REVELATION 10

Revelation 10

Just as Revelation 7 acts as an interlude of two scenes occurring just before the seventh seal is opened, chapters 10-11 with their two respective visions serve a similar function before the seventh trumpet is blown. And there is some shared language between these two sections to help confirm that analysis:

both contain “earth, sea,” “a loud voice,” something is “sealed,” “every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages / many peoples and nations and languages,” “standing,” “forever and ever” in a hymn-like passage, and “the sun.”

Revelation 10 itself can be divided into two parts which can be diagrammed roughly as follows:

                                                      The Structure of Revelation 10

an angel “from heaven” (1)

        “a little scroll open in his hand” (2a)

                “his feet on the sea and land” (2b)

                        “seven thunders sounded” (3-4a)

a voice “from heaven” (4b)

                         seal up what the seven thunders said” (4c)

                “standing on sea and land” (5a)

hand raised to “heaven” (5b)

who created “heaven,” (6a)

                “the earth and the sea” (6b)

                                God announced to his servants the “prophets” (7)

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“the voice from heaven” (8a)

        “take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel” (8b)

                “standing on sea and land” (8c)

        “give me the little scroll” (9a)

                                        “it will be bitter to your stomach” (9b)

                                                “but sweet in your mouth” (9c)

        “I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel” (10a)

                                                “it was sweet in the mouth” (10b)

                                        “but bitter in the mouth” (10c)

                                You must “prophesy” to the people (11)

There is no strict symmetry to the above organization. However, it does highlight the repeated phraseology throughout the section as well as the progression of thought contained in the closing statements in both halves: Thus, just as God had earlier announced His mysteries to the Old Testament prophets (v. 7), John himself is now to transmit His message to the people (v.11).

As to the exact content of that message, most commentators feel this must refer to what is in the scroll that John ate, and subsequently recorded in the rest of Revelation.

Here are a few specific comments on the verses in this chapter.

Revelation 10:1 – Beale states, “John sees a heavenly being 'descending from heaven.' Some commentators have noted that the seer's position now is no longer in heaven, in contrast to 4:1-2. But even there he was caught up into the heavenly dimension 'in spirit' and not in body. Nevertheless, there is a change in the location in which revelation is being received...Although this heavenly being is called an 'angel,' he may be more than an angel, and, therefore, in a different class from the 'strong' angel in 5:2 and 18:21...He is given attributes that are given only to God in the OT or to God or Christ in Revelation. Therefore this heavenly being is either the divine Christ himself or the divine angel of Yahweh.”

Revelation 10:2-3 – In agreement with the above, Ruiz says, “The little scroll is distinct from the seven-sealed scroll in the right hand of God in 5.1. This scroll is in the angel's left hand, since in 10.5 he raises his hand to heaven to swear an oath (Dan. 12.7).”

Mounce states, “Because the strong angel of 5:2 speaks with a great voice (cf. 10:3) and is connected with the opening of the book of destiny (cf. 10:2), it is quite possible that he is also the one who appears here in chapter 10.”

Ford says that “when the angel places one foot on the sea and the other on the earth..., it indicates that all things are subjugated to him, 'sea and land' being an OT formula denoting the totality of terrestrial things; cf. Mark 6:48; Matt 14:28-36.”

Revelation 10:4 – “The instructions to John are that he should seal up what the thunders said and write them not. This prohibition contrasts with 1:19 (Write what you saw, what is, and what will be) and 22:10 (Do not seal up the prophecy).” (Mounce) Note that these three passages appear at the start, middle, and conclusion of the chapter.

Revelation 10:5-6 – Morris comments: “The oath is made very solemn by the prolonged description of God. The angel singles out His eternality and His activities in creation. This is to bring out the point that what the angel is about to speak is not some panic device to which a surprised God must resort in reaction to the machinations of evil men and evil spirits.”

Revelation 10:7 – Ruiz refers the reader to Romans 16:25; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-9; and Colossians 1:26-27 for an explanation of the phrase “mystery of God.”

“The more precise meaning of the oath 'that time will be no longer' is now given...The occurrence of etelesthe ('it will be completed) in Rev. 10:7 betrays the continuing influence of Dan. 12:7 (syntelesthestai, 'It will be completed,' in Dan.: 12:7 LXX). John views the 'times, time, and half a time' as the church age, leading up to the final judgment...” (Beale) Note that this phrase should not be interpreted, as in the KJV, as if the whole concept of time will cease to be meaningful after this period.

Revelation 10:8-10 – “There are innumerable explanations of this double character [i.e. sweet and bitter]; all, however unhesitantlingly refer to the Word of God: sweetness of the announcement of salvation, bitterness of the announcement of judgment; sweetness of the announcement of election, bitterness of the announcement of persecution. I believe, rather: sweetness of receiving the testimony of the immensity of the love of God, and bitterness of the difficulty of leading the life in which the 'little scroll' involves us. For, in fact, the witness must immediately prophesy.” (Ellul)

“One notes that Ezekiel eats the scroll before his denunciations of Jerusalem, the most potent of which is in ch. 16 concerning her adultery. Num 5, Ezek 3, and Rev 10 are the only biblical texts which refer to the words of a scroll being consumed.” (Ford)

Beale explains that, as you can see in Figure 1, “This is the third time that John mentions that this angel is standing on the sea and the earth. The repetition is not for mere rhetorical purposes [as Mounce thinks], but more likely emphasizes the fact that now this angel (Christ) exercises sovereignty over the whole earth....the book held by the angel and then given to John has a message applicable in some way to all the inhabitants of earth.”

Mounce's opinion is that “Some commentators see in the specific counsel to take the scroll the truth that God's revelation must be actively appropriated rather than passively received.” However, that may be reading too much into the imagery.

Revelation 10:11 – Charles: “It is interesting that this enumeration ['many peoples and nations and tongues and kings'], which occurs seven times in the Apocalypse...is here given a different form, and basileusin (kings) is put in the place of phulais (tribes). The 'kings' are especially those mentioned in xvii 10,12. The Seer is recasting this characteristic phrase with a view to the contents of his later vision.” This fact reinforces the opinion that the second half of the book will soon follow.