The Peals of Thunder Prophecies (Revelation 10)

Chapter 6
In chapter 10 John sees another strong angel coming down out of heaven wearing a cloud with a rainbow on his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet appeared to be on fire. He describes what are called the Peals of Thunder Judgments, but tells John to seal them up and not to write them (v 4). The seven peals of thunder are likely prophetic. John describes them as uttering their voices and as “having spoken.” It is what “is spoken” that John is instructed to seal up. And then in verse 11 he is told he “must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” The antithetical figure that his prophecy will be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach depicts the contrast between those who are transformed by God’s word and those who are not. To those who are transformed the words are sweet; to those who reject it, they are bitter. It is clear from verse 11 that John will return to us at some point during the tribulation and prophesy again.

When he returns his prophecy will be the final words spoken about the mystery of God, “as He preached to His servants the prophets.” Obviously, the mystery is about the church age. Just as obviously, there is something Jesus has not yet told us about this church age in which we live. Therefore, John will return to fill us in. It will be his job to tell us what it is we don’t yet understand when he returns. When he does so, 10:7 indicates, the mystery of God will be finished. I suppose I could easily speculate and wax eloquent for pages upon pages as to what these Peals of Thunder prophecies might be; but such speculation would only lead to more speculation, and we wouldn’t know any more after I finished. Therefore, I will resist the temptation. It is exciting and sufficient for us to know that John will be returning, and when he returns he will be bringing information that will be important for all of us to understand. One thing is sure. Those who know he is going to return won’t be caught off guard when he does. When he comes, those who know he is coming won’t make the same error as those first century Pharisees who wouldn’t acknowledge the first coming of their Messiah, rejecting not only Him but also the message He proclaimed.

I often have to chuckle at my conservative brethren who freak out at the thought that anyone could have a new word of wisdom, knowledge, or revelation today. These dear brethren are much like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day who just knew anyone claiming to be the Messiah had to be a fake. They will refuse to believe John has returned because they believe all God has to say to us ended when the bible, as we know it, was completed. How sad it is for anyone to be so locked into a system created by man (dispensational-ism), intended to help him better understand God’s dealings with man, that he misses out on the very thing he created to help him understand that system. I know that is a mouthful, so please allow me to explain. Great multitudes today have devised the system conservative theologians like to call dispensationalism. Within that system is the insistence that God’s revelation to man ended when John penned the final words of the Revelation. They use two passages of scripture to support their theology, Revelation 22:18, 19,

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book.”

and I Corinthians 13:10 which reads, “but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”

These dispensationalists believe that when the scripture was completed, all those gifts which have to do with such enlightenment from God (gifts of prophecy, tongues, spiritual discernment, gifts of healing, etc., ended). Such an interpretation enables them to ignore and to forbid the manifestation of the supernatural gifts in the church. Of course, it doesn’t seem to bother them to know that is a direct violation of verses like I Cor. 14:39. I alluded to this earlier. Unfortunately, as a result of their dispensational bent, they will have to deny John has returned when he comes to prophecy again as indicated he will do in Revelation 10. I’m saddened to point out that this will, in all likelihood, put them over the edge for those who have already been disillusioned by their pre-tribulation guffaw. Any who are left in these conservative evangelical pre-tribulation dispensational churches will quickly exit, stage left, for parts unknown. It appears some will end up in the WCC, while others will actually join the true church at large which will be meeting in quiet, unassuming places around the known world, avoiding the far reaching tentacles of the antichrist as he goes out to gather up all those saints who have ignored the prophets who have been warning them for decades to prepare for this hour (Rev. 1::3; 12:17).

What is especially disconcerting for me is that dispensationalists fail to recognize that no true contemporary prophetic utterance adds to or takes away from any heretofore revealed scripture anymore than Jesus’ coming added to or took away from Old Testament truth. Jesus was the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy. Everything He said and did was in complete harmony with what had already been revealed. Certainly, countless new insights were provided as the direct result of His coming; but absolutely nothing He said or did contradicted what had already been revealed. And that is the point of never adding to or taking away from anything that has already been revealed. Thus, if someone comes to me claiming to be a prophet of God and says, “We will all be gods in heaven.” I can reply, “Be gone, you liar and proclaimer of false testimony! For He has said, ‘Is it not I the Lord, and there is not other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except me.’” (Isaiah 45:21) If I know God’s word, I needn’t be fearful that I will fail to recognize false prophets. They are easy to spot and there are great multitudes of them in churches scattered across America today. It usually takes me about three minutes of listening to them preach to recognize their false doctrine. Some are better than others at hiding their identity, but all of them eventually give themselves away.

If you’re reading this writing when all of these things come to pass, please feel free to look for me somewhere in Montana. God willing, if I am still living at the time, I will be helping a multitude of the saints who refused for decades to listen to people like me. I will in no way turn any of them away. It is for that hour that I believe God has prepared me. I have guns, ammunition, warm clothing, a secluded area abundant with edible wildlife, and experience to help me provide for such people. We will not really be hiding; we will simply be surviving without being part of the antichrist’s system. We will be welcoming all who come to us asking for help. And we will be bringing great multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the process.