A study on the seven thunders in the Book of Revelation.

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<p>A study on the seven thunders in the Book of Revelation.</p>

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Hartland Institute of Health and Education

Norbert Restrepo

The Seven Thunders

It is a wonderful opportunity to study God's Word and to do so in the quietude of a nice cool morning out here in the midst of nature, isn't it?

And as we look at the beautiful sunshine, and you see the reflection, I can see the reflection from where I'm standing right now at the lake, see the beautiful blue and all that.

It looks, it's wonderful to see God's creation.

But what I am thinking on this morning is, on that morning after October 22, the next morning, when the sun was probably shining and the Advent believers were looking at its brightness, but that brightness was not satisfying them at all.

And so often we get conformed and wrapped up with what we have around us and we forget where we need to have our focus.

In fact, the Advent believers had their focus on the second coming of Christ much more than we often have it.

We who are living at the very verge of the end of the investigative judgment.

So this morning I just want to study with you using the Bible and the spirit of prophecy to look into things that we have been admonished, that we have been encouraged, that we have been called to meditate upon frequently, to understand and to share these wonderful truths.

Now Revelation chapters 10 and 11 contain a vision that is kind of in the middle of the book of Revelation and Revelation has an awesome structure, a kiastic structure.

These 2 visions are followed by, this vision of Revelation chapter 10 and 11 is followed by the vision in chapter 12, which we all understand is the summary of the great controversy.

But chapters 10 and 11 bring our attention to the time of the end.

They, you know, the span of the 6 trumpets, the 6 seals, all that description, we've had it before, and when we come to the chapter 10, it starts speaking of the time of the seventh trumpet.

It refers to the longest time prophecies that point to the time of the end.

And let's just take a brief look at that.

For example, if we go to Revelation 10 and verse 7, we read the following.

This is going to be a Bible study of a book of Revelation 10.

We read in verse 7 of Revelation chapter 10 and the Word of the Lord says, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

We understand that in the Bible and the book of Revelation, 7 is when God completes His work.

And it's interesting because when we look at Genesis, the first book of the Bible, on the seventh day He rested from all the work that he had done.

And when you go to and find this theme in Revelation, it's the seventh trumpet, the seventh seal.

Everything is completed, the full plan of redemption when we reach the number 7.

And the amazing thing is that we are living in that period.

The sixth trumpet was already fulfilled, wasn't it?

So we are living in this most amazing final period of earth's history.

And in these days, prophecy says God spoke and revealed to John in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound the trumpet.

It doesn't say when He shall end, when He shall begin to sound the trumpet.

And while study of the mystery of God is another subject, but we can quote Colossians, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

If we turn to the next chapter and we go to chapter 11 and verse 15, we read, and the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven.

Once again, it's making reference to that seventh period, the last period in this great controversy.

At the same time, we find in both these chapters allusions to the time prophecies that were to end and then there would be time no longer.

In chapter 10 and we read there, actually in chapter 11 verse 2, and the holy city shall they tread under under foot 40 and 2 months.

Then you read in verse 3 of chapter 11, and I will give power unto my 2 witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand, 203 score days.

And these prophecies are pointed to 1798 when the time of the end should start.

So it is very unequivocal that these chapters are placing us in this context.

So let's look at that because we are living in that precise time.

Now, the vision that we find in those 2 chapters begins with a description of a mighty angel and he uses the expression, Another mighty angel came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." And when we look back in Revelation and we see similar language describing a celestial being, it is clear that it is referring to whom?

So this is amazing, and he had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth and cried with a loud voice as when a lion roars and when he had cried 7 thunders uttered their voices." It's interesting that chapter 10 starts with this focus both on the little book that was in his hand, right, and also on the 7 thunders that uttered their voices.

And by the way, the little book was open.

But later on we read that the 7 thunders were not to be described.

So you have that tension of opening and at the same time not disclosing, which perfectly describes as we will review in our Advent history this morning, that there was so much truth, prophetic truth that was revealed, but then there were other aspects that were not revealed to them and hence the experience of the disappointment which is also couched in the language of Revelation chapter 10 with the expression, it was sweet in my mouth, but bitter in my belly.

I want to read for this quote from the Spirit of Prophecy Manuscript 59, 1900.

And you have it there on the slide, the mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ, setting his right foot on the sea and his left upon the dry land, shows the part which he is acting in what?

In the closing scenes of the great controversy.

The closing scenes in the great controversy.

This position, I continue reading from the quote even though you might not have it all on the slide, this position denotes his supreme power and authority over the whole earth.

The controversy has waxed stronger and more determined from age to age and will continue to do so to the concluding scenes when the masterly working of the powers of darkness shall reach their height.

Satan united with evil men will deceive the whole world and the churches who receive not the love of the truth.

He is to show the power and the authority of his voice to those who have united with Satan to oppose the truth." Now as I mentioned before, the meaning of the 7 thunders was hidden.

Now if we turn to verse 4 of Revelation chapter 10, we read that description.

If you turn with me to Revelation 10 and verse 4, and when the 7 thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write.

It's very interesting, right, that it even describes that John was ready to start writing, and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things.

Which the 7 thunders uttered, " very specific, and, "'Write them not.'" Write them not.

And often I have wondered, but then we thank the Lord because in His Word He has revealed those things that we need to understand.

But often I have wondered, why didn't God reveal the full truths to them?

William Miller and these adamant believers were so earnest, they were so fervent in their study of the Bible.

But it was clearly prophesied that certain truths would be sealed.

They would not have access to them because it was necessary for them to go through a specific experience.

And it's interesting that the way these things were sealed, it was not some type of supernatural inability to discern scriptures.

But basically, they just interpreted things based on the knowledge they had, the common interpretation of certain symbols like the sanctuary referring to the earth.

It was a common theological understanding among many Protestant denominations back then.

So sealing the truth means that God did not reveal further light.

Therefore, they drew their own conclusions based on the information that they did have access to.

I think this is very revealing for all of us because that shows how God's truth to us is like the rising sun.

Going back to manuscript 59, I read, it says, after these 7 thunders, it continues the explanation.

After these 7 thunders uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John as to Daniel in regards to the little book.

Seal up those things, which the 7 thunders uttered.

These relate to future events, which will be disclosed in their order.

Daniel shall stand in his lot at the end of the days.

Then Daniel's prophecies have their proper place in the first, second, and third angels' messages to be given to the world.

And if we think as part of the Millerite movement, did they understand the 3 angels, the third angels message?

No, they did not understand the third angels message.

They proclaim the first angels message and the second angels message, but they did not have any understanding of the third angel's message at all.

In the inspired revelation that we find in the Spirit of Prophecy, it's saying that the full revelation of these messages had to do with finding the proper place of Daniel's prophecies in the first, second, and third angels' messages.

Now It's interesting that the Millerites, as they were called, or the Adventists, they had an understanding of the prophecies of Daniel, but they had not placed in their proper, they had not been able to place them in the proper place, the first, second, and third angels' messages.

They did not place them in the proper place.

What they placed in 1844 was not what the first angels message actually start saying fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment has come.

So they did not have the proper order, and they thought the second coming was there.

They also had studied Daniel chapter 7, and Daniel chapter 8, Daniel chapter 9, and when they read these verses, For example, if you go to Daniel chapter 7, we read in verses 9 and 10 and 11 through 13 the description when the Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days and the books were opened, the judgment was set.

They read these passages, but they did not understand the proper order of these events.

And in fact, there was 1 event that they did not understand at all, because they did not understand the sanctuary message.

So the Lord, in his wisdom, did not reveal those truths to them yet.

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The Seven Thunders

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