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Revelation 10: The Mighty Angel And The Little Scroll

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“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.  He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.  And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”  And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him 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, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

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“Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”  So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”  And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.  And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

 

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In chapter 9, we saw two of the judgements that are so bad that they have woes attached to them.  Two terrible plagues are unleashed upon the earth.  A plague of flying scorpions, and a plague of 200 million horsemen killing people with fire.  We know that there is going to be one more woe to come, when the seventh trumpet is sounded.  Instead of going right into the seventh trumpet, we get a bit of an interlude if you will, in chapter 10.  In order to make any sense of this chapter, we need to take a good look at the objects, characters, and actions in this vision and determine what they are:

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  1. Then I: John, the disciple of Jesus.

  2. Another mighty angel:

    1. Who or what is this?

    2. Clothed in a cloud.  (The RSV used the word wrapped, but the word is more commonly translated as clothed).

    3. Rainbow on his head.

      1. Actually the word Iris is used here, so imagine something circular about his head.

      2. God had an iris about his head earlier in the book of Revelation, could this be God?

    4. His face is like the sun.

      1. Jesus’ face shone like the sun at the transfiguration.

      2. God was bright like the sun when he was seen on his throne.

      3. Could the mighty angel be God?

    5. His legs are like pillars of fire.

      1. God seemed to be made of fire while he was sitting on his throne.

      2. Could it be... God?

    6. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

      1. Apparently, he’s a very big angel.

    7. He calls out in a loud voice and when he calls out the seven thunders sounded.

      1. Seven – does that represent all? Does it represent perfection?

    8. He raises his right hand and swears by him who lives forever and who created all things.

      1. He can’t be God then since he swears by God. 

      2. He’s just another mighty angel. 

    9. Similar to an angel in Daniel.

      1. Daniel 12:7, “And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been shattered, all these things will be completed."

      2. Daniel 12:1-10, ““At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.  But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”  Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.  And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”  And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.  I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”  He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.  Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”

      3. The mighty Angel seems to have been found on Google Earth...

          c. The mighty angel is just a mighty angel.  God can make very powerful angels, and still be God.

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  4. What the seven thunders said.

    1. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

    2. Daniel 8:26, “The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."

    3. Rats!  Just when my curiosity was up.

  5. The voice from heaven.

    1. This could be God’s voice.

    2. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

      1. What are the implications that there is something that was sealed up for later revelation in the book of Revelation?

        1. Here, you have a book of revelations that go forward about all things to the end of time, yet some things are still kept from us, not all things are revealed to us.

      2. Why would God reveal something to John and not to the rest of the Christians?

    3. “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

  6. There would be no more delay,

    1. The Greek here literally says, “Time no longer will there be!”

      1. The angel is announcing here that we have come to the end of time, or that time has run out.  There is no more time to put off for coming to God.  Now is the time.  If you are going to come to God, you should do it now.

    2. “But that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

      1. Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”

    3. So what is the mystery of God to be fulfilled here?

    4. Do we dare look ahead and see what it is?

    5. The Mystery of God is revealed in Revelation 11:15,

      1. “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

      2. What is the mystery in that?

      3. Notice that it says, the kingdom of the world, not just the kingdom of Israel.

  7. The little book.

    1. Tastes as sweet as honey in his mouth, but once it is in the stomach, it becomes bitter.

    2. See Ezekiel 3:1-7.

      1. “And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.  And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.  And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.  For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel—  not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.  But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.”

    3. Ezekiel had a scroll to eat that was as sweet as honey.  Then he had a bitter experience when he preached to the people of Israel because they would not listen to God.

    4. John ate the scroll and it as sweet as honey in his mouth, but it was bitter in his stomach.

    5. Instead of preaching to just the Israelites, John was yet to prophesy about many peoples, languages, and kings. This would be the bitter part.  Many will reject God. Many will be punished dearly for their sin.

    6. The voice that John heard out of heaven said, “Go take the little book.”  The word for take here is LABE.  LABE is not the most common word for take. 

      1. Labe is part of a famous phrase that dates back in 480 B.C..  The Persian King Xerxes was invading Greece. Xerxes had about 100,000 troops with him.  The Spartan King Leonidas blocked his way at a narrow passage called Thermopylae.  Leonidas had about 3,000 men with him.  Xerxes asked Leonidas to lay down their weapons and surrender.  Leonidas answered by saying, “MolOn Labe,” in other words, “Come and take them.”  Now, not only did Xerxes end up taking their weapons, but they really got it.  Almost a third of his men died getting those weapons. 

      2. One of the things that made it hard for the Romans to defeat the Jews is that many of them were expert sling shot users.  They would mold iron bullets to use in their sling shots and they molded these Greek words into the bullets so the Romans would understand it: “Labe Auto,” in other words, “Take This.”  The Romans also got it.  It took them 5 months just to defeat Jerusalem, and 4 years to take over Judea. 

      3. As I was growing up, I had one grandmother that would yell at the top of her lungs and ring a cowbell when it was time for dinner.  Dinner time was at noon, and it was usually a 4 course meal or even more.  The words she would yell were, “Come and get it.”  And boy, did I ever get it!  I would consume that meal.  Here also, John is going to really take that little book.  He is going to get it.  He is going to consume it!  It tastes like honey in his mouth, but it makes his stomach bitter.  John is going to feel the digestion of this little book all the way through.  Did you ever notice how that some foods, you can feel them as they digest all the way to the end?  Well, John is going to feel this book all the way to the end. 

    7. God wants John to consume this little book.  What do you think this little book represents?

      1. (The Book of Revelation)

    8. After John eats the little book, he is told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” 

      1. What is the significance of this?

      2. Chapter 10 is about half way through the book of Revelation.

      3. Throughout the rest of the book, John prophesies again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. 

      4. This is similar to Ezekiel 2:9-10, “And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.  And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.”

      5. Remember, we have one more woe left in the plagues that are being revealed.  Ezekiel spoke about woes to come for the Israelites.  Ezekiel 3:1, "Son of man," He said to me, "eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel."  Ezekiel spoke to the Israelites.  John is speaking about woes to come for all nations and peoples.  They both spoke about woes. 

      6. As we go forward, we will see that the nations that John will speak about are in the future.  Revelation 17:12, “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.”

 

Song: Still by Hillsong United

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