| Why do you make a note of something or put a contract in writing? It might be to compensate for a faltering memory, or to recall an exact detail later on, or to hold someone to an agreement they made. Once it has been committed to paper, the words stay there as a testament to what happened or was spoken at a particular moment in time. There is one underlying quality about things that are written down: They don't change. |  |
"Don't Write That Down!"
So why would someone NOT want to write something down? Why would someone speak "off the record"? Usually it is either to leave options open to change later on, or to avoid putting one's name with something that was said. But that is not what is happening in Revelation 10.
When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” Rev. 10:4
Although, there is so much from the book of Revelation that I don't understand, one thing stood out from this statement in chapter 10--there is a LOT MORE going on than we are told about! John has seen and heard something, and he knows what has been said, and he's about to write it down when he is specifically instructed NOT to write it down! I've often wondered: "Why tell us that you aren't telling us?!" The book of Revelation is mysterious enough without adding, "I have a secret!"
The reality is that what we are not told is just as TRUE as what we are given in writing.
The reality is that what we are not told is just as TRUE as what we are given in writing.
God's WORD on a matter is the decisive Truth on that matter. It is enduring because He is enduring. It is undiminishable by time because He is eternal. If He speaks it, there is no higher court of appeals.
There is nothing that must be memorialized or remembered later because it is sure to be done from the time it is spoken. So the real question is not why the peals of thunder were not written down, but why was the rest of the book (and the entire Bible!) put into writing?
It is written so that we can come back to God's character again and again and realize that what He has said is permanent and endures throughout all generations.
"Write it Down!"
God had John write down exactly what we needed to know about what He has already said. It was written for our benefit in order that we might fully trust and align ourselves with His purposes and plan.
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Rev. 21:5
Scriptures are from New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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