Page 3371 - 1970S

beginoing Of His TAKING OVER ALL
its governmeots, societies, produc–
tion, commerce. We have had 6,000
years of the DAY OF MAN. Now we
shall soon have 1,000 years of the
DAY OFGOD.
Chapters 2 and 3 are messages
direct from Jesus, in heaven , sent to
the angels (which some believe
means to the chief human leaders of
the SEVEN CHURCHES). Chapter 4
describes a vision of God's throne in
heaven. Chapter 5 shows God on
His throne with a BOOK in His right
hand - again, a SCROLL, written on
both sides, and rolled up and
SEALED with SEVEN SEALS. No one in
heaven or earth was able to open
the seals and REVEAL what was
therein written. Then appeared one
as a slain, resurrected Lamb, stand–
ing in front of the throne, and HE
alone was worthy to open the seals
and REVEAL the meaning of the
book. He stepped forward and took
the book from the right hand of
God.
The sixth chapter shows the open–
ing of the first SIX of the seals. The
seven seals cover the ENTIRE BOOK.
The sixth sea!, in time sequence,
brings us down to the DAY OF THE
LORD, with terrifying SIGNS in the
sun, moon and stars.
The seventh chapter begins with
four angels poised to let go the
blowing of the first four TRUMPETS
of the seven TRUMPET PLAGUES,
which are and constitute (that is, aU
seven trumpet plagues) the seventh
SEAL.
Then another angel appears
crying out to the four angels to
HOLD UP the blowing of these trum–
pet plagues UNTIL the servants of
God are sealed.
So here is one example of where
God deliberately held up world con–
ditions, and His own intervention
UNTIL something important to HIM
was accomplished. In this case it
was the sealing of the 144,000. And
also the other great numberless
MULTITUDE of all nations. They (this
numberless multitude) have all
come through the GREAT TRIBULA–
TION, which was symbolized by the
fifth seal.
The seventh sea! is not opened
until the beginning of the eighth
chapter. The first trumpet plague
blew upon the earth, the second on
20
the seas, the third plague was upon
the rivers and lakes, and the fourth
upon the sun, moon and stars.
This left three more plagues,
called WOES. The seventh trumpet–
the last - will be the seven LAST
PLAGUES , at the very TIME Of
Christ's coming to earth to RULE all
nations.
The ninth chapter carries the
events into the first and second
WOES (or the fifth and sixth trumpet
plagues).
But we now come to an INSET
chapter, as 1 have called certain
ones, such as the 13th and 17th
chapters - in a sense, "flashback"
chapters, to bring up to date earlier
events . The seventh trumpet or
THIRD WOE is not opened until
chapter 11 , verse 15.
Now notice this tenth chapter -
an inset chapter, not necessarily at
all occurring at the TIME sequence of
the end of the ninth chapter. The
actual recording of EVENTS, TIME–
WISE, is not continued until chap–
ter 11 , verse 15.
This chapter 10 has been virtually
OVERLOOKED. I did not comment on
it in the earlier days, or expound it
when I wrote the OUTLINE of the
book ofRevelation, or the full book–
let on the Revelation. There was NO
w AY it could have been understood
then - until after subsequent events
-just as we could not have under–
stood how Satan sways the entire
WORLD, as explained in Ephesians
2: 1-2, until we had radio and televi–
sion.
A MIGHTY ANGEL comes down
from heaven, his face as the SUN, his
feet as pillars of fire . His voice was
as the roar of a !ion. He set his right
foot upon the sea, and his left upon
the earth.
He had a LITTLE BOOK open.
This mighty angel in the second
half of this inset prophecy, begin–
ning verse 6, swears by tbe Eterna!
GoD there shall be ''time no longer"
(A.V. - marginal translation - "no
more delay"). But the angel contin–
ues, "But in the days of the voice·of
the seventh angel [seventh trumpet
- which shall be the seven last
plagues - and which also is the PRE–
CISE TIME of Christ's coming as
KING over the earth], when he sha/1
begin to sound, the mystery of God
should be finished ..."(verse 7).
1 italicized "when he shall," refer–
ring to the sounding of the last and
FINAL trumpet, to show that the
time setting of this brief two-part
ioset prophecy is NOT AT OR IMMEDI–
ATELY AFTER the sixth trumpet
(of chapter 9) - but SOME TIME
PRIOR TO IT! Therefore, in time
setting. this is a flashback. Now
continue:
The apostle John in his vision is
told to take the little book, which is
open in the hand of the angel , and
eat it up.
How LIKE EZEKIEL'S PROPHECY!
It was sweet as honey in his
mouth but BITTER in his stomach.
The message of the little book
seems to be what the angel next
said: "Thou must prophesy [pro–
claim - preach - foretell] again be–
fore many peopfes, and nations, and
tongues, and KINGs"!
Now WHEN?
After verse 6!
The message of the little book
written on both sides of a roll, to be
eaten and swallowed, takes us di–
rectly back to Ezekiel's prophecy.
Ezekiel himself, as I have shown,
NEVER WENT TO ISRAEL, NEVER DE–
LJVERED THAT MESSAGE. Jt was nota
prophecy for the Israel of his day -
but for OUR DAY, NOW. Ezekiel 's
prophecy was NOT a message to
MANY NATIONS, speaking ditferent
languages. and to their KINGS. H
was to the R~BELLIOUS PEOPLE Of the
House of Israel and it was empha–
sized · to Ezekiel they were NOT of
strange speech - NOT foreign Gen–
tite nations.
This WORK OF GOD did carry that
message to those same people in
OUR DAY.
Now WHEN is the TIME of this
prophecy in Revelation?
Read right on. Chapter 1 L is
merely a chapter division written by
MEN. But John's book of Revelation
continues right on. The apostle, in
his vision, is told now by this same
angel tO rise and MEASURE THE
TEMPLE. But LEAVE OUT the court
which is for the Gentiles, for they
shall tread down the Holy City for
3'h years. So the TIME of our proph–
ecy is at least 3Y2 YEARS before
Christ's coming- before THE GREAT
TRIBULATION, before the beginning
Of the DAY OF THE LORD and before
(Continued on page 45)
The PLAIN TRUTH February 1977