Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
Revelation chapters 6 to 9 told us about 7 seals and 6 trumpet blasts that released chaos and violence and destruction on planet earth.
As we come to Revelation 10, we expect more bad news when the 7th trumpet blows. Not so. Instead, we get a break in the action.
A mighty angel comes from heaven, plants one foot in the sea and one on the land, roars like a lion, and releases seven thunders.
Seven thunders? Sounds ominous! Is this a third round of seven disasters? But just as John is preparing to write down the thunderous messages, a voice from heaven says, “Don’t write. Keep the thunder messages secret.”
Then the angel standing on land and sea says, “When trumpet #7 sounds, God will begin bringing history to a conclusion.” Sounds promising. Perhaps at last Revelation will tell us about the end of the end of the world, when destruction will be destroyed and peace will reign.
But no. The angel doesn’t tell John about the last trumpet blast and the end of history. Instead he takes a detour, giving John a little scroll. “Eat this,” the angel says. “It’ll taste like honey, but it will turn your stomach sour.”
John eats it and as his digestion goes sour, then the voice from heaven says, “Go and prophecy again about people, nations, languages, and kings.”
Hmmm. This looks like more sour messages for earth, more news of war and destruction. No peace on this horizon. We’ll have to wait for the next chapter.
Let’s pray.
Our father, we present to you the troubled state of our world, which Revelation says will go from bad to worse until you intervene at the end of history.
How long, O Lord, how long? In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel ate a sweet scroll but prophesied doom. Now in Revelation, the prophet John repeats the process.
We too eat your word, and find it hopeful, lifegiving, and sweet. But it is also a hard word that criticizes our consumerism, exposes the moral decay of our civilization, and calls us to be witnesses to a world that does not want to hear.
O Lord, give us grace and courage to receive and proclaim your word. Help us live faithfully in our time, a time full of disasters like Revelation describes. Help us believe that you are in charge, overseeing our lives, our world, and our history.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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