REVELATION 10

Chapter 10 and most of chapter 11 provide an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. In this chapter, John sees a mighty angel astride both land and sea, and the angel has a small scroll in his hand. When the angel cries aloud, seven thunders sound, but John is not permitted to write down what the seven thunders said. I would sure like to know what they said, but God has sovereignly hidden some things he could have revealed in this book. This passage reminds me of John 12:27-32 in which a voice from heaven says "I have already glorified my name, and I will glorify it again." My best guess would be that what the seven thunders said was similar, but it may also have included a clue about when God plans to glorify his name, which we are not permitted to know.

Because of the influence of sin, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:33-37 to simply say yes or no, and not to swear by anything. But here, the sinless angel swears by the name and faithfulness of God, who lives forever, that there will be no further delay, but when the seventh trumpet sounds, God's purposes, which he has already announced to the prophets, will be revealed. The key element of his purpose is the return and reign of Christ. However, Revelation 10:5-7 is similar to Daniel 12:7 where Daniel is told that the power of God's holy people will continue to be crushed for another 42 months. So perhaps we are at the midpoint in Daniel's seventieth week. Except for the seventh trumpet, which ushers in the full manifestation of the kingdom of God, perhaps the trumpets and bowls are sequential, with the trumpets applying to the first half of the tribulation and the bowls applying to the last half of it.

Then John is instructed to take the scroll from the angel's hand and to eat it. On the surface, it's a rather odd instruction, since books are not edible, and they are certainly not delicious. John is told that the scroll will be as sweet as honey in his mouth, but it will make his stomach bitter. After he eats the scroll, he is told that he must once again prophesy about many peoples, races, nations, languages and kings. So the scroll may have contained writing about what John prophesies about in the last eleven chapters of this book. In Ezekiel 3:1-3, Ezekiel is also given a scroll to eat, which is as sweet as honey in his mouth, before he prophesies to the people of Israel. So the purpose of these scrolls is for the prophets to absorb the word of the Lord, even as Jesus describes himself as the bread of life (John 6:48-51).

The word of God is sweet, because it brings Christ into our hearts and will ultimately bring Christ's kingdom to earth, but some of its results are also bitter, because it also brings destruction to many men who do not repent. Indeed, this contrast is found throughout the Christian experience. The word of God brings deep inner peace, but it also brings conflict with the world, and even conflict with our own nature. In Mark 10:29-31 Jesus tells us that anyone who is willing to leave houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children and lands, will receive a hundred times as much in this life, and ultimately eternal life, but also persecution. In Luke 9:62 Jesus says, "Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God." Matthew 24:13 says, "He who endures to the end will be saved." As we will be told in Revelation 14:12-13, one of the themes and purposes of the book of Revelation is a call for the faith and endurance of the saints. For most of us, being disciples of Christ on earth is a marathon, not a sprint. If the only thing we really gain from the study of the book of Revelation is motivation to finish the race, even though we do not fully comprehend the mysteries of this book, we have done well.