Chapter Twenty-Five/Reviving the Two Witnesses

 Before the second woe is finally past, the strong angel calls upon John to take part in another prophetic presentation, this one having to do with the temple. (Revelation 9:2; 12; 10:1) Here is what John reports: "And a reed like a rod was given me as he said: 'Get up and measure the temple sanctuary of God and the altar and those worshipping in       it,' " -REVELATION 11:1. 

The Temple Sanctuary

The temple here mentioned cannot be any literal temple in Jerusalem, since the last of these was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. The apostle Paul, however, showed that even before that destruction, there had appeared another temple sanctuary that fulfilled the prophetic types that would endure up to our day. This was the great spiritual temple that fulfilled the prophetic types provided by the tabernacle and later by the temples built in Jerusalem. It is "the true tent, which Jehovah put up, and not man," and its High Priest is Jesus, whom Paul describes as have already "sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Its Most Holy is the location of Jehovah's presence in heaven itself. - HEBREWS 8:1, 2; 9:11, 24. 

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Little Scroll Today - Continue

 John's eating up the scroll pictured that Jesus' brothers accepted this assignment. It became a part of them to the extent that they were now identified with this portion of God's inspired Word, drawing nourishment from it. But what they had to preach contained expressions of Jehovah's judgments that were unpalatable to many of mankind. Indeed, it included the plague foretold in Revelation chapter 8.  It was sweet, however, to these sincere Christians to know those ingredients and to realize that they were again being used by Jehovah in proclaiming them. - PSALM 19:9, 10. 

In time, the message of this scroll also became sweet to the "great crowd . . . out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues" who were found to be sighing on account of the desirable things they saw being done in Christendom. (Revelation 7:9; Ezekiel 9:4) These too, vigorously proclaim the good news, using sweet, gracious words to describe Jehovah's marvelous position for sheeplike Christians. (Psalm 37:11, 29; Colossians 4:6) But to goatlike people, this is bad news. Why? It means that the system in which they trust-and which may even have brought them transitory satisfaction-must go. For them, the good news spells doom. - MATTHEW 25:31-34,41, 46; compare DEUTERONOMY 28:15; 2 Corinthians 2:15, 16.

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Little Scroll Today - Continue

 Like Jesus, however, they were used by Jehovah even before the voices of the seven thunders were fully published. They had preached diligently for 40 years before 1914, and they had struggled to stay active during the first world war. They had proved to be the ones who, when the master arrived, were to be giving the domestics food at the proper time. (Matthew 24:45-47) Thus, in 1919 they were the ones who were given the opened little scroll-that is, an open message to preach to mankind. Like Ezekiel they had a message for an ungrateful organization-Christendom-that claimed to be serving God but, in fact, was not. Like John they had to preach some more regarding "peoples and nations and tongues and many kings." 

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Little Scroll Today

 What John sees foreshadows remarkably the experience of the John class at the beginning of the Lord's day. Their understanding of Jehovah's purposes, including the implication of the seven thunders, was then incomplete. Nevertheless, they had a deep interest in Revelation, and Charles Taze Russell had commented on many parts of it during his lifetime. After his death in 1916, many of the writings were collected and published in a book entitled The Finished Mystery. In time, though, this book proved to be unsatisfactory as an explanation of Revelation. The remnant of Christ's brothers had to wait a while longer, until the visions started to be fulfilled, for an accurate understanding of that inspired record.

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Opened Scroll - Conclusion

 The ones who tell John to prophesy again are doubtless Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. John, although exiled on the island of Patmos, has already prophesied regarding peoples, nations, tongues, and kings through the information recorded so far in the book of Revelation. The word "again" means that he must write and publish the rest of the information recorded in the book of Revelation. But remember, John is here actually participating in the prophetic vision. What he records is, in fact, a prophesy to be fulfilled after 1914, when the strong angel takes up his position astride the earth and the sea.  What, then, does this dramatic portrayal mean to the John class today? 

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Opened Scroll

 While John is waiting for the blowing of this seventh trumpet and the bringing to a finish of the sacred secret of God, he is given a further assignment: "And the voice that I heard out of heaven is speaking again with me and saying: 'Go, take the opened scroll that is in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and the earth.' And I went away to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me: 'Take it and eat it up, and it will make your belly bitter, but in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.' And I took the little scroll out of his hand of the angel and ate it up, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; but bitter. And they say to me; you must prophesy again with regard to peoples and nations and tongues and many kings.' " - REVELATION 10:8-11.

John's experience is rather similar to that of the prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of Babylonia. He too was commanded to eat a scroll that tasted sweet in his mouth. But it filled his stomach, it made him responsible to tell the bitter things for the rebellious house of Israel. (Ezekiel2:8-3:15) The opened scroll that the glorified Jesus Christ gives to John is likewise a divine message. John is to preach regarding "peoples and nations and tongues and many kings." To feed upon this scroll is sweet for him because it is from a divine source. (Compare Psalm 119:103; Jeremiah 15:15, 16) But he finds it bitter to digest because-it foretells unsavory things for rebellious humans. - PSALM 145:20.

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Finish of the Sacred Secret - Conclusion

 Surely, this is the very best of news. Yet, at Revelation 11:14, 15, the third woe is linked with the Kingdom. Why? Because for those of mankind who prefer Satan's system of things, the trumpeting forth of the good news that the sacred secret of God is brought to a finish-that is, God's Messianic Kingdom is here-is woeful news. (Compare 2 Corinthians 2:16) It means that the world arrangement that they like so well is near to being destroyed. The voices of the seven thunders, containing such ominous storm warnings, become clearer and louder with the approach of Jehovah's great day of vengeance. - Zephaniah 1:14-18. 

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Finish of the Sacred Secret -- Continue

 "No delay any longer"-how those words appeal to the aging John class today! In what respect is there no delay? John informs us: "But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when his is about to blow his trumpet, the sacred secret of God according to the good news, which he declared to his own slaves the prophets is indeed brought to a finish." (Revelation 10:7) Jehovah's time is here for bringing his sacred secret to its happy climax, with glorious success!

What is this sacred secret? It involves seed first promised to Eden, which proved primarily to be Jesus Christ. (Genesis 3:15; 1Timothy 3:16) It has to do with the identity of the woman out of whom the Seed comes. (Isaiah 54:1; Galatians 4:16-28) Further, it takes it takes in the secondary members of the seed class and the Kingdom in which the Seed reigns. (Luke8:10; Ephesians 3:3-9; Colossians 1:26, 27; 2:2; Revelation 1;5, 6) The good news about this unique heavenly Kingdom must be preached in all the earth during the time of the end. - MATTHEW 24:14. 

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Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Finish of the Sacred Secret

Meantime, Jehovah has another commission for John. After the seven thunders have sounded, the strong angel speaks again: "And the angel that I saw standing on the sea and on the earth raised his right hand to heaven, and by the One who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and things in it, he swore: 'There will be no delay any longer.' " (Revelation 10:5, 6) By whom does the strong angel swear? The glorified Creator of the heavens and the earth. (Isaiah 45:12, 18) With this oath, the angel assures John that there will be no further delay on God's part.

The Greek word here translated "delay" is khro'nos, which literally means '"time." Some have thus felt that this declaration of the angel should be translated: "There will be no more time," as though time as we know it will end. But the word khro'nos here is used without a definite article. So it does not mean time in general but, rather, "a time" or "a period of time." In other words, there will be no further  period of time (or delay) by Jehovah. A Greek word derived from khro'nos is used also at Hebrew 10:37, where Paul, quoting from Habakkuk 2:3, 4, writes that "he who is coming . . . will not delay." 

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Chapter Twenty -Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message -The Seven Thunders - Conclusion

 John has previously heard thunders proceeding from the very throne of Jehovah. (Revelation 4:5) Back in David's day, literal thunder was at times spoken of as "the voice of Jehovah." (Psalm 29:3) When Jehovah audibly proclaimed his purpose to glorify his own name in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry, to many it sounded like thunder. (John 12:28, 29) Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the 'voices of the seven thunders' are Jehovah's own expression of his purposes. The fact that there were "seven thunders suggests the completeness of what John heard.

But listen! Another voice sounds forth. It brings a command that must seem strange to John: "Now when the seven thunders spoke, I was at the point of writing; but I heard a voice out of heaven say: 'Seal up the things the seven thunders spoke and do not write them down.' " (Revelation 10:4) John must have been anxious to hear and record those thunderous messages, just as the John class today has waited eagerly for Jehovah to disclose his divine purposes for publication. Such relations come only at Jehovah's appointed time. - LUKE 12:42; see also DANIEL  12:8, 9.

Next time: Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Finish of the Sacred Secret

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