The Unknowable

Scripture: And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” Revelation 10:4

Observation: In the midst of prophesy about the end times, information was given to John, but then he is told not to reveal it ... this is information that will not be shared with anyone. The angel who is speaks first, to whom the seven thunders respond, is holding a scroll of prophesy that John will receive, but the conversation itself will go undocumented.

Application: So many of us a seeking information about the end times. We look to the metaphors of Revelation and parallels to current day events or historical points. We know that some of the elements of the end times occur in the physical realm on earth, and some occur in the spiritual realm of heaven and thus are not seen. However, in this case it appears we have something occurring that we are not even allowed to guess about - a spiritual conversation that will never be revealed.

This is a reinforcement of the unknowable nature of the end times. We cannot know everything - we can only be faithful to our current work. In fact, it is possible that if we know too much, we will spend our time seeking out evidence of the end times, and lose perspective on our mission - the spreading of the gospel.

This is a path to becoming content as a believer: As a believer, we become secure in our own salvation as if that was the end objective of our purpose ... our salvation. That is of course critical, but no one's personal purpose is their salvation - it is always about others. So therefore we cannot know everything that would give us such security. Instead, we must live a life where we are striving for a new future that includes fulfilling our purpose through sharing the good news of Jesus.

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus! But in the meantime, may thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.