“Revelation 10:1-7”

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

“I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.’ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Today’s verses begin another lengthy interlude, this time between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpet. We are introduced to “another strong angel” who is obviously of the same class as the strong angel who proclaimed with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” (Revelation 5:2) The imagery of God’s messenger making a spectacular entrance “clothed with a cloud,” having a “rainbow…upon his head…his face like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire” (verse 1), “indicates that he was sent on a very special mission and that his work was of unusual importance… Of the twenty-five times that the word ‘cloud’ (nephelé) appears in the New Testament, in all but three…it is used in some relation to deity or of a divine appearance, often judgment. This indicates that the angel before us comes clothed with a divine mission relating to judgment.” (Hailey)

This angel was holding “a little book” (verse 2) or “booklet” that was sitting open in his hand. Unlike the book sealed with seven seals which included God’s dealings with man from the coming of His Christ to the execution of His Final Judgment, this booklet more specifically dealt with God’s impending judgment upon the Roman Empire, and it was already laid opened and ready to be implemented. The fact that the angel “placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land” indicated the far-reaching nature of his message, and that the coming judgment would have a great affect upon the whole world. Consider Revelation 18:9-11 for how the entire earth would be shaken by the sacking of the capital city: “And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more.”

This angel spoke as one commanding attention, even as the roar of a mighty lion (verse 3). When “he cried out…seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.” “As John was about to carry out the charge to write the things which he saw (1:11, 19), his hand was stayed, for he had not been told to write all that he heard. ‘Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.’… The purpose of inserting this in the revelation is most likely to assure His saints that God has many unrevealed weapons in His arsenal of judgments to be used at His discretion; man cannot know all of God’s ways.” (Hailey) “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The time for warnings has now come to an end. There will be “delay no longer” (verse 6). It is time for “the mystery of God” to be “finished” (verse 7). “What is about to be revealed is how God will bring down this persecuting force of Rome and thereby firmly establish his kingdom as the only one that shall stand forever. About six hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Lord instructed Daniel to prophesy that His kingdom would be established in the days of the fourth kingdom—the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:40, 44-45). This was fulfilled when Christ arose from the grave and ascended to the right hand of God (Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Dan. 7:13-14; Eph. 1:20-23; Acts 2:30, 33-36). God’s kingdom would be unlike earthly nations which inexorably rise and fall. God’s kingdom is spiritual, and it shall stand forever (John 18:36; Dan. 2:44). Daniel…foretold how God’s kingdom would be opposed by this fourth empire (Dan. 7:15-18). The Roman Empire…would make war with the saints, but it would not prevail. Instead, ‘the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever (Dan. 7:18).” (Harkrider)

Please read Revelation 10:8-11 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

-Louie Taylor

Share