We're all familiar with the cartoon image of the man in the flowing robe with a long grey beard and carrying the sign that reads, "The end is near!" He is the proverbial prophet of doom, warning mankind about the coming day of the Lord. It is a caricature, a tongue-in-cheek image that is meant to lampoon all those who believe that there is a final day of judgment for the world. Many refuse to accept that reality. They see it as little more than the superstitious speculations of the religiously ignorant. But in Revelation 10:1-7, John is going to receive a difficult-to-ignore reminder that the end of the world is not a figment of man's imagination or the fodder for cartoons and stand-up comedians. There is much about the last days that remain a mystery to us. Even when we take into account the vast array of Old and New Testament Scriptures that predict the end times, there is much about that day that will remain undisclosed and unknown to us. John has been shown a great deal up to this point. He has had the privilege of seeing things no man has ever seen before. There has been divulged to him a great number of once-hidden mysteries that are now clearly discernible. But God has not and will not tell all. He will keep some things hidden from our view until the day they actually take place. But while we may not know all that will happen, we can know one thing for sure. When God determines the time for the end to come, there will be no more delay.
