Revelation 10

Revelation 10  •  7 min. read  •  grade level: 9
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Revelation 10-11: Introduction
Six out of the seven trumpets have sounded; and now there is an interval before the announcement of the third woe which is heralded by the seventh and last trumpet. It follows that Revelation 10 to 11:14 is parenthetical. There is a similar interval between the sixth and seventh seals with, as often noticed, a slight difference. The events depicted between the sixth and seventh seals are preparatory to the latter, whereas those contained in the parenthesis between the last two trumpets are connected rather with, and supplementary to, the sixth trumpet. This may be seen from the fact that it is not until Revelation 11:1414The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (Revelation 11:14) that the proclamation is made: “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”
There are two subjects dealt with in the parenthetical scripture now under consideration: first, the action of the “mighty angel” in Revelation 10, and the state of the temple and of Jerusalem, together with the testimony of the two witnesses, as given in Revelation 11:1-141And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (Revelation 11:1‑14).
John says as to the former: “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” (vs. 1). Such is the personal description of this mighty angel, a description which, in several of its details, points us to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is clothed with a cloud. A cloud is often connected with the divine presence, and hence with our Lord. This may be seen in the New Testament as well as constantly in the Old. On the mount of transfiguration a cloud overshadowed both Him and His disciples (Matt. 17; Luke 9); and when He ascended up into heaven a cloud received Him out of the sight of His own (Acts 1). When also He returns to the earth, He will come in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:3030And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30); Rev. 1:77Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)). In Revelation 47And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7) the rainbow is round about the divine throne; here it is upon the angel’s head, and the rainbow is the symbol of God’s everlasting covenant with the earth (Gen. 9:12-1312And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:12‑13)). None, therefore, but a divine person could wear the rainbow on His head. The last two characteristics, “His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire,” (vs. 1) are almost exactly the same as those given in Revelation 1:15-1615And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And 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 1:15‑16). There cannot be a doubt therefore as to the identification of this mighty angel with Christ.
In His hand there was “a little book open.” (vs. 2) It is not a sealed book as in Revelation 5, the contents of which could not be known until the seals were broken, but an open book, the contents of which were already known, referring doubtless, to the fact that the action of Christ in taking possession of the earth and the sea (and all represented by the earth and the sea), as symbolized by His right foot on the sea and His left foot on the earth, had already been made known through prophetic writings. (See for example Psa. 72; Isa. 11; 25; 60; Zech. 14, and numberless scriptures.)
Having set one foot on the sea and the other upon the earth, He “cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices” (vs. 3). The subject of this cry is concealed; for when John was about to write what the seven thunders had uttered, he was commanded to “seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not” (vss. 3-4). But from the imagery employed it is not difficult to discern that the cry of Christ and the voices of the seven thunders were expressive of His wrath, indignation and righteous judgment; for, as we know from various scriptures, it is in anger, righteous anger, that He will come and deal with the man of the earth. (Compare Isa. 2; Isa. 26:20-2120Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (Isaiah 26:20‑21); Isa. 42:1313The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. (Isaiah 42:13); Joel 3:1616The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:16).)
The next three verses explain the significance of the action described in verse 2: “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 earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 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” (vss. 5-7). (The word rendered “time” in this passage is chronos, which means time, but also “a certain definite time, a while, period, season;” and hence, taken in its connection in this passage, should be translated as in the margin of the Revised Version, and as in the text of the New Translation, “delay.” It should therefore read thus, “That there should be no longer delay.”)
Whether taken symbolically or literally, the action of the mighty angel (the Lord Himself) in setting one foot on the sea and the other upon the earth, whether, that is, the actual sea and earth are meant, or whether they are figures of “the flowing masses of the people,” and of the ordered governments of the earth, the significance is the same. It is Christ come down, after His long season of patience at the right hand of God, to take possession of His rightful inheritance. (See Matt. 28:1818And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18); 1 Cor. 15:24-2824Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28); Heb. 218For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18).) It is to be observed also that He takes possession, though He has acquired the title through His redemption work, in virtue of the sovereign rights of the Creator. Hence it is that, lifting up His hand to heaven, He swears by the eternal God, the universal Creator. It is creation’s Lord who has bestowed the title, and now He comes to make it good. Accordingly He declares that there shall be no longer any delay, but that all the judgments, “the mystery of God” which concerns His dealing with the world between the first resurrection and the appearing of Christ in glory, should now be completed in the days of the voice of the seventh angel as preparatory to His coming in the clouds of heaven, when every eye shall see Him, to establish His sovereignty over the whole earth.
John is now commanded to take the little book that was open (or opened) in the hand of the angel that was standing upon the sea and upon the earth. The contents of the opened book are to become the subject of John’s testimony as to (The word translated “before” in verse 11 should be “as to.” It is epi followed by the dative.) peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. But if God sends His servant to prophesy, He will first qualify him for His service; and thus John must first “eat” the book (compare Ezek. 3:1-31Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 2So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. (Ezekiel 3:1‑3)), he must appropriate and digest these divine communications before he can rightly communicate them to others. A lesson surely for God’s servants in all ages. Notice, too, that while in the mouth the book should be sweet as honey, it should make John’s belly bitter. So it ever is. How sweet is it to our taste when God communicates some new truth to us! We rejoice in it as those who have discovered hidden treasure; but all truth is death to the natural man, and accordingly when it is applied inwardly in the power of the Holy Spirit, we find it bitter in its working and effects. It is only after the truth has thus been made our own by inward application, that we can be taken up and used to testify of it to others. To attempt to “prophesy” before we have “eaten” and “digested” will only be to discover our nakedness in the presence of the enemy. This is the history of many who have made shipwreck as to the faith.