Scripture reading: Revelation 10.

Sermon text: Revelation 11.

“Mystery.” The word “mystery” evokes images and memories in our minds. We think of famous mystery novels (such as Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express). We remember famous detectives such as Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe, men who could solve the most difficult crimes with a single, crucial leap of intuition.

When we think of Scripture and mystery, most of us think of the Revelation of St. John, the focus of this sermon series. In the history of the Church, countless hours and untold amounts of money have been invested in attempts to decipher St. John’s graphic descriptions.

Needless to say, I doubt I have all the answers to this book. Others have written far more and spent much more of their lives in trying to unravel St. John’s work. Remember that this is a sermon series, not a Bible study. Sermons tell us how to apply the Scriptures to our lives, and I believe God wants us to apply the truths of this book to our lives today while we prepare for life tomorrow and in the ages to come.

Therefore, we need to determine the mystery of Scripture in this chapter and apply it to our lives as we leave the sanctuary. God wants us to read this book and learn to live according to its precepts. Applying this chapter to our lives revolves around the mystery of God. What is this mystery? Do we have a role in this mystery? If so, how do we fulfill our roles in God’s mystery of creation?

First, we need to consider the Greek word “mystery.” Believe it or not, the Hebrew Scriptures have no equivalent to the word “mysterion.” When we search the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, for this word, no instances appear in any of the books considered canonical by Protestants. The word “mysterion” appears only in the books contained in the Apocrypha, those books written between the Testaments and not included in our Protestant Bibles.

This doesn’t mean the Old Testament contains no mysteries. The meanings of numerous passages in the Old Testament remained hidden for centuries until the coming of Jesus in human flesh. People read the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others for centuries and wondered who would fulfill these prophecies. God revealed through the New Testament writers that Jesus had fulfilled the prophecies of the Suffering Servant; the Holy Spirit fulfilled the prophecies of the new covenant written on people’s hearts.

The Greek word “mysterion” refers to secret knowledge known only to those selected to hear it. A mystery is known only to a few and understood by even fewer. In the mystery religions of the Roman Empire, initiates learned more of the mysteries of the cult as they progressed through stages of their training. Only the highest practitioners knew all the mysteries and understood them.

When we look at the New Testament — remember that the Old Testament never mentions the word “mysterion” — the word occurs only 3 times in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record Jesus using the word on one occasion to describe His teachings of the “secrets” of the kingdom of heaven. In the Greek, Jesus used the word “mysterion.”

Other than Jesus, only 2 other New Testament people use the word “mysterion:” St. Paul and St. John. Since we remember that St. John wrote the Revelation after St. Paul’s death, we must infer that St. John’s original readers knew St. Paul’s letters and therefore understood St. Paul’s use of the word “mysterion.”

St. Paul used this word 21 times. Among the “mysteries” of St. Paul, we find:

1. •the “mystery” of the hardening of Israel so that salvation would come to the Gentiles (Romans 11:25).
   

2. •the “mystery” hidden for ages but now revealed that would lead to obedience to faith (Romans 16:26-27).
   

3. •the “mystery” now revealed to believers that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ would open to us the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to come to guide us (1 Corinthians 2).
   

4. •the “mystery” of the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15). Hallelujah! All those who die anticipating the coming of Our Lord will live again!
   

5. •and, of course, the “mystery” revealed in Ephesians chapter 3, that the Gentiles “are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (3:6).
   

I believe this latter mystery best applies to our chapter today. St. John heard that the “mystery of God would be fulfilled” and then recorded its fulfillment in the next few chapters.

First, notice that while St. John may prepare to reveal one mystery, he leaves another unknown, much to his own chagrin. The “mighty angel” brought a small scroll down to earth and then cried out something that St. John really wanted to write. Even more, St. John wanted to write the answer of the seven thunders, but he was forbidden to do so. Apparently, this book wasn’t meant to give us all the answers.

The angel then “swore” by God Himself “there would be no more delay.” The judgment of God was imminent; the revealing of the mystery had come. When the seventh trumpet sounded, the earth would witness the mystery’s fulfillment.

What, then, was the mystery?

Remember St. Paul’s mysteries of 1 Corinthians 15 and Ephesians 3? Those mysteries tie in well with the mystery we see here. God had revealed through St. Paul that the death of Jesus Christ, foretold by the prophets, opened the door to salvation for the Gentiles. The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy would come in the great gathering of the saints in the end times, just prior to the final judgment and wrath of God on earth. All the saints of the ages, Jews and Gentiles, will experience the gathering St. Paul described in 1 Thessalonians 4.

When will this gathering occur? St. Paul told the Corinthians it would happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52). All we need to hear is the last trumpet.

Meanwhile, remember that  St. John was in exile on the island of Patmos. How would he tell anyone what he had seen, what he had heard about the mystery’s fulfillment? He heard an unusual request followed by comforting words. First, he was to eat the scroll the angel brought to earth. This reminds us of Ezekiel’s experience in Ezekiel chapter 3, where Ezekiel ate a scroll containing the words of judgment he would prophesy against Israel. St. John found the scroll to be “sweet as honey” but “bitter” to his stomach. However, he was then told he would survive the exile and continue to minister about “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

I believe we can see something in this experience. The prophecies St. John would give to the world — those we’re reading — seem comforting to believers until we remember those in our lives that haven’t experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Then, these words become bitter to us. We like to hear of our redemption and deliverance, but we hate to hear of the judgment to come on those who have rejected salvation. Nonetheless, our duty is clear. The words of God apply to all humanity. We must insure that everyone in our lives has heard these words and received the chance to accept these words.

Now comes the mystery’s fulfillment.

In chapter 11, St. John was told to “measure the temple.” This verse has led some scholars to posit that the Revelation was written prior to Titus’ destruction of the Jewish Temple in A.D. 70. However, remember that many prophecies in the Old Testament remain as yet unfulfilled. Ezekiel prophesied about another temple, one that remains unbuilt thus far in history. The fact that the “holy city” would remain in Gentile hands for a specified period should lead us to believe that this prophecy of St. John remains unfulfilled as well.

This time frame, along with other details in this chapter, should tell us something about the nature of St. John’s vision. Far too much of it is recorded in far too exact detail to merely spiritualize it away, saying “this means this” or “that phrase means something else.” St. John is far too precise in his descriptions for us to take the easy way out.

The 2 witnesses serve as a prime example. When Zechariah witnessed a vision of 2 “olive trees” (Zechariah 4), the olive trees symbolized two people, Zerubbabel and Joshua, the civil ruler and the high priest. Some people throughout history and today say the 2 witnesses represent believing Israel and the redeemed Church. However, as with Zechariah — who recognized the two olive trees represented physical people — St. John clearly saw the olive trees as typified by 2 physical people. While some will try to say the witnesses stand for something else, St. John is far too exact in his description.

Other details tell us this passage remains unfulfilled. The Church has never possessed the power to spit fire from our mouths! We’ve never turned waters to blood, and we’ve never stricken the earth with plagues. We simply don’t possess these powers. The witnesses — regardless of their identities — possess authority and power unlike anything yet seen on this earth.

The witnesses will prophesy for “1260 days,” or the 42 months during which the holy city remains under Gentile control. Their words will irritate the unbelievers on the earth, to the point the unbelievers will wish for their deaths. Unfortunately for the unbelievers, no one will even approach these men to kill them. Death by burning proves a rather potent deterrent.

However, a “beast from the bottomless pit” will arise and will succeed in killing the prophets. Their deaths will cause a world-wide celebration as everyone sees their dead bodies in the streets of Jerusalem (the city “their Lord was crucified”). Unbelievers will celebrate like Christmas, giving gifts to one another to celebrate their deaths.

Too bad for the unbelievers — and the beast — that someone forgot to tell the rest of the story. The witnesses will rise from the dead in plain sight of everyone and then ascend into heaven.

Think about this. Today, the technology exists for us to view events happening “live” in Jerusalem (except for the satellite delay). We think nothing of corresponding with people across the planet instantaneously by email; we consider it routine to view people halfway around the world in a instant via television. For the first time in history, the possibility exists for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Just as everyone finally grasps what they’re seeing, an earthquake hits the city, destroying a tenth of it and killing thousands. Those remaining there will give “glory” to God. It sounds as if someone’s ready to repent! Remember that the Roman soldiers at Jesus’ crucifixion glorified God as well. A resurrection followed by an earthquake will cause anyone to look for something to say!

But what about the mystery of St. Paul? Two things tell us the mystery will be fulfilled at this moment in history.

First, St. Paul told the Thessalonians the great gathering of the redeemed could not happen until “the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The beast that kills the prophets will fulfill this description.

Next, St. Paul told the Corinthians that believers would experience a resurrection “at the last trumpet” in chapter 15 of his first letter (15:52). When we examine the book of Revelation, we find that the seventh trumpet of chapter 11 is the last trumpet mentioned in the book. At the sounding of this trumpet, the resurrection of 1 Corinthians 11 and the “gathering” of 1 Thessalonians 4 occur, throwing the entire world into panic.

The popular term for this event is “rapture,” a term I’ve avoided thus far in the series.

I know many people will disagree with this interpretation. Many people, especially in America, hold that believers will experience the rapture before this time in the book. Some, especially outside American Evangelical traditions, deny this event will occur prior to the end of the world. I also understand that, somehow, “saints” will still live on earth because we read of their defeat in Revelation 13 (13:7). However, given the prophecy of St. Paul and the witness of St. John, I fail to see how we can arrive at any other interpretation. If you believe you can prove another interpretation, please contact me.

Regardless, the hosts of heaven erupt in praise yet again. The worship in this chapter inspired the words of George Frederick Handel’s masterpiece “Hallelujah Chorus” in his oratorio Messiah. Quoting Psalm 2, the elders praise God because “you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” The time has come: the dead will be judged, and His servants will be rewarded.

Verse 19 concludes this chapter with the opening of “God’s temple in heaven.” In his book Recalling the Hope of Glory, Allen Ross surmises that the worship of ancient Israel served as a pale imitation of heavenly worship, and that the sanctuaries of ancient Israel — both the tabernacle and the first temple — mirrored a sanctuary in heaven. Now, we see this sanctuary, complete with “the ark of His covenant.” Is this the ark mentioned in the Old Testament? St. John obviously saw something he recognized. At this point, I’ll only surmise that we’ll know when we see it for ourselves.

What should we take from these words today?

First, we’ve seen St. Paul’s explanation of the mystery. God has extended His grace to Gentiles, meaning that everyone who hears the gospel may be saved.

Secondly, what role do we play in this mystery? We must insure that others hear of the grace of God. People in our lives need to know Jesus. They need to hear that although their sin has separated them from God, Jesus has come to bring everyone the opportunity to experience a relationship with God. Everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord, believing that God has raised Him from the dead, will experience eternal life. Our role in the mystery is to insure everyone hears of this good news, of the gospel of Christ.

Lastly, how do we fulfill this role? We do this by living joyous lives before others. We know our salvation is secure; we must live in that security. Others should see us living joyously regardless of the circumstances of our lives. Remember that St. Paul has already told us this joy will extend into eternity following the gathering of the saints. Given that death has no hold on the saints of God, we can face life confidently and live boldly before the world.

Part of God’s mystery has already been revealed. Our salvation as Gentiles demonstrates this revelation. Following the events of this book, we’ll see the complete revealing of God’s mysteries. If God has saved you through your confession and belief in Jesus, live joyfully, knowing your salvation is not a mystery; it is a reality in the power of Jesus Christ our Lord..