Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 10
10:1 And
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a
cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, his face was as the sun and his
feet as pillars of fire- It is quite possible that the Angel of Rev.
10:1 who descends from Heaven in a cloud with a face like the sun, holding
the books of judgement is referring to Christ's second coming in person.
He is called "The messenger (Heb. 'malak', the Angel) of the covenant"
(Mal. 3:1). It could be argued that this chapter is a continuation of the
sixth trumpet- Alf Norris makes a reasonable case for this.
The same
words "mighty Angel" are used in Rev. 5:2, where "a strong Angel" (AV) offers
the book, and Jesus the Lamb opens it. Now John, representative of the
latter day believers, is asked to follow the role of the Lord Jesus and
take the book. The connection with chapter 5 is intentional- hence we read
of "another mighty Angel". Therefore the little book which
is opened is in fact the book of Rev. 5, which is the book of life.
Perhaps this is the same "mighty Angel"
who judges Babylon (18:21 s.w.), crying "mightily" (18:2 s.w.); that Angel
also "comes down" from Heaven in judgment (18:1 s.w. 10:1 "come down from
Heaven").
The Angel arrayed with a cloud represents the Lord Jesus, who comes with
clouds (1:7; Lk. 21:27; 1 Thess. 4:17), sitting upon a cloud (14:14).
The rainbow around his head implies that the face is the sun,
producing a rainbow in the clouds around his head. The Lord was
transfigured as having face like the sun. He is "the sun of righteousness"
which is to arise. His voice like a lion (:3) is the fulilfment of
various latter day prophecies: "the Lord roars from Zion and utters His
voice from Jerusalem" (Joel 3:16; Hos. 11:10; Am. 3:8). The second coming
is clearly in view. An
Angel coming down clothed with a cloud is very much alluding to what
happened after Israel left Egypt; although Moses alone saw this. John,
despised and imprisoned on Patmos, is therefore being encouraged that he
is in no less an awesome position than was Moses- who was seen in Judaism
as the epitome of human spirituality, and whose experience on Sinai
was presented as the highest a man has ever gone to God. The idea is that
now the tribulation of Israel is completed, and instead of the coming down
of the Angel clothed with cloud on Sinai, there will be the literal return
of Christ to earth.
The rainbow about His head is another connection with the opening vision
of a rainbow around the throne of the Lord Jesus (4:3). Cloud, rainbow and
sun are all part of the same process which results in rainbows becoming
visible. From the point of observation, the rain has ceased but the cloud
suggests there is still water around. We can maybe infer that this is a
picture of some judgments [the rain] having ended, but others still
ongoing. And this is in chronological terms about where we are up to in
the book- the remaining judgments described in the book are upon the beast
systems, judging them as they had previously judged Israel / God’s people.
His face as the sun is the very description of Jesus in 1:16. And "feet as
pillars of fire" is just like the Lord Jesus in 1:17; 2:18. After all the
allusions to Joel in Revelation 9, it's not surprising that this too
alludes to Joel, this time to Joel 2:30- pillars of fire, smoke and blood
are to be seen in the land in the last days. The context there would
require that this is judgment coming upon the land. And yet this image of
judgment is presented along with that of the rainbow, the cessation of
judgment- in the kaleidoscope of images which forms the apocalyptic genre.
That kaleidoscope of images means we should not be unduly concerned about
whether the Angel here is an Angel or the Lord Jesus personally.
Harry
Whittaker makes a good case for this Angel being that of Daniel 10. And
yet, as he also points out, the connections with the Lord Jesus personally
are undeniable:
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The
detailed parallel between Revelation 10, 11 and Daniel 10, 12 set
out below requires that John understood the being he saw to be the
angel who revealed so much to Daniel. |
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Revelation |
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10:1 |
A mighty
angel. |
10:5, 12:7 |
A man
clothed in linen. |
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|
10:2 |
Right foot
on the sea, left foot on the land. |
12:7 |
Standing
on the waters of the river. |
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|
10:1 |
Face like
the sun. |
10:6 |
Face like
lightning. |
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|
10:1 |
Feet as
pillars of fire. |
10:6 |
Feet like
polished brass. |
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|
10:2 |
Open book
in his hand. |
10:21 |
“I will
shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth (the
heavenly prototype).” |
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|
10:3 |
Voice as a
lion. |
10:6 |
Voice like
a multitude. |
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10:5 |
Lifts
right hand to heaven. (The left hand holds the book.) |
12:7 |
Lifts both
hands to heaven. |
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10:6 |
Swears by
Him that liveth for ever. |
12:7 |
Swears by
Him that liveth for ever. |
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|
10:7 |
Mystery of
God to be finished as declared to the prophet. |
12:7 |
“All these
things shall be finished.” |
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11:2 |
Temple
court “cast out,” given to Gentiles. |
12:11 |
Daily
sacrifice taken away, abomination set up. |
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|
11:2 |
Holy city
trodden under foot. |
12:7 |
Power of
the holy people scattered. |
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|
11:2 |
42 months. |
12:7 |
Time,
times and an half. |
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11:18 |
The time
of the dead that they should be judged. |
12:2 |
Many that
sleep awake, to everlasting life or to contempt. |
And yet the similarities between this Angel and the Lord Jesus cannot be
denied:
|
The Angel of Revelation 10 |
Christ |
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(a) |
Clothed
with a cloud. |
“A cloud
received him out of their sight ... shall so come in like manner
as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10,11). “Behold he
cometh with clouds” (Revelation 1:7 and 14:14). |
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(b) |
His face
as the sun
|
“His
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” (1:16). |
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(c) |
His feet
as pillars of fire (contrast the kingdoms of men - feet of iron
and clay). |
“His feet
like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” (1:15) |
|
|
(d) |
“Cried
with a loud voice as when a lion roareth.” |
“The Lion
of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open the seals” (5:5). |
|
|
(e) |
“A rainbow
was upon his head.” |
“There was
a rainbow round about the throne (4:3) ... a Lamb in the midst of
the throne” (5:6) |
10:2 And
he had in his hand a little scroll that was opened, and he set his right
foot upon the sea and his left upon the earth- The question of course
is whether this open scroll is the same scroll, the book of life, which
the Lord opened earlier in Revelation, and which He likewise holds in His
hand in 5:1; and which is only opened by the releasing of the seals
binding it in the very last days. The Apocalypse is a kaleidoscope of
images, and we should not be too concerned with trying to define each
usage of a symbol in a distinctly separate way. The Lord, represented by
His Angel, is standing in judgment upon the land promised to Abraham,
judging according to what is written in a scroll. The scroll of "life" was
written on both sides, and we saw on 5:1 that this curious feature may
mean that it contained both the blessings for the faithful and judgments
upon the wicked; hence it tasted both bitter and sweet in :10. In :5 we
will read that the Angel representative of Jesus raises His right hand to
Heaven; perhaps we are meant to deduce that the small scroll was in His
left hand. The book of 5:1 is in the Lord's right hand. That may mean that
there we are seeing the blessing aspect, as it has been introduced as the
book of life. Here in chapter 10 we have the judgment aspect, hence it is
held in the left hand.
The scroll
is a little scroll, perhaps not meaning it is a different scroll, but to
place the visual emphasis upon the colossal size of the Lord, standing in
control of earth and sea; and to fit the decorum of the symbol, in that
John will be asked to eat it as if it can be swallowed in one gulp (:10).
The simple
take away point is that we, and all the 'earth', are judged not
ad hoc,
according to the emotion of the judge, but according to a predetermined
written record based upon actions in this life. The sea is where one beast
arises from (13:1), whilst another arises from the earth (13:11). Yet even
before they are portrayed as arising, we are assured that the Lord stands
firmly in judgment upon both sea and earth; for to have territory under
the feet means to judge or be lord over it. If the earth means the
territory of the land promised to Abraham, perhaps the sea refers to the
territories immediately surrounding it.
Perhaps the
little book is the rest of the vision of Revelation being given to John?
Or perhaps this receipt of the book is because now the theme of the
visions will move specifically towards the witness made by the faithful
under persecution. We need not stress about trying to make chapter 10
follow on from the events of chapter 9 and precede the events of chapter
11. That would be to miss the point of the genre of apocalyptic, seeking
to impose a European, linear approach to Semitic thought which is not
constrained by the linear, chronological model. We also have to appreciate
that this vision of the Lord in glory is one of several which punctuate
and form the structure of the book; which to quote another could be
summarized as:
A Opening vision (Revelation 1)
B Seven letters with seven visions of the saints in glory (Rev. 2,3)
C Christ in glory (Rev. 4,5)
D 7 seals of judgment upon Israel and
sealing of the repentant (Rev. 6,7); the language of 'sealing' in both
chapters thereby connects them
E 7 trumpets (Rev.
8,9)
10 Christ stands in glory; commissions John to preach
11 Preaching by the saints under persecution
12 The church against the beast- the essence of the
Apocalypse
13 Preaching by the saints under persecution
14 Christ stands in glory; the Gospel preached
Ea 7 vials
(Ch, 15 & 16)
Da 7 judgments on
Babylon, presented as Israel (thus connecting with 'D'); the faithful
presented in 19:1-10 in the language of Rev. 7 (Rev. 17:1-19:10)
Ca Christ in glory (Rev. 19:11-21)
Ba 7 visions of the saints in glory
A Closing vision.
10:3 And
he cried with a great voice, as a lion roars; and when he cried, the seven
thunders uttered their voices- The Lord is likened to a lion when
earlier He has held the scroll in 5:5, confirming my hunch that it is the
same scroll in view. The roaring of the Messianic lion of Judah is in
final victory over those who are abusing Israel and the sons of Jacob
(Gen. 49:9). Thunders have indeed been associated with judgments so far in
Revelation, but voices as thunders could simply mean that His singular
voice is Divine, as mighty as seven [completeness] thunders; for this is
the idea of a voice as of thunder in 19:6 and Jn. 12:29.
10:4 And
when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write. And I heard a
voice from heaven, saying: Keep secret the things which the seven thunders
uttered and do not write them down- The voices of thunders pronounced
something which John heard but was forbidden from writing. We have series
of seven judgments recorded in the seals, trumpets and bowls. It seems
there is another possible and potentially planned series of seven
judgments, all planned in Heaven, which are not written because they will
not happen. There will be the repentance of the remnant so sought for, and
so these judgments will not be required. As early as 2:10 [see note there]
we have been introduced to the idea of potential fulfilments of prophecy;
there are various possible outcomes, but not all shall happen, because
humans have freewill to repent or resist, and the detailed shape of the
latter day events is responsive to that. This is why no detailed
chronology of events is presented, but rather the kaleidoscope of images
we have in the apocalyptic genre which the Spirit chose for Revelation.
10:5 And
the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up
his right hand to heaven- Presumably holding the scroll of judgments
in His left hand; see on :2. This would mean the scroll refers to
judgments upon the wicked; it is written on both sides, and I suggested on
5:1 that blessing for the faithful is on one side, and judgments for the
wicked on the other.
10:6 And swore by Him that lives forever and ever, who created the
heaven and the things that are therein and the earth and the things that
are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall
be no more delay- The seventh trumpet begins with the news that there
will be no more delay- the idea is again of an imposed delay / restraint
being now lifted. This restraint is that noted on 9:14,15, and
which is specifically mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:3. Then, "the coming one
will come, and shall not tarry”, i.e. will not any longer tarry / delay
(Heb. 10:37). This is the delay implied in the parable of the ten virgins,
who slumber whilst the bridegroom tarries. This delay will reveal whether
the last generation really love their Lord, whether they stay eager for
Him despite things not going according to plan, and their interpretations
of Bible prophecy not producing the Lord's return when they think it
should come. "My Lord delays His coming" indeed states what is true; but
the question is, how we respond to that delay. This is the answer to the
cry "How long?" earlier. The answer had been that there had to be further
persecution. Now, there is no more delay. The whole scene recalls that of
the Angel in Daniel who likewise lifted up his hand to Heaven and swore-
but that there should be a "time, times and a half" until the resolution
of all things. But now, the Angel says there shall be that "time" no
longer. There has been
an earlier delay in order to allow the faithful to be sealed (see on 7:3).
But there are no more restraints; now the final end shall come. As noted
on :2, the structure of Revelation is such that we are not to think that
now chapter 10 shall therefore close the whole of human history. Chapter
11 will revert to how this situation is achieved. The earth and sea where
the Angel representative of Jesus is standing have all been created by
God. There is no entity that can arise in the experience of God's people
that has not been ultimately created by God; indeed the entire heavenly
throne room which John is viewing has been created by Him.
10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good
news which He declared to His servants the prophets- The message of
the prophets was specifically concerning Israel, which is therefore the
focus of the "mystery" here. RSV "the mystery of God would be
fulfilled" or revealed suggests that what is now a mystery, the inability
to ultimately attach meaning to event in human history, will then be made
plain. And likewise our own life path will become ultimately plain. No
longer will we struggle to understand significance, but for God's people,
the dots will be finally joined and the ultimate picture and intention
made plain- a picture of love, of salvation, of joy without end. Then, the
problem of suffering and Divine justice will be finally resolved. And for
now, we have the comfort that the evil in this world is not insuperable;
the time and tide of human history is not aimless, a circle that keeps
repeating [cp. Solzhenitsyn's history of Russia, The Red Wheel /
Circle], with everything repeating, what goes around comes around,
with our own lives likewise ever circling in some pointless movement...
but rather history (and our own life) is progressing in a linear sense
towards an end point, in the inevitable triumph of God and His Son and
their Kingdom.
"About to sound" could suggest that the
seventh Angel doesn't actually sound; therefore the seven thunders were
not written down. I suggested on :4 that this is because that potential
sequence of judgments don't happen. Perhaps in His grace and in response
to the prayers of the faithful in the last days, the judgments are cut
short and these ones therefore don't happen. See too the notes on 6:1
regarding the seventh seal.
10:8 And
the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard it again speaking with me,
and saying: Go, take the book which is opened in the hand of the angel
that stands upon the sea and upon the earth- There is a parallel
between the commissioning of John in 1:9,19 and his recommission in
chapter 10. The open scroll given to him in chapter 10 is the same scroll
which has been opened by the seals being removed in chapter 6. The
aggelon ischyron of 5:2 is the same Angel described with the same
words in 10:8; both times the Angel introduces a scroll. I suggest it is
the same scroll. As the Lamb took the scroll from the hand of the Angel in
5:7,8, now John does the same (10:9,10). Perhaps in this context there is
significance in the scroll having writing on both sides, of blessing
[sweet] and judgment [bitter].
10:9- see on
Rev. 11:3.
And I went
to the angel, saying to him that he should give me the little book. And he
said to me: Take it and eat it up; it shall make your belly bitter but in
your mouth it shall be as sweet as honey- As explained on :10, this was to recall Ezekiel's
experience of eating the bitter judgments upon Israel, and also the
sweetness of blessing for the faithful within Israel. And in practice it
was to enable John to enter into something of the Lord's feelings in
dispensing judgments and blessings at the last day; see on :10.
10:10 And
I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth
it was sweet as honey. But when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter-
Taking the book of life from the hand of the Angel is exactly what the
Lord Jesus did. John is being asked to identify with how the Lord Jesus
will actually feel at the last day. As noted on 5:1 and 10:1, I suggest
that the scroll is the book of life, with blessings for the faithful
written on one side and judgments for the wicked on the other. But in the
actual realization of all these things, the Lord literally feels
bitter-sweet, just as John did. He is not the impassive judge.
The "little
book" is a bibliaridion, a term used in :8,9,10, and Ez. 2:9 LXX in
a closely similar episode. The book in Ezekiel is "written within and
without" (like that in 5.1) and carries a message of "lamentations,
mourning and woe", very much the theme of this part of Revelation. Ezekiel
was required to eat the roll, as John is here (10.9); but though Ezekiel
was to speak its message to Israel, John must prophesy "again over many
peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" (10.11). For each the book
was "sweet as honey", and while in John's case his "belly was made
bitter", in Ezekiel's the prophet went about "in bitterness".
10:11 And they said to me: You must prophesy again about many peoples
and nations and tongues and kings- The idea is that John was assumed
to be recording his message for the Jews, but it also had reference to the
Gentiles. The traumas to happen in the land promised to Abraham will
affect both Jew and non-Jew in that land; and this is why both the Hebrew
and Greek terms for 'the destroyer' are given in chapter 9. But about can
also be "to". The idea is then of a last moment intense witness to all the
peoples, perhaps of the world, or within the land promised to Abraham. And
this is the theme of the next visions; of witness under terrible
persecution during the last days. John was typical of those persecuted
preachers, seeing he himself was under tribulation for the sake of his
witness of God's word in Christ, as chapter 1 has reminded us.
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