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Revelation Chapter 10

Rev 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

The mighty angel. A mighty angel comes down from heaven. Instead of the seventh trumpet, we have another interlude until chapter 11, verse 15. These interludes serve a dramatic purpose, but also show mercy in allowing more opportunity for repentance - it is as if God brings things to the brink, then pulls back a little to grant man time to repent.

Many have identified this mighty angel, this messenger as Jesus, because some of the imagery also applies to Him (Revelation 1:15-16). But, angels are never clearly identified with Jesus in Revelation or in the New Testament (though He is clearly the "Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament). There are also similarities to this mighty angel and to Michael as he is described in Daniel 12:1, 6-7. Whoever he is, "clearly this angel has come from the very presence of God", and shows great might and authority.

Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and [his] left [foot] on the earth,
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as [when] a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

The angel cries out; seven thunders utter their voices. The angel's stance is symbolic of authority (in personal authority as Jesus or in authority as a messenger of God). This has reference to the thunderous voice of God as described in Psalm 29, seven times repeating the phrase the voice of the Lord. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!" (Psalms 29:3-9).

Rev 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

John is commanded not to write what the thunders have said. Of course, this irritates many commentators and sets speculation running wild - what did they say that John can not tell us? If John is not permitted to tell us what they said, why should he even record the incident? To let us know there are secrets in the prophetic scenario; to keep our exposition and prediction humble. "Let us not proceed as though all has been revealed".

Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

No more delay. The mighty angel gives a solemn oath declaring that the end is irrevocably set in motion; there is absolutely no turning back. The mystery of God would be finished - What mystery? Possibly, the great question "why does God allow Satan and man to rebel and go their own way?" is coming to an end under rule of Jesus; God is beginning the end, the resolution of all things, the gathering together (resolution, summing up) of all things in one in Jesus (Ephesians 1:10). God freely acknowledges that life today is full of mysteries; but it will not always be so. A day is coming when all questions of this age will be answered.

God put Himself under oath when He made His covenant with Abraham (Heb 6:13-20); when He declared His Son to be high priest (Heb 7:20-22); and when He promised David that the Christ would come from his family (Acts 2:29-30).

"Delay" no longer. He has been delaying His judgments so that lost sinners will have time to repent (2 Pet 3:1-9). Time’s up. The prayers of the martyred saints (Rev 6:10-11) are about to be answered. The Lord Jesus will now pray for the world! There is no record of Jesus ever praying for the world in its evil state (cf. John 17:6, 9). Why? 1 John 5:19. Psalm 2 tells the whole story.

It may come as a surprise to learn that God has never reigned on the earth. Surely He is, indeed, the sovereign King over all of the universe—over both heaven and earth. He has ruled, overruled, and intervened upon the earth. He governs in a manner that appears remote and incomplete. He has never used His absolute power to bring about an end to demonic evil, human rebellion, and global injustice and suffering. And He does not receive the worship and honor that is His due. That is all about to change. That is what we pray for when we pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This reign will be inaugurated in Rev 11:17.

Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go [and] take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take [it], and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

John is commissioned to preach. Curious instructions: John is commanded to take the little book from the mighty angel and actually eat it. Some have taken this to say that God never forces His revelation on anyone; we always must be willing to take what He has offered. That may often be the case, but it would be news to Paul on the road to Damascus!

God’s Word often compared to food:

Bread (Matt 4:4)

Milk (1 Pet 2:2)

Meat (1 Cor 3:1-2)

Honey (Ps 119:103)

Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

A book both sweet and bitter. In Ezekiel 3:1-3, the prophet was also commanded to eat a scroll, the revelation of God to Israel. "This figure of eating the book is familiar, and suggests the feeding of the soul on the Word of God". John can only proclaim the Word of God if he has taken it in; "Such an action symbolized the reception of the Word of God into the innermost being as a necessary prerequisite to proclaim it with confidence" .

This little book is initially sweet to the taste, but becomes bitter in John's stomach; "Every revelation of God's purposes . . . is 'bitter-sweet,' disclosing judgment as well as mercy". Post-tribulationist argue that the scroll is bitter because the lot of the faithful is bitter in the last days; "The sweet scroll which turns bitter is a message for the church. Before the final triumph believers are going to pass through a formidable ordeal". Whatever the content of the scroll, it is connected to John's command to prophecy to all men - this is not a message just focused to the church. John's prophecy speaks of the fate of the entire world, not just one nation, empire or emperor (such as the Roman empire). Any effective communicator of God's Word has experienced both the sweetness and bitterness that is associated with His Word.

NEXT CHAPTER

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up, who will turn their attention to the prophecies, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."

Sir Isaac Newton

The Blessing: Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.

Revelation 1:3

From the outset, we are given the most important truth about the Book of Revelation: it does show us the Antichrist, it does show us God's judgment, it does show us calamity on the earth, it does show us Mystery Babylon and all it entails - but most of all, it reveals Jesus Christ to us. If we catch everything else, but miss Jesus in the book, we have missed the book.

-David Guzik