Revelation 10
The Mighty Angel &
the little book
Read…Matthew 28:18-20
Pray
Intro
√ The Mighty Angel & the little book
Chapter 10 is much like chapter 7 in that it does not advance the narrative, or the record, but instead gives us more details which help us understand the total prophetic picture.
As best we can understand the time-line we find ourselves at the middle of the Tribulation - 3 and half years into the 7 final years of Satan's attempt to rule the world.
So let's pick up the Revelation.
The Mighty Angel (vs. 1-3)
Rev 10:1 And I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
Rev 10:2 And he had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
Rev 10:3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. And when he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
√ Another angel
John's attention is drawn to a new individual in the unfolding Revelation.
John calls him...
"...another mighty angel.."
We're not told specifically who this heavenly being is…
No name
No title
So we're left with only John's description (vs. 1-3) to guess at the identity of this angel.
"clothed with a cloud"
"rainbow on his head"
"face like the sun"
"feet like pillars of fire"
"loud voice - like when a lion roars"
What an awesome creature this angel is!
Because John's description is similar to his description of Jesus in Rev. 1 and the fact that Ezekiel speaks of the glory of the LORD inhabiting a cloud, some have interpreted this "angel" to be Jesus Christ.
"Angel of the Lord" - OT manifestation of Christ -
(Gen. 16:7 - Hager)
However, John is faithful to record some clues here that tell us that this is not Jesus, but rather one of the angelic host which the Lord uses to fulfill His will.
√ "another mighty angel"
In Greek "another" is “allon” which literally means…
"another of the same kind" – vs. 1
In other words, what John is saying is that he saw another angel like the 7 angels he has been describing in chapters 8 and 9.
Though Jesus is sometimes described as the "angel of YHWH" in the Old Testament…
…He is never described by that title in the New Testament.
Additionally, we're told in Hebrews 1:4 that Jesus is "so much better than the angels" - that He is above them in every way.
Therefore, this unnamed angel in Rev. 10 can't be Jesus because John says this angel is just like the others he's already seen.
√ John gives us another clue in vs. 5 & 6
Rev 10:5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his hand to heaven
Rev 10:6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
The angel that John observes swears by...
The eternal One
Creator
...that is, the angel takes an oath in the Name of God - implying that God is greater than the angel!
Therefore, this angel cannot be Jesus because the angel by his oath acknowledges that God is greater than himself, whereas we know from Scripture that Jesus is equal in honor with the Father.
√ So who is this angel?
I’d suggest that this is Angel “Bob”! J
Actually we're really not told - we're only given his awesome description and told that he is "mighty".
The angel's appearance clearly communicates that he has been given power and authority from God to proclaim his message to the inhabitants of the earth.
Reminds us that angels posses great power as ministers of God's purposes.
Ex. Monica and Andrew of “Touched by an Angel” don't really do God's servants justice.
4 angels holding back all the wind on the earth (Rev. 7:1)
Struck Herod dead (Acts 12:23)
Breaking Peter out of jail (Acts 5:19)
So, what we do know about this un-named angel is that he/she is one of many in the heavenly host who's job it is to do the will of God.
Including ... ministering to you and me!
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
Ex. Jesus after His wilderness temptation.
Mat 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Ap. In addition to giving us his Spirit, God sends His servants from the angelic host to serve us when we need help.
Sealed Revelation (vs. 4)
Rev 10:4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them."
√ The Seven Thunders
In response to the angels loud cry John records that he heard...
"seven thunders uttered their voices,"
...but before John is able to record what he heard he is
told not to write what he heard!
Isn't that interesting?
Why? Because the whole point of the Revelation according to the first chapter is to communicate God's plan for the Earth and the establishment of His Kingdom.
However, here we find that there are some things that God has not ordained man to know! Whatever it was that the 7 thunders said it was for John's ears only and not for ours!
Reveals that there are things that God knows and has chosen in His perfect wisdom not to let us in on.
Deu 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
That is, what God has revealed - understand it and apply it. What He has not revealed - we can not know so leave them in faith at His feet.
Ap. There are things that we can not know because God has hidden them. It is therefore futile and unprofitable to argue about them.
Ex. How can God be sovereign and Man have free will?
Scripture declares that God does what He wants and that His purposes will be accomplished - in other words - He is sovereign.
Other scriptures make it abundantly clear that men have freedom to chose between good and evil - that is, Man has free will.
How can both be true? God doesn't tell us.
Rather than argue about it, or split churches over it, and establish whole denominations focused on this one issue, can we not just acknowledge that there are things which God has chosen in His infinite wisdom to keep sealed?
Ap. For us - there is plenty to know which God has revealed - let's make it our goal to know the knowable and be gracious in those areas that are unknowable.
Times up! (vs. 5-7)
Rev 10:5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his hand to heaven
Rev 10:6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
Rev 10:7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
√ Times up
First of all let's look at where the angel is standing....
vs. 2 says - "And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,"
vs. 5 says - "standing on the sea"
vs. 8 says - "on the sea and on the earth."
The angel’s position, straddling both land and sea, symbolically communicates the authority he has been given to bring his message to the whole earth.
What a message!
John records that the angel cries out to all the world
that...
“the end has come!” PPV
Ex. If you're gonna get one line in a movie, it's nice if it's an important one!
Note the content of the message.
Rev. 10:6b ...that there should be delay no longer,
Rev 10:7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
Now if you have an old King James the verbiage at the end of vs. 6 can be a little misleading;
"that there should be time no longer."
Some have taken this to mean that time itself would cease. But that is not actually what is spoken here.
It does not mean that time, as a succession of events, will
stop. Rather what is meant is that time has run out!
The NKJV and other translations have it correctly translated...
"that there should be delay no longer,"
That understanding is made abundantly clear if you look at
vs. 7 where the angel reveals what happens when time has run out - he says the...
"mystery of God should be finished."
In other words, time continues to run, there are still more events to follow - however God's mystery - or hidden plan - is about to be completed.
√ What is the "mystery of God"???
John gives us a clue where he records in vs. 7...
"as He declared to His servants the prophets."
So, whatever this mystery is - we're told that God has already revealed it to His holy prophets in times past.
Therefore, if we look into the words of His prophets we will discover what this mystery is.
Without a doubt Paul knew the Old Testament scriptures better than any of the other disciples. After all, he had been a Pharisee and had excelled in his study of the Law and the Prophets.
If you study Paul's writings you'll find that he mentions this "mystery of God" in almost every one of his letters to the churches that he founded.
Look at one example in...
Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Eph 1:8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Eph 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Eph 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him,
So the mystery of God then is His plan to reclaim the earth and it's inhabitants from Satan - bringing to fulfillment all of the promises He has made since Man was placed on the Earth.
How will God reclaim Mankind and His Creation - that's the mystery...
Redeem Mankind:
through the sacrifice of His Son
on the cross to make atonement for the sins of
Redeem the Creation: to gather all things together, both in heaven and on earth, under the authority of Jesus Christ when He returns to earth to establish His kingdom and the eternal state.
√ When does this all happen?
John tells us in vs. 7 that it will be in the days when the 7th angel sounds his trumpet - the final outpouring of judgement upon the earth culminating with Jesus' return to planet earth.
The Little Book (vs. 8-11)
Rev 10:8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth."
Rev 10:9 And I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
√ The little book
John hears a command from heaven telling him to go and take the little book out of the angel’s hand.
Right! Better hope this angel doesn't have an attitude!
So he does what he's told and the angel tells him to do something very strange...
Eat the book!
If a mighty angel tells you to do something it's probably best not to argue with him…
…but eat a book - that sounds a little strange!
But that's not all; the angel tells him it will taste great, but it will give him a sour tummy.
And sure enough when John eats the book it tastes great but as soon as it hits his stomach it's bitter.
What does all that mean? We're not given any interpretation in the Revelation, however we find that other prophets of God shared a similar experience.
Ex. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah were told to do the same thing!
In all three cases the book is symbolic of God's Word, or the Message of God that was given to these prophets to proclaim.
The eating of the book conveys to us that John became a partaker of the contents of the book.
That is exactly what happens to those who partake of God's holy word - it is a two-fold experience:
There is sweetness as we come to know God through His word and discover the delightful promises He has given to those who receive His Word.
It's a word of
promise, a word of Grace and a word of the love of God.
There is also bitterness as those who partake of God's word soon find that the world is hostile to those who love God's Word.
Ex. John
John himself is on the Isle of Patmos "for the Word of God". He suffers the bitter persecution of
Yet, John enjoys the sweetness of being chosen to communicate the Revelation to Mankind and to see God in His glory.
So it is in our lives – we enjoy the sweet fellowship of God and His Word, yet we experience the bitter opposition of those reject His Word.
√ Finally, after eating the little book John is told that he must
"...prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings." Vs. 11
This reveals that the Revelation is not just about an empire, or an emperor, not Nero, nor Domation…
…rather this Revelation concerns all the kingdoms of Men until the day they are done away with.
While we study the Revelation and for some of us discover new truths, understand that God has been telling Mankind about His plans since the first world ruling empire was established.
Ex. Nebuchadnezzar's dream that revealed the history of Man's government.
Dan 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Dan 2:45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
Why does God wait? Because He loves us and is giving everyone a chance to turn before it's too late.
Close
√ Declare the message!
Like the mighty angel and John, we too have been given a message from God to communicate with people.
Sweet joy to share the Good News of Jesus
Bitterness in that many will reject it
Like the mighty angel and John let’s be faithful to get God’s message out!