Revelation 10

Revelation 10:1

F. The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll (Chap. 10, 11) 10:1 John now sees another mighty angel coming down from heaven. The description leads many to believe that He is the Lord Jesus. He had a rainbow on his head, the sign of God’s covenant. His face was like the sun, an expression of unveiled glory. His feet were like pillars of fire, the pillars speaking of strength and the fire of judgment. 10:2 He held a little book or scroll, no doubt a record of impending judgments. With his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, He claimed His right to worldwide dominion. 10:3-6 When He called out with a loud voice, … seven thunders sounded. Apparently John could understand the message of these thunders, but when he was about to write, the angel forbade him. The angel then swore by God, the Creator, that there should be delay no longer. 10:7 The mystery of God would be fulfilled during the time of the seventh trumpet. The mystery of God has to do with God’s plan to punish all evildoers and to usher in the kingdom of His Son. 10:8, 9 John was commanded to eat the little book, that is, he was to read and meditate on the judgments recorded in it. 10:10 As predicted by the angel, the scroll was sweet as honey in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach. For the believer, it is sweet to read of God’s determination to glorify His Son where He was once crucified. It is sweet to read of the triumph of God over Satan and all his hosts. It is sweet to read of the time when the wrongs of earth will all be made right. But there is bitterness also connected with the study of prophecy. There is the bitterness of self-judgment which the prophetic Scriptures produce. There is the bitterness of viewing the judgments which must soon fall on apostate Judaism and Christendom. And there is the bitterness of contemplating the eternal doom of all who reject the Savior. 10:11 John was told that he must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. The remaining chapters of Revelation fulfill this mandate.