Revelation 10
We've A Story To Tell To The Nations That Will Turn Their Hearts To The Lord
Compare the appearance and purpose of the angel in this chapter with the popular conception of angels. How might your understanding of angels change as a result of this chapter?
What is the implication for us that John was forbidden to write down what the seven thunders spoke?
How can you "feed on" the Word of God? Why are the words of Scripture bittersweet?
Though John's commission is specific to him, it is similar to the Great Commission given to all of God's people. Where and how has God called you to speak the good news of the gospel to those who currently reject Him?
When have you experienced some of the bitter times of gospel ministry? Do these times necessarily indicate failure?
When have you experienced some of the sweet times of gospel ministry?
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1 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. 2 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, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 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." 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 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, 7 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.
8 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." 9 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." 10 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. 11 And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."
A scene from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress deeply moved me. It was the picture God put before me that moved me to be a preacher of the Gospel. Later at a hard time in my life at theological college, when the liberalism of the lecturers was overwhelming, God used this passage to reignite in my heart something of that passion that has lasted me to today and kept me on track. I remember weaping in the college library as I reread this passage. Let me read it to you.
Interpreter commanded the servant to light a candle, and bid Christian to follow them. So they proceeded to a private room, and opened the door. Inside the room, Christian saw a picture of a very serious man hanging on the wall. (Editor's note: Bunyan portrays the man in the portrait, as an emblem of a godly pastor.)
The man in the picture had his eyes lifted up to Heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth written upon his lips, and the world behind his back! He stood as if he pleaded with men—and a crown of gold hung over his head.
Then Christian said, "What does this picture mean?"
Interpreter explained, "The man depicted in this picture is one in a thousand! He can beget children—and nurse them himself when they are born! And as you see him with his eyes lifted up to Heaven, with the best of books in his hand, and the law of truth written on his lips—this is to show you that his work is to understand and unfold difficult things.
"Similarly, just as you see him stand as if he pleaded with men, and also notice that the world is cast behind his back, and that a crown hangs over his head—this is to show you that he lightly values the things of the present world—because of his love and devotion to his Master's service. Such a one is sure to have eternal glory for his reward in the world to come.
"I show you this picture first, because the man whom it portrays is one who the Lord of the Celestial City provides to be your guide in the difficult situations that you may encounter along the way. Therefore pay attention to what I have shown you, lest, in your journey, you meet with some who pretend to lead you along the right path—while in reality their way leads to death!"
When we come to Revelation 10, in this new vision, John is recommissioned to prophesy. His task is twofold. He is to prophesy about the persevering witness of Christians which brings them suffering, and about the destiny of those who react antagonistically to their witness.
He is to preach the word, no matter whether the world accept or reject it. He is to preach the gospel because it is God's Gospel. He is to preach the good news of Christ. Because it is the ONLY good news! He is to preach it because God still works through the preaching of the gospel to powerfully change others lives.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 the apostle Paul speaks of the Christian ministry of the gospel as a ministry of life and a ministry of death. He writes in verses 14-16,
But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life.
The ministry of the Word is a ministry of life and death, or as the apostle John records in Revelation 10:9-10, it is bitter and sweet. It is a bittersweet message we are commanded to proclaim again among the nations (10:11).
Paul wrote, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place" (II Corinthians 2:14).
Paul had in mind the Roman Triumph. The picture is the triumphal entry of a military hero into the city of Rome. In a Triumph procession, the victorious generals marched in a certain order through the streets of Rome to the Capitol. First came the city magistrates, state officials, followed by the Roman senate, and then the trumpeters. These were followed by soldiers who carried their spoils from the conquered land. Next pictures and models of the conquered citadels and ships were carried along in the parade. The white bull for the sacrifice followed, and then the captive rulers, their leaders and captured generals in chains who would be executed before the day was over at the sacrifice. Following them came the musicians and priests swinging their censers with a sweet-smelling incense burning in them. To the conquered victims the incense has the stench of death lingering all about them. To the victorious army the fragrance has the sweet aroma of victory. Finally, the conquering general rode in a chariot drawn by four white horses. His family and his army followed wearing their decorations and shouting lo triumphe! Lo triumphe!
Christ is the universal conqueror marching in triumph down through the corridors of time throughout the conquered world. He is in the lead, and we, His chosen warriors march behind Him enjoying the benefits of His conquest.
1. No matter what, Nothing can stop the Lordship of Christ.
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, (II Corinthians 2:14).
Isaiah 55: 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Chapter 10 revolves around a mighty angel, a little scroll, and a recommissioning for John to "prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings" (10:11). The idea of prophecy, proclamation of the word given by God, concludes the argument of this passage.
The Book of Revelation here moves from the terrible woes of chapter 9, of a demonic plague and of a 200 million man army destroying all before it, to something greater. The greatness of the gospel and the greatness of gospel proclamation.
Now we see a word of encouragement for believers. God's hidden plan will be completed (10:8). You can trust Him to finish things in His time and in His way. You can be confident in His purposes, so keep on proclaiming the gospel among "many peoples, nations, languages, and kings" (10:11). There will be a price to pay (11:1-10), but God will honor and vindicate His people (11:11-19).
It will be worth it.
John says, "Then I saw," an important and recurring phrase in Revelation (4:1; 7:1,9; 15:5; 18:1; 19:1,11,17,19; 20:1,4,11; 21:1). Here he saw "another mighty angel." Angels are mentioned more than 60 times in Revelation, mighty or strong angels three times (5:2; 10:1; 18:21). The angel, coming down from heaven, is described as "mighty," perhaps because he is both majestic (10:1) and mammoth (10:2,5,8). Demons ascend out of the abyss in chapter 9, but this angel, as God's servant, descends from above. He comes to earth with great authority as God's ambassador.
A better identification is made by comparing this angel with Gabriel, who also stands in the very presence of God (Luke 1:19). The mighty angel of Revelation 10 (especially vv. 5-6) is very similar to Gabriel as described in Daniel 12:7: "[Gabriel], who was above the waters of the river, lifted 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 finally broken, all these things will be completed."
Thus, the similarity to Daniel 12:7 and the connection of Gabriel with the presence of God suggests that in Revelation 10 we have Gabriel himself. If so, John is the fourth and final human to whom Gabriel gave a divine message in the Bible: Daniel (Dan. 8:16; 9:21); Zechariah (Luke 1:19); the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26); and now John.
Seven seals have afflicted the earth. Six of seven trumpets have blown in cataclysmic judgment. Seven thunders are now ready to vent their judgment as well. They have already sounded. They are ready to act; John is ready to write. Then something amazing occurs: John hears a voice from heaven, which I believe is the voice of our God. John is told, "Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!"
John is being told to affirm God's sovereign control over the judgments proclaimed in the thunders and then is prohibited from revealing the contents to his readers. The major message is one of sovereignty. God is in control, and the saints do not need to know all the details. (Revelation, 397)
We will trust in the plans of our sovereign God and marvel at His mysterious ways. After all, He is God and we are not
Trust God to Confirm His Word (10:5-6)
Trust God to Complete His Work (10:6-7)
The message of God's servant angel is twofold: First, "there would be no delay" (ESV), literally, "there will no longer be a period of time." God will not stop or delay the remaining judgments. Evil will now run its course quickly as antichrist rises from the abyss (11:7) and emerges as a world ruler (see 2 Thess 2:3-12; Rev 13:1-18). God and evil, the Lamb and the dragon, are headed for cosmic conflict, a global showdown. And from chapter 11 onwards we are told that it will happen soon.
What Does God Require of us today?
Take the Word (10:8)
John approaches the angel and requests the scroll. The angel responds by telling him to "take" it and to "eat it." Both verbs are imperatives. John is to take the scroll and devour it, to completely eat it up. The Old Testament background is plainly Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. and Ezekiel 2:9–3:3.
Ezekiel 2:9–3:4 | Revelation 10:2; 5:1;10:9, 10 |
2:9: "And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it." | 10:2: "He had a little scroll open in his hand." |
2:10: "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." | 5:1: "Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals." |
3:1: "And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.'" | 10:9: "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.'" |
3:2: "So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat." | 10:10a: "And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it." |
3:3: "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." | 10:10b: "It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter." |
3:4: "And he said to me, 'Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.'" |
What a powerful image for how we should approach the Word of God! This book is honey (Ps 19:10; 119:103; Prov 24:13), better than bread (Matt 4:4), meat (1 Cor 3:1-2), and milk (1 Pet 2:2). Here is a diet for spiritual health and nourishment. However, we can expect a twofold reaction when eating and digesting this book. It will be sweet in our mouths, but it can be bitter to our stomachs (10:9-10). It is sweet in our mouths because it reveals the gospel—God's goodness and grace, His love and mercy, His plans and purposes, His will and His ways. It is bitter to our stomachs because it is a word of judgment to unbelievers and a word of persecution and suffering for believers (Beale, Revelation, 552–53; also Osborne, Revelation, 404, and Mounce, Revelation, 210). Oh how my heart has wept for those who reject God's Word, even in churches. How I agonise over those who for the sake of power, or for their "new gospel" they will break away from God's clear Word. Oh take His Word eat it consume it… it will break your heart as you see some who profess Christ move away from Christ. It will be sweet as honey, but it will make you bitter inside.
There is joy and sorrow, sweetness and bitterness, gladness and sadness when God's Word does its perfect saving and sanctifying work in our lives.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus warned his disciples of this very thing: "Remember what I told you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also" (John 15:20). And in his final letter, the apostle Paul reminded Timothy of this hard truth: "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). In spite of the promised difficulties, God assures us of his constant presence, of spiritual protection, and of future rewards for our sacrifices.
Proclaim the Word (10:11)
God, by means of His angel, has a commission (or recommission) for John.
"You must" sounds a moral imperative, a moral and spiritual obligation. You must prophesy, preach, and proclaim again (see 1:11,19). He is to prophesy "about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings." Fourfold classifications are common in Revelation, occurring seven times. The inclusion of "kings" occurs only here. Osborne says, "This is probably added due to the presence of the 'kings of the earth' in 6:15; 16:14; 17:10-11 as rulers of the nations and persecutors of the saints" (Revelation, 405). Like the book itself, proclaiming God's Word to the nations is bittersweet. It is a positive word of redemption to those who believe, and it is a bitter word of judgment to those who refuse to repent (9:20-21) and who persecute God's people (11:1-14). Our assignment is to go. Our calling is to proclaim the good news of the gospel. In the midst of judgment, God is announcing through His prophets the good news of His grace revealed in the gospel of His Son.
Chuck Swindoll wrote:
Just like John, we have roles to play in God's ultimate plan. We can't call ourselves "apostles," and we don't receive literal visions and revelations from God. We're not required to swallow prophetic books to utter inspired words. But each of us has been given a crucial mission to share the good news of salvation with the world (Matt 28:19-20). Yet just like John, we must first internalize the message, allowing it to become a part of our own lives.
It's true that the gospel of Jesus Christ involves both bad news and good news—bad news about lost humans subject to divine judgment but good news about the righteous Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the complete penalty for us and saves us when we simply trust in Him. As ambassadors for Christ in this age, we must not only understand and accept the gospel ourselves, but we must also be able to communicate that message to others.
Have you accepted God's commission on your life?
Or, like John, are you ready for a recommissioning from God? (Insights, 151)
Sources: Akin Christ centred Exposition of Revelation
Easley Revelation
Patterson (NAC) Revelation
Rogers Revelation Unveiling The End Times In Our Time
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