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Between the opening of the sixth and
seventh seals there was a pause to reveal four significant visions
which would give assurances to the oppressed saints. In the
first of these two visions the servants of God were sealed before
the winds of God's retribution were let loose upon the earth.
In the second vision we saw a multitude of the victorious saints who
had faithfully endured the tribulation and were standing before the
throne, praising god and rejoicing in their victory. By these
two visions, the Christians still living are assured that they will
not be forgotten and will join their victorious brothers and sisters
around the throne if they remain faithful to the end.
After this first pause we see the opening
of the seventh seal which has been going on now since the first
trumpet announcement beginning in chapter 8. The first four
trumpets announced God's use of various natural disasters to punish
the Roman Empire in an effort to bring them to repentance.
Horrific natural disasters often remind people of just how helpless
they really are and sometimes causes them to seek answers in places
they may not have formerly looked. It is a pretty humbling
experience when one beholds the death of countless thousands of
people and the destruction wrought by these disasters and wonders
why it has to be. And this humble attitude of heart is precisely the one
anyone should have when approaching God on His throne. These
natural disasters were God's way of telling His enemies that He is
the one in charge and He is the one they should be seeking.
Then the fifth and sixth trumpets sounded
and the enemies of righteousness faced woes that were a lot more
direct and specific. Disease from their decadent lifestyle and
then direct attacks from their worldly enemies. In the face of
earthquakes, famine, weather, plagues and incessant attacks from
one's enemies, it should be easy to conclude that something is
amiss. History records that some of the Romans did indeed seek
answers to their problems. But they sought them in the wrong
places. They thought their pagan gods were angry with them for
tolerating the Christians and set out to destroy them all the more.
They failed to recognize that no matter what they did, the
Christians were still there. No matter how hard they tried to
stamp Christianity out, it persevered. They tried to appease
their false lifeless gods of wood and stone by persecuting and
trying to destroy the children of the one true and living God.
The God they should have been seeking all along.
Now we are approaching the seventh and
final announcement which is God's final and complete judgment
against the enemies of the Christians. When this judgment has
been concluded, it will be finished and those who live in the Roman
Empire and are the enemies of righteousness will have no more
opportunity to repent.
we will see in this interlude between the 6th and 7th announcement
that there comes a time when God no longer warns the unrighteous.
He has said all he is going to say, has given all the warnings He's
going to give and has given them up to their vile lifestyles and
going to let them suffer the consequences of their choices. We
see this attitude in God on a personal level directed at individuals
in Romans 1:18-32 but now it is seen on a much larger scale as the
entire Roman Empire is given over to suffer the consequences of
their unrighteousness.
In this interlude between the sixth and
seventh trumpets, we will see four main things in John's vision.
- The unutterable thunders, Revelation
10:1-7
- The little book, Revelation 10:8-11
- The measuring of the Temple,
Revelation 11:1-2
- The two witnesses, Revelation 11:3-13
Revelation 10:1
"And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven,
arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his
face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire"
This word cloud or clouds occurs in the New Testament twenty seven times
in the KJV. In
all but a few usages, it is used in some relation to deity or of a
divine appearance, often in judgment. Being arrayed in a cloud means
this messenger is coming on a divine mission relating to judgment.
This angel shares some of the attributes given to Jesus with his
face as the sun and feet as pillars of fire. This angel being
thus described is indicative of strength and the importance of his
mission. Clouds and fire are symbols of judgment and the sun
is the symbol of light which represents righteousness. This angel is of a similar rank as the angel seen earlier in
Revelation 5:2 where we read of the strong angel asking who was
worthy to open the book and loose the seven seals. Inspiration
does not tell us whether this is the same angel seen earlier or by
what name he is identified. All we know is that he is strong
enough to make the declaration that is forthcoming.
The
rainbow is symbolic of God's everlasting covenant taken from the
rainbow seen in the clouds after the great flood. The bearer
of this message from heaven is wearing God's covenant with mankind
upon his head, meaning that it is at the head or forefront of all
messengers from the throne. What is getting ready to come when
the seventh trumpet sounds is terrible indeed but the righteous see
that God's covenant is there in a prominent place where it can be
seen by all.
Revelation 10:2
"and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right
foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth"
In this part of the vision, the strong angel was holding a "little
book" in his hand. The Greek word for these two words is "biblaridion",
a diminutive of "biblion". This word could be
translated as the single word "booklet" and be perfectly
accurate. Books have been established in this series of
visions as the figurative means which God used to express Himself.
Certainly we know that these are not literal books with binding,
paper and ink. In the first century this would likely have
been a scroll. This little book or scroll is figurative for a
message and with the book being open, it is obviously a message
which was intended to be revealed to John. This is a
continuation of the vision where Jesus Christ unsealed the scroll
containing the ultimate fate of the enemies of Christianity.
This little book is a part of the message already unsealed by the
Son of God.
This angel with his right foot upon the sea
and his left foot upon the earth simply means the whole earth.
The message contained within the little book is therefore directed
at the inhabitants of the all the earth.
Revelation 10:3
"and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he
cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices."
Lions represents
great strength, boldness and
bravery. The voice of this angel was powerful, bold and was
accompanied by the voices of the seven thunders. The number
seven
represents the totality or completeness associated with God's
authority on the earth. Thunder signifies authority, power and
volume and often is associated with a message from the divine.
This voice thundering with the voice of the angel can only mean a
direct response from the throne of God. All the messages to
man originate from the throne but this one is given special notice
in order to signify the authority and importance of it.
Revelation 10:4
"And when the seven thunders uttered (their voices), I was about
to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things
which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."
John heard what the voices of thunder revealed but was commanded to
refrain from recording this message. Scripture teaches that
there comes a time when sinners are given over to suffer the
consequences for their actions. Hymaneaeus and Alexander were
disfellowshipped by Paul in order that they repent. Paul
instructed the Christians in Corinth to do the same with the man who
was in sexual sin with his father's wife. The objective in
both cases was so that they would repent. They were given over
to their sin in order to suffer the full consequences of it in their
lives. There are no more warnings, there are no more
exhortations. The sinners were withdrawn from and left to face
the ravages of sin alone.
I remember as a young spirited boy growing
up the times when my misbehavior pushed my father over the limit.
The time was not appropriate for punishment but I could tell from
his stony silence that his mind was made up and at his earliest
convenience, I was going to receive correction. The warnings
which were few to begin with utterly stopped and when I looked at
him I was met with a ice cold stony silent glare that boded ill for
me. It was at these times when contemplating my forthcoming
immediate fate that I considered my actions and my predicament.
The thunder of my father's anger was apparent in his silence.
There is something about a father's grim irresolute silence that is
quite disturbing to a child. As long as the child is being
corrected, he feels somewhat secure in the knowledge that Dad is
still working with him. But when that stops and nothing but
silence is forthcoming then an attentive child knows he has gone too
far. It was during these times that I tried the hardest to be
on my best behavior. I knew that my only remaining chance to
avoid disaster was immediate and total surrender and impeccable
obedience.
The Roman Empire had gone too far.
God sent earthquakes, famines, diseases, violent weather and vicious
enemies in an effort to get them to repent from their
unrighteousness. They rebelled against God's authority,
insisted on worshipping their own gods and persecuted His children
until He had enough. Everything God had done had not produced
any change in their behavior and He was done talking to them about
it. There was plenty more He could say, but like an earthly
father who has put up with all he's going to, it will be
communicated in the actions soon to come. What a horrible
thought it should be to an erring Christian to think that God had
given up on him. It is no different for an unbeliever.
When God gives up on them, talking is over, the last opportunity to
repent is at hand and they better avail themselves of it. The
wrath of our God is far worse and much longer lasting the wrath of
an earthly father. The judgment is final and the punishment is
eternal.
John knew what the thunders revealed but
was commanded to keep it to himself. The utterances of the
thunders were carried unwritten to John's grave. We will never
know this side of heaven exactly what those thunders said, but we
can be assured it was serious indeed. The implication of
receiving no more warnings from God is serious enough in and of
itself to speak volumes to anyone left who might listen.
Sometimes it's the things not said that speak the loudest.
Revelation 10:5
"And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the
earth lifted up his right hand to heaven,"
It is one's right hand that mankind today raises to swear oaths such
as to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in a
court of law.
Revelation 10:6
"and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the
heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things
that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that
there shall be delay no longer"
The angel seen standing on the earth with his right hand lifted
in a solemn display swears an oath by Jesus Christ, the one who
lives for ever and ever (Hebrews 7:24-25), who created the heaven
and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that
are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein (Ephesians
3:9, Colossians 1:16). The swearing of oaths was a big thing in old
testament times. The swearing of an oath was the invoking of a
curse upon one's self if one has not spoken the truth (Matthew
26:74), or if one fails to keep a promise (1 Samuel 19:6; 20:17; 2
Samuel 15:21; 19:23). It played a very important part, not only in
lawsuits (Exodus 22:11; Leviticus 6:3,5) and state affairs, but also
in the dealings of everyday life (Genesis 24:37; 50:5; Judges 21:5;
1 Kings 18:10; Ezra 10:5). In new testament times, the
swearing of oaths by man is prohibited by divine commandment, "Again,
ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not
forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I
say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the
throne of God nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither
shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white
or black" (Matthew 5:33-36). A literal angel did not stand
on the earth with one foot in the seas and one foot on land and lift
his right hand and swear and oath on the name of Jesus Christ.
The image here is to illustrate the solemn seriousness of the next
phrase.
"that there shall be delay no longer"
Time was up. Judgment which had been partial and scattered
over the Roman Empire at different periods of time was now going to
be total. The Roman Empire was reduced to a mere shadow of
what she once was and was about to be utterly destroyed and would
never ever again rise to power. Today there are no more
Caesars or crested Roman soldiers. There are no more temples
built to worship the Roman Emperors and the other various pagan gods
so prevalent in their culture. The shining magnificent cities
are lay in ruins, the powerful legions of soldiers only march in the
pages of history now. This is a grim testament to the utter
and total finality of God's judgment. The Roman Empire did fall and they had
no one to blame but themselves.
Revelation 10:7
"but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to
the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets."
The seventh angel with the trumpet has not yet sounded but when he
does, the mystery of God will be finished. The Romans had no
idea why their empire was crumbling about them. The
workings of God in opposition to their unrighteousness was a
complete mystery to them because they refused to repent and turn to
righteousness. The Christians knew what was going on.
They had the good news of the gospel given to them. The
mystery of God was the plan of redemption and the promise of eternal
life for the faithful (Colossians 1:26-27), once delivered to his
apostles and servants (Jude 3), now is almost finished and will be
completed when the seventh angel sounds. This reference to the
good tidings being completed is linked to the Book sealed with the
seven perfect seals, the book that contained the coming of
righteousness, followed by the influence of Satan and the steps
progressing up to the rise of the great persecution and now with the
little book at the end, we see the final chapter about to close on
this greatest earthly enemy the Christians had ever known.
The good tidings in the view of the
oppressed Christians is of course the victory they will achieve from
their perseverance in Christ. This was good tidings indeed for
them, especially in view of what is about to come chapter 11.
The oppressed Christians are going to need all the reassurance they
can get because the persecution was yet to get so bad that the
enemies of righteousness thought they had successfully stamped out
Christianity forever. The battle is almost over but the worst
was yet to come.
Revelation 10:8
"And the voice which I heard from heaven, (I heard it) again
speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the
hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth."
The final chapter in the mystery of the good tidings is laying open
in the hands of the angel. John is instructed to go take that
book.
Revelation 10:9
"And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that he should give
me the little book. And he saith unto me, Take it, and eat it up;
and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be
sweet as honey."
This is the second time John was instructed
to take the book. It was not handed to him even after he asked
for it. The meaning here is that God's will is never forced on
anyone. We must reach out and take it of our own free choice
through a conscious act on our part.
The imagery of eating the book is taken
directly from Ezekiel's vision where he was similarly instructed to
take the open roll of a book and eat it
(Ezekiel 2:8-3:3). John
was to take the message contained within this
book and and ingest it into his being. He was to take this
message into his bowels and make it a part of his life. This
message of the hope of the victorious will be sweet as honey in his
mouth but the message of the fate of the enemies of righteousness
will be bitter and hard to deal with. The Psalmist wrote, "Horror
hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law"
(Psalms 119:53). The good tidings of this final message for
the righteous was honey in his mouth but the horrors it contained
for the unrighteous was bitter and would make him sick. The
application for us today is that while the good news of the gospel
message is wondrous for us, it contains a very different message for
the unrighteous. The horrors that will be the eternal fate of
the enemies of the cross should make us sick to our souls. God
was willing to sacrifice the life of His only Son in order to give
people an opportunity to escape this horrible fate. What
should we today be willing to sacrifice in order to help fulfill
this great purpose?
Revelation 10:10
"And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it
up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it,
my belly was made bitter."
John took the book and did as instructed which resulted in the
bittersweet taste promised him. The reception and
comprehension of God's word is indeed sweet to the ears of the
saints but fraught with bitterness of spirit in its condemnation of
sinners and the declaration of the consequences awaiting the
disobedient.
Revelation 10:11
"And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples
and nations and tongues and kings."
While the fate of the enemies of Christianity is impending, John's
job is not yet complete. He is going to prophecy much more and
over many nations and people of the earth. Being only half way
through the Revelation it is easy to see what is being said here.
Following the seventh trumpet announcement, John immediately starts
over with the radiant woman which was the nation of Israel bringing
forth the Messiah. The whole saga we are now nearing the
conclusion of, repeats itself, but with different visions and a lot
more detail. In Homer Hailey's commentary, it is stated that
the rest of the Revelation from chapters 11 thru 20 is the message
within the little book. I see no reason why this cannot be the
case.
Summary Paraphrase:
Revelation 10
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, robed in a
cloud, with God's covenant with man over his head like a rainbow.
His face was bright and shining like the sun, and his feet carried
the judgment of God like pillars of fire. He carried a message
in a small open book in his hand for me to see. He set his
right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and stood over
the whole earth. Then he shouted with a loud voice like the
roaring of a lion; and when he had finished, the seven thunders gave
voice and uttered their message in distinct words. And when
the seven thunders had spoken, I was going to write down what they
said, but then I heard a voice from heaven saying, "do not reveal
what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!"
Then the mighty angel whom I had seen stationed on sea and land
raised his right hand to the sky and swore in the name of Him
Who lives forever and ever, Who created the heavens and all they
contain, and the earth and all that it contains, and the sea and all
that it contains. He vowed that no more time would pass and
there would be no more delay. But when the days come when the
trumpet call of the seventh angel is about to be sounded,
God's secret design and hidden purpose as He had announced in the
gospel to His servants the prophets, shall be completed and
accomplished.
Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying,
Go and take the little book containing the last message which is
open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the
land. So I went up to the angel and asked him to give me the
little book. And he said to me, Take it and consume its message into
your very being. It will be as sweet as honey in your mouth
but in your bowels it will be bitter. So I took the message in
the little book from the angel's hand and consumed it and made it
part of my life and its message was as sweet as honey in my mouth,
but deep down inside it sickened me to my soul.
Then it was said to me, You are to make a fresh prophecy concerning
these many peoples and races and nations and languages and kings.
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