A thorough study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show his servants things which must shortly come to pass. (Rev. 1:1)
Welcome to our study of the Revelation of Jesus Christ given unto Apostle John.
I am Phillip Smith, your host and fellow servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As we continue our study in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as given to John, we begin in chapter 10.
We have completed six of the seven trumpet’s calls. In between the sixth and last trumpet, one with great authority over both land and sea appeared. In his hand was a little book which caused the one with authority to cry. When he cried, ‘seven’ ‘thunders’ spoke.
Let us read: Rev. 10:1-4. 10 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
A mighty angel–one with authority. His description is clothed with a cloud. God visited His children Israel in a cloud. This angel is clothed in a cloud representing a very high dignity or one of very high position in the servants of God–angels. He has been described as a ‘mighty’ angel. Upon his head was a rainbow. In Revelation 4:3 we see a rainbow around the throne of God. This angel was of the most high servants of God who assembled around the throne. In Revelation 8:2 we have seen these seven angels which stand before God. Perhaps it is one of these angels bringing this message before John. With a face ‘as it were’ the sun, he is filled with ‘light’--righteousness. He gives off ‘rays of light’ ‘as it were’ righteousness. With feet as ‘pillars of fire’ he had authority to do as directed by the power of God. It is upon this pillar he stood firm in his duty.
In the hand of this angel is a book. We do not know what is written in the book. However, it has within it collectively, aloof what it is to contain. With it, standing upon both land and sea, this angel has all authority over land and sea to disclose at the proper time the contents of the book. His crying out is an indication he is ready to proclaim the contents of the book for all to hear. However, his voice seems to be drowned by the seven ‘thunders’ louder voices such that not all could hear the voice of the angel. It was meant to not allow anyone to know the contents of the book at the present time. John was told not to write what he had heard.
Rev.10:5-6. 5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
This angel was declaring for time, as we know it, and for the earth and everything upon it, to be no longer. It was time for the destruction of all the physical things God had made. His authority to declare this was by authority of God–he lifted up his hand to heaven, (vs. 5) This is symbolic of whom he had authority to do. God gave him the power to call time to an end. The angel would call for time no longer at the conclusion of the events written in the little book.
Rev. 10:7. 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
The seventh trumpet will sound at its proper time. With its sounding, all the mystery of God is finished. All mankind will know that mystery which the prophets declared. Even the mystery the Apostle Paul tried to tell the Gentiles in his letters. In the end of time for the existence of the earth, all things will be disclosed to mankind–whether righteous saints or unrighteous ‘lost’ souls. The righteous–’sheep’ will go to heaven; the lost ‘goats’ will be separated to go to hell for all eternity.
Rev. 10:8-11. 8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 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 as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
The general thought here is that mankind wants to know about the future, however, the knowledge of the future may not be a pleasant knowledge. Things of the future may be bitter and grievous. If man knows something grievous is in his future, he may become depressed and try to have it made different. God does not want man to do for Him grudgingly or of necessity. God desires man to accept Him lovingly no matter the consequences knowing God will forgive mistakes we commit and repent of.
If the book represents the ‘Book of Life’, knowing your name is not written there might cause great consequences to the man’s life here on earth.
Vs. 11. The prophet John is to take the knowledge of the contents of the book and continue to prophesy ‘before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings’. The prophet, knowing the contents of the book, fully understands the judgment of God upon mankind. With this information, the prophet finds it a more earnest obligation to warn mankind of the pending doom for the unrighteous. His commission is more plain.
