Revelation Study 14 Chapter 10
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We left off with chapter 9 telling us that the 5th angel blew his trumpet, the first woe is here
An angel descended from heaven and opened the bottomless pit.
Out came smoke and then these crazy locust with scorpion stings
Who were the locust sent to torment but not kill? Those who didn’t have the seal of God on their foreheads
What was the people’s response? They would seek death but couldn’t find it. They must now endure the torment
They had a king over them, Abaddon, or Apollyon, The Destroyer
The 6th angel blew his trumpet and a voice from the altar says to release the 4 angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.
These angels had been prepared and held back for this year, this month, this day, and this hour.
They were allowed to kill 1/3 of mankind, or the earth dwellers.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
This now takes us to Revelation chapter 10
This now takes us to Revelation chapter 10
As we begin chapter 10, I want to remind us of a verse from chapter 5
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
Now let’s look at chapter 10 verses 1-2
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,
This angel would remind the original readers and hearers of the Colossus of Rhodes, the statue of their god Helios. Its remains were still visible in the port city of Rhodes and the message was that Rhodes by the power of Helios controlled both land and sea.
So who is this mighty angel? Some would say this is Jesus, as we discussed in chapter 7, but here as there John doesn’t directly say. All we know is what the word angel means, and that is a messenger of God, a supernatural being either good or evil, with greater than human powers.
In reality the 4 fold description parallels both God and Jesus, This could be Jesus, but at worst, this angel is their combined representative
Wrapped in a cloud—like God in Exodus 16:10, Leviticus 6:2. Ezekiel 10:4
A rainbow over his head—like God Rev. 4:3 and Ezekiel 1:28
A face like the sun—like Jesus in Rev. 1:16 and Matthew 17:2
His legs like fiery pillar—like Christ in Rev. 1:15
So this angel as the special herald of both God and Christ partook of the Godhead’s glory and power and signified the deliverance of God’s people.
He had a little scroll—this is of the large scroll, which was? God’s unfolding plan for humanity and the way the end would come.
So this little scroll are the events of what is yet to come
He set his feet on both land and sea—what does this mean? This representative angel is showing dominion over all of creation, on land, on sea, in the air.
Let’s look at 3 Old Testament chapters to help us with some more apocalyptic context.
And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 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.
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.
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.
The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me.
A Psalm of David.
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, 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;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes forth 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 all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
They shall go after the Lord;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”
Ok, now let’s look at
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.”
So we see the descriptors brought forward from Ezekiel, Psalms, Amos and Hosea.
But John was once told to write down everything, Revelation 1:11, 19, and 4:1, but now is being told not to write something down, why? Maybe this is not to be told yet, God doesn’t want this part of the message known at this point in the letter.
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.”
We are actually going to look at all of Daniel 12 before we move on to help us understand what we are reading next.
English Standard Version Chapter 12
The Time of the End
12 “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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 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?” 7 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. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 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. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
So why are the words sealed up? So that many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but also so that the wicked shall act wickedly, V10. A time for repentance and a time for reason for judgement
Maybe knowing the future is not the answer, complete knowledge removes faith, trust, our not knowing is to our benefit at times, that way we can’t screw it up.
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.
Raised his right hand to heaven—like in Daniel 12:7, 7 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...
The question asked in chapter 5, How long Lord until you avenge our blood, is answered, there will be no more delay, the 7th angels trumpet call will fulfill the mysterious plan of God.
As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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.
And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”
But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
We must wait, it is God who determines when vengeance will be had, when judgement comes, we must trust His timing in all things, when all these mysterious events take place and how.
The mystery is also how and when God eternal kingdom will come to its full culmination. It was inaugurated at Jesus’ first coming and will culminate at His second. How will this happen, when will it happen, it’s a mystery to us still.
But Daniel did give us some timeframes—times, times and a half time, or 3.5 years, or 42 months, or 1290 days but even this is a mystery, when do they start, how will they look, etc.
verses 8-11 of chapter 10, Johns commissioning
English Standard Version Chapter 10
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.”
Again, this is to remind us of the commissioning of Ezekiel, take and eat the scroll, the word of God of judgement against the people. Consume it so to speak it.
It will make your stomach bitter why? There will be much persecution and suffering as the message is rejected
It is sweet in your mouth why? God will bring vindication and victory to those who have believed
Verse 11, you must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings, about and to.
He must and again, must—a command to continue and a divine necessity, again and again and to a familiar audience.
“again” is the preposition epi, which has a double meaning. It is a positive message “about” the nations, addressing the church regarding its witness and the nations regarding their need for repentance. At the same time, it is a negative message “against” the nations, a message of judgement against those who steadily refuse to turn to God. Remember 9:20-21
In the context of Revelation, the negative dominates as we shall also see with the “two witnesses”.
But the positive is important as well, for the nations are the object of God’s redemptive mission.
So as with the “nations” this idea of the many, peoples, nations, and languages and kings, this witness is for all peoples of the earth.
But the idea of the kings, the rulers of the peoples and the persecutors of the church, God is appealing to them as well.
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
Clearly this witness has had an affect on some. Remember Daniels consistent witness to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Let us not forget two themes running throughout this chapter and letter,
God is in complete control—the mighty angel symbolizes this
The church is the prophetic witness for God, declaring the Word of God to the nations. John reenacts Ezekiels commissioning, but this is passed on to the church, the priest of God in the new kingdom.
There is sweetness in the knowledge that God will bring His people vindication and victory, and bitterness in that the world is rejecting God’s offer and turning against His people.
This was true for Ezekiel, for John, and will be true for us as well.
So what are we called to be? Faithful witnesses and trust God with the rest.