Revelation 10

CHAPTER 10THEME: Interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpetsChapter 10 is the hiatus, the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. This chapter begins the second of a series of interludes. Between the sixth and seventh seals, there was an interlude as two groups were redeemed and sealed during the Great Tribulation. Here, between the sixth and seventh trumpets, we have an interlude as three personalities are introduced. In this chapter the mighty angel is described, and in the first fourteen verses of chapter 11, the two witnesses are introduced, though not identified.

Revelation 10:1

THE STRONG ANGEL WITH THE LITTLE BOOKIn verse Rev_10:1 the mighty angel comes from heaven and is introduced. Let me give you my own translation: And I saw another strong (powerful) angel coming down out of heaven clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. There has been definite disagreement among outstanding and fundamental Bible expositors as to the identity of the mighty angel. Godet, Vincent, Pettingill, DeHaan, Ironside, Walter Scott, and William Kelly all identify the strong angel as Christ. Newell and others consider him to be just an angel of great power and authority, but not Christ. Dr. John Walvoord takes this viewpoint, and Vernon McGee takes it also.

If you go with either crowd, you will be in good company. In the first group are some men I have great respect for and whom I love in the Lord. I have personally known three of those men, and they were my dear friends. If you follow them, it will be all right, and you will be in good company; but if you want to be right, you want to come along with me on this! There is ample evidence to show that this angel is only a mighty angel. Christ does not appear in Revelation as an angel. It is true that in the Old Testament the preincarnate Christ was seen as the Angel of the Lord. But after He took upon Himself our humanity, after He died and rose again and received a glorified body, we now see Him in the place of great power and glory yonder at God’s right hand. We never see Him as an angel again. When He was here in His humanity, He was not an angelHe was a man.

Therefore, He is revealed in the Book of Revelation as the glorified Christ, as the postincarnate Christ. He is exalted to the nth degree. It is well to keep before us constantly that this book is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. New glories of His person and of His power and performance are unfolding in each chapter. He is now the One judging a Christ-rejecting earth. “And I saw another strong angel.” Another means that it is another of the same kind. The other strong angel to whom we were introduced was back in Rev_5:2. There is no argument there; it is not Christ. It is the livery of this angel (that is, the way in which he is garbed) which has led to identify him as Christ. Though all angels are the servants of Christ, in this final book of the Bible, this is evidently the special envoy of Christ, bearing all the credentials of His exalted position. He comes down out of heaven from the presence of Christ, the One who is in the midst of the throne. He is “clothed with a cloud.” This is his uniform as a special envoy from Christ. The clouds of glory are associated with the second coming of Christ, but the angel described here is not coming in clouds of glory, but he is clothed with a cloud. Furthermore, this is not the second coming of Christ to the earth to establish His Kingdom; rather, this angel makes the announcement that He is coming soon. Angels, you recall, announced His first coming, and they will announce His second coming to the earth. “And the rainbow was upon his head.” This is the cap for his uniform and is a reminder of Gods’ covenant with man. Although the judgments have come, thick and fast, weird and wildit beggars language to describe themthis rainbow indicates that God will not send a flood to destroy man again. “And his face was as the sun.” This is his badge of identification. This is the signature of the glorified Christ (see Rev_1:16). It does not follow that this one must therefore be the Son of God. Moses’ face shone after he had been in the presence of God (see Exo_34:29). This angel’s face is shining because he has come out from the presence of Christ. You will recall that the raiment of the angels at the resurrection of Christ also shone (see Luk_24:4). The angel of Rev_18:1 is a light giver, as the sun and moon, yet no one asserts that he is Christ. Also, I take it that this angel in chapter 10 is not Christ, but he is what it says: an angel, another great, mighty angel. “And his feet as pillars of fire.” This is still part of his uniform. He has come to make a special and solemn announcement of coming judgment. All of these features of identification are his credentials and connect him to the person of Christ as His special envoy. The Lord Jesus is running everything at this particular point. He is the Judge of all the earth.

Revelation 10:2

And he had in his hand a little book opened; and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth; and he cried with a great voice as (when) a lion roareth: and when he cried the seven thunders spoke their own voices. There are several reasons that I believe that this little book or scroll is the seven-sealed book which we have seen before. One reason is simply because it is the only book that has been before us, and it is not identified in any other way than it is called “a little book.” Frankly, a different word is used here for this book instead of the Greek word biblion which is used for the seven-sealed book. But that would not preclude the possibility of its being the same book. This little book, if it is the same as the seven-sealed book, was originally in the hands of the Father in heaven (see Rev_5:1). It should be noted how it is first transferred to the nail-pierced hands of God the Son. It was given to the Lord Jesus who was the only One who could open it. The breaking of the seven seals opened the book; and the seven trumpets, six of which have already been blown, are still part of what is in the book. After He removes the seals, the Lord Jesus Christ in turn transfers the book to the angel, who gives it finally to John to eat. This is the book of the title deed of the earth, and it contains the judgments of the Great Tribulation by which the Lord Jesus is coming to power. The book is now open, and the judgments are on display. This book is the angel’s authority for claiming both the sea and the earth for Christ. He puts one foot on the sea and the other foot upon the earth, and he is claiming both for God. In Lev_25:23 the Lord gave instructions to Israel concerning the land He had given them: “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” It may be that you think you own a pretty good piece of the real estate of this earth. You hold the title deed. The title has been transferred down through the years to you, and you paid good money for it. You feel it is yours. I say that you are wrong because your title doesn’t go back far enough. Sometime in the past, somebody stole it from the Indians. The Indians got it from soembody elseor maybe they just walked in and occupied vacant property. But to whom does it belong? My friend, your property belongs to God, and no matter who you are, you haven’t paid Him for it. The earth is His and the fulness thereof (see Psa_24:1). God not only claims the land, but He claims the sea as well as the land. “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Psa_8:6-8). God says, “I own the seas also, as well as the land, and I have given this to you. I put man on the earth.” Man is a tenant on the earthsome of us haven’t paid our rent latelybut we are in a little world that God created. It belongs to Him, and man hasn’t been able to pay Him for it yet. This angel now claims the earth and the sea for the Lord Jesus Christ. When Columbus landed on an island here in the Western Hemisphere, he got off the ship and went to the shore and planted the flag of Spain, claiming the island in the name of the king and queen of the country that had sent him out. That method has been used from time to time. When men came to unoccupied territory, they claimed it. With the title deed of the earth in his hand, and by placing his right foot on the sea and his left foot upon the earth, in a great voice this angel claims all for Christ. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ through judgment. As Creator and Redeemer, the world belongs to Him. The book is described here as “a little book” because the time of the Great Tribulation is not going to be long. We have come here to sort of the halfway mark, and we are going to be told that there is not much more time left. There is not much more to write down, and it has to be a little book. We are told in Rom_9:28: “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” The Great Tribulation is really a short time. The Lord Jesus said it was a brief time. Daniel labeled is as seven years, which certainly is not long. The “seven thunders” is God’s amen to the angel’s claim. Psa_29:3 says: “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.” And in Job_37:5 we read: “God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.” Dr. Vincent makes this very enlightening comment, “The Jews were accustomed to speak of thunder as ’the seven voices.’” In Psalms 29, although it is a brief psalm, “the voice of the LORD” occurs seven times. Israel spoke of thunder as being the voice of the Lord, the seven voices of God. We need to take time to study these things to find out what they mean instead of trying to cut off the corners, trim them down, and make them fit into some system of prophecy. I am reminded of the lady who went into a shoe store, and when the clerk asked her what size she wore, she replied, “I can get a four on, but really five is my size, but since six feels so good on my foot, I always buy a six!” That is just like some systems of biblical interpretation: they trim Scripture down to fit into the system. Let John mean what he is saying. These seven thunders here are the voice of God. I think it is the voice of the Lord Jesus now in heaven, confirming what this angel has claimed because He is going to come to power on this earth.

Revelation 10:4

And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders spoke and write them not. The seven thunders therefore were intelligible. This confirmation was also a statement. John was a scribe, and he was taking down the visions as they were given to him (see Rev_1:11). He was about to write what the seven thunders had spokenhe heard it, and they were audible wordsbut he was forbidden to do so. Since this is a book of revelation, why is there something concealed?

This is the only place in the Book of Revelation where anything is sealednothing else is. God makes it very clear at the end of the book that He has told everything. He is not holding back anything from man today. At the end, John writes: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the saying of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand” (Rev_22:10). Yet this particular message of the seven thunders John is not permitted to write down. This is quite interesting. If this angel were Christ, John probably would have fallen down and worshiped him. He did so when he saw the glorified Christ in the first chapter of Revelation. Evidently, the reason John did not fall down and worship him was because this is only an angel. It is a mere assumption to presume to know what the thunders spoke. There are wild speculators who have made ridiculous guesses. Vitringa interpreted the seven thunders as the seven Crusades. Danbuz made them the seven nations which received the Reformation. Elliott believed them to be the pope’s bull against Luther. Several of the cults have presumed to reveal the things which were uttered.

The Lord Jesus Christ said to John, “Seal them up. Don’t write this down.” They remain to this day a secret which you don’t know, I don’t know, and no man knows. If we attempt to say what was spoken, in a few years we will find ourselves to be ridiculous. Why not leave it as it is and draw the lesson from it? Although Jesus Christ is being revealed in this Book, there are a great many things that God is not telling us.

Revelation 10:5

And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, and sware by (in) Him that liveth for ever and ever (into the ages of the ages), who created heaven and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there shall be no longer delay. This angel makes it clear that he could not be Christ, since he takes an oath by the eternal Creator. He “lifted up his right hand to heaven, and sware"he took an oath by the eternal Creator"by Him that liveth for ever and ever.” If he were Christ, he would swear by himself. The writer to the Hebrews says: “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” (Heb_6:13). God could not swear by anything else because there is none greater than God. The angel swore by another, not by himself, because he is not God, and therefore he is not the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (Joh_1:1-2). We have this statement from the Lord Jesus Himself: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (Joh_8:58). Christ is the Creator. Listen to Joh_1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” In Col_1:16 we read: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” The angel takes an oath in the name of Christ who is in heaven; and as Christ’s representative, he claims it all for Christ. Notice that in my translation I have changed the last part of verse Rev_10:6 from “that there should be time no longer” to “that there shall be no longer delay.” Actually, it does not mean that there shall be time no longer. Rather, this is the glad announcement from heaven to God’s saints on earth who are in the midst of all this trouble and who wonder how long it will last. The meaning is that now it will be a very brief time until Christ returns. It is a confirmation of the words of Christ in His Olivet Discourse: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Mat_24:22). The angel is telling the elect that it is going to be long. He is saying to them, “Don’t worry.

He that endures to the end, the same shall be saved.” Why? Because they are sealed, and they are going to make it through the Great Tribulation period. This is likewise in answer to the prayers of the martyrs in Rev_6:10, and also it is the fulfillment of what we call the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come” (See Mat_6:10). The Kingdom is coming at this point in time in the Book of Revelation but it does not refer to the time I am writing this. I do not know, and no one on earth knows, whether or not Christ is coming soon.

Revelation 10:7

But in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he is about to blow (sound the trumpet), and the mystery of God is finished, as He gave the glad tidings to His servants, the prophets. This all takes place when the seventh angel is preparing to blow the trumpet. This would indicate that the seventh trumpet brings us to the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. It is at this time that the mystery of God is finally made clear. Many single facets of this mystery have been given as the total answer, yet it seems that this is greater than any one and is the sum total of all. There is a mystery concerning the nation Israel, judgment, suffering, injustice, the silence of God, and the coming Kingdom. The basic problem is this: Why did God permit evil, and why has He tolerated it for so long? Do you want to know something? I have studied theology for many years, and I know the answers that men give, but God has not handed in His answer yet. He is going to do so someday. There are many things I cannot answer, and I am disturbed that we have some brethren who seem to have all the answers. Candidly, no one has all the answers. As this passage of Scripture indicates, the fact that there is something that we don’t know about because it has been sealed means that God has a whole lot to tell us yet. When we get into His presence, we will find out. May I say this to you: although I do not know the answer to your problem, I know the One who does. I don’t have the answer to all my questions either, but I put my hand in His, and He says to me, “My child, walk with Me through the dark. It is going to be all right. We are going to come out into the light, and then you will understand.” I suggest that you put your hand into the hand of the One who is your Creator and your Redeemer, very man of very man and very God of very God.

Revelation 10:8

JOHN EATS THE LITTLE BOOK And the voice which I heard out of heaven, (I heard) it again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. This order comes from Christ in heaven as He is directing every operation recorded in the Book of Revelation. He is in full charge. Revelation is the book that glorifies our wonderful Savior. He is the Judge of all the earth here, and we see Him as God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name. If the voice here is not Christ’s, then He has given the order to the angel to speak from heaven. John has apparently returned to the earth in spirit, because the little book which was formerly in the hand of God the Father is now transferred to John.

Revelation 10:9

And I went away to the angel, saying to him, Give to me the little book, and he said to me, Take, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be as sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it up. And it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter. John becomes a participant in the great drama which is unfolding before us. He is required to do a very strange thing, one that has a very typical meaning.

He eats the little book at the instructions of the angel, and the results are bittersweet. Eating the little book means to receive the Word of God with faith. This is the teaching of the Word of God, for in Jer_15:16 we read: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah likens the appropriation of the Word to eating it. Ezekiel does the same thing: “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness” (Eze_3:1-3). The “roll” here is not a bread roll, but the scroll of that day. Ezekiel said that he ate it, and it was just like cake.

That is what the Word of God is to the believer. In Pro_16:24 we are told: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” In Psalms 119, the psalm which glorifies the Word of God, we find: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psa_119:103). The part of the Word of God taken by John was judgment. It was sweet because the future is sweet. In Gen_18:17 we read, “And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do …?” In effect He was saying to Abraham, “We are friends, and I would like to tell you what I am going to do.” It is sweet to know what God is going to do, but when you find out that judgment is coming, it is bitter. John eagerly received the Word of God, but when he saw that more judgment was to follow, it brought travail of soul and sorrow of heart. It was sweet in his mouth and bitter in his digestive system. If you and I can take delight in reading this section of the Word of God and the judgments that are to fall upon the earth, then we need to do a great deal of praying to get the mind of God.

It is sweet to know the Book of Revelation and what God intends to do, but when we find out that judgment is coming to the Christ-rejecting world around us, we cannot rejoice in that. The prophecy becomes bitter. There is another very real application of this. Many folk begin the study of prophecy with enthusiasm, but when they find that it is applicable to their life and that it makes demands on them personally, they lose interest, and it becomes a bitter thing. Many people say, “I don’t want to hear about the Book of Revelation. I don’t like prophecy. It frightens me!” May I say to you that it is supposed to do that, but it should be in your mouth sweet as honey. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who like to study prophecy because of the natural curiosity to know the future, but they will discover that there is nothing in the Word of God that ministers more to a holy life than the thoughtful study of prophecy. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself …” (1Jn_3:3).

To be a student of prophecy and live a dirty life will only lead to abnormality. The reason we hear so much abnormality in the interpretation of prophecy in our day is that the Word of God is not having its way in the hearts and lives of the folk who study it. It is unfortunate that people will get interested in prophecy but not in Christian living. Years ago after I had recently come to California, I went to see Dr. Gaebelein who was visiting here. He said to me, “How do you like your church in California?” I told him, “It’s wonderful. I enjoy it, but there is something strange out here. [I have since learned that this is true everywhere, but I had not detected it before.] I can teach the Book of Revelation in my church, and it will fill up on Wednesday nights. But if I teach the Epistle to the Romans, I empty the church.” I never shall forget what Dr. Gaebelein said in his broken Prussian accent, “Brother McGee, you are going to find that a great many of the saints are more interested in Antichrist than they are in Christ.” I have discovered that he was accurate.

Revelation 10:11

And they say to me, It is necessary for you to prophesy again against peoples and nations and tongues and kings. You can be sure of one thing, that John was properly integrated. He believed that all nations, all peoples, all tongues, and all colors ought to hear the Word of God. They need to hear it because they need to be warned that judgment is coming. If they go through the Great Tribulation, they will soon recognize that it is not the Millenniumin fact, they will feel as if they have entered hell itself. This is the part that made John sad.

This is the reason this little book became bitter to John: he must prophesy against many before Christ comes to His Kingdom. Much prophecy is to follow. We are not quite halfway through the Book of Revelation. Prophecy about the nations and peoples is necessarily against them; it is of judgment to come. This new series of prophecies will begin in chapter 12, and it will reveal the fact that there was a great deal more to say. My friend, the study of prophecy will have a definite effect upon your life: it will either bring you closer to Christ, or it will take you farther from Him.