This morning, we have the privilege of working our way through Revelation 10. This is a great chapter. I really enjoyed studying it, and wrestling with it. But it caused me all kinds of fits, because it's a chapter that can't be understood by itself. Until you hear the OT echoes, and understand how this chapter interacts with the OT, it's a chapter that refuses to give up its treasure.
There are three separate things we have to keep in mind as we read Revelation 10.
The first, and most important, is Daniel 12. Our passage today won't make any real sense at all, if we haven't read Daniel 12. [Revelation 10 is like a picture on our wall, that has to be framed by Daniel 12].
The second, is parts of Ezekiel 2 and 3.
The third, is how Jesus was described earlier in the book of Revelation.
And the really tricky part about all of this, is all three of these things are adapted in Revelation 10, to create something new. So we are supposed to see the similarities, and the connections. But we are also supposed to note the differences, because it's the differences that unlock Revelation 10.
So there's a lot of things we need to juggle. It's a lot to teach. It's a lot to listen to. But we will all do our best :)
Since we can't really do anything in Revelation today apart from Daniel 12, let's just start there (RSV for a small reason).
I'll stop three or four places, to highlight three or four things. There are things in here I'm not at all sure how to explain. I don't have the answers, for sure. But I can point out three or four things:
12 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
VERSE 4:
4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
We read here that there is a scroll/book, sealed, until the time of the end. That's the first thing we need to see.
Verse 5:
5 Then I Daniel looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.
This doesn't seem like a big point, but see the two angels here, spanning the stream. One on one side, and one on the other. This is important.
6 And I[a] said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be accomplished.
Here, we see our third key link. A third angel raises his hands toward heaven, and swears an oath by the one living forever that it will be a time, two times, and half a time until the end of these wonders.
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
The angel here refuses to answer Daniel's question, sort of. Daniel is told, for a second time, that the words of the scroll will be sealed up until the time of the end.
10 Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined (Revelation 7); but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
Now that Daniel 12 is firmly fixed in our minds, hopefully, we can flip back to Revelation.
Over the last two weeks, we worked our way through Revelation 8 and 9. We saw six of the seven trumpets, sounded by six of the seven angels. In these judgments, we saw one third of lots of things burned or destroyed-- the earth, trees, sea creatures, ships. A third of the waters were turned to wormwood, and lots of people died. A third of the sun and moon were darkened, and the days became a third shorter. And then, the trumpets unleashed two terribly demonic things. The first, in 9:1-11, was a swarm of mutant locusts, with a woman's hair, armored chests, stingers in their tails, ruled by a king named Apollyon. And then, four dark angels were released, and these angels turned into a vast army of mounted troops, with horses that shoot out flames, and sulphur, and smoke, who had tails like snakes.
All of it is like something out of a horror movie. Chapter 9 then ends on a dark note-- and this, is where I want to pick things up. Revelation 9:20-21:
(20) and the rest of the people-- the ones not killed by/from these plagues-- didn't repent from the works of their hands,
so that they didn't worship/bow down to the demons and the idols-- the gold, and the silver, and the bronze,
and the stone, and the wooden [ones]--
which neither are able to see ["to see" is focused], nor to hear, nor to walk,
(21) and they didn't repent from their murders, nor from their witchcraft/magic, nor from their sexual immorality, nor from their stealing.
We should see two things here. The first, is that God's goal in all of these trumpets, isn't simply to punish. God isn't just repaying people for their evil, and giving them what they deserve. God's goal here, is repentance, and salvation (h/t Craig Koester).
At the same time, and this is the second thing we should see, the trumpets aren't effective (h/t Craig Koester, and Ian Boxall). The ones dwelling on the earth have seen everything around them fall apart through the first six trumpets. No aspect of life is untouched; God's wrath is visible everywhere. And they respond, by continuing to live their normal life. They worship the same idols, the same demons. They murder. They steal. Nothing's changed.
When we look at the world of Revelation 8-9, people look hopelessly wicked. And if we read this, and then look back at our own world, we maybe feel the same. Right? Jesus may as well return, because everyone is hard-hearted, and nothing will change that. We find ourselves thinking that now, surely, the seventh trumpet will sound, and everything will come to its end. It might as well, because nothing will ever change.
But it's at this point that Revelation surprises us, for a second time. Just like the seven seals were interrupted in chapter 7 by a two-part interlude, so too the seven trumpets are interrupted by a two-part interlude. Before we get to the seventh trumpet, we read about John being commissioned for a second time, to again prophesy. And then, in chapter 11, we will read about the two witnesses prophesying. And the end of everything-- the seventh trumpet-- won't take place until after John and the two witnesses prophesy.
Now, in a perfect world, we would work through Revelation 10 and 11 together, in one sitting. They interpret each other, and are meant to be heard together. But there's no way I could pull that off. So this week, it's chapter 10 only.
So chapter 9 ends with humans being stubborn, and refusing to repent. Things look hopeless. And it's into this hopelessness, that a remarkable angel enters our view in Revelation 10 (and it's into this, that the interludes speak). Let's start by reading through verse 7. And as we read, try to keep Daniel 12 in the back of your mind:
(1) and I saw another mighty angel, [Revelation 5:2]
descending from heaven,
having been clothed in a cloud, [Revelation 1:7; cf. Daniel 7:13; Psalm 104:3]
and the rainbow [was] upon/over his head,
and his face [was] like the sun, [Revelation 1:16]
and his feet [were] like pillars of fire, [Revelation 1:15]
and having in his hand a little scroll having been opened,
and he set/put his right foot upon the sea [Daniel 12:5, adapted].
Now, his left [foot] upon the earth, [Daniel 12:5, adapted]
(3) and he cried out with a great voice/sound, [Revelation 1:15]
as a lion roars, [Revelation 5:5]
and when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded/spoke their own voices/sounds,
(4) and when the seven thunders sounded/spoke, I was about to write,
and I heard a voice/sound from heaven saying,
"Seal up what the seven thunders spoke/sounded,
and don't, them, write, [this is another situation where what's focused is ambiguous, but something is going on; Runge thinks "them" is focused; I'd want to say "write"],
(5) and the angel who I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth raised his right hand toward heaven, [Daniel 12:7]
(6) and he swore by The One Living for Ever 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 delay, there will no longer be [here again, what's focused is ambiguous],
but in the days of the voice/sound of the seventh angel, whenever he is about to blow a trumpet-- then the
mystery [=secret plan; h/t Ian Boxall] of God is completed/finished,
as He proclaimed the good news to ("gospeled to") his own slaves-- the prophets--
Let's ease our way into these verses, by comparing them with Daniel 12. In Daniel, 12, we saw a sealed scroll (Daniel 12:4, 9). We saw two angels, one on each side of a river (Daniel 12:5). And we saw a third angel raise his arms toward heaven, and swear by the One Who Lives forever, that there would be a delay spanning a time, two times, and half a time (Daniel 12:7). This period of time will be a rough one for God's people-- there will be great anguish (Daniel 12:1), and all of their power will be shattered (Daniel 12:7). During this time, "many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined" (Daniel 12:10; Revelation 3:4?; Revelation 7:14?). And the fact that it's 3 1/2 "times," tells us that it's not forever. At some point, the suffering of God's people will end.
When we compare this to Revelation, the similarities pop off the page [2 posters showing similarities and differences in picture form would be great here]. In Revelation 10, the three angels, have all been merged into one (h/t Mitchell Reddish, who rescued me in all of this). The strong angel puts one foot on the sea, and the other on the land. He raises his right hand, and swears by the one who lives forever, and what does he swear?
That the time of the delay is finished [and the fact that this is focused in Greek, shows that everything builds up to this]. Daniel had been told that God's secret plan was sealed up, pushed off, and delayed. That the suffering and shattering wouldn't continue forever.
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A note on "delay":
The KJV translates "chronos" woodenly as "time," which could lend itself to the idea that time at this point disappears, and we are now dealing with "eternity" (and a few commentators note that this idea has worked its way into several songs Christians sing). Three things work against this translation. The first, is to note that "chronos" often has the sense of "delay" (BDAG). The second, is that the word here points back to Revelation 2:21, where a church is given "time/delay" in order that it would repent from its sexual immorality. Basically, Jesus has delayed coming in judgment, and delayed the full unfolding of God's plan, but the period of delay is done. The third thing that works against understanding it as "time," is that this is part of a point-counterpoint set. There will no longer be "delay," BUT RATHER the seventh angel will usher in the completion of God's secret plan, when the seventh trumpet is blown.
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And now, at this point, the delay has come to its end. The seal is opened, and God's secret plan is coming to its fulfillment.
So what these verses are teaching, is that this is it. We are living in the time of the sixth trumpet (h/t Ian Boxall), and at any moment ("whenever"), the seventh trumpet might blow. And when the seventh trumpet blows, that's that.
So for all the things that people like Hal Lindsey or Tim LaHaye get wrong about Revelation, they do serve one really valuable purpose. They help God's people understand that we are living at the very edge of time. The time of delay is done, and Jesus could come back, like a thief, at any moment (Revelation 3:3).
Now, the other thing we need to wrestle with here, is the identity of this mighty angel. Who is this angel?
In four ways, he sounds exactly like Jesus, and there's been quite a few Christians over the centuries who have decided that it actually is Jesus:
(1) The angel is clothed in a cloud, as Jesus "comes with the clouds" (Revelation 1:7).
(2) The angel's face is like the sun, like Jesus' (Revelation 1:16).
(3) His feet are like pillars of fire, whereas Jesus' feet are like bronze glowing in the furnace (Revelation 1:15).
(4) He has a booming voice, like Jesus (although lots of beings in Revelation have a "great/loud voice"; Revelation 1:15).
But at the same time, this mighty angel is still called an angel. He's a mighty angel, like the mighty angel of Revelation 5:2. And that mighty angel was obviously not Jesus.
Why would this angel so closely resemble Jesus, if he isn't Jesus?
The answer to that question is found in Revelation 1:1-2 (NRSV updated, I think, no reason):
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place, and he made it known BY SENDING HIS ANGEL to his servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
Revelation began by telling us that God had a message that He gave to Jesus. Jesus gave this message to his own personal angel. The angel, gave this message to John. And John, gives this message to us. So Revelation moves from God, to Jesus, to the angel, to John, to us. It's a five-step process.
I think the reason that this strong angel looks like Jesus, is because he represents Jesus-- he serves as Jesus' agent (h/t Ian Boxall, following Richard Bauckham and many others). So what we are seeing here, in Revelation 10, is Jesus sending his angel to John a second time.
Why?
There must be something more that Jesus wants John to know. Or maybe, there's something more that Jesus wants from John.
What?
The answer to that is found in verse 8. But before we read this, we need to have a different passage from the OT firmly fixed in our minds-- Ezekiel 2-3. Just like with the passage from Daniel 12, we are going to hear similarities with Revelation, and we will also hear a key difference. This passage, is God's commissioning of Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel (NRSV updated no reason):
2 He said to me: “O mortal,[a] stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation[b] of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ 5 Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them. 6 And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words, and do not be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
8 “But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. 10 He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
3 He said to me, “O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.
4 He said to me, “Mortal, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me, because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 See, I have made your face hard against their faces and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9 Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 He said to me, “Mortal, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears; 11 then go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
So God here commissions Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel. He gives him a scroll to eat, and those are the words that Ezekiel proclaims. The scroll is as sweet as honey, but it's filled with words of lamentation and woe.
Ezekiel's job is to proclaim these words to a stubborn and rebellious people. And God warns him, that he will be surrounded by people who will threaten him, and who will be visibly threatening. It's a tough calling, but God makes Ezekiel tough, so he can handle it.
Now let's flip back to Revelation 10, verses 8-11:
(8) and the voice/sound that I heard from heaven, again [was] speaking/sounding with me and saying,
"Go!
Take/receive the book/scroll having been opened in the hand of the angel standing upon the sea and upon the earth, [here, we find the same form of the word scroll as was in Rev. 5],
(9) and I departed toward the angel,
telling him to give to me the little scroll/book,
and he says to me,
"Take and eat/consume it,
and it will make bitter your stomach,
but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey,"
(10) and I took/received the little scroll from the hand of the angel,
and I ate/consumed it,
and it was in my mouth as sweet honey,
and when I ate/consumed it, my stomach was made bitter,
(11) and they say to me,
"You must again prophesy to/about peoples and nations and tongues/languages and many kings," [Jeremiah
25:13-14]
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A note on "to/about" peoples. "epi":
A few commentators translate this as prophesy "against" peoples, understanding this as a message of judgment.
Most commentators understand the preposition here as meaning something more like "to," or "concerning." And how we translate this makes a huge difference in interpretation.
The preposition, by itself, is open to being understood in all of these ways. "Epi" can have the sense of "against," or "to," or "concerning."
This phrase isn't found anywhere else in the NT (unsurprisingly). But it's found 27 places in the LXX (Greek OT): Amos 7:15, 16; Jeremiah 11:21; 14:14; 14:15; 23:25; 32:16; 33:12; 35:8; Ezekiel 4:7; 6:2; 11:4; 13:2, 16, 17; 20:46; 21:2; 25:2; 28:21; 29:2; 34:2; 36:1, 6; 37:4, 9; 38:2; 39:1.
Several of these are negative words of judgment, that could be translated as "against" (they are open to being translated that way): Jeremiah 32:16; 33:12; Ezekiel 4:7; 6:2; 11:4; 13:2; 13:17, but immediately following 13:16 where it means "concerning"; 34:2.
Some are extremely negative, and paired with words that lend itself to being translated "against":
Ezekiel 20:46 (LES): 45 *And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 46 *“Son of man, set your face against Teman and look intently against Darom and prophesy 'against' the forest that is before Negeb ; so also Ezekiel 25:2; 38:2; 39:1).
Some of these should be translated as "in" (Jeremiah 11:21; 14:14); prophesying "in" the name of the Lord.
Some have to be translated as "about/concerning/to," and not as against (Jeremiah 35:8; Ezekiel 13:16, where the false prophets prophesy "concerning" Jerusalem; Ezekiel 37:4, "prophesy 'concerning/to' these bones"; Ezekiel 37:9, prophesy 'to' the Spirit).
Two are extremely positive, and are messages of hope (Ezekiel 36:1, 6; reading through verse 15), best translated as "prophesy to/concerning the mountains of Israel," that God will restore them to the people of Israel, and they would be fruitful for Israel. So also Ezekiel 13:16, where the false prophets are prophesying a hopeful message 'at/concerning' Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 11:21 "You shall not prophesy 'in' in the name of the Lord; otherwise, you will die by our hands."
Jeremiah 14:14: "The prophets are prophesying lies 'in' my name."
Jeremiah 35:8: *The prophets who came before me and before you from ancient time also prophesied 'about' much land and about a kingdom great for war. (Lexham English Septuagint).
Ezekiel 13:16: "the prophets of Israel, who prophesy 'at' Jerusalem and see peace for it, and there is no peace,’ says the Lord.” ’ (LES).
The bottom line, is that the phrase by itself isn't automatically negative, or automatically a note of judgment. On several occasions, it's actually a positive message. So probably it's best to translate Revelation 10:11 with a neutral expression.
And when we look at some of the specific examples-- especially Ezekiel 13:16; 36:1, 6; 37:6-- what "epi" often seems to mean, is "toward," or "to." You prophesy 'to' the Spirit. The preposition often tells you who or what the verb is directed toward.
(11) and they say to me,
"You must again prophesy 'to' peoples and nations and tongues/languages and many kings,"
The idea isn't that there is a negative word of judgment coming. The idea is that John is given another message, and this one is for the world, as opposed to the church. John is being told who the audience is.
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There are two main differences between Ezekiel's commission, and John's. The first, and maybe the most obvious, has to do with the food qualities of the scroll. Both Ezekiel and John's scrolls are sweet like honey. But John's scroll turns his stomach bitter. It doesn't sit well.
If we dig into the imagery here, we should find ourselves asking two questions:
(1) In what way is the scroll sweet?
(2) Why does it make his stomach bitter?
We are used to the idea that God's word is sweet like honey (Psalm 119:103). It's a pleasurable experience, consuming it on a regular basis. And lots of people will tell you that the more you eat, the sweeter it tastes. Your taste buds change, over time, as you spend time in the Bible.
All of that is true, and we probably find ourselves thinking about that, and it preaches really well. But none of that is really the idea here. What John is eating, isn't simply the Bible. What he's eating, is something far more specific-- he's eating the scroll that Jesus opened. He's eating God's secret plan for the world. And in what sense is God's secret plan sweet like honey?
The day is coming when life will be much better. We, God's people Israel, will be avenged. Evil doers will be put down, and the world will become a safe place to live. And we will find ourselves joining the heavenly chorus of praise to The One seated on the throne, and the Lamb. We will celebrate their power, and love, and authority, and dominion. That's a message that tastes like honey, that's a pleasurable thing to eat.
Now, why does it turn John's stomach bitter?
There's maybe two reasons (following Ian Boxall, Revelation, 158, and many others). The first, is that it's bitter for John, because this is a message that leads to suffering. When John proclaims God's secret plan to the world, it comes with a cost. He will lose things that are important to him. He will pay a bitter price.
The second thing that makes this message bitter (and this is arguably built in to the original Ezekiel passage; Ezekiel 2:10), is the actual contents of the message. For us, God's secret plan is sweet as honey. But for those who refuse to repent, and who worship idols and demons, and murder and steal, God's secret plan is only bitter. It's a hard message that will make people angry, and cut them to the core (anticipating Revelation 11). The good news of what Jesus has accomplished, is only good news if you turn from your sins, and you bend your knee to God's throne.
Now, I said there were two main differences between Ezekiel's scroll, and John's. The first, had to do with its qualities as food. The second, has to do with the audience. Both Ezekiel and John eat God's scroll, and both scrolls contain God's plan. Both, as prophets, eat the message, internalizing it, and then both share that message.
But who is that message for?
Ezekiel was commissioned as a prophet to prophesy to Israel. He was warned that Israel was stubborn, and hard-hearted, and that this was a tough job.
Who is John commissioned to address here? Let's reread verse 11:
(11) and they say to me,
"You must again prophesy 'to'/'about' peoples and nations and tongues/languages and many kings,"
John here is given a commission to prophesy to the peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings. His message, this time, is for the world (in contrast to the first commissioning, which was to prophesy to the churches; Revelation 1:11).
So we end this chapter with John commissioned, for a second time, as a prophet. Only this time, his commissioning isn't directed (mostly) to the churches (Revelation 1:11). This time, it's directed to outsiders-- to the world.
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That's chapter 10. What do we make of it?
It's hard to read Revelation 10 in a vacuum, without reading ahead and including chapter 11. But what we see here, is that things are not yet truly hopeless. The rainbow on the mighty angel's head shows that mercy and favor are still available. The fact that the seventh trumpet doesn't simply blow, shows that there is still an opportunity for people to repent. What we are seeing, is a little window of time between the sixth and seventh trumpet blast. And it's into this window, that John is sent as a prophet for a second time. Only this time, John isn't sent to the churches (Revelation 1:11); he's sent to prophesy to the peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Now, we aren't told what it means to be a prophet, or what it means to prophesy. And so what we tend to do is fill in this gap based on what we know, or think we know, about prophecy. Many Christians tend to think of prophecy, fundamentally, as predicting the future. But this is really a small part of prophecy. In most of the Bible, prophecy happens when God speaks a word to a specific person, and this person is supposed to speak that word into a specific situation. Like, God would send Jonah with a message to Ninevah, that its evil has come up to God, and God is aware of what's going on there.
And that's what we see happening in Revelation 10. Jesus' personal angel gives John an open scroll to eat, and John (like Ezekiel) is supposed to speak the words of the scroll. And the scroll, is God's secret plan, unlocked through Jesus Christ, for the world, and for the church.
And who is John sent to prophesy toward?
The world.
When God looks at this stubborn world, He sees his own creation (Revelation 10:6). And God is not ready to simply wash his hands of it. He wants all people, across every tongue and tribe and nation, to clearly hear the truth about God, and Jesus, and sin, and salvation. What God wants, is the first interlude that we saw in chapter 7. He wants people from every nation, tongue, and tribe, coming together, and worshipping and serving him.
How can this happen? When you look at the world, you see a seemingly hopeless mix of idolatrous, murderous, thieving people. And when you look at Revelation 7, you see this beautiful picture of a vast number of people serving and worshipping God. It's a shocking contrast.
How do you get from this world, to the heavenly vision? [this would work great if I had two pictures to point to, one of the wickedness of the world, and one of all peoples worshipping in heaven].
That's John's responsibility. John is the one who will do this, as a prophet sent by Jesus' angel. John will point people to Jesus, and tell them God's plan for the world. God's plan is not supposed to still be a secret. The world is supposed to know.
At this point, what we find ourselves talking about, really, is evangelism. In the book of Revelation (an important qualifier), being a prophet, and telling people about God's plan, means telling people about Jesus.
If we cheat far ahead in Revelation, to Revelation 19:9-10 (NRSV updated, and it probably matters here), we will see that we are on the right track:
9 And the angel said[d] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus.[e] Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus[f] is the spirit of prophecy.”
"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
What exactly does this mean?
The NRSV here gives a very wooden (formally dynamic) translation, and if you don't know Greek (or aren't used to wrestling with the "of"s of an NASB or KJV), it's hard to make sense of it.
This is what it sounds like in the NLT:
For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.[d]”
The NLT is perfect here. In Revelation, prophecy is telling people about Jesus. It's proclaiming God's secret plan, unlocked through Jesus.
When church teachers like John warn you that part of God's secret plan, is that Jesus is coming to judge you, and to judge this church body, they are speaking prophetically (Revelation 1:11). Or when you see your brother or sister in Christ denying Jesus, or living a compromised life, and you lovingly, bravely, speak into that, you are speaking prophetically. All of this was John's original commissioning as a prophet, seen in chapters 2-3.
And what Revelation 10 adds to that, is when you tell outsiders about Jesus, and God's secret plan, that's another way of speaking prophetically. When you tell people about Jesus, you are speaking prophetically. You are a prophet.
So John here is commissioned, to tell the world about Jesus. That's his job, his calling.
Is this a good job? If we are honest, we probably find ourselves having mixed emotions about it. There are aspects of the gospel I'm grateful for. And there are aspects of the gospel that are more of a struggle.
When we first heard the gospel as good news, we received it with joy. It was sweet like honey, and it still is. But when we find ourselves outside of this safe space, around a people who worship idols, and are sexually immoral, and steal, and murder, God's secret plan doesn't sit very well. The thought of opening my mouth, and being a prophet like John, makes my stomach turn. It's a bitter message, because we know we might lose all kinds of things-- friendships, our jobs, our business connections. We might be slandered (Revelation 2:9). Most of us don't the bitterness as well as John, who was exiled at Patmos. We don't know it as well as Antipas, who was killed for his faithful testimony. But we know it. And Jesus' angel knows it as well. There is a cost. There is a bitterness, to testifying about Jesus.
The gospel is sweet and sour.
So when you read about John's commissioning here, you perhaps feel a bit of a pull. You picture yourself standing shoulder to shoulder with John, sent by a giant angel to tell people about Jesus.
Or maybe you find yourself breathing a little sigh of relief. It's good that churches have people like John, who Jesus sends to tell the world about himself. I'm grateful for those people, but that's not me.
At this point, it's just John being commissioned. He's all by himself, given this mission for the world. So we see him standing by himself, accepting his calling. John is willing to accept the sour aspects of the gospel. He's willing to suffer. We wonder, what can one man accomplish? If we focus on the world, and people's wickedness, and stubbornness, it might look hopeless. But what happens if we focus on Jesus' angel? If you're sent by a giant angel, who spans earth and sea, who is powerful, and who speaks with the authority of Jesus, how does it look? How does the commission feel?
If you picture this angel, you should feel some of that height, and strength, rub off on you. You find that you've grown about three feet, and gained 50 pounds of spiritual muscle. You should find yourself manning up, and getting ready for battle. Anything's possible, when you're sent by Jesus' angel.
And what we will see next week, is that John is not actually sent by himself. There are two other witnesses, given incredible power, who are also sent to prophesy to the world.
But if you want to know who these two witnesses are, and their role in all of this, you'll have to come back next week :)
Revelation 10 Translation:
(1) and I saw another strong/mighty angel,
descending from heaven,
having been clothed in a cloud,
and the rainbow upon/over his head,
and his face [was] like the sun,
and his feet [were] like pillars of fire,
and having in his hand a little scroll having been opened,
and he set/put his right foot upon the sea.
Now, his left [foot] upon the earth,
(3) and he cried out with a great voice/sound,
as a lion roars,
and when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded/spoke their own voices/sounds,
(4) and when the seven thunders sounded/spoke, I was about to write,
and I heard a voice/sound from heaven saying,
"Seal up what the seven thunders spoke/sounded,
and don't, them, write, [this is another situation where what's focused is ambiguous, but something is going
on; Runge thinks "them" is focused; I'd want to say "write"],
(5) and the angel who I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth raised his right hand toward heaven,
(6) and he swore by The One Living for Ever 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 delay, there will no longer be [here again, what's focused is ambiguous],
but in the days of the voice/sound of the seventh angel, whenever he is about to blow a trumpet-- then the
mystery of God is completed/finished,
as He proclaimed the good news to ("gospeled to") his own slaves-- the prophets--
(8) and the voice/sound that I heard from heaven, again [was] speaking/sounding with me and saying,
"Go!
Take/receive the book/scroll having been opened in the hand of the angel standing upon the sea and upon the earth, [here, we find the same form of the word scroll as was in Rev. 5],
(9) and I departed toward the angel,
telling him to give to me the little scroll/book,
and he says to me,
"Take and eat/consume it,
and it will make bitter your stomach,
but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey,"
(10) and I took/received the little scroll from the hand of the angel,
and I ate/consumed it,
and it was in my mouth as sweet honey,
and when I ate/consumed it, my stomach was made bitter,
(11) and they say to me,
"You must again prophecy to peoples and nations and tongues/languages and many kings,"
