Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Thru the Bible. I'm so glad that you're here as our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, speaks frankly about the role of prophecy in the Christian life. I'm your host, Steve Schwetz, and as you grab your Bible and turn to Revelation 10, Greg and I have some letters that we want to read this time from the country of Mozambique.

Greg: And I'm just wondering when's the last time you talked about Mozambique in a conversation?

Steve: It's been a while.

Greg: And the reason I'm asking that is this is our mission: to take the whole word to the whole world. And while we're not doing it perfectly, Steve, we are striving with everything we have to fling the seed of the word of God to as many countries on earth as possible. And sometimes we end up talking about a country that's probably never in the mainstream media news, but it's on God's heart.

Steve: Yeah, absolutely. And it's still a place where people need to hear the gospel, where people are suffering. And Mozambique, just a little bit of a fact, HIV and AIDS, if you remember that from earlier on in our collective conscience, it seems to have faded into the background, is still the leading cause of death in Mozambique.

Greg: Yeah, and like a lot of countries, also, there's economic hardship. Agriculture and rural living is very common, very low income. And we are ministering in the language of African Portuguese because we actually have Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, and African Portuguese.

Steve: Those Portuguese, man, they were busy at certain times of the year, certain types of the centuries. Yeah, exactly. So let's get to these letters. This is a first one from Armando, who says this: "I am a pastor and professor at a college. I discovered your program by chance while studying for my master's degree. I confess that it was one of the best teachings I have ever had in my life." Wow, and that's saying something from a pastor and professor. "Over the years, I have introduced this program to many people and now we listen to it at my church."

Greg: That is really, really encouraging that pastors and leaders embrace Thru the Bible. They don't regard it as competition. They see it as helpful, and that's a great example. Now let's hear from Matheus who says, "I am from Angola, but I got involved in crime and was imprisoned in Mozambique. It was there that I learned about your ministry. As I listened, I identified with the pastor and began to be in touch with your team.

"Later I was released, and I am completely sorry for my sin. I have already fulfilled the justice of men and I believe in God's total forgiveness. I ask for your prayers because now I am free but unemployed and sick. I have cataracts in both eyes and need surgery. I praise God for the brothers and sisters of the church where I meet, who have supported me. I continue to listen and I am happy and I thank God for your existence."

Steve: Such an encouraging letter. And remember, this is from a man who was in prison and the Lord used that situation to bring him to Christ. And that's one of the things we don't talk a lot about is the prison ministry that we have both in the US and around the world. Many people, when they reach rock bottom in that situation, God finds them and uses Thru the Bible to accomplish salvation.

We got one last letter. This one's from Baba, who shares this: "During your programs in the Old Testament, I was amazed. I particularly learned a lot about leadership and trust from Moses. I've realized that when facing any problem, every leader should seek God's guidance before acting and not make impulsive decisions or choices out of bitterness. I thank you for the wisdom you share each day. Although the Bible was written long ago, I find the lessons are helpful in my everyday living."

Greg: So, so deeply encouraging. Greg, why don't you pray for us as we begin this study in Revelation 10?

Greg: Father, you've just given us a picture of people from leaders to prisoners to people just hungry for your word all over the world. And you're letting us have a part in distributing this amazing teaching that Dr. McGee put together. We pray that you'll continue to bless your word and reach many millions for Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.

Steve: We're off to Revelation 10 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now friends, we're in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets and following the same procedure we had between the sixth and seventh seal, we've been introduced here in this section to the strong angel with the little book. Now we're going to see that he disposes of this little book, that is, he passes it on to John.

And I read now in my translation verse 8, chapter 10: "And the voice which I heard out of heaven, I heard it again speaking with me and saying, 'Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.'" Now this order comes from Christ in heaven as he's directing every operation recorded in the book of Revelation. He's in full charge.

This book is the book that glorifies our wonderful Savior. He's the judge of all the earth here and we see him here as God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name. Now if the voice here is not Christ, then he has given the order to the angel to speak from heaven. And John is apparently returned to the earth in the spirit because the little book that was formerly in the hand of God the Father is now transferred to John.

And I read on at verses 9 and 10 and continue in my translation: "And I went away to the angel saying to him, 'Give to me the little book.' And he said to me, 'Take it and eat it up and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be as sweet as honey.' And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel and I ate it up. And it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And when I'd eaten it, my belly was made bitter."

Now John becomes a participant now in the great drama which is unfolding before us. He's required now to do a very strange thing, one of course that has a typical meaning. He eats the little book at the instructions of the angel and the results are bittersweet. Eating the little book means, of course, to receive the word of God with faith. And that's the teaching of the word of God, by the way.

You don't have to guess at that. In Jeremiah 15:16 we read: "Thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart, for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts." So that Jeremiah likens the word and the appropriation of it is eating it. And Ezekiel does the same thing in chapter 3 verses 1 and 3.

Let me read: "Moreover he said unto me, 'Son of man, eat that thou findest. Eat this roll and go speak unto the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, 'Son of man, cause thy belly to eat and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.' Then did I eat it and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness." Now the roll here is not a bread roll, I hope you understand that. It was a scroll in that day, and Ezekiel said that he ate it.

And it was just like cake. They talk about "let them eat cake." That's what the word of God is, friends. It's bread, but it is also bittersweet. Now again we are told in Proverbs 16:24: "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones." And then again in Psalm 119:103 in that Psalm, it just glorifies the word of God. It says: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Now the part of the word of God taken by John was judgment. And it was sweet because to know the future and for God to say, as he did to Abraham, "Shall I withhold from my friend Abraham that which I'm about to do?" and God says we're friends and he said, "I'd like to tell you what I'm going to do," and that's sweet to know that. But when you find out that judgment is coming, John eagerly received the word of God.

But when he saw that more judgment was to follow, it brought travail of soul and sorrow of heart. It was sweet in his mouth and bitter in his digestive system. Now if you and I can take delight in reading this section of the word of God and the judgments that are falling on the earth, then we need to do a great deal of praying to get the mind of God here because it's sweet to know the book of Revelation and what God intends to do. But when we find out that it's judgment and we look around about us today upon a Christ-rejecting world, we can't rejoice in that, friends. That becomes bitter.

And then there's another I think very real application of this. Many folks begin the study of prophecy with enthusiasm. But when they find that it is applicable to the life and it makes demands upon them personally, they lose interest and it becomes a bitter thing. You hear people say today, "Oh, I don't want to hear about the book of Revelation. I don't like prophecy. It frightens me."

Well, may I say to you that it is supposed to do that. But it should be in your mouth sweet as honey. And unfortunately there are a lot of people like to study prophecy because it's natural curiosity to want to know the future. But when they discover that there's nothing in the word of God that ministers so to a holy life than the study of prophecy. "Every man having this hope," John says, "let him purify himself."

You can't live a dirty life, my friend, and be a student of prophecy. You'll become abnormal if that happens to be true. And that's the reason we get so much abnormality today in prophecy because the word of God is not having its way in the heart and life of men and women. And it's unfortunate that people will get interested in prophecy but not in Christian living.

Years ago when Dr. Gaebelein visited out here at the Green Hotel, Dr. Chafer wrote me and asked me to go down and visit him. Said he gets lonely. And I went down to see him and I'd just come to California at the time. And he said to me, "How do you like having a church in California?" Well, I told him I thought it was wonderful and I enjoyed it. But I said, "There's something very strange out here."

And I've learned that it's true everywhere since then, but then I had not detected it before. I said, "You know, I can teach the book of Revelation in my church and I can fill it up on Wednesday night. Then I can teach the Epistle to the Romans and I can empty it." Believe me friends, that is true. A great many people interested in that. And I never shall forget what Dr. Gaebelein said. He says in that broken accent he had, that Prussian accent, he says, "Brother McGee, you're going to find that a great many of the saints are more interested in Antichrist than they are in Christ." And I've discovered that he was accurate.

Now verse 11, I'm reading it: "And they say to me, 'It's necessary for you to prophesy again against people and nations and tongues and kings.'" And you can be sure of one thing, that John was properly integrated. He believed that all nations and all people, all tongues, all colors ought to hear the word of God. But they need to hear it because they need to be warned that judgment was coming and that if they went through the great tribulation period, they'd find out it wasn't the millennium, but it was just the opposite, that they'd feel like it was hell itself that they had entered. And therefore it made John sad, that part of it.

That's the reason that this little book became bitter to John. He must prophesy against many before Christ comes to his kingdom, and much prophecy is to follow. To tell the truth, we are not quite halfway through this book. And prophecy about the nation and people is necessarily against them. It's judgment to come. And so this new series of prophecy, it'll begin in chapter 12 and it will reveal the fact that there was a great deal more to say. The study of prophecy I think will have a definite effect upon your life. It'll either bring you closer to Christ or take you farther from him.

That brings us to chapter 11. And here the theme continues with this interlude at the beginning. And then we have the blowing of the seventh trumpet. And we find out here that there are 42 months remaining of the times of the Gentiles and that there are two witnesses to prophesy the 42 months. And that's the third woe and the seventh trumpet now is to be blown. We see all of that in this chapter and I've divided the chapter like this: the date for the ending of the times of the Gentiles, that's in the first two verses.

Then in verses 3 through 12, you have the duration of the prophesying of the two witnesses. And then verses 13 and 14, you have the doom of the second woe and the great earthquake. All right now, and the blowing by the way of the seventh trumpet. And we have here now the seventh trumpet, the end of the great tribulation period and the opening of the temple in heaven. And that'll be in verses 15 through 19.

All right now, this chapter brings us back to Old Testament ground. We'll see the temple, we'll be dealing with time periods which you do not with the church, and the distinction is made between Jews and Gentiles which indicate that we're again in the Old Testament economy. Chronologically here the seventh trumpet brings us to the return of Christ at the end of the great tribulation period. Now we're going to see that when we get to it.

And we'll move now right into the text. So we have in the first two verses the date for the ending of the times of the Gentiles. That hasn't anything you see to do with the church at all. Church is gone. If we can just get it in our thinking, the church is not here on the earth at this time. I'm reading now again from my translation: "And there was given me a reed like a rod saying, 'Rise and measure the temple,' or the holy place, 'of God and the altar and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple cast out and measure it not, for it's given to the nations,' that is to the Gentiles, 'and the holy city shall they tread underfoot 40 and two months.'" So that period that the Lord Jesus said that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Now a great many people thought when Israel got Jerusalem well that was it. Well, it wasn't it because to begin with Jerusalem is still trodden down of the Gentiles. And all you have to do is to go over there and walk down the streets of the old city. All other races are there today. All other Christian groups are all over the place. They built holy places everywhere in the old city of Jerusalem. So that Jerusalem is trodden down.

But now when you get into the great tribulation period, you've come apparently to the last half of it. Why the times of the Gentiles will run out in 42 months. Now that's one-half of the great tribulation period. Now we're told here he was given a reed like a rod. Now every time you see the beginning of measurements in either Old or New Testament, it indicates that God is beginning to deal with the nation Israel. Now that was true in Zechariah the second chapter. It was true in Jeremiah the 31st chapter. And I'm not going to turn there because we have studied that rather recently.

Now we find here that this reed is like a rod. Well, a rod is used by a shepherd and it says in Psalm 2:9, "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Now that's for chastisement and judgment. So what we're dealing here with is a measurement of time given for the times of the Gentiles and then judgment will come upon them. Now the rod is also for comfort. Psalm 23:4 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

So we have both judgment and solace in this chapter here. And he mentions the temple of God and it's limited to the holy place. Actually that's the literal here and the holy of holies. In other words, the temple of God places us back on Old Testament ground for there's no temple given to the church. In fact, the church is a temple of the Holy Spirit today. That is, believers are, not a building.

And Paul says that in Ephesians 2:21 and 22: "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." Now the altar here refers to the golden altar of prayer. The altar for burnt offering was not in the temple proper. It was in the outer court. Now even the worshippers here were to be measured, if you noticed.

He was told to rise and measure not only the holy place and the altar and them that worship therein. They are measured and God does count the number of those who worship him. And so here "the court which is without the temple throw out." And that excludes all that does not belong to the temple proper. The altar of burnt offering would be on the outside and also the brazen laver.

And since the altar was a picture of the cross of Christ, it would seem to mean that the gospel of the cross of Christ will still be available to all mankind during the intensity of this brief crisis. It's not to be measured, you see, because it'll still be available. And it's given to the nations. But it's limited to the 42 months of the great tribulation period. And as we've said, that confirms the words of the Lord Jesus.

Now 40 and two months is the period identified with the last half of the great tribulation period. And this is repeated again in the 13th chapter of Revelation, verse five, for instance. And I think I'll turn there. It says: "There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to continue 40 and two months." That's the last half of the reign of Antichrist here upon this earth.

Now that three and a half year period is mentioned again in the 12th chapter, verse 14 also. Probably ought to read that: "And to the woman were given two wings of an eagle that she might fly to the wilderness and to her place where she's nourished for a time and times and half a time." That's three and a half years from the face or the presence of the serpent. And this actually goes back to Daniel. Daniel had a great deal to say about this period of time.

For instance in Daniel 7:25, "He shall speak great words against the Most High." Now that's Antichrist that'll do that. "And he shall wear out the saints of the Most High." And until Antichrist comes, we preachers are the ones that wear out the saints. Wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change times and law for they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. That's three and a half and it is three and a half years. Because again over in the 12th chapter we are given this in the book of Daniel.

I think I'll just turn over and read that: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." And that is three and a half years. So that we have Daniel speaking of this also. And again if you want another reference in Daniel over in the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel at verse 27 it says, "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." And again that's Antichrist.

"And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Now that week of Daniel is seven years, as we saw when we studied it. "And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon him." So that we have now this seven year period which is the 70th week of Daniel and we went into that quite thoroughly when we were in the book of Daniel. And I see that we've come to the end of our time period. May God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Join us next time as our wild and wonderful study of Revelation continues. Until then to find a resource to deepen your study of God's word, get our app or visit TTB.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz. For all of us at Thru the Bible, we're praying for you as you set your heart on things above.