For the last few weeks, we've actually been looking at what can be described as the trumpet interlude that we find in two chapters, Revelation 10 and 11. And of course, if you remember in the kind of structure over the overall book, it appears between the sixth seventh trumpet judgments in John's vision. So just like chapter 7 was sort of the interlude for the seals occurring between the sixth and the seventh seal, now we have a trumpet interlude appearing between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, and that is what we've been looking at in Revelation 10 and 11. If you remember, the first part of this interlude is Pretty much chapter 10 deals with John as God's prophet and his ministry, which of course is the ministry in the past. And of course, this would probably include those that he represents, especially the apostolic teaching through the word of God that we have, the New Testament for the church. Here in chapter 10, we find a renewal of John's commission. Obviously he's already been commissioned by the Lord to be not only a fisher of men, but also to be his apostle and to get the word of God out to the world. And yet this is a renewal of that commission, and the commission actually is starting there in verse 11, where this mighty angel that we've already looked at and we'll look at some more again today, says unto John that thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. To prophesy again means he's prophesied before, and so this is a continuation and a renewal of that commission to prophesy. So that's the first part of this interlude, the ministry of the past, which deals with John. Then the second part of the interlude, found in quite a bit of chapter 11, deals with two more of God's prophets, and they're called two witnesses, and yet they also serve as prophets, as we will see later on here. But they will witness for God in a ministry yet in the future. And certainly that is something that we can see ongoing here. So ministry of the past, ministry of the future for God's prophets, and of course really all of God's people are to not necessarily foretell things, but to certainly foretell of God's word and God's gospel. So we all serve in some way in that prophetic way. But the theme that ties these two parts together is really the service, and the suffering of all of God's prophets and especially of God's people. And it really, when we look at the ministry of the future dealing with his two witnesses, it then involves the people of God and how they will suffer as well as serve the Lord together. And this will be during the period of time between the ministry of John, that's the ministry of the past, all the way to the second coming of the Lord Jesus. And that's the ministry of the future. And so that's the perspective that we have in these two chapters. And it covers a lot of ground. It covers a lot of years, thousands of years. So ministry of the past with John, ministry of the two witnesses in the future, the time of John to the time of Christ's return, all deals with suffering and service. And that's something that we see even in our own day and age, don't we? We speak not necessarily in our country, but it seems like it's getting more and more this way. But in other countries, our brothers and sisters in Christ, as they serve the Lord, they suffer for the Lord. And Jesus himself said that that's going to be the way it is until his return. That's the way it is going to be for his people. Now, as we continue to explore that first part here in chapter 10, we were introduced there in verse one to another mighty angel. And of course, we looked at some of the descriptions that John gave to us about that mighty angel. And in many ways, he might look like Jesus, but ultimately it's because he represents Jesus. And so Jesus is the one who uses this angel to renew John's commission as his prophet to this world. If you remember in the first couple of verses, John tells us some things about this mighty angel that are really, really impressive. And yet they needed to be, because it had to match the message that he was about to give John, to really enable him and to equip him to do the ministry that God had called him to. And so there in verse 1, John describes the angel's great presence. When he says, I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow about his head was upon his head. His face was as it were the sun and his feet as pillars of fire. What an impression that must have made on John. But then in verse two, John describes the angel's great possession because he had in his hand a little book open. And of course, we saw how that is similar to, but yet different from the scroll, the book that was in the hand of the one sitting on the throne. And we'll learn more about the significance of this little book later on in this chapter. But then, in verse two also, John describes the angel's great position. He set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth, and of course that reveals to us his sovereignty. It's described not just one time in this chapter, it's described this way three times in this chapter. So that's something that God is really trying to impress with John, is that through this angel, the Lord is exercising his sovereignty over everything and everyone. And then in verse three, John tells us about the angel's great power. and especially through the sound of his voice. He cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth." And of course, we've already covered the ground on these verses, but all of these descriptions are meant to confirm the angel's authority to John in order to really give John the authority to serve as his prophet. But what happened when this angel cried with a loud voice? Well, what did happen would have convinced John of this angel's authority even more. And this is what we considered last time. We continue on there in verse three. And when he had cried, when that mighty angel cried the seven thunders, And if you translate the article, the, that's probably how it would be translated, their force, the 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 to me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not. So last time we looked at some of the ways that we can look at these seven thunders. But ultimately, since we really don't know what they said, it is clear that their message was primarily intended for John himself. Even though I personally see them as the powerful voice of God, the father confirming the angels cry. Ultimately, it's through these words that God will enable and equip John for the rest of that commission that he has as his apostle and as his prophets. Again, the context of chapter 10 is the recommission, the renewal of John's commission as God's prophet to this world. And perhaps those seven thunders really had nothing to do with prophecy itself, but rather to enable and equip John to do the work of the prophet that he would be called to do. But then in verses five through seven, John actually gives us further details about this mighty angel. So that was kind of like a little break, a little aside when we look at those seven thunders. But now he goes back to where he left off in verse three. And so in verse five, he says, and the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth. And again, that was a significant feature in the description of this angel. The angel which I saw stand on the sea and on the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and swear by him who lives forever 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. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants. the prophets and obviously Prophets and prophecies play a significant role in these two chapters, but in these verses We find some more things that are a challenge to us as we try to understand and interpret the book of revelation some of the things that have already posed a challenge for us that we've looked at in this chapter is The identity of this mighty angel we had to consider that one What the content of the little scroll is that he has in his hand? We'll consider that one here in a moment or in a little bit a couple weeks Then, of course, last Sunday we had to consider the significance of the seven thunders, so those are three major interpretive issues when we come to Revelation 10. But now we need to address some other questions, like what does it mean there in verse 6 when John says, or this angel says, that there will be time no longer? Time no longer. And then also in verse 7, perhaps an even more significant question is, what is the mystery of God that is to be fulfilled and finished? What is it of all? And we'll get to those as we come to them. All of these questions and more make this chapter one of the more difficult ones in all of Revelation to really be able to grasp all of its details. And yet, even though we struggle with some of the details, the overall message is relatively clear. God is recommissioning John to fulfill his role and purpose as God's prophet to this world. Again, verse 11, thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings, and he gives him a message that is both majestic and mournful, both sweet and bitter, but one that he will need to fulfill. So we'll try to keep addressing those questions and even more that we might have as we go forward. And so when we go back to verse five, John first reminds us again of that great position of the angel, the great position of the angel. We already looked at this before, and so we're just gonna touch on this now because he pretty much repeats what he already described back in verse two. So you can kind of compare verse two with verse five when it talks about this angel. In verse two, John first told us that this angel set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the earth. And that's what John takes us back to here in verse 5. And the angel which I saw, who stood upon the sea and upon the earth. Now he's going to tell us some more particulars about this mighty angel. And yet, by repeating what he already said and what he already saw, he wants us to remember the colossal size of this angel, all right? Because that size really shows to us and denotes both his sovereignty as God's messenger and even the scope of his message. So you could just go back to that lesson when we looked at verse two, because that's really where the idea of his foot on the sea and foot on the land Directs us to he is absolutely sovereign or really as God's messenger He's absolutely sovereign over the affairs of this world and certainly that's one of the reasons why people think this might be Jesus But I kind of explained that back in that lesson why I think it's still better to be seen as a true angel Representing Jesus, but even as someone who represents Jesus he represents the Lord's sovereignty and even the very scope of that message So that's the great position And that's not the only time that we're going to see it again. We're going to see him describe him this way a third time later on. But then to his position, John then adds and tells us about the great posture of the angel. So here's some new information. All right. So we've looked at the great position already. Now we have the great posture of the angel, because also there in verse five, John sees him as he lifts up his hand to heaven. And more than likely, this is be his right hand. Today, of course, that is a posture of someone who's about to take or make an oath, right? A solemn and serious oath. If you go into a courtroom, that's typically what is done before they swear in a witness. They're gonna put their left hand on a Bible, or at least now, something that they would consider sacred, but it used to be just the Bible, and then they would raise their right hand in order to make this oath. I solemnly swear that what I'm about to say is so. And that's the posture of this angel. He is about to swear an oath to God that what he is about to say, representing God, is absolutely true and absolutely certain. Now, even though this is the only place in Revelation where we find something like this going on, like the posture of an oath or posture of swearing in, in the rest of Scripture, wherever an oath is taken, it is something to really take notice of. And so this is something that you can kind of, in your own Bible study, look back in the Old Testament, we'll give you a few references that you can kind of hang on to. But whenever you find someone either raising one hand to take an oath, or both hands to make an oath, or even just stating that they're making an oath, it's important. It's important to the entire structure of Scripture, these solemn, serious vows. In fact, the very first mention of an oath in the Bible is found in Genesis 14, verse 22, when we're told that Abraham raised his hand to God in order to swear and make an oath to Him because God was the highest authority. Of course, this was the time when God had delivered Abraham out of the five kings as he was bringing Lot back from the five kings that had retrieved him. But he raised his hand to God to confirm the truth of his own commitment to God that he would not take anything from the hands of the king of Sodom. He said, I will not take anything from your hands because I don't want anybody to think that you made me rich, but rather that God made me rich, that God is the one who blessed me because of the covenant promises that he made to me. And that's the very first time in the Bible that we find an oath and we find Abraham raising his hand to the God of heaven. But then, in Genesis chapter 2, we actually find the Lord Himself making an oath. And this is perhaps even more significant than the first time we find an oath. And so why don't we turn our Bibles, keep your finger here, turn in our Bibles to the book of Genesis. And in Genesis chapter 22, we find the Lord Himself making an oath to Abraham, but he's swearing it by himself, because obviously there is no other higher authority. And if someone could read for us Genesis 22, 16 through 18. Again, this is the Lord making an oath, a commitment to Abraham but yet he is making that oath by himself. This is a very significant oath, a very significant statement that God is making to Abraham. It's his covenant promise to Abraham. Obviously, we don't have the Lord raising his right hand, but we do have the Lord saying, by myself I have sworn. And so the Lord is making a solemn commitment to Abraham because of His grace to Abraham. And He's going to bless him, and through him He's going to bless us. He's going to bless all the world because through Abraham's family and family line will come the Messiah. And so, again, oaths are very, very important. You don't need to turn to this passage, but in Hebrews 6, we're actually told why the Lord not only made a promise to Abraham, but then swore that promise to Abraham. Remember what he says? Hebrews 6.17 says, wherein God, who is willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability, the unchangeless character of his counsel, confirmed it by the oath. So that there's two immutable things, right? In which it is impossible for God to lie. So that's the first thing. God cannot lie, because he's God. He always tells the truth. But then he makes a solemn oath, a solemn commitment. So two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. Now we who believe in Christ, believe in that seed, believe in that Messiah, might have a strong consolation. who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us." So obviously, oaths, especially oaths to the Lord and oaths from the Lord, are very significant, very solemn, very serious. But there is another significant oath that is made and this is in the book of Daniel Why don't we turn there now in Daniel chapter 12? obviously, we're getting to the very end of the entire book of Daniel and Daniel of course, you know, we're familiar with all of the stories in the first half, you know And you've got the story of Daniel in the lion's den. You've got Shadrach Meshach and Abednego for those those those Hebrew servants But then the latter half is really prophecy, and a lot of deep-held prophecy. And a lot of that prophecy is already kind of flowed under the bridge. But there's still some things that are yet to come from Daniel's perspective, and likely even from our perspective. And if you look at Daniel chapter 12, verse 6, there's a question, a question that is asked. And of course, we have several figures here. We have a man that was clothed in linen who is on the waters, and then we have an angel on one bank of the river and another angel on the other bank of the river. And John's just kind of a witness here of what's going on. And a question is asked by one of the angels to the figure that's in the river, and he says, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And some of those wonders are already talked about in the first part of chapter 12 and also in chapter 11. These are the wonders of the end, the wonders of the end times that were revealed to Daniel. But the significant thing is there in verse seven, where Daniel sees a man clothed in linen to whom this question was asked, How long? What does he do? Someone could read verse seven for us. Now, that is another significant oath that is made in the context of not just the Old Testament, but really of all scripture and of all God's purpose and of all God's plan. It is this reference in Daniel chapter 12 that provides the backdrop for what John sees here in Revelation chapter 10. Because just as the oath here in Daniel had to do with the time of the end, the time of the end, and of course, he specifies a series of Times right time times and a and half a time Well, that's what is going on here in this oath in the book of Revelation. Obviously, not all of the details are given to us here, but through the renewal of John's commission by this angel, we find from this oath by this angel that John will be given further prophecy about the time, times, and half a time that was first mentioned in Daniel. And we're actually very first introduced to that in chapter 11 when we're talking about the ministry of these two witnesses in the future. Because there in chapter 11 verse 2, we're going to find God's people being tread underfoot for the same period of time, but it's put in a little different terms. It's put in terms of 42 months. And yet, in chapter 13, we'll actually learn that that time period is the very time, times, and half a time that was told to Daniel. We'll explore that a little bit more as we get closer to that. But what we need to know is that the posture of this angel prepares John and prepares us for this message, a message that will deal with not just the time between the advents of Christ or really the time when Jesus went to heaven to the time that Jesus comes back from heaven, but it really is going to focus on the ministry of the future with the witnesses, the prophets of God, and even the people of God that will take place. So the posture of the angel in taking that great oath to heaven prepares us for that message. And then that leads us, third, to the great proclamation of the angel. The great proclamation of the angel. And if we go back to chapter 10, Revelation 10, verse six, what does he do? All right. So he obviously has a little scroll in one of his hands and he has his other hand lifted up to heaven. Now, more than likely, he has the scroll in his left hand and he has his right hand up to heaven, even though we're not told. But that's kind of the picture that we have in any other situation where there's an oath. But here we have this great, mighty angel. Says that verse 6 he's swear by him Swear by him and who is this him who does he swear by obviously God? He has to swear by someone who has the highest authority the only one who can commission John to do this work And so he swears by him who lives forever and ever And the same one is the one 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. And this is what he swears, that there should be time no longer. And so in this verse, and then in the following verse, verse seven, we're given the oath of the angel, the solemn, serious oath of the angel. But before the very substance of the oath, we're first given the very basis of the oath. the very basis of the oath. And again, like Abraham, who formed the basis for his oath? The Lord, right? And even the Lord, when he gave his oath to Abraham, who did he swear by? He swore by himself, because he could swear by no one greater. And since this angel represents the Lord, in effect, he is speaking for the Lord. So it's as if the Lord is swearing again to the truth of what he's saying by himself, just like he does with Abraham back in the book of Genesis. So the basis of this oath is because, as Leon Morris describes it, the Lord is supreme over all time and over creation. He's all supreme. And that's the picture that we have here even in this oath. Because if John is going to, again, chapter 10, verse 11, prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues, and even kings, then he needs to be assured of God's presence and God's power. He needs to know that because there's a lot of significance, there's a lot of fear, there's a lot of issues with going before kings and telling them about what God is going to do to them, as we're going to explore throughout this book. And so again, the basis of this oath is the Lord's sovereignty, the Lord's supremacy. And the first description that we have there in verse six is the Lord's sovereignty over time. the Lord's sovereignty over time. That is seen when the angel swears, verse six, the very first part, him that liveth forever and ever. Isn't that a wonderful thing? The Lord lives forever and ever. And we're not just talking about forever in the future, we're talking forever ever, even in the past. In our Good News Club that we had, the very first one that we had at Weston just last week, we had a chance to talk to about four boys, and they had some questions. Not totally about the lesson, I guess, but the questions that they had were primarily about God, and who this God was that cares for them, who this God is that sent his only begotten son for them. And one of the questions is, well, where did God come from, right? So that gave me the opportunity to tell them that God didn't come from anywhere because God has always been. Because if there's something or someone that created God, then that would make them supreme over God. And since God is all supreme, he has to have always been. And they're like, So God never had a beginning. Everything else has had a beginning. You and I have a beginning. We can trace our beginning back to our birth certificate, our birthday, but God never had a beginning. So he has no birthday. He has nothing to go back to and say, this is when I began. He liveth forever and ever. And of course, this is something that we also find in Revelation. We're reminded of the eternal nature of God, both God the Father and God the Son. And of course, even though we're not given specifically God the Holy Spirit, we can certainly add Him to it. But in chapter one, verse 18, if you remember, John is seeing the glorified Jesus, right? This is at the very outset of this book. Jesus tells John, I am he that liveth. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I even have the keys of hell and death. So the very fact that Jesus is able to die and then come back to life means that he has the keys to hell and death. He can unloose death itself. That's amazing. So Jesus is eternal. And then in chapter 4, verse 9, when John is in the presence of heaven in the heavenly throne room, John hears the living ones, those four living ones that are surrounding God's throne, they're giving glory and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne who lives forever and ever. And so this one is the basis for the oath that is being taken by this mighty angel. He is swearing to or swearing based on the everlasting nature of God. Because God is eternal, and God is sovereign over all time, what He says will happen. What He says will surely come to pass. And so when John makes that prophecy, we know that the rest of Revelation is going to certainly come to pass. Just like all of the other things that we've seen in Scripture have come to pass. God will never give us something that is not true. It will come to pass. God is sovereign over all time. But then he adds another description, and that is one that shows us that God is sovereign also over creation, over creation itself. There we go. Over all creation. Because he continues to swear by him, and then of course we have that description of his eternal nature, but then he is also the one who created heaven, and that's everything up there, right, and the things that are in there, and the earth, everything down here, and things that therein are, and the sea, everything out there, right, and the things which are therein. This is one of the most comprehensive statements in all of the Bible that describes God's creation. Obviously, we have other places where we find it, but this is a beautiful, balanced, comprehensive statement that describes the creation of God. The entire universe is encompassed by the use of those three terms, heaven, earth, and sea. And since God created the entire universe, he is ultimately in control of the entire universe. He's in control of time. He's in control of history. He's in control of everything. But it's not just the universe itself. Obviously, heaven, earth, sea describes everything in the universe. But he literally talks about everything in it as well. The way it can also be put is the heaven and the things in it. the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it. It's very balanced to show that it encompasses everyone and everything. There's not anything that is outside of the control and purview of this sovereign God. Now there are some references in the Old Testament that come close to what we have here. These references may also have come to John's mind as he watched and listened to this angel make this oath. You don't need to turn to these passages, but in Nehemiah 9, verse 6, I just want you to listen to these verses and compare them with what you find here in Revelation 10, 6. In Nehemiah 9, 6, the Levites are praying and listen to their prayer and compare what they pray about God as creator to what this angel says about God as creator. This is their prayer. Thou, even Thou art Lord alone, Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all, and the host of heaven worshipeth Thee. That's perhaps the closest thing that we find in the Old Testament to what we find here in Revelation 10, verse 6. Again, showing us the absolute sovereignty that God has over creation. There is another reference in Psalm 145, verses 6 and 7, that also kind of comes close, but it doesn't itemize the things that are therein for each one. It just kind of lumps them all together. Listen to what it says. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that therein is, which keepeth truth forever. So obviously the emphasis of this mighty angel is the same. He is swearing to the God who is sovereign over all time and over all creation. And because God created all things, He's in control of all things. And so once again, as Leon Morris wrote, the Lord is supreme over all time and over creation, so He fulfills what He plans. And that's the significance here. That's the significance. Everything that the Lord has said and will say to John, or really, for that matter, all throughout the Scripture, what's going to happen is surely going to pass. He fulfills what He plans, and the basis for that is His sovereign nature over time and over creation. But then, after providing the basis of his oath, the angel starts to unfold what we can describe as the substance of his oath. The substance of his oath. And it all starts with a phrase that we find in the King James Version at least, there in verse 6, that there shall be time no longer. Now that is a very accurate translation of the underlying Greek. However, it's still pretty hard to grasp its meaning, especially in the context of this chapter, as well as in the book of Revelation as a whole. So we're going to explore a little bit about what this might mean. The substance of his oath, that there shall be time no longer. The word translated time, is a pretty common Greek word, common not just for time, but common really throughout the New Testament. The word is chronos, chronos. You might be familiar with that word. You've probably heard of a chronometer, or something like that, chronology. It always has to do with time. And chronos can refer to the idea of a succession of moments that make up time. And so the succession of moments that we have in our lives are limited, right? The succession of moments that we've had even here today are limited. And you can start to measure them. People have started to measure them based on, OK, we're going to call a moment of time a second, or at least a bunch of those moments of time. We're going to call a second, and we're going to add those seconds together, and then we're going to make them minutes, and then we're going to add those minutes together, and we're making them hours, and then you're going to add those hours together, and make them days, and then those days and months, and you can go on and on and on. But that's a lot of times when we think of time, when we think of chronos, we think in terms of a succession of moments that make up time that can be measured in different ways. However, Chronos also often refers to not just the process of time, but even to a particular time, or even a particular season in which something occurs. And this is something that we often do, even when we're talking about the change of time. in our yearly calendar. We talk about the seasons of winter, and spring, and summer, and fall. And so, we're not just talking about the progression of time, we're talking about a particular time, a certain season of time. And this is how we've already seen this word used in Revelation. You don't need to turn to these passages, but hopefully you kind of remember what some of them were about. But first of all, in chapter 2, verse 21, this is one of the messages of Jesus to one of the churches, one of the seven churches in Asia. And to the church in Thyatira, in chapter 2, verse 21, Jesus actually has John write to them and says, this Jezebel woman, okay, this woman who said she was a prophetess but really was no prophetess, I gave her space, it says, to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. The word translated space there is chronos, chronos. You could legitimately put the word time in there. But he's not talking about an entire process of time, he's talking about a particular season of time. a time where it had a beginning and it had an end. So it's not just an ongoing thing where just, you know, I'm going to give him give her space and time to repent into eternity. But there's going to be a particular season in which he will bring her to a point where she needs to repent or will face his judgment. In chapter six, verse eleven, we find another use of this word chronos dealing with a particular time. Of course, the fifth seal is the seal of the martyrs of the church. All right. And they are crying out to the Lord. How long, Lord, are you going to wait before we are before retribution is given to those who have actually cost us our lives? And in chapter six, verse 11, it was said to them that they should rest yet for a little season. And the word translated season there is chronos. Again, you can use the same word time, but it's not talking about, again, just an ongoing progression of time. It's talking about a particular season of time, a particular time in which they will have to wait and be patient. Now, we haven't come to this passage yet, but in chapter 20, verse 3, We're told this is even after the kingdom has been established, but then it says that the dragon, who we know is the devil, must be loosed a little season. And that doesn't mean that he's going to be out forever and ever, or a long process of time, but he's going to be loosed for a particular season, a particular chronos, a particular time. So when we think about the context of Revelation and the context of Kronos in Revelation, here in chapter 10, verse 6, Kronos does not necessarily refer to time itself being taken away, as if to say that there's going to be some other mode of living or some other mode of reckoning of time throughout eternity. Instead, it can refer to the time as we know it. the season, the particular time as we know it. Perhaps even the season of this age that has been going on since the beginning of the creation. So obviously we know that there are ages in God's plan, right? In fact, eternity is known as ages of ages. But this age in which we live is a season in God's particular plan for people. And this season had a beginning, it will have an end, and even though there's a process and a progress of time, it will end, and it is referring very often to that particular time as we know it. And so the essence of these words here in Revelation 10-6 is that there will be no further delay. No further delay. In fact, this is how nearly every other English translation puts it, and not just English translations, but just about every other translation of the Bible in other languages puts it in whatever language they use. No more delay. Now this meaning is also found where Kronos is found in the Gospels. You don't need to turn to these passages unless you'd like to, but Matthew chapter 24 and 25. We spent some time a few years ago looking at the Olivet Discourse. And obviously, Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus is describing much about what's going to happen between his time to heaven and his time from heaven. And so he's describing all of these things. And it's interesting because he uses the word chronos to describe the time in which we are living. And the way it is translated is dealing with a season of time, or dealing with a delay of time. In Matthew 24, verse 48, Jesus uses the verb form of chronos, which is chronizo, just so you know that it's the same word. But Jesus says in one of his parables, he says, If that evil servant shall say to his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming. That is, the Lord is biding his time. OK, Kronidzo. Obviously, God is saying we're as Christians supposed to watch for his coming, right? And yet there's a lot of Christians that are saying, well, the Lord's delaying, the Lord's biding his time, the time as we know it. And so When is He going to come? When is He going to return? In Matthew 25, verse 5, Jesus says, While the bridegroom tarried, and of course, who's the bridegroom? The Lord Jesus. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. The word tarried is chronidzo. That is, the bridegroom actually was biding his time, delaying his time, Waiting his time for that season to be over in which he will actually come for his bride in both of those verses The time that is referred to is the time before Jesus's second coming and so back here in chapter 10 verse 6 this mighty angel Again, who is standing for the Lord? Proclaims that there will be no more biting of the time there will be no more delay but then you got to look at the context of this chapter and But, verse seven, what does he go on to say? There will be no more time, but, there will be no more delay, but in the days of the seventh angel. So really, the time that is no longer refers to the time before the days of the seventh angel. And of course, after the days of the seventh angel, the Lord himself will return, we learn about this in chapter 14 and chapter 19, And ultimately, days, the days of the seventh angel, is a way to calculate time. And so I think it's probably best to look at this phrase, this old phrase that I think Tyndale started with. He actually put it this way, that there should be longer time no more. And that's just an old-fashioned way of saying no more delay. No more delay, but in the days of the seventh angel, God's mystery will be ultimately fulfilled. So what time is being referred to then? What time has been delayed, ultimately, when we think about this verse? The answer to that seems to be the last time in Revelation where we find the word chronos, or the last time when we found the word chronos. Keep your finger here and go back with me to chapter six. Remember, Revelation chapter six is the seals, the seals, And in verses 9 and 11, we find the fifth seal. And so this is the context of time, chronos, in the fifth seal. Here, God is revealing what is going to happen before Christ's return. Chapter 6, verse 9. So, when He, the Lamb of God, opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord? Isn't that interesting? Because that's very similar to what we found in Daniel chapter 12, right? The angel says to the man wearing that cloth, he says, How long? How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? White robes were given to every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little chronos, a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. Now, based on what we've already learned from Revelation 6, I believe that we are and we have been living under the conditions of the first five seals of the scroll since the time that John wrote these words. And so this is an image that we've looked at before. This is what we can say is the beginning of sorrows that continues to intensify that Jesus told us about in Matthew 24 in that Olivet Discourse. Those beginning of sorrows will intensify in frequency and in calamities And of course, that will be seen through these four colored horses and the riders. Again, we've looked at that already. But guess what's happening during the time period of these five seals? More and more and more martyrs are added to the number of the fifth seal. More and more Christians are being slaughtered. I thought it was very telling and very sad. I read somewhere that, I think it was since 2017, some 14, maybe 17, maybe 17,000 Believers, Christians, were martyred in the nation of Nigeria in just within the last 10 years. They're included here. And more and more martyrs will be continually added. And what are they saying? As they're up in heaven, they're saying, how long, oh Lord? Holy and true. They're not blaming him, but they're asking how much time until you will bring judgment on this earth, to judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth. And the Lord says to them, for a little season, just rest a little season, rest a little time, a little more time. Well, that is what we find going on in the seals. But then, as the trumpets begin to sound, and of course we saw these in chapter eight and nine, and this great tribulation unfolds, God acknowledges the cry and prayer of his martyrs, and then he answers them through this oath of this angel. So this is one of the reasons why it's in the trumpet judgments, okay? So we've had trumpets one through six already, right? And they continue to get worse and worse and worse and worse. And one of the reasons for these trumpets is to blare warning signs to the world, to repent and believe, or face even more wrath of God. And yet, what goes on here? Time no longer. No more delay. So again, chapter 6, verse 10, the martyrs of the ages cry out to the Lord. How long? The Lord acknowledges their cry here in chapter 6, verse 11, that they should rest for a little season, a little chronos. And now here in chapter 10, verse 6, that time has come because God answers. through his angel, that there should be no more wait, no more time, no more season, no more delay, because in the days of the seventh angel, who will sound the seventh trumpet, we're going to find the mystery of God fulfilled and finished, even as his wrath, the cup of his wrath is finally poured out in his full fury upon this world, which will then lead to the kingdom and the eternal state. So that's the time that's being described here. Time no longer, but in the days. No more delay, but in the days, the mystery of God will be fulfilled. And that is why the prayer of his faithful witnesses will be fully answered by the Lord, even those who did not count their lives dear unto themselves, as it says in Acts chapter 20. I think this would have encouraged John. I mean, remember, he's just coming off of some major judgments and major visions in those first six trumpet judgments. But now he's encouraged because this is a reminder to John and to us, as Greg Beal once put it, there is a predetermined time in the future when God's purposes for history will be completed. And that time will come. And at that time, there will be no further delay. And that encourages us as well. But this great proclamation will then lead to a great promise. And we will find that promise in verse seven, and we will look at that next time.