There are 3 cycles of judgements that happen in the book of Revelation, and we are currently studying the 2nd of the 3: the trumpet judgements. We previously looked at the 6th trumpet, so you might think the next thing that happens would be the 7th trumpet - but there is actually a pause in the action the way John wrote the book.
So, chapter 10 contains a vision/prophetic experience John has, and the first part of chapter 11 contains another vision that we'll study next time, and THEN we read about the 7th trumpet in the last half of chapter 11, so we'll get there soon.
I created a sort of outline of the book to help you keep this all straight; you can receive it by signing up for the email newsletter at DevotionsWithDre.com.
Let's look at chapter 10 in the Message paraphrase first.
"I saw another powerful Angel coming down out of Heaven wrapped in a cloud. There was a rainbow over his head, his face was sun-radiant, his legs pillars of fire. He had a small book open in his hand. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land, then called out thunderously, a lion roar. When he called out, the Seven Thunders called back. When the Seven Thunders spoke, I started to write it all down, but a voice out of Heaven stopped me, saying, “Seal with silence the Seven Thunders; don’t write a word.”
Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up—that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed.
The voice out of Heaven spoke to me again: “Go, take the book held open in the hand of the Angel astride sea and earth.” I went up to the Angel and said, “Give me the little book.” He said, “Take it, then eat it. It will taste sweet like honey, but turn sour in your stomach.” I took the little book from the Angel’s hand and it was sweet honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, my stomach curdled. Then I was told, “You must go back and prophesy again over many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
Now let's read the same chapter in the NIV:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay!
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mysteryof God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, 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 it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
Now let's break it down verse by verse:
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
This angel is conveyed as very powerful and authoritative.
Some of these descriptors have been previously used for God / Jesus earlier in the book. Scholars have talked about this fact a lot - many think this angel is THE angel of God, which is a whole side tangent but long story short IS Jesus Himself.
For a deeper explanation on this, I'll link the transcript from Michael Heiser's Rev 10 episode on The Naked Bible Podcast
https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NB-378-Transcript.pdf
But in summary, this could be the Son of Man. The deity figure. It's one of the ways Jesus shows up. That's why He's robed in a cloud, accompanies by a rainbow, with a face like the sun, and His legs are fire.
BUT there's a voice from heaven in this chapter instructing John that seems separate from this figure, so why would he make it seem like two different persons if that angel is Jesus. And the voice from Heaven seems like it might be Jesus as well. So it's a bit open to interpretation. Some people feel it's Michael the archangel, who had a big roll in fighting the devil when he rebelled.
2-3 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
This angel was holding a small scroll or book, that's opened. So we see two scrolls in Rev - the one from the heavenly scene that the Lamb has been opening, and this one.
Life App Study Bible: "The purpose of this mighty angel is clear: to announce the final judgements on the earth. His right foot on the sea and left foot on the land indicate that his words deal with all creation, not just a limited part as did the seal and trumpet judgements."
If you're thinking, "but wait, we haven't read about the seventh trumpet yet, which will be the third of three woes or terrors."
Well just remember that the seventh one always unwraps the next 7. The 7th seal contained the trumpets. So the 7th trumpet is going to contain the bowls; it ushers them in.
A lot of Bible scholars look at these three sets of seven judgements as ramping up each time, like that quote I just read from the Life App Study Bible, which says the bowls are more complete judgements than the previous cycles.
So the little scroll probably has to do with judgement, staying on theme with many other scrolls in scripture.
4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
What are the seven thunders? Well they speak words, so it seems like we're to understand them as voices, or a voice.
We know a voice like thunder is a common metaphor for the voice of God. So this might be God Himself speaking, and John's sevenfold description of it could be bc the subject matter here is very definitive and important and authoritative, and that it's God's Spirit which is often described in the Bible as a seven-fold Spirit.
God's voice being thunder throughout scripture: https://readingacts.com/2020/05/07/what-are-the-seven-thunders-in-revelation-10/
John is disallowed from sharing the contents of this scroll. I take this to probably mean that we are not meant to know ahead of time every detail of the end.
The OT prophetic book Daniel ends with a similar occurrence. Daniel asks God for understanding about some things, and the reply is, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand..." and it goes on. So we see this loving limiting of info - God can handle more than we can - and also this emphasis on making sure you're living God's way - holy, purified, refined. Those are the people who get heavenly understanding, even if all our specific curious questions aren't answered as immediately as we'd like.
Jesus preached about the end times in Mark 13. This is what He says in verses 32-35:
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
In a way we see the same to points emphasized here that we saw in Daniel 12, and in Rev 10: 1) You're not gonna know all the timeline details 2) The important thing to do is stay right with God, above all else in life
5-7 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
The "mystery of God" that's going to be accomplished here, or as the NASB puts it "God's mysterious plan will be fulfilled," is the setting right of all things. This means evil is dealt with once and for all, and Christ is fully exalted and proven as Lord to everybody, there's no argument about it any more.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
Again, whose voice is it instructing John in this verse? To me it seems like this is the Voice from Rev 1:10 and 4:1 - Jesus Himself.
Why is it important that the Lord directs this prophetic act? Bc of the Jewish protocol around prophets - you don't just decide to become a prophet; the Lord has to directly commission you into it. So John is honoring that prophetic tradition here with the inclusion of the direct instruction, the commissioning if you will, to take on the role of a prophet in this scene.
The angel holding this scroll hands it to John. Epic movie moment.
9-10 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
Hmmm what's going on here? We're eating scrolls, what are we to make of this? I wonder if there's any OT precedent for this type of thing, oh look! there is.
Ez 3: And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
But the later in the chapter when Ezekiel goes to pronounce judgement, it says he goes with bitterness and anger inside of him. It was the sweet life-giving truthful word of God that he took in, but then it soured inside of his stomach because there was a necessary judgement consequence involved.
The word of the Lord is sweet to people like Ezek and John and us believers, but it's also a sick-to-the-stomach feeling to have to know the truth that judgement on wicked people is going to be a real thing. If you love people the way God does / the way we're called to, it shouldn't make you giddy to know what's going to happen. It's a really sobering thing to have God's word and find life in Him. There's a knowing about some heavy realities in the state and future of humankind.
11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
We see here that this prophetic message John is to carry is not just about Jewish people, not just about the Roman Empire exclusively - it's about MANY peoples, nations, languages, etc. Makes sense bc look at who participates in cheering Jesus on as He brings fair judgement to this corrupted earth! In 5:13 it's "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth" that means everybody. The message of Jesus is for everybody.
Bible Ref .com says this: "This is the "bitterness" of preaching a "sweet" gospel to the world: knowing that those who reject God will face His terrible wrath. As part of that bitter obligation, John is required to continue to deliver prophecy about many different things."
Do you ever feel like this in your own life? We carry this message but the people we care about don't always want to hear it, or it makes them really mad that God would "demand loyalty" or tell them how to live their life or want worship, some ppl think God is narcissistic for that.
And those of us who have experienced the altruistic love of the Father are like man I wish you knew - that's the holy burden we carry.