Vision Two - The Seven Trumpets
Revelation Chapter 10
The First Interlude; the Mighty Angel
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:
A "mighty angel" first plays a role in Revelation in 5:1, as the one calling for one worthy to open the
scroll. A "mighty angel" also appears in Revelation 18:21, throwing a giant millstone in the sea to represent how
Babylon would be destroyed. Both of these two "mighty angel" roles, and the role here, sound very much like deeds
of the prophets, making statements or actions to carry an important message from God.
This specific mighty angel was coming straight from the presence of God, and given awesome powers directly from
God. The cloud in which the angel came was an indication of the presence of God, the rainbow indicated God's
grace, the face shining like the sun was exactly how Moses' face was after being given the Ten Commandments, and
the pillars of fire described God's presence on earth, just as the evidence of God with the Hebrews in the
wilderness had been the pillar of fire. The image is also very similar to Christ as described in chapter 1, but
later on, we'll see that this angel has to appeal for power from above.
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,
Because of the scroll, Van Kampen believes this "mighty angel" (but not the others) is Christ. Because
only the Lamb was worthy to open the scroll of the seven seals, the one holding this open scroll should also be Jesus. However,
the word for scroll used here is diminutive, a "scroll-ette," to distinguish it in scope and power from the Lamb's scroll.
The significance of where the angel's feet were located is that the angel spans land and sea, encompassing all earth
with this universal message. This was also a large angel! Scholars do not place any significance in where specifically the
right foot or the left foot was located, however.
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.
John apparently understood the words spoken in the "great shout," in contrast to our understanding of
a "roar" as just noise. The Greek expresses "the seven thunders" as a specific entity that the listeners would have immediately
recognized. While we today aren't completely certain, we think "the seven thunders" are a reference to the mighty "voice
of the Lord" mentioned in praise seven times in
Psalm 29. As such,
the marvelous words that John were not allowed to write down was a dialog between God and His messenger.
The parallel to "sealing up" what was said is similar to
Daniel 12:4,
where the activity Daniel was told happen at the end time are to be sealed up until that time. There is a parallel in
2 Corinthians 12:3-4,
where Paul was taken up to heaven and heard things that "no mortal is permitted to repeat." In addition to understanding
the prophetic precedent, first century Christians would have also identified in the sealed words an added measure of
authority and honor given to John by being allowed to hear these words. They also would have affirmed in the limits of what
John could say that we are dependent on God to guide our pathway -- we need to develop our faith by following God in faith
when we do not know what the future holds, rather than demanding that God tell us everything.
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, ...
To Robertson, this oath proves that this is an angel, not Jesus. Notice the three-fold emphasis of
creation, showing God's all-encompassing view, rather than an earthly view (which would have been four-fold). Now for what
the angel has to say:
... that there should be time no longer:
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 mystery of God" means the whole purpose of God in human history, as in Paul's use of the phrase in
1 Corinthians 2:1 and again in
Colossians 2:2.
Amos 3:7
reminds that "the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets."
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.
This voice was the same one in verse 4 that told John not to write the words from the seven thunders down.
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 [immediately] 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.
Barclay points out that John is told by the voice to take the scroll, and even when John asked the angel
to give it to him, the angel countered that John should take it. God's word and calling is never forced on us, even
though it is always for our best! We must act - we must reach out and take it ourselves.
The idea of eating a scroll strikes a strong parallel between John and Ezekiel - both were exiles and both were
calling their people to hold on to God under duress. In
Ezekiel 2:2-3:3,
Ezekiel is taken up in the spirit, and brought before God to be given a message, in the form of a scroll, and the scroll
tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth. In both instances, eating the scroll takes in, internalizes, the message,
moreso than if John and Ezekiel had merely read the scroll. John's scroll was sweet in his mouth, but bitter
in his stomach, indicating both God's mercy and God's judgement. Likewise Ezekiel's scroll contained words of
lamentation, mourning, and woe.
11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
The "they" is both the angel and the voice from heaven. This prophesy would appear to be the message from
the little scroll, with the same message of God's work on earth that John has been carrying. The emphasis is on how
this message relates to all the earth, emphasized by the four descriptions.
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