Revelation 10:1-11 - A Mighty Angel with the Little Book

Revelation 10:1-11

The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

John Eats the Little Book

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Here the Little Book and the mighty angel are shown to John and recorded for us to fathom.  The mighty angel came down from heaven in a cloud with a rainbow of righteousness and blazing light of purity on his face as he stood with feet of cleansing fire.  This angelic creature was so immense that he put one foot on land and one on the sea as he roared like a lion with power and strength.  That roar echoed as thunder does in a terrifying thunderstorm but in seven bangs instead of one or two.  These thunderclaps were actually powerful voices that spoke words, bit the words are left a mystery to us until they unfold in time because John was forbidden from writing them down.  Some things in this book of ever-revealing descriptions of events to take place are kept hidden that judgment and glory may be given in God’s own time and our appreciation afterwards.  Not all can be figured out by the most learned people since the Lord is the one to reveal all things in His time for His purposes and glory.  This final mystery of God will be revealed when the seventh angel speaks it to all creation and it is finished.  This mighty angel here announced that seventh with an oath of promise to the Most-High God and creator of all things that when the time is right there will be no more delay in the revelation of the mystery.  We anxiously await (Romans 8:19, 23, 25, 1 Corinthians 1:7, Galatians 5:5) that revelation to come and the final mystery of God to be revealed just as the Old Testament mystery of Christ living within us was (Ephesians 1:18-19, Colossians 1:27) when Jesus came and left the earth before coming back the second time when sorrow and sin will be flee away as He reveals Himself to us, face to face at last!  This final mystery is promised to be likewise revealed to us at that time as told to the prophets before us as well.  Then the mighty angel held out a little book as the LORD in heaven commanded him to give to John.  The apostle was told to eat that with the warning it would go down sweet as honey but leave a bitter aftertaste and upset stomach afterwards.  John obeyed and it was just as the angel warned him.  This bitter message to swallow likely was the weight of the prophecies to follow in the revelation of the judgment of God on the world.  That is a bitter pill to swallow even as the glory of the righteous judgment must come,as he very well knew.  John therefore listened and observed all he was shown “about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings” and wrote it all down in this book of Revelation for all to read and know as it is revealed to us in the final days of time before the Lord returns and calls His elect to Himself at last.  We struggle to understand all the details because we are not meant to until they unfold before us, and that is a good thing because we are tested for our faithfulness and endurance to the end in not knowing all that lies ahead in the world’s judgment and our suffering through it.  This is shown us in a dark mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12) by a mighty angel giving a bittersweet little book to John to reveal the mysteries of God to us over time.  These things are told us as an encouragement to patiently wait for the coming of the Lord and the judgment to come.