In studying the book of Revelation, we find that the first nine chapters bring us almost to the middle of the Revelation, or to the 50-yard line. And now, it is time for mankind to receive a message from a “mighty” angel. That message is described as something sweet to the mouth but bitter to the stomach. It will be a message of God’s unsurpassed love for mankind, but it will also be a message foretelling the consequence of man’s continued rebellion against God.
In VERSE 1, we read,
“Then, I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun; his legs were like fiery pillars …”
The word ‘angel’ in this verse is from the Greek word ‘aggelos’, which means ‘messenger.’ Who is this ‘mighty angel’? Some believe it is Jesus Christ, because his description is similar to the glorious description used to describe Jesus in chapter 1:12-16. Also, because this angel brings light into the darkness found in chapter 9.
I do not think this is Jesus, though, for several reasons. First, because it is not His time to come to the earth. If the angel were Jesus, how could He lift up his arms in verse 5 and swear an oath to himself? Also, the Bible tells us that Jesus is higher than the angels. He has never before appeared as an angel, so He would not lower Himself to that of an angel now. Therefore, I think it is a godly messenger, or an angel, who brings a message, in the form of a little scroll, which was already opened.
VERSE 2 (a)
“ … and he had a little scroll opened in his hand…”
I have done a lot of research on why it specifically says ‘little scroll’ and found that there are many different suggestions as to what that means. Some say it refers to the actual size of the scroll, while others think it might have to do with the message inside being shorter than longer.
Others think that by indicating the word “small”, it means there is not much time left. Still, others think that it is being referred to as “small” because instead of dealing with a variety of subjects, it only deals with one or two subjects.
The truth is, we will find many times it the Bible, and especially here in Revelation 10, that we just don’t know as much as we like to about the things of God, so we have to simply say that if it is from God, it is a good things whether we understand it or not.
The fact that the scroll was already opened means John was able to see it and know what was written in it.
VERSE 2 (b)
“He put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land…”
In every Scripture where right and left are differentiated, the right is invariably associated with divine blessings and acceptance, while the left is associated with curses and rejection.
So it might be that with his left foot on the land, it represents the Godly rejection of Israel due to her continued rebelliousness, and the right foot on the sea might be showing the divine opportunity that was given to the Gentiles in Israel’s place.
VERSE 3
“... and he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices.”
The lion is the supreme animal in the wilderness. When he roars, it is very loud and strikes awe and fear into everything that hears that sound. In this verse, since we are not told what the mighty angel says, it might be that we are to focus on the authority of the delivery right now and not so much the message that is being delivered. The authority he shows would surely be seen that he is from God.
We are not told specifically what the “seven thunders” were, but some say they are elders from heaven who come together to proclaim the authority of the message. The number seven is the number of perfection, so this means that whatever the message was, it was the perfect message of God to a sinful mankind.
VERSE 4
“And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. And then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!”
John saw the message from the open scroll. And when the angel spoke as the seven thunders, John heard a voice from heaven telling him to not write it down, but to keep it sealed for the time being. And the voice John heard was not the voice of the angel, but from God Himself, directly from heaven.
VERSE 5 thru 7
“Then, the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore an oath by the One 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, saying, “There will no longer be an interval of time, but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he will blow his trumpet, then God’s hidden plan will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets.”
Lifting your hand up is the typical position when taking an oath. Remember that taking an oath is the same thing as making a covenant with God – both are unbreakable and very serious things to invoke. He swore that oath to Almighty God, who the creator of all things, and the oath he took was that there would no longer be any intervals of time, or periods of time.
In verses 6 - 7, the angel said there would not be any intervals of time. In other words, there has been enough time already for people to come to God and it is now time for God to complete His work. So, whenever he seventh angel shall blow his trumpet, it will be the end.
VERSE 8 thru 9
“Now the voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go and take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will taste as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
The command to take and eat was similar to the command given to Ezekiel in –
EZEKIEL 2:9-10
“Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
That scroll was also a “little scroll” as far as its contents. It did not elaborate on anything but the sadness of the woes to come.
REVELATION VERSE 10 - 11
“Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. And I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
John made himself acquainted with the contents of the scroll and prepared to go and proclaim the prophecy once again to the people of his time.
It was not the angel standing before John that was talking to him; again, it was a direct command from God. As far as eating the scroll, that means he is to read it, understand it, and digest its complete meaning. Since it is from God, it will be a delight to take (like honey in the mouth) but since it contains a dire warning of things that will happen very soon, it is also upsetting to his stomach, as any terrible news would be.
This news was that the end is nearly there, and many people will simply go to hell when it comes simply because they have chosen to reject Christ Jesus, just like the nation of Israel did before it received just punishment, too.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is much like the message in the little scroll. Since it is the story of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, it is sweet to hear for those who will love God, but to those who are filled with pride and refuse God’s Son, it is a bitter thing to behold.
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for more sermons on Revelation & the End Times, go to our website at -
http://www.bruceballministries.com/d_revelation_series.html
