The Text …

“1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

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John’s measuring stick, the reed …

“A bamboo like cane that grew prolifically along the banks of the Jordan River. About 20 feet lone when mature. In short cut-off pieces the small end could make a stylus, a pen!”

“An ancient writing implement, consisting of a small rod with a pointed end for scratching letters on wax-covered tablets, and a blunt end for obliterating them.”

A Bible example of the latter … 3 John 1:13 … I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee …

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Massive!

The outer court in Herod’s Temple … about 26 acres in area!

Including the Courts of the Gentiles, Women, Priests and Israel!

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Proof of a Temple during the Tribulation …

From Jesus …

Matthew 24:15 … When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the HOLY PLACE, whoso readeth, let him understand …

From the Prophets …

Daniel 9:27 … And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation
(which demand a Temple, an Altar) to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

From Paul …

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 … Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (anti-Christ) be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

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Fire as a judgment from God?

Two examples …

Leviticus 10:1-2 … And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Jeremiah 5:14 … Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

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As John writes, around 95 AD, there is no Temple in Jerusalem!

Not since 70 AD, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem!

Matthew 24:2 … And Jesus (in or around 30 AD) said unto them, See ye not all these things (the Temple)? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

It happened just like our Lord said it would!

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Israel and the nations …

1 Peter 4:17 … For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Psalm 9:17 … The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

First, God purifies His people!

Then God punishes His enemies!

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God’s longing for witnesses …

Acts 1:8 … But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Matthew 10:32-33 … Whosoever therefore shall confess (being a witness) me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me (the opposite of witnessing) before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

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In case you missed the chart I used in class …

The Temples of the Bible …

Tabernacle in the Wilderness … Exodus 25-40 … 1500 BC

Solomon’s Temple … 2 Chronicles 2-3 … 1000 BC

Zerubbabel’s Temple … Ezra 6 … 500 BC

Herod’s Temple … The Gospels … 30 AD

The Tribulation Temple … Revelation 11 … date ???

The Millennial Temple … Ezekiel 40-48 … date ???

For all Eternity … No Temple, yet … the Greatest Temple!

(Revelation 21:22 … And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.)

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Now, watch the class if your Internet service is fast enough …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Our Text …

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

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As we have studied the Tribulation, this sweet/bitter nexus is rather apparent.

Fact … the Church will not have to endure this terrible time!

Very sweet!

But lost loved ones will have to endure all the coming horror!

Very bitter!

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As usual, Revelation draws its analogy about eating a book from the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 2:9 through Ezekiel 3:3

Ezekiel 2:9-10 … And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Ezekiel 3:1-3 … 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, and 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.

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Did Paul have bitter times, or was the Christian life always sweet to him? You decide …

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 … In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

2 Timothy 3:12 … Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

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If we preach the whole Counsel of God (Acts 20:27) … preach Heaven and Hell …

Here again is the sweet/bitter paradox!

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Here it is also in Acts 28:24 … And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Belief … sweet!

Unbelief … bitter!

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Watch the class, to get it all …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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The Lord slows the pace a bit here in chapter 10!

And actually the seventh Trumpet does not sound until Revelation
11:15 … “And the seventh angel sounded …!”

Therefore, from Revelation 10:1 until Revelation 11:14 … a Span including the “Two Witnesses” of chapter 11 … we see and hear some amazing things!

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I was able to cover most of my study material in class. But I ran out of time when it comes to that noun “mystery” in verse 7.

A word (“musterion” in Greek) that does not necessarily mean “something eerie or frightening,” as it often does in English. Rather it hasa this connotation … “Something that God has not made known yet! But is now revealing!”

Here are my copious notes on that word …

Mystery in New Testament …

Mark 4:11 … And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables …

Romans 11:25 … For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 … Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The mystery about which Paul most loved to talk and write is the CHURCH!

Ephesians 3:9-10 … And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God …

(Ephesians 5:32 … This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.)

(Ephesians 6:19 … And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel …)

(Revelation 1:20 … The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.)

Colossians 1:27 … To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory …

Here are some more …

2 Thessalonians 2:7 … For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken …

1 Timothy 3:16 … And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Then our Text here … Revelation 10:7 … 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.

Lastly … Revelation 17:5 … And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

(Revelation 17:7 … And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.)

I count a total of 27 times the word is used in the New Testament, 22 singular and 5 in the plural!

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Of course, I always recommend watching the video if you can …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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From my study notes …

Repentance … as preached by Jesus …

Luke 13:3 … “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

And John the Baptist before Him …

Matthew 3:2 … “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And the Prophets before them …

Ezekiel 14:6 … “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”

So, I am saying repentance is a decision!

Though, to be balanced, it is too a gift from God!

Acts 11:18 … “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles GRANTED repentance unto life.”

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I failed to give this exact Reference …

Repentance and Faith are fundamentally related!

Acts 20:21 … “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Is repentance for the Believer, too?

Job 42:6 … “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Revelation 3:19 … “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

I say … YES!

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In our short Text, just two verses, we are told twice about the fact that mankind refuses to repent! Revelation 9:20-21 …

“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

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In case you missed these facts …

Three times we find “vice lists” in Revelation … Paul uses these too! (See 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, for example.)

Three occurrences in Revelation …

Revelation 9:20 … “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 21:8 … “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15-16 … “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

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The Lord values repentance so highly that He has devoted several whole chapters (Psalms) to illustrating it, teaching it to our minds and hearts!

Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 come to mind!

There are others, often called the “Penitential Psalms.”

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I briefly mentioned this fact. Here are the details …

Beginning with our current Text … Revelation 9:20 … the noun “plagues” (as plural) occurs 10 times in Revelation (plus twice more in the singular)! Twelve times in all!

Revelation 9:20 … “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these PLAGUES yet repented not of the works of their hands …”

Then in Revelation 11:6 (in reference to the Two Witnesses), 15:1 and 6 and 8, Revelation 16:9, 18:4 and 8, Revelation 21:9 and 22:18!  The singular occurrences are both in Revelation 16:21.

Wow!

Things (these judgments) are intensifying!

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Notice that God gives the opportunity “to hear” before He ever allows harness of heart!

Hebrews 4:7 … “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will HEAR his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Which is quoting  Psalm 95:7-9 … “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will HEAR his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.”

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Watch the linkage between mere idols and actuals devils, demons …

Psalm 106:36-37 … “And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils … “

Pretty clear!

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But, better yet, watch the video class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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This fierce judgment reminds one of Psalm 11:6 … “Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.”

Often, what God has already done in the past, He will repeat in the future. As in Genesis 19:24 … “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.”

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The God Who prepared a great fish for Jonah …

Can also prepare these demons for this task!

Because normally “spirits” (demons here) are bodyless!

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Wicked angels, demons, bound? (Restrained, chained!)

The devil will certianly be …

Based on Revelation 20:1-2 … “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and BOUND him a thousand years.”

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The credibility of fire exuding (fire breathing) animal-like creatures?

Leviathan might be an example!

Job 41:19-21 … “Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.”

Job 41:34 … “He is a king over all the children of pride.”

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Here’s the video now …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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