Around 1798?What Happened Around 1798?

French RevolutionAn atheistic

revolution occurred where the government and religion of France was overthrown

Factors Leading to French Factors Leading to French RevolutionRevolution

France was oldest Catholic countryRejected ReformationPersecuted Huguenots (8 wars)Enlightenment

-Jean Jacques Rousseau

-Francois Voltaire

French RevolutionFrench Revolution

Rousseau: All people ought to be free, but it is allowable for the minority that thinks they know what is best for the majority, to impose their will on the majority (Marx, Lenin)

Voltaire: wrote after Lisbon earthquake in 1755 that God doesn’t care, that we need to take care of ourselves

French RevolutionFrench Revolution

When Revolution began they were so anti-Christian that they threw out the old calendar (with 200 holy days) a made a new one with a 10-day week and new months

They made a new religion with the Goddess of Nature statue in Paris

Priests were forbidden to work – and many of them were killed – (5000)

French RevolutionFrench Revolution

France went to war – for 23 years!

Huge volunteer army – 510,000 marched on Moscow

French RevolutionFrench Revolution

During the French Revolution nobody knows how many people died

Guillotine “was red” Paris – out of

700,000, 100,000 were either arrested or killed

Three and a Half DaysThree and a Half Days

November 26, 1793 – decree was issued in Paris abolishing religion

June 17, 1797 – decree removing restrictions on religion

Almost 3 ½ years exactly Christianity was illegal

Great City, Sodom and EgyptGreat City, Sodom and Egypt

Great city where “Jesus was crucified”, Sodom and Egypt = symbols of France’s worldliness, rejection of God and hatred of Christianity

After Three and a Half DaysAfter Three and a Half Days

The Two Witnesses would come to life and be taken up to Heaven as Jesus was - in full sight of the earth

People would be terrified and gave glory to God

Great EarthquakeGreat Earthquake

This was a time of revolution – France, America, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Greece

Historian – described it as an earthquake!

Tenth of the City…7 ThousandTenth of the City…7 Thousand

The effects on France were terrible… and they suffered more than any nation

How did the Witnesses How did the Witnesses ““come to come to LifeLife””

The early 1800’s: a huge revival of missionary activity

Bible societies

The Seventh TrumpetThe Seventh Trumpet

V. 14 – this is the last woe on the world

V. 15-18 – this is the time of the judgment

The Seventh TrumpetThe Seventh Trumpet

This is the final judgment

Reward for the saints

Destruction for the wicked

GodGod’’s Patiences Patience

For over two thousand years God warned His church and the inhabitants of the Earth and finally it is time for judgment