If I were to shake a snow globe, what happens inside? Its kind of chaotic isn't it? Think of this. No matter how chaotic it may be inside that globe, there is a hand that is holding it safely in place. There is a reality more substantial that is behind the snow storm inside. You know, we as Christians can live in our present world knowing that God is at work in history. His will is being carried out. His ultimate plan. It is carried out whether our circumstances are too strange to explain. The Holy Spirit reassures us of our hope we have in Christ Jesus. God is in complete control of the future, but we don’t need to know all the details. Let's read our passage for today.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like fiery pillars, 2 and he had a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, 3 and he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!” 5 Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be an interval of time, 7 but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he will blow his trumpet, then God’s hidden plan will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets.” 8 Now the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

These thunders in verse 4 reveal something to us about this life. Some things are not for us to know. The Bible says in (Deuteronomy 29:29) that the hidden things belong to God. The Apostle Paul said in (1 Corinthians 13:9) that until Christ Jesus returns, we only know in part. Does he mean that we shouldn’t study the Word of God and gain knowledge of who He is? Of course not. The Proverbs give us several proofs that we are to seek to know God more. (Proverbs 18:15) "The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it." (Proverbs 23:12) "Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge." (Proverbs 25:2) "It is the glory of kings to investigate a matter."

But I believe what Paul did mean is that God has set up some boundaries (Romans 16:19) "The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil."  What does he mean "wise" and "innocent"? Maybe that we should stay away from trying to guess about future events that God doesn’t give us clear direction in His Word about. We should also avoid being dogmatic about things that are only speculation (2 Timothy 2:23 "But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels."