Revelation 10 - The Angel and the Little Scroll

Revelation 10 ESV

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.”

If there is one question I am asked more than any question is why God allows sin to about, why God allows sinners to prosper and succeed, or why God allows Satan and his demons to deceive and to destroy. Another way to ask that question is the prayer of the saints in Revelation 6:10. When will God destroy the wicked? When will God halt Satan’s enterprise? We see evil abounding and feel like something must be done. A school shooting where a dozen young lives are robbed from this earth by evil.

There is coming a day, and that day is at the blowing of the seventh trumpet, that the great mystery of a supposedly silent God will end. Before that seventh trumpet is blown, an interlude takes place, and that interlude is chapter 10. As we approach chapter 10, I want us to look at this chapter from the standpoint of its uniqueness. It is a very unusual chapter.

Following the vision of the trumpets in which he has seen and heard the blowing of the sixth trumpets, John now sees something new. Another strong angel. That is to say it is not one of the trumpeting angels. Many commentators feel that this is Jesus Christ.

The word “another” here is allon in the Greek, or allos. It means “another of exactly the same kind as the rest of the angels,” “another identical angel.” If it were Christ, it wouldn’t be right to use allon, because if you were going to call Christ an angel, it certainly would not be true that He was an angel just like all the rest of the angels, because all the rest of the angels were created. And He is uncreated, as the eternal God. (MacArthur) Furthermore, when John identifies the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation, he’s always clear to give Him an unmistakable title. Nowhere in Revelation is Jesus referred to as an angel.

It is best to see this as another strong angel.It could be Michael. It could be Gabriel. You can read in Daniel chapter 10, Daniel chapter 12, Jude 9, Revelation 12 about those mighty angels. Michael, for example, whose name means “who is like God,” would certainly fit the role of a strong angel. And angels can have the kind of splendor that this angel has. Look at it. It says he comes down out of heaven, he’s clothed with a cloud; the rainbow is upon his head, his face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. Those are the kind of things that make some folks think it must be Christ. But there are some angels who had that kind of glory.

Daniel 10:5 ESV

5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.

In the messenger’s hand was a ‘little book.’ The contents of this book have been greatly disputed. Some point to it as none other than the seven-sealed scroll, but the only way this can be the seven-sealed scroll is that if the angel is none other than Jesus. To give John this scroll isn’t likely (Rev 10:8), because John eating the seven-sealed scroll is improbable. Further, there’s nothing small about the seven-sealed scroll.But there is an interesting parallel to another passage of Scripture between God’s commission of the prophet Ezekiel, and God’s re-commissioning of the Apostle John.

Ezekiel 3:1-3 “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.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 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.”

Ezekiel 3:10-11 “10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

This scroll is God’s prophetic announcement to Israel in their Babylonian captivity. In Revelation, John is likewise told to eat the book and it too would taste sweet, but it would become bitter when ingested. When we look at these two Scriptures side by side, and listen to God’s command to prophesy after eating, the most logical answer is that this little book is God’s words of judgment against the earth. But this is only a supposition on my part because nowhere in Scripture does it talk about the contents of this book.

In verse four we see the seven voices of thunder coming from heaven. John was about to write what was said, but before John could write them down, another voice from heaven commands him to seal them up and not to write them down. This is very likely the voice of God that John heard.

Job 37:2–5 ESV

2 Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. 4 After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. 5 God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

Psalm 18:13 ESV

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

John being commanded not to write these things down is reminiscent of Daniel 12:9 “9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” that’s not unusual dealing with prophetic truth. There’s so much we don’t know, all kinds of hard things. We do the best we can to comprehend it with the revelation God has given. There are things that we cannot understand. There are things that God has chosen not even to reveal to us, and this falls into that category.

Verse 5: The angel in this vision has this little book in his hand, and he’s standing on the land and the sea, and he’s in this glorious imagery. And now he lifts up his right hand. This is a sign of an oath or a pledge. And verse 6 says, “And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there shall be delay no longer.” Judgment has come.

This is the final act. The last plagues of the day of the Lord are at hand, no more delay. The time anticipated in the question of the disciples in Matthew 24:3, Acts 1:6 has now come. The prayers of the saints of all the ages and those under the altar in chapter 6, verses 9 to 11 are now to be answered. All the times that Christians have said, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” are now answered. Repentance is no longer an option.

Right now we live in that delay. Judgment is held back. It’s coming. It all ends with an unusual assignment, an unusual assignment, verse 8. John is told to take the little book, and to eat it. Ezekiel is also told to consume a scroll and had the same reaction as John.

Ezekiel 3:1–4 ESV

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.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 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. 4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.

This scroll, was what John needed for the second portion of his ministry here. If you consume God’s Word, it is there forever – and here John is literally consuming the Word of God to be able to deliver it to the nations.

Psalm 119:103 ESV

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Jeremiah 15:16 ESV

16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.

God’s Word is sweet going in – but being able to deliver it is very bitter. It does not always feel good to bring the message of God, especially in John’s case here where he is bringing a message of death and destruction on this world!

When I think about the coming of Christ, it has a sweetness. It means my Christ is glorified. It means He takes over the world, destroying Satan and demons. It means the kingdom comes, sin is conquered, salvation is revealed, Christ reigns. That’s sweet. But it also means blood and wrath and vengeance and judgment and hell.

Anyone who loves Christ can sense what John was experiencing here. The blessings of God are sweet. Every message of hope, of blessing, of glory; every message of liberty, salvation of goodness; every promise of heaven is sweet. Prophesy is exciting and disturbing.

Verse 11: Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

John is getting specific orders that he must continue spreading the Gospel! Even though he is being shown a glimpse of the end of time as we know it – he is still being told by God that spreading the Word is vital!

John is preparing to spread the Gospel and is being given strength for what is to come – the worst of time. The last three years of the Tribulation are upon us, and interestingly enough John is setting the stage for the two witnesses who will appear in Chapter 11 and proclaim the Word of God without shame, fear, or intimidation!

The scroll that John ate was the literal, physical strength and nourishment that he needed to continue for the next 3.5 years – and this gives credit to the idea that God’s Word ought to be OUR daily bread as well!

It should be our nourishment every day – and we should devour it … literally!