Chapter 21.

 
The Little Open Book.
Revelation 10
As in the case of the seals there was an interruption between the sixth and the seventh, so here we find a similar break between the sixth and seventh trumpets. For the sixth trumpet would seem to conclude with the last verse of chapters 9, and the seventh is not sounded until chapter 11:15.
In each case it is mercy staying the course of judgment, for God loves mercy, and judgment is His strange work.
“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” (10:1).
There seems little doubt that “another” angel, both here and in chapter 8:3 is none other than the Lord Himself. It is not yet quite the time for His public manifestation as Son of man in judgment, but nevertheless that time is rapidly approaching, and the Lord seems to be dealing more directly with the course of events than He did by the providential judgments that have preceded.
All the symbols used in verse 1 point unmistakably to the Lord Himself. He was clothed with a cloud, which is the well-known sign of Jehovah’s presence, hidden, but not yet revealed. There was a rainbow upon His head, reminding us of God’s faithfulness towards creation. His countenance as the sun tells of His supreme authority (Rev. 1:1616And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (Revelation 1:16); Matt. 17:22And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:2)), and the pillars of fire indicate the firmness and searching character of His judgment.
“And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth, “And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices, “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” (vss. 2-4).
There is a change here from chapters 5. There the book was sealed, and must have remained so had it not been for the suffering unto death of Him who glorified God with reference to sin (ch. 5:9).
The seals that one by one were opened by the Lamb tell of providential occurrences, which being but severer forms of events that have often happened throughout the history of this world, none would necessarily have known them to be positive interventions on the part of God.
The Open Book.
But here the book is open. It is no longer mysterious and symbolic, but direct dealing of God in connection with Jerusalem and the Jews, and those Gentiles immediately linked with them, as we shall see in the next chapter (Rev. 11).
It is not only open, but it is a little book, for the time is now drawing very near its close, and the sphere of God’s acting is getting more restricted; the temple of God, the altar, the court are more exclusively in view. At the same time, He who descends from heaven, invested with all the signs of divine majesty, plants His feet upon the sea and the earth, showing that all belongs to Him, and that He has universal claim over heaven, earth, and sea.
The SEA may represent the unformed masses of mankind, outside the limits of the prophetic earth—the EARTH being that portion where ordered government prevails, and direct testimony has gone forth. We must remember that we have nothing to do here with the church and the heavenly saints, who are already with the Lord, but with the Jews alive on earth, and specially with Jerusalem.
The loud voice, the lion’s roar, the answering thunders, all convey the thought of the awful outburst of divine judgment which was about to take place. Much of the imagery of the Book of Revelation is found likewise in the Old Testament, and here the fervid denunciation of God’s people of old through the lips of Amos comes irresistibly to the mind.
“The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?”
The imposing majesty of the scene fills the soul with awe. The roaring of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, about to take possession of the inheritance through acts of long-delayed but justly merited judgment—heaven’s complete answer—SEVEN thunders—in full accord with this solemn announcement. John was about to write, but heaven forbade. The time was now so short, that the details must not be communicated.
No Longer Delay.
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,” And sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things that are therein, that there should be delay no longer” (R.V. margin).
“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 the good tidings (R.V.) by his servants the prophets” (vss. 5-7).
Here, then, we have the declaration of the Lord’s right over all creation, along with the announcement that there should be no longer delay in asserting and enforcing that claim.
Many have imagined that the reading of our A.V.— “that there should be time no longer”— implies that the time condition of things was just about to cease and eternity to commence. But this is not at all the case. Much had yet to take place before eternity could begin, but there was to be “no further delay” in the execution of judgment.
The mystery of God was about to terminate. Evil was no longer to be triumphant, Satan no longer to have his way, as alas! is too often the case now. It is often an inexplicable mystery how God Who loves righteousness and hates iniquity should allow evil to have the upper hand, and for so long. But soon all will be explained, and His wisdom, love and power fully vindicated. Christ, too, will be glorified in the eyes of the whole universe, and all the blessed promises made beforehand, and the glad predictions of Old Testament prophets will be fulfilled.
The Mystery of God.
Some have thought from the expression “the mystery of God” that the Church was in question. But the mystery of the Church, its union with a glorified Christ, its composition of believing Jews and Gentiles, baptized by the Holy Ghost into one body, with the middle wall of partition broken down—this mystery was not declared either to or by His servants the prophets in O.T. times; it was then kept secret and not made known until “revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets (i.e., of the N.T.) by the Spirit,” and especially through Paul (Eph. 3:44Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (Ephesians 3:4)).
We need to weigh carefully the passages where the word “mystery” occurs.
We are told that in the dispensation of the fullness of times God will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. This is called “the mystery of His will” (Eph. 1:9, 109Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:9‑10)). God has made known to us what He will one day accomplish for the glory of Christ. In spite of the rage of Satan against God, in spite of the ruin wrought by man’s sin, everything in heaven and on earth will be gathered up and united in blessing under Christ.
The Church will be given a place of association with Christ in manifested glory. Christ will be head over all things. He will be head not only of the Church but to the Church. This is a twofold headship. This is the mystery of His will which He has purposed in Himself—a mystery which is even now made known to believers, but which will be manifest to all, in the Millennium, and in a special sense during eternal ages.
“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book....
“And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book....
“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” (vss. 8-10).
Further Prophecies.
The voice again speaks to John and bids him take the little book out of the mighty angel’s hand. But the prophet must eat it up and thus thoroughly digest its contents. The announcing of the terrible judgments of God upon this guilty world must not be undertaken in a light or merely intellectual manner.
No earthly judge worthy the name is ever known to pass sentence upon a criminal however contemptible in his guilt, without keenly feeling the painful nature of his duty. So he that is called of God to bear witness to his righteous judgments must meditate in all seriousness and sobriety on all that that judgment implies. It is sweet to the taste to think that soon all evil will be put down, and that a King shall reign in righteousness and peace. But when we consider what is in store for rebellious and unrepentant sinners, not only of bodily judgment here, but of eternal perdition hereafter, it fills the soul with bitterness and grief.
“And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” (vs. 31).
John is told that further witness is yet to be borne of judgments that are to affect the living nations and kings, for here it is not the judgment of the dead that is in question.