Revelation 10:1
“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:”
Revelation 10:1
“And I saw”
- This phrase is used to introduce a new symbol or a new scene
- Revelation chapter 10 is going to describe a specific experience of God’s people
- Revelation chapter 10 is inserted between the 6th trumpet (Rev. 9) and the 7th trumpet (Rev. 11) suggesting a relationship to the trumpets
- Revelation 10 is parenthetical to the trumpets just as Revelation 7 is parenthetical to the seals (found between the 6th and 7th seals)
“another mighty angel come down from heaven”
- This is a celestial messenger
- This is not one of the seven angels with the trumpets
- This “mighty angel” matches the description of Jesus (Rev. 1:7,15,16)
- Elsewhere, Jesus is described as the archangel Michael (compare I Thess. 4:16, Jude 9, Dan. 10:13, Rev. 12:17)
- This “mighty angel” is Christ (EGW Supplements, Rev. 10)
- This angel comes down to earth from heaven
“clothed with a cloud”
- Greek “peribello” meaning to envelop or throw about
- Jesus is described as wrapped in clouds elsewhere (Dan. 7:13; Rev. 1:7, 14:14; Acts 1:9)
“a rainbow was upon his head”
- The sun (His face) plus the clouds will yield a rainbow
- See Rev. 4:3 and Ezekiel 1:26-28
“his face was as it were the sun”
- Jesus Christ is our sun (source of life and light)
- See Revelation 1:16
“his feet as pillars of fire”
- Greek “podes” means lower extremities
- His feet are described as burned brass in Revelation 1:15
Revelation 10:2
“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,”
Revelation 10:2
“And he had in his hand”
- Jesus is holding a little book in His hand
- This implies that the message of this book is important
“a little book”
- Greek “biblaridion” means “little scroll”
- Only chapter in New Testament with this word
- This little book is different (smaller) than the “biblion” or scroll in God’s hand (Rev. 5:1)
“open”
- This book is open compared to the book of Revelation chapter 5 which was sealed with 7 seals
- Historically, this book was thought to represent the book of Daniel which was shut up until the early 1800’s (end of 2300 days)
- Historically, the eating of this book has been connected to the 1844 Great Disappointment
- Historically, the eating of this book was thought to relate to the 1st angel’s message of the early 1800’s
- However, there is another application to this book which is connected to the 2nd angel’s message and the seven trumpets in the last days (which is the context for this chapter)
“right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth”
- The sea and earth represent the world as a whole (see Ex. 20:4,11; Ps. 69:34)
- This shows the worldwide proclamation of His message
- This shows His power and authority over the world
Revelation 10:3
“And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”
Revelation 10:3
“And cried with a loud voice”
- A loud voice is often associated with judgment in the book of Revelation (Rev. 5:2; 6:10; 14:7; 16:1)
“as when a lion roareth”
- Jesus is the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5)
- Jesus is announcing judgment on the world
“when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”
- This is the only chapter in the book of Revelation where the 7 thunders are mentioned
- Their message is sealed (Rev. 10:4)
- These seven thunders are a response to Jesus voice which suggests that they will occur along with the experience of this chapter
“when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”
- EGW links these thunders to the 1st and 2nd angels’ messages (EGW Supplement, Rev.10)
- The 2nd angel’s message involves the Sunday Law passage
- It appears these thunders will occur related to the trumpets and to the Sunday Law
“when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”
- The first thunder may be related to the casting down of the censer which describes thunder (Rev. 8:5)
- The last thunder is probably the 2nd Coming (Rev.11:19)
- The loud, great, or strong voices (Rev. 11:12; 14:18; 18:2,21; 19:17) may be linked to this prophecy however, this is not proven
- God’s voice announcing the 2nd Coming may be one of these thunders (see The Great Controversy, p.640)
Revelation 10:4
“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.”
Revelation 10:4
“I was about to write”
John was about to write down the messages of the seven thunders
“Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”
- John is told to seal up what he has heard and not to write them down (see Daniel 12:4)
- These messages were not for John’s day but for the time after 1798 ( EGW Supplement, Rev. 10)
- These messages will relate to the bitter-sweet experience of the last days and to the Sunday Law (2nd angel’s message)
Revelation 10:5
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,”
Revelation 10:5
“the angel which I saw stand”
- This “angel” is Jesus who is standing on the earth and sea
“lifted up his hand to heaven”
- This was done to take an oath
- This is what Jesus did for Daniel when answering his question (Dan. 12:7)
Revelation 10:6
“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:”
Revelation 10:6
“And sware by”
- Jesus now takes an oath about the future
“by him that liveth for ever and ever”
- Jesus swears by “him that liveth for ever”
- Jesus is swearing by the Living God (God the father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit)
- This is similar to Daniel 12:7
“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”
- Swearing by the Creator (Father, Son and Spirit)
- Note the similarity to Exodus 20:11 (heaven, earth and sea) which is linked to the Sabbath
- Note the connection to the 3 angels’ messages (Rev. 14:6,7) which is the last day message and is linked to the Sabbath
“that there should be time no longer”
- Historically, this phrase has been applied to the time just prior to 1844
- In 1844 they thought that time was ending
- This was thought to refer to the end of the longest time prophecy (2300 days)
- However, in the last days this can refer to the actual end of time just prior to Jesus’ 2nd Coming
Revelation 10:7
“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.”
Revelation 10:7
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel”
- These “days” are either actual days or prophetic days (years)
- The context of Revelation 10 suggests actual days since this chapter occurs during the last days after the trumpets have begun (Revelation 8 & 9)
- Also the 7th trumpet describes the 2nd Coming which will not occur over years
“the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound”
- This 7th angel is the 7th trumpet which is Jesus 2nd Coming (Rev. 11:15-19)
- This trumpet marks the climax of the great controversy
- The kingdoms of this world have “become the kingdom of our Lord” and He “shall reign” (Rev.11:15, RSV)
“the mystery of God should be finished”
- This “mystery” is the plan of salvation (Mark 4:11; Col. 2:2, 4:3; I Tim. 3:16)
- Jesus receives His kingdom (Rev.11:15) when the plan is complete
- The “mystery” of God is finished at the 2nd Coming
“as he hath declared to his servants the prophets”
- The plan of salvation is the message of His prophets
- The plan of salvation is the reason for the Scriptures
- This plan will end on time just as He predicted
Revelation 10:8
“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.”
Revelation 10:8
“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again”
- This is the same voice that told him to seal up the message of the seven thunders
“Go and take”
- John is now to act a part in the vision
“the little book”
- This book represents the book of Daniel and its messages
- The book of Daniel was partially opened in the 1830’s and 1840’s, however, the rest of the book will be opened just prior to Jesus Coming
“which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth”
- The book is here described as “open”
- This book has now been completely opened
- This book is being held by Jesus because of its importance
- Jesus is the “angel” described holding the book
“which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth”
- Standing on the sea and the earth implies the authority of this angel (Jesus): His authority is worldwide
- Also this suggests that this book will have worldwide influence
- Standing “upon” may also symbolize the judgment which is about to begin
Revelation 10:9
“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.”
Revelation 10:9
“And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.”
- John does as he was told
- John’s action in going and getting the book represents the church’s actions in seeking out the truths of the book of Daniel
- This was fulfilled in the 1840’s and will be fulfilled again just prior to the 2nd coming
“And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up”
- Eating “it up” represents taking in the message of the book of Daniel and understanding it (see Ezekiel 3:1)
“it shall make thy belly bitter”
- See Revelation 10:10
- What was sweet would turn bitter
“but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey”
- See Revelation 10:10
- It first tasted sweet as honey but not for long
Revelation 10:10
“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.”
Revelation 10:10
“And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up”
- John took the book and ate it up
- John here represents God’s people
“it was in my mouth sweet as honey”
- See Ezekiel 3:3
- Historically, the church thought that Jesus was going to return in 1844 based on Daniel 8:14 (2300 day prophecy)
- This concept was “sweet as honey”
- This turned to a bitter taste when He did not return as they predicted
“as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter”
- Historically, as soon as October 22, 1844 passed the sweet taste turned bitter
- This was called The Great Disappointment
- However, in the last days this experience will occur again for God’s people
- The context of this event relates to the last days:
- This event is described during the trumpets
- This event is described after the censer is cast down (Rev. 8: 2-5)
- The context of this event relates to the last days:
- This event is described after the Sunday Law has occurred which triggers the censer being cast down (Rev. 8:3-6)
- This event involves the 7th trumpet (2nd Coming)
- This event will apply again after the 2nd angels message just as it applied after the 1st
- The 2nd angel’s message relates to the passage of the Sunday Law when all nations will drink “the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Rev. 14:8)
- When this law is passed many will believe that Jesus is now going to come: this will be sweet in their mouths
- Unfortunately, they are going to be disappointed when Jesus does not return (just as occurred in 1844) and the sweetness will turn to bitterness again
- Also instead of Jesus return they will now experience increased tribulation doubling the bitterness
- Unfortunately, for some their will be one more sweet/bitter experience at the 3rd angel’s message
- The 3rd angel’s message involves the enforcement of the Sunday Law(mark of the beast) which some will see as the sign of Jesus’ return only to be disappointed again
Revelation 10:11
“And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
Revelation 10:11
“And he said unto me”
- This is referring to Jesus the angel of Revelation 10:1,5
“Thou must prophesy again”
- John here represents the church
- John is told to continue to prophesy which means that the church must continue to warn the world even after its disappointments
- After the disappointment of the 1st angel’s message, the 2nd angels message must be given
- After the disappointment of the 2nd angel’s message, the 3rd angels message must be given
- After the disappointment of the 3rd angel’s message, it still must be given
“before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings”
- This message is worldwide
- This message is to continue after the disappointments until the end, until there is “time no longer” (Rev. 10:6)
Summary
- Revelation chapter 10 introduces a mighty angel who is Jesus the archangel
- Jesus introduces 7 thunders which are connected to this message but then seals them up
- Jesus has a special message that involves a special book which is “open” at the time of this message
- This is not the sealed book of life (Rev. 5:1)
- This book is the book of Daniel
- The book of Daniel was opened partially in the 1800’s and led to the Great Disappointment of 1844 which was the first bitter-sweet experience of God’s people
- The context of Revelation chapter 10 suggests that God’s people will have another bitter-sweet experience related to the trumpets in the last days
- In the last days, during the time of the trumpets, God’s people will expect His soon return once the Sunday Law is passed (2nd angel’s message) only to be disappointed
- For some this disappointment will occur again at the 3rd angels message
- Jesus tells John (representing God’s people) that they must continue to prophecy (warn the world) after this experience
- They must give the 3rd angel’s message
- This bitter-sweet experience is clearly a sign of the end but not the end itself