October 5, 2025 • 27 mins
We walk through Revelation 10: the mighty angel, the little scroll, the seven thunders sealed, and the oath that there will be no more delay. We weigh whether the angel is Christ, why some revelation is withheld, and why God’s word tastes sweet and bitter at once.
• administrative update and how to contact us
• recap of trumpets five and six and their symbolism
• the mighty angel’s imagery and global authority
• the little scroll debate and prophetic purpose
• seven thunders sealed and reasons for restraint
• is the angel Christ or a representative messenger
• oath of no more delay and the fulfilled mystery
• eating the scroll, sweetness and bitterness of truth
• global scope of the prophecy and faithful witness
• prayer, endurance, and sharing the word despite opposition
Pray for the podcast, that it might reach people who need to hear the truth of the gospel, and that God would then work in their lives to bring them to a saving faith in Christ. Share the podcast with people you think could benefit or might be helped by this type of a study.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:10):
Well as always thank you for joining me in this verse
by verse Bible study.
I'm Randy Duncan and we're goingto be tackling Revelation
chapter 10.
But before we jump in, I wantedto cover a couple administrative
items.
This is my 75th episode, andI've never done this before
because I don't want you to haveto listen to a lot of small talk
and yuck-yuck in each episode.
(00:31):
Your time is valuable, and Ibasically want listeners to
click on the podcast and getright into the study.
Having said that, I wanted toaddress a couple of items
because it's related to listenercomments, and I chose this
chapter to do it on because it'sa relatively short chapter.
So first, if you've sent in anycomments or questions via the
(00:52):
Buzz Sprout fan mail, I haveread every one of them.
Unfortunately, that systemdoesn't allow me to reply, and
it doesn't capture your phonenumber or your email address,
and so I can't respond directlythat way either.
And so I have disabled thatfunctionality.
And I just want everyone who hascommunicated via that
application to know that Iappreciate all of the comments
(01:15):
and the questions and theencouragement.
Second thing, if you have anyquestions or comments, you can
always go to my website atrandyduncan.com and simply click
on the contact tab.
Or you can just email medirectly.
My email address doesn't get anyeasier.
It's randy at randyduncan.com.
(01:35):
I personally respond to alldirect emails or comments that
are submitted through mywebsite.
If you've taken the time tolisten and to spend time
reaching out to me, I'm going tohonor that and personally
respond.
And I've received many reallygood questions from around the
world and also lots ofencouragement and support, and I
(01:56):
truly appreciate each and everyone of you.
And the last thing before we getstarted here, I've received many
questions about how listenerscan support the podcast.
And most people would think thatmoney is the biggest need, and
sure, if you want to donate, itwould help.
Just go to my website atrandyduncan.com, click on the
donate tab.
But honestly, that's not mybiggest need.
(02:19):
Above all else, and mostimportantly, you can support me
in prayer.
Pray for the podcast, that itmight reach people who need to
hear the truth of the gospel,and that God would then work in
their lives to bring them to asaving faith in Christ.
And secondly, simply share thepodcast with people you think
could benefit or might be helpedby this type of a study.
(02:40):
And so those are the two biggestthings listeners can do to
support the podcast.
Pray and share.
And so with that out of the way,let's start the same way I've
started the previous 74 episodesby jumping right into the study.
And again, we're coveringchapter 10, but as a brief recap
of chapter 9, remember, wediscussed trumpets 5 and 6 and
(03:03):
the judgments that followed,which unleashed this terrifying
demonic locust and a massivearmy, which symbolize God's
escalating judgments onunrepentant humanity.
And we highlighted the symbolicnature of the apocalyptic
imagery like a star falling fromheaven and locust with scorpion
like power.
(03:23):
And we emphasize their spiritualsignificance as demonic forces
rather than literal creatures.
And finally, remember, despitethe devastating plagues that
kill a third of mankind, thesobering reality is that
survivors refuse to repent,continuing in idolatry and sin.
(03:43):
Which brings us now to chapterten.
Now again, this is a shortchapter with only eleven verses,
and we begin with the firstthree verses which read Then I
saw another mighty angel comingdown from heaven, wrapped in a
cloud, with a rainbow over hishead, and his face was like the
sun, and his legs like pillarsof fire.
(04:04):
He had a little scroll open inhis hand, and he set his right
foot on the sea and his leftfoot on the land, and called out
with a loud voice, like a lionroaring, and when he called out
the seventh thunder sounded.
And so if you remember, betweenthe sixth and seventh seals, we
had a sort of a pause or aninterlude, and here, after we
(04:25):
saw the sixth trumpet in thelast chapter, you would expect
that the seventh trumpet wouldfollow immediately.
But just like the sixth andseventh seals, we're going to
see here a similar pause or thatinterval before the seventh
trumpet.
But John sees a mighty angelcome down from heaven, and the
angel is wrapped in a cloud witha rainbow over his head.
(04:47):
Now being wrapped or robed in apillar of cloud represents God's
presence.
And we saw that back in Exodus13, where in the wilderness the
Lord went before them by day ina pillar of cloud to lead them
along the way.
And of course at night it was apillar of fire.
But it also says that there wasa rainbow above the angel's
(05:07):
head, reminding us of therainbow surrounding God's throne
that we discussed back inchapter four.
His face was like the sun, justas the face of Jesus, the Son of
Man, shines like the sun aswell, which again we saw back in
chapter one.
And finally, speaking to theangel still, his legs were like
pillars of fire, which againreminds us of God's glory
(05:31):
manifesting as pillar of fire,leading the Israelites in the
wilderness by night.
And so after the description ofthe angel in verse one, we now
come to the matter at hand,which is what he carried with
him.
And we're told that he had alittle scroll open in his hand.
Now scholars have differingviews on this little scroll.
Some believe it's the samescroll that we saw back in
(05:53):
chapters five through eight.
Some argue that the breaking ofthe seals doesn't disclose the
contents of the scroll, sincewhat is sealed can't be
disclosed until all the sealsare broken.
And so they argue that here inchapter 10, this is the place
where the contents of the scrollare revealed since the scroll is
now open in the angel's hand.
(06:15):
However, it's interesting thatJohn uses a different word for
the scroll here than he did inchapter 5.
John uses the Greek word forscroll, biblion, around 20
times.
But here he uses the wordBibloridion.
So if John wanted to make aclear connection with this
scroll and the scroll in chapter5, it would have been much
(06:37):
easier to just use the sameword.
Another argument against thesetwo scrolls being the same is
that some people may just simplybe taking the earlier breaking
of the seven seals tooliterally, meaning they read it
as if all the seals need to bebroken before any of the
contents of the scroll can beread.
But from reading scripture andwhat we've seen so far, it
(07:00):
doesn't appear like any of thecontents of the seals are
delayed until all the seals areopen.
I mean we saw increasingjudgment as each seal was open,
and John told us that the sealswere opened one by one, and the
judgments that followed, they'remost naturally understood as the
content of that seal.
But whichever view one takes ofthe scroll or this little book
(07:23):
here, the main point seems to bethat it's still a proclamation
of prophecy.
The angel is relaying to Johnwhat is to come.
So the mentioning of the littlescroll was the first half of
verse two, but the second halfsays, And he set his right foot
on the sea and his left foot onthe land, representing sovereign
(07:44):
rule over all.
Because having something orsomeone under your feet, it
symbolizes rule and dominion.
But the angel also called outwith a loud voice, like a lion
roaring, and when he called out,the seven thunder sounded.
Now, just as with several thingsin Revelation, here there are
also differing views on what theseven thunders represent.
(08:07):
However, in many instances,thunder is associated with God's
judgment.
For example, God thundered whenhe rained down hell upon Egypt,
and on Mount Sinai, thundercommunicated God's holiness.
And we also see that thundersignifies God's greatness and
holiness as a ragingthunderstorm in his throne room,
(08:29):
and the seals, which unleashedGod's judgment on the world,
begin with a thunderous voice,and the seven trumpets also
begin with a thunderstorm.
And so we have quite a bit ofevidence that the thunder
represents God's holiness andhis judgment on the world.
And also notice that it's seventhunders that sounded.
(08:49):
And as we've discussed before,seven is the number of
completeness and perfection.
And so what we see here is theseseven thunders most likely
represent the fullness of God'scomplete judgment on the world.
Now before we move on, I want tomention that there are some
people who think that this angelwith the little scroll is Jesus
(09:10):
Christ Himself.
And so why do they think that?
Well, we just went through adescription of the angel.
And a reference to Christ issupported by the cloud that
represents God's presence.
We also mention the rainbow,which reminds us of the rainbow
around God's throne roommentioned in Revelation chapter
4, as well as Ezekiel 128, wherea brilliant light like a rainbow
(09:34):
shone all around God.
Furthermore, this angel roarslike a lion, and Jesus is the
lion of the tribe of Judah.
The angel also holds a scroll,and remember, after being the
only one found worthy to openthe scroll, Jesus took the
scroll from God back in chapterfive.
And then lastly, the angel'sfeet are on both the sea and the
(09:57):
land, which again signifiessovereign rule over the world,
which of course aligns with whatwe know about Christ.
Now these are interestingarguments.
However, others argue that eventhough those points are valid,
it's still not likely that thisangel is Christ.
And here's why.
First, as we mentioned inchapter 1, John uses the word
(10:19):
angel sixty-seven times, and theword never refers to Jesus or
God.
And so it doesn't seem verylikely that he would deviate
from that usage in this oneparticular verse.
Also, the angel that's describedin Daniel 10 has many of the
same qualities as the Son of Manin Revelation chapter 1, but
(10:40):
it's apparent that that angel isnot Christ.
But another reason for notbelieving this is Jesus is that
this angel swears by God,something that would seem a
little inappropriate for Jesusto do.
And so the swearing by God givesus a clue that this angel,
despite his glorious presence,should be distinguished from
Jesus.
(11:00):
And some people also point outthat the similarities between
angels and Jesus areunderstandable because there's
only so many ways we as humanshave to describe heavenly
beings.
And so some of those metaphorsare going to start to overlap.
And it may be that the angel issimilar to Jesus because he
represents Jesus.
I mean the purpose of angels isto bring the message and to
(11:24):
represent the one who sent them.
This angel represents Christ ashis messenger.
And it's interesting.
That's the purpose of angels.
But what about Christians?
Is it also our job to representand be a reflection of Christ to
the world?
And for some reason that remindsme of one of the Ten
Commandments.
You shall not take the name ofthe Lord your God in vain.
(11:47):
Now most people immediatelyassociate that with cursing,
saying GD or something likethat.
But I think it's more.
I think it has to do withambassadorship.
If you take on the name ofChrist, then you better
represent him faithfully to theworld.
Do not take his name in vain.
And so it seems to transcendjust this casual profanity and
(12:11):
assuming that this commandmentis referring to cursing, it may
represent a shallow, modernmisinterpretation.
In its original Hebrew context,that phrase meaning take in vain
Nasala Shav, it implies a deepermisuse than that, which is
treating God's sacred name asempty or worthless.
(12:33):
And so getting back to the pointof angels representing God and
our call to do the same, this isabout more than simply avoiding
vulgar language.
This is a command for reverence.
If you're going to claim thename of Jesus Christ, if you're
going to fly his banner, thenyou better represent him
faithfully.
You shall not take the name ofthe Lord your God in vain.
(12:55):
But getting back to the texthere, after John hears the seven
thunders, he's about to writedown what he sees next, but we
read in verse four, and when theseven thunders had sounded, I
was about to write, but I hearda voice from heaven saying, Sill
up what the seven thunders havesaid, and do not write it down.
So John is about to write downthe contents of the seven
(13:18):
thunders, but he's instructed tonot write it down, to seal it
up.
And this is exactly the oppositeof what we see at the end of
Revelation, where John is toldto not seal up the prophecy
given to him, but to write itdown.
And this reminds us of theprophet Daniel, who was
instructed in Daniel 8 and 12 toseal up the visions he was
(13:39):
given, because they applied to amuch future date and the end
times.
But here in the apocalypse, it'sdifferent than Daniel being told
to seal up the prophecy becausewe're already at the end times.
And so, unlike Daniel, this is abit strange to read and try to
understand why.
I mean, what's the significanceof the sealing of the seven
(14:00):
thunders?
I mean, this is where we wishJohn would have just told us
why.
Hey guys, sorry I can't sharethis piece, but trust me, it's
pretty cool.
But since he didn't, there areof course differing opinions and
thoughts.
Some people will argue that itmeans that the judgment from God
has been withdrawn because theydon't provoke people to repent.
(14:20):
In other words, the judgmentsdon't bring about the desired
outcome, which is repentance.
Now, even though mostcommentators agree that figuring
out the meaning of the seventhunders is difficult, it seems
that the idea that judgment iswithdrawn is just not
satisfying.
It doesn't line up with all ofthe judgments that we've seen so
(14:41):
far and the judgments that arestill to come.
Furthermore, the word sealed, itdoesn't mean withdrawn, but
delayed fulfillment, or tohiding what will take place in
the future.
And there are others who arguethat the seven thunders are for
John what the things that Paulsaw in the third heaven were for
(15:01):
him.
Paul says that he heard thingsthat are not to be told, that no
mortal is permitted to repeat.
And so it may suggest that thereare dimensions of reality that
mortals are not able to fullycomprehend or understand.
Others argue that this impliesthat God will reveal further
details through John and the twowitnesses, which we're going to
(15:24):
see in the next chapter, andthrough God's people who will
face a hostile world.
And still others argue that theseven thunders remain a mystery
and should teach us that thehidden things belong to God, and
that He knows way more about thefuture than He actually tells
us.
Deuteronomy 29 tells us thesecret things belong to the Lord
(15:45):
our God.
And so it seems reasonable toconclude that some of the
judgments are sealed and hidden,but they will still come.
They're not withdrawn.
God just doesn't disclose thefull details of what will happen
in the future.
Some of them will remain sealeduntil the day they become a
reality.
And maybe God has set some sortof a boundary on what it's best
(16:07):
for us to know.
Maybe God's letting us know thatdespite us thinking that we've
got it all figured out, that weknow all the things that are
going to happen in the futureand the order that everything's
going to happen because weattended a prophecy conference,
that there are some details thathe's kept hidden until the
appropriate time.
And so we should be humble whenwe're speculating about things
(16:29):
like the end times or anythingabout which we cannot be
certain.
And we should definitely avoidholding a really dogmatic
position on them.
And there may be a lesson in theSeven Thunders here for all the
prophecy teachers.
God alone rules the future.
And we don't have to know everysingle detail.
It might do us some good tounderstand what we can, continue
(16:51):
studying, continue learning, andthen simply trust God with the
things that we don't yet know.
But John continues with versesfive through seven where he
says, And the angel whom I sawstanding on the sea and on the
land raised his right hand toheaven, and swore by him who
lives forever and ever, whocreated heaven and what is in
(17:11):
it, the earth and what is in it,and the sea and what is in it,
that there would be no moredelay, but that in the days of
the trumpet call to be soundedby the seventh angel, the
mystery of God could befulfilled, just as he announced
to his servants the prophets.
And so the angel lifts his righthand and he swears an oath, and
(17:32):
that oath pertains to the finaljudgment.
In Deuteronomy thirty two, Godalso swears an oath when he
said, See now that I, even I, amHe, and there is no God beside
me.
I kill and I make alive, I woundand I heal, and there is none
that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heavenand swear, as I live forever, I
(17:57):
will take vengeance on myadversaries and will repay those
who hate me.
In Daniel, an angel also swearsan oath by the living God,
raising his hands toward heavenand prophesying that the end
will arrive after a time, times,and half a time, which is most
often interpreted as being threeand a half years.
But this reference to Daniel isimportant because of the sealing
(18:20):
that is spoken of there relatedto the final judgment, to the
day when God will judge theworld.
And so this swearing of an oath,it was a way of certifying the
truthfulness of what was said.
These are not idle orthoughtless words, and so we can
be assured that what the angelsays will come true.
And what does he say?
(18:41):
In verse six he tells us thatthere will be no more time, no
more delay.
He literally says that time willbe no longer.
History as we know it is ending,and the beginning of the end
will start at the sounding ofthe seventh trumpet.
In verse seven, the angel tellsus that when the seventh trumpet
(19:03):
sounds, there will be no moredelay, and that the mystery of
God will be revealed.
Now back in chapter one we sawthat a mystery typically refers
to something previously hiddenthat is now revealed.
And the mystery here is thewhole plan and purpose of God.
Now many of God's mysteries havealready been disclosed in Jesus
(19:24):
Christ, and believers can beassured that evil does not
ultimately reign in the world.
Evil doesn't ultimately win.
All of God's plans, his decrees,his design will be accomplished,
just as he announced to hisprophets, and the completion of
the mystery will also mean thatthe seven thunders will no
longer remain a secret.
(19:46):
All will be revealed.
But we continue now with thelast four verses, which is a
little more than I usually readat one time, but honestly
there's just not a good breakpoint here.
And so John continues in verseseight through eleven saying,
Then the voice that I had heardfrom heaven spoke to me again,
saying, Go, take the scroll thatis open in the hand of the angel
(20:06):
who is standing on the sea andon the land.
And so I went to the angel andtold him to give me the little
scroll, and he said to me, Takeand eat it.
It will make your stomachbitter, but in your mouth it
will be sweet as honey.
And I took the little scrollfrom the hand of the angel and
ate it, and it was sweet ashoney in my mouth, but when I
(20:27):
had eaten it my stomach was madebitter, and I was told, You must
again prophesy about manypeoples and nations and
languages and kings.
And so the same voice that Johnhears who tells him to seal up
and not write about the seventhunders speaks to John again
from heaven.
John is instructed to take theopen scroll that the angel's
(20:49):
holding.
And by taking the scroll, Johnis accepting this prophetic
mission and will deliver God'smessage.
But if John thought he was justgoing to take the scroll and
read what was inside, he'smistaken.
Because the angel instructs Johnto eat the scroll, which again
means that he will accept andingest this message that's given
(21:10):
to him.
And it may be a figurative wayof telling John that he is to
read it, to learn it, andinwardly ingest it to prepare
for what God has commissionedhim to do.
Even in our modern vernacular,we talk about devouring a book.
And just as the angel told himit would, John said that when he
ate the scroll, it tasted assweet as honey in his mouth, but
(21:33):
made his stomach bitter.
He became nauseated.
As John begins to truly digestand understand what's in store,
especially for those who rejectGod, he became nauseated at the
thought of what was to come.
And all of us have probably atsome point in our lives become
nauseated at something thatwe've seen, something that we've
(21:54):
heard, some bad news orsomething like that that we've
received.
Well just imagine how John feelshere.
If you're familiar with theprophet Ezekiel in the Old
Testament, he had the sameexperience.
When he was commissioned as aprophet by God, he too had to
eat the scroll God gave him.
And just like we see with John,when Ezekiel ate the scroll, it
(22:16):
was as sweet as honey in hismouth, but the contents of the
scroll were words of mourningand lamentations and woe.
And so just like Ezekiel, John'seating of the scroll indicates
that he is a prophet of God,accepting and declaring the word
of the Lord.
It's interesting that Davidwrote in Psalm 119, How sweet
(22:36):
your word is to my taste,sweeter than honey in my mouth.
And not only David, butJeremiah, who said in Jeremiah
15, Your words were found and Iate them.
Your words became a delight tome and the joy of my heart.
And what Jeremiah said wasparticularly interesting because
the words that Jeremiah wasreferring to were words of
(22:58):
judgment.
And with John here, we see thesame thing.
The scroll made John's bellybitter because the scroll
contains words of judgment.
And so we see this parallel withEzekiel and John because both
scrolls promise judgment.
And so the word is sweet becauseit's the word of God, but bitter
(23:19):
because it brings judgment.
In verse eleven, John is toldthat you must again prophesy
about many peoples and nationsand languages and kings, and
eating the scroll symbolizesinternalizing its contents and
the one who eats can thenprophesy.
Ezekiel was to prophesy to thehouse of Israel.
(23:39):
John is to prophesy to manypeoples, nations, languages, and
kings.
John will prophesy to the wholeworld.
The message of Revelationconcerns all people.
Nobody is exempt from itswarning, because judgment is
coming to all people.
And so we should follow John'sexample here.
We too should ingest God's word,and we need to obey and proclaim
(24:03):
God's word even when the messageproves to be bitter, even when
there may be a price to pay.
And it's increasingly more andmore difficult to do that in our
world.
Even in some church circles, forexample, those who maybe
emphasize a prosperity gospelare conditioning their listeners
to only expect pleasant thingsfrom God.
(24:24):
But God never promised us that.
In fact, Jesus warned us, if theworld hates you, know that it
has hated me before it hatedyou.
A servant is not greater thanhis master, if they persecuted
me, they will also persecuteyou.
And if you remember back inchapter two, Jesus told the
(24:44):
church in Smyrna, do not fearwhat you are about to suffer.
Be faithful unto death, and Iwill give you the crown of life.
And here in Revelation, theangel tells John, There will be
no more delay.
And so it should remind us thatthough we have to wait right
now, a time is coming when Godwill fulfill all of his
(25:05):
promises.
And so I pray you let this hopeand assurance stir you to be
faithful until then.
Hold on to his word, becauseGod's timing is perfect.
And as we await the fulfillmentof God's promises, let's embrace
the call to share his word whenit's sweet and even when it
brings the bitterness ofjudgment or opposition, and
(25:28):
trust that our witness willshine bright in a world that
seems to be growing darker anddarker, and is in desperate need
of his truth.
And my prayer for you is thatyou stand firm, stay strong
until the day when, as the angeltold John, there will be no more
delay.
Well as always thank you for joining me in this verse
by verse Bible study.
I'm Randy Duncan and we're goingto be tackling Revelation
chapter 10.
But before we jump in, I wantedto cover a couple administrative
items.
This is my 75th episode, andI've never done this before
because I don't want you to haveto listen to a lot of small talk
and yuck-yuck in each episode.
(00:31):
Your time is valuable, and Ibasically want listeners to
click on the podcast and getright into the study.
Having said that, I wanted toaddress a couple of items
because it's related to listenercomments, and I chose this
chapter to do it on because it'sa relatively short chapter.
So first, if you've sent in anycomments or questions via the
(00:52):
Buzz Sprout fan mail, I haveread every one of them.
Unfortunately, that systemdoesn't allow me to reply, and
it doesn't capture your phonenumber or your email address,
and so I can't respond directlythat way either.
And so I have disabled thatfunctionality.
And I just want everyone who hascommunicated via that
application to know that Iappreciate all of the comments
(01:15):
and the questions and theencouragement.
Second thing, if you have anyquestions or comments, you can
always go to my website atrandyduncan.com and simply click
on the contact tab.
Or you can just email medirectly.
My email address doesn't get anyeasier.
It's randy at randyduncan.com.
(01:35):
I personally respond to alldirect emails or comments that
are submitted through mywebsite.
If you've taken the time tolisten and to spend time
reaching out to me, I'm going tohonor that and personally
respond.
And I've received many reallygood questions from around the
world and also lots ofencouragement and support, and I
(01:56):
truly appreciate each and everyone of you.
And the last thing before we getstarted here, I've received many
questions about how listenerscan support the podcast.
And most people would think thatmoney is the biggest need, and
sure, if you want to donate, itwould help.
Just go to my website atrandyduncan.com, click on the
donate tab.
But honestly, that's not mybiggest need.
(02:19):
Above all else, and mostimportantly, you can support me
in prayer.
Pray for the podcast, that itmight reach people who need to
hear the truth of the gospel,and that God would then work in
their lives to bring them to asaving faith in Christ.
And secondly, simply share thepodcast with people you think
could benefit or might be helpedby this type of a study.
(02:40):
And so those are the two biggestthings listeners can do to
support the podcast.
Pray and share.
And so with that out of the way,let's start the same way I've
started the previous 74 episodesby jumping right into the study.
And again, we're coveringchapter 10, but as a brief recap
of chapter 9, remember, wediscussed trumpets 5 and 6 and
(03:03):
the judgments that followed,which unleashed this terrifying
demonic locust and a massivearmy, which symbolize God's
escalating judgments onunrepentant humanity.
And we highlighted the symbolicnature of the apocalyptic
imagery like a star falling fromheaven and locust with scorpion
like power.
(03:23):
And we emphasize their spiritualsignificance as demonic forces
rather than literal creatures.
And finally, remember, despitethe devastating plagues that
kill a third of mankind, thesobering reality is that
survivors refuse to repent,continuing in idolatry and sin.
(03:43):
Which brings us now to chapterten.
Now again, this is a shortchapter with only eleven verses,
and we begin with the firstthree verses which read Then I
saw another mighty angel comingdown from heaven, wrapped in a
cloud, with a rainbow over hishead, and his face was like the
sun, and his legs like pillarsof fire.
(04:04):
He had a little scroll open inhis hand, and he set his right
foot on the sea and his leftfoot on the land, and called out
with a loud voice, like a lionroaring, and when he called out
the seventh thunder sounded.
And so if you remember, betweenthe sixth and seventh seals, we
had a sort of a pause or aninterlude, and here, after we
(04:25):
saw the sixth trumpet in thelast chapter, you would expect
that the seventh trumpet wouldfollow immediately.
But just like the sixth andseventh seals, we're going to
see here a similar pause or thatinterval before the seventh
trumpet.
But John sees a mighty angelcome down from heaven, and the
angel is wrapped in a cloud witha rainbow over his head.
(04:47):
Now being wrapped or robed in apillar of cloud represents God's
presence.
And we saw that back in Exodus13, where in the wilderness the
Lord went before them by day ina pillar of cloud to lead them
along the way.
And of course at night it was apillar of fire.
But it also says that there wasa rainbow above the angel's
(05:07):
head, reminding us of therainbow surrounding God's throne
that we discussed back inchapter four.
His face was like the sun, justas the face of Jesus, the Son of
Man, shines like the sun aswell, which again we saw back in
chapter one.
And finally, speaking to theangel still, his legs were like
pillars of fire, which againreminds us of God's glory
(05:31):
manifesting as pillar of fire,leading the Israelites in the
wilderness by night.
And so after the description ofthe angel in verse one, we now
come to the matter at hand,which is what he carried with
him.
And we're told that he had alittle scroll open in his hand.
Now scholars have differingviews on this little scroll.
Some believe it's the samescroll that we saw back in
(05:53):
chapters five through eight.
Some argue that the breaking ofthe seals doesn't disclose the
contents of the scroll, sincewhat is sealed can't be
disclosed until all the sealsare broken.
And so they argue that here inchapter 10, this is the place
where the contents of the scrollare revealed since the scroll is
now open in the angel's hand.
(06:15):
However, it's interesting thatJohn uses a different word for
the scroll here than he did inchapter 5.
John uses the Greek word forscroll, biblion, around 20
times.
But here he uses the wordBibloridion.
So if John wanted to make aclear connection with this
scroll and the scroll in chapter5, it would have been much
(06:37):
easier to just use the sameword.
Another argument against thesetwo scrolls being the same is
that some people may just simplybe taking the earlier breaking
of the seven seals tooliterally, meaning they read it
as if all the seals need to bebroken before any of the
contents of the scroll can beread.
But from reading scripture andwhat we've seen so far, it
(07:00):
doesn't appear like any of thecontents of the seals are
delayed until all the seals areopen.
I mean we saw increasingjudgment as each seal was open,
and John told us that the sealswere opened one by one, and the
judgments that followed, they'remost naturally understood as the
content of that seal.
But whichever view one takes ofthe scroll or this little book
(07:23):
here, the main point seems to bethat it's still a proclamation
of prophecy.
The angel is relaying to Johnwhat is to come.
So the mentioning of the littlescroll was the first half of
verse two, but the second halfsays, And he set his right foot
on the sea and his left foot onthe land, representing sovereign
(07:44):
rule over all.
Because having something orsomeone under your feet, it
symbolizes rule and dominion.
But the angel also called outwith a loud voice, like a lion
roaring, and when he called out,the seven thunder sounded.
Now, just as with several thingsin Revelation, here there are
also differing views on what theseven thunders represent.
(08:07):
However, in many instances,thunder is associated with God's
judgment.
For example, God thundered whenhe rained down hell upon Egypt,
and on Mount Sinai, thundercommunicated God's holiness.
And we also see that thundersignifies God's greatness and
holiness as a ragingthunderstorm in his throne room,
(08:29):
and the seals, which unleashedGod's judgment on the world,
begin with a thunderous voice,and the seven trumpets also
begin with a thunderstorm.
And so we have quite a bit ofevidence that the thunder
represents God's holiness andhis judgment on the world.
And also notice that it's seventhunders that sounded.
(08:49):
And as we've discussed before,seven is the number of
completeness and perfection.
And so what we see here is theseseven thunders most likely
represent the fullness of God'scomplete judgment on the world.
Now before we move on, I want tomention that there are some
people who think that this angelwith the little scroll is Jesus
(09:10):
Christ Himself.
And so why do they think that?
Well, we just went through adescription of the angel.
And a reference to Christ issupported by the cloud that
represents God's presence.
We also mention the rainbow,which reminds us of the rainbow
around God's throne roommentioned in Revelation chapter
4, as well as Ezekiel 128, wherea brilliant light like a rainbow
(09:34):
shone all around God.
Furthermore, this angel roarslike a lion, and Jesus is the
lion of the tribe of Judah.
The angel also holds a scroll,and remember, after being the
only one found worthy to openthe scroll, Jesus took the
scroll from God back in chapterfive.
And then lastly, the angel'sfeet are on both the sea and the
(09:57):
land, which again signifiessovereign rule over the world,
which of course aligns with whatwe know about Christ.
Now these are interestingarguments.
However, others argue that eventhough those points are valid,
it's still not likely that thisangel is Christ.
And here's why.
First, as we mentioned inchapter 1, John uses the word
(10:19):
angel sixty-seven times, and theword never refers to Jesus or
God.
And so it doesn't seem verylikely that he would deviate
from that usage in this oneparticular verse.
Also, the angel that's describedin Daniel 10 has many of the
same qualities as the Son of Manin Revelation chapter 1, but
(10:40):
it's apparent that that angel isnot Christ.
But another reason for notbelieving this is Jesus is that
this angel swears by God,something that would seem a
little inappropriate for Jesusto do.
And so the swearing by God givesus a clue that this angel,
despite his glorious presence,should be distinguished from
Jesus.
(11:00):
And some people also point outthat the similarities between
angels and Jesus areunderstandable because there's
only so many ways we as humanshave to describe heavenly
beings.
And so some of those metaphorsare going to start to overlap.
And it may be that the angel issimilar to Jesus because he
represents Jesus.
I mean the purpose of angels isto bring the message and to
(11:24):
represent the one who sent them.
This angel represents Christ ashis messenger.
And it's interesting.
That's the purpose of angels.
But what about Christians?
Is it also our job to representand be a reflection of Christ to
the world?
And for some reason that remindsme of one of the Ten
Commandments.
You shall not take the name ofthe Lord your God in vain.
(11:47):
Now most people immediatelyassociate that with cursing,
saying GD or something likethat.
But I think it's more.
I think it has to do withambassadorship.
If you take on the name ofChrist, then you better
represent him faithfully to theworld.
Do not take his name in vain.
And so it seems to transcendjust this casual profanity and
(12:11):
assuming that this commandmentis referring to cursing, it may
represent a shallow, modernmisinterpretation.
In its original Hebrew context,that phrase meaning take in vain
Nasala Shav, it implies a deepermisuse than that, which is
treating God's sacred name asempty or worthless.
(12:33):
And so getting back to the pointof angels representing God and
our call to do the same, this isabout more than simply avoiding
vulgar language.
This is a command for reverence.
If you're going to claim thename of Jesus Christ, if you're
going to fly his banner, thenyou better represent him
faithfully.
You shall not take the name ofthe Lord your God in vain.
(12:55):
But getting back to the texthere, after John hears the seven
thunders, he's about to writedown what he sees next, but we
read in verse four, and when theseven thunders had sounded, I
was about to write, but I hearda voice from heaven saying, Sill
up what the seven thunders havesaid, and do not write it down.
So John is about to write downthe contents of the seven
(13:18):
thunders, but he's instructed tonot write it down, to seal it
up.
And this is exactly the oppositeof what we see at the end of
Revelation, where John is toldto not seal up the prophecy
given to him, but to write itdown.
And this reminds us of theprophet Daniel, who was
instructed in Daniel 8 and 12 toseal up the visions he was
(13:39):
given, because they applied to amuch future date and the end
times.
But here in the apocalypse, it'sdifferent than Daniel being told
to seal up the prophecy becausewe're already at the end times.
And so, unlike Daniel, this is abit strange to read and try to
understand why.
I mean, what's the significanceof the sealing of the seven
(14:00):
thunders?
I mean, this is where we wishJohn would have just told us
why.
Hey guys, sorry I can't sharethis piece, but trust me, it's
pretty cool.
But since he didn't, there areof course differing opinions and
thoughts.
Some people will argue that itmeans that the judgment from God
has been withdrawn because theydon't provoke people to repent.
(14:20):
In other words, the judgmentsdon't bring about the desired
outcome, which is repentance.
Now, even though mostcommentators agree that figuring
out the meaning of the seventhunders is difficult, it seems
that the idea that judgment iswithdrawn is just not
satisfying.
It doesn't line up with all ofthe judgments that we've seen so
(14:41):
far and the judgments that arestill to come.
Furthermore, the word sealed, itdoesn't mean withdrawn, but
delayed fulfillment, or tohiding what will take place in
the future.
And there are others who arguethat the seven thunders are for
John what the things that Paulsaw in the third heaven were for
(15:01):
him.
Paul says that he heard thingsthat are not to be told, that no
mortal is permitted to repeat.
And so it may suggest that thereare dimensions of reality that
mortals are not able to fullycomprehend or understand.
Others argue that this impliesthat God will reveal further
details through John and the twowitnesses, which we're going to
(15:24):
see in the next chapter, andthrough God's people who will
face a hostile world.
And still others argue that theseven thunders remain a mystery
and should teach us that thehidden things belong to God, and
that He knows way more about thefuture than He actually tells
us.
Deuteronomy 29 tells us thesecret things belong to the Lord
(15:45):
our God.
And so it seems reasonable toconclude that some of the
judgments are sealed and hidden,but they will still come.
They're not withdrawn.
God just doesn't disclose thefull details of what will happen
in the future.
Some of them will remain sealeduntil the day they become a
reality.
And maybe God has set some sortof a boundary on what it's best
(16:07):
for us to know.
Maybe God's letting us know thatdespite us thinking that we've
got it all figured out, that weknow all the things that are
going to happen in the futureand the order that everything's
going to happen because weattended a prophecy conference,
that there are some details thathe's kept hidden until the
appropriate time.
And so we should be humble whenwe're speculating about things
(16:29):
like the end times or anythingabout which we cannot be
certain.
And we should definitely avoidholding a really dogmatic
position on them.
And there may be a lesson in theSeven Thunders here for all the
prophecy teachers.
God alone rules the future.
And we don't have to know everysingle detail.
It might do us some good tounderstand what we can, continue
(16:51):
studying, continue learning, andthen simply trust God with the
things that we don't yet know.
But John continues with versesfive through seven where he
says, And the angel whom I sawstanding on the sea and on the
land raised his right hand toheaven, and swore by him who
lives forever and ever, whocreated heaven and what is in
(17:11):
it, the earth and what is in it,and the sea and what is in it,
that there would be no moredelay, but that in the days of
the trumpet call to be soundedby the seventh angel, the
mystery of God could befulfilled, just as he announced
to his servants the prophets.
And so the angel lifts his righthand and he swears an oath, and
(17:32):
that oath pertains to the finaljudgment.
In Deuteronomy thirty two, Godalso swears an oath when he
said, See now that I, even I, amHe, and there is no God beside
me.
I kill and I make alive, I woundand I heal, and there is none
that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heavenand swear, as I live forever, I
(17:57):
will take vengeance on myadversaries and will repay those
who hate me.
In Daniel, an angel also swearsan oath by the living God,
raising his hands toward heavenand prophesying that the end
will arrive after a time, times,and half a time, which is most
often interpreted as being threeand a half years.
But this reference to Daniel isimportant because of the sealing
(18:20):
that is spoken of there relatedto the final judgment, to the
day when God will judge theworld.
And so this swearing of an oath,it was a way of certifying the
truthfulness of what was said.
These are not idle orthoughtless words, and so we can
be assured that what the angelsays will come true.
And what does he say?
(18:41):
In verse six he tells us thatthere will be no more time, no
more delay.
He literally says that time willbe no longer.
History as we know it is ending,and the beginning of the end
will start at the sounding ofthe seventh trumpet.
In verse seven, the angel tellsus that when the seventh trumpet
(19:03):
sounds, there will be no moredelay, and that the mystery of
God will be revealed.
Now back in chapter one we sawthat a mystery typically refers
to something previously hiddenthat is now revealed.
And the mystery here is thewhole plan and purpose of God.
Now many of God's mysteries havealready been disclosed in Jesus
(19:24):
Christ, and believers can beassured that evil does not
ultimately reign in the world.
Evil doesn't ultimately win.
All of God's plans, his decrees,his design will be accomplished,
just as he announced to hisprophets, and the completion of
the mystery will also mean thatthe seven thunders will no
longer remain a secret.
(19:46):
All will be revealed.
But we continue now with thelast four verses, which is a
little more than I usually readat one time, but honestly
there's just not a good breakpoint here.
And so John continues in verseseight through eleven saying,
Then the voice that I had heardfrom heaven spoke to me again,
saying, Go, take the scroll thatis open in the hand of the angel
(20:06):
who is standing on the sea andon the land.
And so I went to the angel andtold him to give me the little
scroll, and he said to me, Takeand eat it.
It will make your stomachbitter, but in your mouth it
will be sweet as honey.
And I took the little scrollfrom the hand of the angel and
ate it, and it was sweet ashoney in my mouth, but when I
(20:27):
had eaten it my stomach was madebitter, and I was told, You must
again prophesy about manypeoples and nations and
languages and kings.
And so the same voice that Johnhears who tells him to seal up
and not write about the seventhunders speaks to John again
from heaven.
John is instructed to take theopen scroll that the angel's
(20:49):
holding.
And by taking the scroll, Johnis accepting this prophetic
mission and will deliver God'smessage.
But if John thought he was justgoing to take the scroll and
read what was inside, he'smistaken.
Because the angel instructs Johnto eat the scroll, which again
means that he will accept andingest this message that's given
(21:10):
to him.
And it may be a figurative wayof telling John that he is to
read it, to learn it, andinwardly ingest it to prepare
for what God has commissionedhim to do.
Even in our modern vernacular,we talk about devouring a book.
And just as the angel told himit would, John said that when he
ate the scroll, it tasted assweet as honey in his mouth, but
(21:33):
made his stomach bitter.
He became nauseated.
As John begins to truly digestand understand what's in store,
especially for those who rejectGod, he became nauseated at the
thought of what was to come.
And all of us have probably atsome point in our lives become
nauseated at something thatwe've seen, something that we've
(21:54):
heard, some bad news orsomething like that that we've
received.
Well just imagine how John feelshere.
If you're familiar with theprophet Ezekiel in the Old
Testament, he had the sameexperience.
When he was commissioned as aprophet by God, he too had to
eat the scroll God gave him.
And just like we see with John,when Ezekiel ate the scroll, it
(22:16):
was as sweet as honey in hismouth, but the contents of the
scroll were words of mourningand lamentations and woe.
And so just like Ezekiel, John'seating of the scroll indicates
that he is a prophet of God,accepting and declaring the word
of the Lord.
It's interesting that Davidwrote in Psalm 119, How sweet
(22:36):
your word is to my taste,sweeter than honey in my mouth.
And not only David, butJeremiah, who said in Jeremiah
15, Your words were found and Iate them.
Your words became a delight tome and the joy of my heart.
And what Jeremiah said wasparticularly interesting because
the words that Jeremiah wasreferring to were words of
(22:58):
judgment.
And with John here, we see thesame thing.
The scroll made John's bellybitter because the scroll
contains words of judgment.
And so we see this parallel withEzekiel and John because both
scrolls promise judgment.
And so the word is sweet becauseit's the word of God, but bitter
(23:19):
because it brings judgment.
In verse eleven, John is toldthat you must again prophesy
about many peoples and nationsand languages and kings, and
eating the scroll symbolizesinternalizing its contents and
the one who eats can thenprophesy.
Ezekiel was to prophesy to thehouse of Israel.
(23:39):
John is to prophesy to manypeoples, nations, languages, and
kings.
John will prophesy to the wholeworld.
The message of Revelationconcerns all people.
Nobody is exempt from itswarning, because judgment is
coming to all people.
And so we should follow John'sexample here.
We too should ingest God's word,and we need to obey and proclaim
(24:03):
God's word even when the messageproves to be bitter, even when
there may be a price to pay.
And it's increasingly more andmore difficult to do that in our
world.
Even in some church circles, forexample, those who maybe
emphasize a prosperity gospelare conditioning their listeners
to only expect pleasant thingsfrom God.
(24:24):
But God never promised us that.
In fact, Jesus warned us, if theworld hates you, know that it
has hated me before it hatedyou.
A servant is not greater thanhis master, if they persecuted
me, they will also persecuteyou.
And if you remember back inchapter two, Jesus told the
(24:44):
church in Smyrna, do not fearwhat you are about to suffer.
Be faithful unto death, and Iwill give you the crown of life.
And here in Revelation, theangel tells John, There will be
no more delay.
And so it should remind us thatthough we have to wait right
now, a time is coming when Godwill fulfill all of his
(25:05):
promises.
And so I pray you let this hopeand assurance stir you to be
faithful until then.
Hold on to his word, becauseGod's timing is perfect.
And as we await the fulfillmentof God's promises, let's embrace
the call to share his word whenit's sweet and even when it
brings the bitterness ofjudgment or opposition, and
(25:28):
trust that our witness willshine bright in a world that
seems to be growing darker anddarker, and is in desperate need
of his truth.
And my prayer for you is thatyou stand firm, stay strong
until the day when, as the angeltold John, there will be no more
delay.
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