The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – Chapter 10
I. Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Rev 1
II. Things Which Are – The Church Age – Rev 2-3
III. Things Which Are To Come – Rev 4-22
A. The Throne Of God – Rev 4
B. The Seven Seals Book – Rev 5
C. The First Six Seals Are Opened – Rev 6
D. The Sealing Of The Saved – Rev 7
E. The Lamb Opens The Seventh Seal – Rev 8
The First Four Trumpets Sound
1st trumpet – upon earth – fire – Rev 8:7
2nd trumpet – upon the sea – fiery mountain – Rev 8:8
3rd trumpet – upon the rivers and waters – burning star – Rev 8:10
4th trumpet – upon the heavens – sun, stars darkened – Rev 8:12
F. Sounding of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets – Rev 9
5th trumpet – 1st Woe – Locust – Rev. 9:1
6th trumpet – 2nd Woe – Great Army – Rev. 9:13
G. The Little Book – Rev 10
Rev 10:1-3 (NASB) “I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.”
1. The appearance of a strong angel out of heaven – Rev 10:1-3
a. He is clothed with a cloud – v. 1
b. He has a rainbow upon his head – Gen 9:12-15
Gen 9:12-15 “God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
c. His face is as the sun
d. His feet are as pillars of fire
2. The actions of the strong angel – v. 2
a. He holds in his hand a little open book –
b. He stands with his right foot upon the sea
c. He stands with his left foot upon the land
d. He cries with a loud voice – 3
- as a lions roar
- seven peals of thunder utter their voices
Rev 10:4 (NASB) “When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don't write it down."
3. The sealing of the seven peals of thunder – v. 4
a. John hears the seven peals of thunder speak
b. John is about to write what he heard
c. John hears a voice from heaven saying:
- “Seal up what the seven peals of thunder have spoken”
- “Do not write them”
*Judgments so terrible men cannot comprehend it or receive it?
*Judgments so awesome Satan cannot imitate it?
John is muzzled! He is instructed not to write what he hears. Here is proof God knows more than you!
Don’t crave to know all the hidden things of God! Trust him that he will take care of all things. Aren’t there some things you keep hidden from your little children...for their sake? God is purposefully holding back what is going to happen.
How much worse can it get! Maybe God hides some things just so they’ll be a blessing later?
Deu 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”
Rev 10:5-7 (NASB) “Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and 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 will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.”
4. The Mighty Angel standing on the sea and the land – v. 5-7
a. Lifts his right hand to heaven
Many people make an oath by the raising of their right hand. Here the Mighty Angel raises his hand to make an oath. But men are instructed not to make oaths:
Mat 5:34-37 (NASB) "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.”
The reason we are instructed not to make oaths is because we do not keep them for one reason or another.
However, God and his heavenly hosts can make oaths:
Heb 6:13-14 (NASB) “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."
b. Makes a vow to carry out judgment
-by Him who lives forever
-by Him who created heaven and the things in it
-by Him who created the earth and the things in it
-by Him who created the sea and the things in it
c. The time of the judgment – “delay no longer” – NOW
-in the days of the seventh angel
-when the seventh angel is about to sound
-when the mystery of God be finished
-as he preached to His servants the prophets
The Mysteries
The "mysteries of the kingdom" (Matt. 13:11)
Mat 13:11 (NASB) Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”
The “mystery of Israel's blindness” (Rom. 11:25)
Rom 11:25-26 (NASB) “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
The “mystery of the Rapture” (1 Cor. 15:51-52)
1Co 15:51-52 (NASB) “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
The "mystery of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:7-12)
2 Th 2:7-12 (NASB) “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
The "mystery of Christ" (Eph. 3:4)
Eph 3:4-7 (NASB) “By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
The "mystery of Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:25-32)
Eph 5:25-32 (NASB) “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
The “mystery of Christ hidden from past ages and generations” and the “mystery of Christ in the believer” (Col. 1:25-27)
Col 1:25-26 (NASB) “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The “mystery of godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16)
1 Tim 3:16 (NASB) “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh,Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.”
The “mystery of God’s wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:6-9)
1Co 2:6-9 “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
The “mystery of God’s knowledge” (Col. 2:1-3)
Col 2:1-3 (NASB) “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The “mystery of God” (Rev 10:7)
Rev 10:8-11 (NASB) “Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land. So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey." I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they *said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
5. Instructions to John – Rev 10:8-11
a. John hears a voice from heaven – v. 8
-go take the book which is open
-from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and land
b. John goes and takes the book – v. 9
-the angel speaks to him
-take and eat it (the book)
-it will be sweet in your mouth
-it will make your stomach bitter
c. John eats the book – v. 10
-it was as sweet as honey in his mouth
-it made his stomach bitter
This is also a vivid picture of Truth. It is pleasant to the taste, then once fully digested it brings heaviness!
Sweet – God’s wrapping things up, & His Kingdom is coming!
Bitter - But there 1st will have to be much bloodshed & more beasts, & bowls, & battles to come.
John could not take a mere academic interest in the Revelation...it upset him! I think its normal then when we are reading the OT & run across the wars & slaying of men, women, & children, to be upset.
d. John is spoken to – v. 11
- Prophesy again
- concerning many peoples
- concerning many nations
- concerning many tongues
- concerning many kings
The idea is to devour the book, devour the contents. And we sometimes use that term, "Well, he really devoured that book." In reading it, glorious what is going to be, glorious when the kingdom comes, glorious when Christ lays claim to that which he purchased, but the bitterness is the awful convulsions that the earth will have to go through before the kingdom comes. So, when you read the things that took place when the seals were broken, the judgments that came upon the earth, that is a bitter pill, but the sweetness of course is the hope of that kingdom when it is established. The fact that He has taken His power and now reigns.
Then he said unto John your job is not over, “You must prophesy again before many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings."
