The angel gave a loud utterance
In the movie Arrival a set of ovoid-like, metallic structures arrive and place themselves variously around the world. People gawk at these structures, awed by them. They were large, had an unusual shape and levitated above the earth’s surface. A careful approach was taken along with a bit of a waiting game to see what the ovoids would do or say.
In John’s vision the angel descended, and eventually he began to vocalize. The first thing that he did was to roar like a lion. Loud noises are attention getting and intimidating. I work at a prison and there are noises in that facility that are different than I experience in other places. The fire alarm, for instance, is the loudest alarm I have ever encountered in a building and can certainly drive toward distraction. There are also the loud slams of heavy metal doors and locks.
We celebrated the Fourth of July last week and I had made my way to Wacky Waynes. I had never gone to Wacky Waynes so close to the holiday before and it was a different experience as worker after worker asked me if I had any questions. I love the mortars and so asked what was the most intense mortar they were selling. “It is the ‘Show Maker,'” a fellow answered adding, “they still use the 60 grain maximum as other companies do but something about they way they pack them makes them very intense. The explosion is so strong they have to have fiberglass launching tubes to contain them.” Well, he was right, and I am glad since at a bit more than $4 a round one can sure burn money quickly. The echo from those things would go on for 5-10 seconds. Really amazing. Even my 13 year old daughter was talking about the echo the next day.
Well, animal roars go beyond mere awe also striking fear as part of their attention grabbing. That is what this angel did.
More than an echo
What was the response to the roar-like sound? More than an echo. The creation itself in some fashion replied back to this angel. All John could do is call them ‘the thunders’ and while thunder is usually awe inspiring thunder does not speak in a language our ear can discern. Something about the response that day, though, was verbal and clear enough for John to write down. Jesus said that the rocks would cry out1 if humanity did not. Perhaps this is an instance of the creation speaking.
2Don’t wish for what you cannot have
Do you ever catch yourself saying things like, “I wish that this had not happened?” even about the mundane things in life. Perhaps a daily occurrence or a routine responsibility comes and you hate it. Is your response, “I wish I did not have to do this?” I don’t mean this in the sense that you wish bad things did not have to happen, but in the sense of your rejection of a thing. Maybe you are in a job that you know God put you in and you despise being there. Sometimes our “wishing it had not happened” can be rebellious. When you cannot see the way through the God given clouds do not wish the clouds away, but wait upon the Lord.
God only allows revelation of that which he chooses, and the voices of the thunder were not to be ours. God told John not to write them and John did not. You could wish to know what the thunders said, but I assure you until the end of time comes you will never know. There may be events in your own life that are like the thunders as well. Remember that God is good and God is forever. Obscurity and evil are only temporary, but they can seem like forever. Don’t give evil more than its due.
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