What makes a prophet a prophet is to speak forth God's word.
So yeah, part of a role of a prophet is predictive, but not all prophets give predictive prophecy.
Some just repeat or develop and apply the scripture, and that qualifies them also as prophets. I know we got a thing in our heads. Prophecy is always related to predicting the future. And it is not. It is being used by God to speak.
God's truth. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
And now here's Pastor Rick in the book of Revelation, chapter 10, with this edition of Cross-Reference Radio. An oath is a pledge. but this one's a little different because of who is making it. In verse 6, and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven. and the things that are in it.
the earth and the things that are in it. and the sea and the things that are in it that there should be delay no longer.
Well, this does not imply that Jesus is inferior to the Father. Nothing implies that he is inferior to the Father. His role, his assignment had been when he walked the earth. But it never was he inferior. And it is also saying, therefore, They are in absolute agreement with each other.
Now as I mentioned, an oath is a guarantee. Not only a promise coming from This character To attempt something as men make oaths that they promise to deliver, but they could die before they fulfill. That oath. And that's the difference. God is saying this is an oath.
and there is no death on me. The New Testament warns men against making solemn promises that go beyond yes or no. Christ came along. He warned us not to make these super duper promises. Just say yes or no.
Let's do yes be yes or you know no. He says, beyond this, the Satan's going to deal with you know, you're going to get involved beyond this There's trouble. He tells us. makes that very clear. And so we avoid well, well, how do you feel when someone says, I swear it's true?
Oh, okay.
Now you said the swear word. I've got to believe you.
Well, they could be wrong. It could be sincere, but wrong, or they could be sinister or they could be right, but it's not necessary. He says, by him who lives forever and ever.
Well, the contrast between the living God and the dead idols of the world is also made here. But God of course sees things Already done. To God, I'm already in heaven. Cool as can be. Uh and and probably you too.
Okay. Romans 4 verse 17. God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. This is the one. This is the Godhead.
You could look at this and say this is the Godhead interacting in front of us. assuring us that these things are faithful and true. We have to be reminded of that repeatedly in Scripture. When we get to the end of Revelation, he's going to say, These things are faithful and true. Write that down, John.
How many times do we hear Jesus say, Most assuredly I say to you, or of the old King James, verily, verily? When he says in the world you will have much tribulation. Is there anybody here that says objection? And then he says, Be of good cheer, I've overcome the world.
Well, that's an art. You have to learn to do that for the long haul. Anybody can come through a a catastrophe with flying colours, but to do it over and over again. That now is getting into a walk with Christ that is available to the Christian. the perseverance of the saints.
Paul, I you know, I understand him going to a place and being physically abused for preaching the gospel. What makes me scratch my head is that he keeps doing it. And he keeps getting beat up. And he doesn't badmouth God for it. I thought you let me into Lystra.
I did. I saw the stones coming. They didn't reach me. But they got you. It's not irreverence, it's just a little humor or attempts at it.
Well, anyway. Coming back to this, what is Paul's conclusion years later? He tells Timothy, God delivered me from them all. These are high standards for us to aim for. and you have a better chance of hitting a target you're aiming at than facing in the wrong direction.
and trying to hit the target.
Well, who created heaven and the things that are in it? Verse six. The earth, the things that are in it. and the sea and the things that are in it. that there should be Delay no longer.
Well, this delay no longer part is, I believe, The latter part of the seven-year tribulation period, at three and a half years. Where Um into the Revelation where Antichrist breaks his covenant, the abomination of desolation is committed, and then literally as we would say, hell breaks loose. It really doesn't break loose, but It is um The worst part of the great tribulation period. Because to say hell breaks loose is to imply that hell has some power to get past God's restriction, and it does not.
So coming back to this creation idea, well, the God of Genesis 1.1. In the beginning, God.
Well, what God? Does he have a name? Yeah, it's Jesus Christ. And I'll give you the verses for that for those of you who may not be familiar with the New Testament's. confirmation of Christ being the Creator.
But this is also a calm uh condemnation On all opposing theories of creation, Darwinism and whatever else is out there. No, they ain't, the aliens brought us here, and stuff like that. I do not think that most science scientific evidence points to a creator. or creation. I believe all of it does.
Every bit of scientific fact points to an intelligent, creative being. And all mankind would agree if they would just be honest with themselves. But they won't. They're willing to believe anything. Except That which requires them to bend the knee to Jesus Christ.
And there's a consequence for that. The sweet part is God's truth. The bitter part is God's judgment for those who reject the truth, and that's part of the story in this 10th chapter.
So The New Testament comes right out and says Christ is the Creator, and without Him nothing is created. You can reference John 1.3. Colossians 1.16 and the first three verses of Hebrews chapter one. Those are just the main ones.
Now we look at verse ten sorry, verse seven. But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound the mystery of God would be finished as he declared to his servants the prophets. And so, again, I said that God is giving us a heads up about that seventh. Trumpet. the final row.
that unleashes more wrath. and ends in the finale. of human government being no more. the significance of in those days or but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel. mentioned here and activated in chapter sixteen.
Not so we'll have we'll get the trumpet to blast in chapter eleven, but again, the bowls of that trumpet do not pour out the seven judgments until chapter sixteen. There's just a lot going on. When he is about the sound adds to the intense buildup, the mystery of God would be finished. the outpouring of God's wrath. end time converts will not find scripture Boring.
they will not tire of what the Scripture has to say. they will be killed for clinging to the truths from the scriptures.
So if you have people telling them about Christ, That's one thing. But to show them from the scripture that all of this has been mapped out already, that is a super. Other thing. And that's what's going to be going on. as in the beginning of Revelation I mentioned, these are people Who will be saved and no other way.
And God knows that. And it is the mercy of God. to allow people to be converted From every nation and kingdom, as has been said in this scripture, in this portion. in of the book, Re in the in the Revelation. It's the mercy of God.
To save them in the midst of all of this. And it makes us say, man, if they can get saved, In the midst of these tribulations What am I doing with my salvation? Yes, this morning I'm just kind of getting my head set, my ninth cup of coffee. And no, just one. And I just looked glanced at the news and I just saw something about uh someone with a a brain tumor.
And I said Well that's a place where no one wants to be.
Well, I don't think I'm there right now. I hope I don't go there. But what am I doing with my health? What am I doing right now? And it sort of just inspired me.
to to go at wherever you are, whatever's going on in your life, You're still eligible for inspiration. you there can still be a surge of the Holy Spirit. in your life Do not count yourself out regardless of what's going on. All it takes is God to bring a person across your path who needs to hear the gospel. Anyway, he declared to his servants the prophets at the bottom of verse seven.
That word declared is not the usual word for that's translated declaration, Q rugma. Which is to herald something. It's used, say, of John the Baptist, as he preached the Christ. make way for the king sermons that John was giving. This word is where we get from the Greek.
The original language of the New Testament's in the Greek. And in the Greek, It's our word for evangelize. As he evangelized to his servants the prophets. That's not limited to giving them The gospel. It's the good news, and good news comes in many forms.
And the end of The book of Revelation is good news.
So when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished as he evangelized. to his servants the prophets. and I find nothing there to disagree with. He announced the good news to his servants What makes a prophet a prophet is to speak forth God's word.
So yeah, part of a roll of a profit is predictive, but not all profits give predictive prophecy.
Some just repeat or develop and apply the scripture, and that qualifies them also as prophets. I know we got a thing in our head, prophecy is always related to predicting the future. And it is not. It is being used by God to speak God's truth. Anyway, verse 8: Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, Go take the little book which is.
Open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth. We don't see John afraid. as he was in the first chapter. When the Lord laid his hand on him and said, Fear not, you It is I, and of course John's not afraid. And the voices of the thunders and the voice that he uh hears speaking here is he doesn't appear to have any.
fear going on with him. Go take the little book which is open in the hand. Of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth. And this is a little book that is attached to. the seven sealed scroll that crisis opening.
And throughout Revelation, we are reminded of this spectacular forces available to God uh heaven's mighty forces verse Nine. I'll pause there for a moment. much of what I'm reading doesn't require now this is that and this is this outside of application. because you can read it and follow that much on your own. One thing the pastor is to bring to a sermon Our insight That were probably overlooked, bypassed, or in need of recall.
reminder From the pulpit. Otherwise, why did he himself give some to be apostles, evangelists? Profits apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor teachers.
Well, because we need this. This is God's system.
So verse 9, so I went to the angel and said to him, Give me the little book. And he said to me, Take and eat it. And I will make and it will make your stomach bitter. but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth. He's telling him right out.
You're gonna like this at first. But it's not going to stay. sweet once it start once it gets inside of you. And the bottom line is, there's more to God's word than its sweet truths. There are bitter facts that go along with God's Word.
And we are not to cover them up You don't help an unbeliever by withholding the truth.
Well, I don't want to offend them.
Well, they're guilty, they're going to be offended. I had no problem when I came to Christ. Once the truth was laid out, oh man. All I could see was that I could be forgiven.
So it was not enough for John. to see the book. or to have it in his possession He has to Eat it. has to get into him. Nothing casual about this.
John complies With Of course, the the angel. He's instructed To consume the entire book. And here is now this, you know, which he signified. Through his angel. This is not literal.
John's not in you know, eating a book. But metaphorically, is no less powerful. He is. And that's the challenge of going through Revelation to find out: well, what is the point here? What is going on?
Ezekiel some seven hundred years Earlier was bid to do the same.
Well, actually, not quite 700, more like 580, something like that. John reenacts Ezekiel's consuming of the scroll And is told to speak it just like Ezekiel was told to go and tell the people. Feeding of the soul on the Word of God. Nothing new to believers. comes up Quite a bit in Scripture.
David talks all about, I believe David wrote the 119th Psalm. He ran out of ink before he could sign it. And that's why This is a long psalm. Anyway, even before this Such Feeding on the Word of God belong to those who had fellowship with God. God's truth is sweet to the saved soul.
But it is bitter in its judgments. We don't delight We don't You know, we're not going to say when we get to heaven, Lord, when you start pouring your wrath out on the earth, can you set up some bleachers so we can watch? That's not our spirit. That's not what we want to do. It's just a bitter event.
and sorrow over the Ruin and judgment of impenitent mankind is indeed a bitter thing, and Ezekiel experienced it. For his people, God says, you know, they're hard-headed. They're hard-headed. I'm sending you to these hard-headed people. the sweet justice of God.
And his plan to purge the world. Jeremiah. Fifteen versus sixteen. another prophet who was abused for his relationship with God and speaking God's word. He says, Your words were found, and I ate them.
And your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Well, you know, there's a time to weep and there's a time to laugh, and you've got to understand when those times are. But whenever they are, as Christians We try to function in the midst of those events in a way that brings honour to God. that pleases him. You know, some people think that their goodness will please God enough to take away their sin. And they're wrong.
Goodness. does please God. But not enough to take away your sin. Your righteousness is as filthy rags, not through works, lest any man should boast. It is Jesus said, I'm the way, there is no other.
If there were an other, the Father would not send me to such a shameful and cruel death. I'm doing this because there is no other way. And this is something that we try to communicate to many of those who think they're going to somehow Do enough goody things For God to be impressed. God is impressed. By his plan of salvation.
And nothing else comes close.
Well, anyway, in reality, Ezekiel. He experienced the sweetness But there's no mention of the bitterness directly, it's there. It it comes out in Ezekiel chapter three. Actually, chapter two. Verse 10.
Where it says that what he was going to preach, these were words of lamentations, mourning. And woe. And so a good exercise again: Daniel 12, Ezekiel 2, and 3, they're not very long if you just. go through them, you will find that they are right here with this tenth chapter. Ezekiel was limited to the Jewish people, but John His ministry of the word.
at this point is global.
So verse 10, then I looked or then I took. The little book. out of the angel's hand and ate it. And it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, My stomach became bitter.
So he's not a spectator, he's a participant. Just like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And there is communion in this. There we re again, we talk about links and things that excite us to other passages of Scripture. Matthew twenty six, verse twenty six, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body.
Well, John 1.1. The Word was God. And so we see, of course, Christ the personification of the Word of God. And John 1:14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. And so we see in John eating the word.
We we have this communion uh idea that goes along A sort of just just shines upon The whole thing. This is the kind of stuff that a pastor would take and do a topical message from a verse, like, well, any verse in this chapter, for sure, he could. pull out a topical pinpoint. Uh applications And it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. That's his first impression.
Psalm 119. How sweet are your words to my taste? Sweeter than honey. to my mouth. And then he says here in verse 10, But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
Well, he couldn't ignore the taste and now he cannot ignore the effects. Ultimately, You cannot dodge. The consequences of going against God, which is the revelation. That's what it is largely about: the consequences of. being a combatant against God.
God's Word will not be reduced to theory. You just won't, it's just so sweet. You know, there's a lot of struggle that goes in pressing into the kingdom of heaven. There's a lot of struggle that. goes with that.
The fight to retain one's faith when life is falling apart. Second Corinthians chapter 2. to the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death And to the other the aroma of life leading to life Who is sufficient for these things?
Well, he goes on to say, not that we are sufficient of ourselves or think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. But in the meantime, That verse from Second Corinthians two sixteen to the world We are the reminder of death because our message is: you will be judged. There is a hell. There's an eternal life and there's an eternal death, and that doesn't mean annihilation. You'll be around to suffer.
Or you can receive life. And that's the point Paul is making, that's what John is making. with the sweet and the bitter. the taste of truth But what's coming upset, John. The Great Tribulation, it's going to happen.
Lost souls do not want to be judged. But they don't want to comply with God either, and that's why they're lost. Verse eleven, and he said to me, You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.
So the whole thing behind him consuming The little book. is to preach and to preach a lot. And it applies to not only John directly, but what has come out of. The ministry A revelation. And it what stands out in this chapter is the eating of the little book to preach.
Not just because, oh, what do you think about that? Isn't that cute? Aren't you like Ezekiel? No, it is a mission, there's a reason for these things. And so he's told to consume the words of God as are we in We close with this verse, Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 7.
I repeat it. Time to keep silence. John, don't write that. and a time to speak. John, you must prophesy again.
That's with preaching, whether from the pulpit or And just to unbelievers, that's what it involves. Uh This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings.
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Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Hello.
