Chapter 10
Another "mighty" angel signals a significant
event. His descent from heaven is to act on earth. But this was is in the image
of God and with a lion's roar - therefore either Christ himself or an angelic
representative of Christ (cf. 1v15-16).
As the Lamb is mentioned throughout probably the latter, but perhaps the
most supreme angel there is. Christ himself will not descend to earth until his
return. The cloud signifies the presence of God, the rainbow his mercy and
impending judgment towards the earth, his face like the sun his glory, and his
legs as pillars of fire, his holy presence in leading the Israelites from
Egypt. This contrasts the idea of idols that cannot walk. God can, and he is
leading his people to the new creation in a new Exodus, having brought plagues
on those who have persecuted them. We should note here too, that being pictured
with some of God's own attributes, we are seeing yet again that Christ is one
with him.
v2: In his hand
the angel has a "little scroll." The only other scroll mentioned is
that of the 7 seals, taken from God's hand by Christ and then systematically
opened. As this one is described as "open" in the angels
"hand" it is almost certainly the same one or derives from it.
Further parallels with chapter 5 confirm this. But John eats this one as a
precursor to prophesying its words. So it may be "little" because it
contains the aspects of the last things he is to pass on. This is supported by
the thunders then being singled out as exempt from his revelations. The fact it
the original scroll is opened further implies the 7 trumpets are encompassed
within the seventh seal. With the seventh about to be sounded we finally see the
see the scroll opened. As this marks the end of history we must conclude the
contents of the seal record the details around the return of Christ - the final
judgment and everlasting rest.
We have seen land
and sea in the judgments. They represent the earth. To have a foot on each
shows sovereignty - that of the Lion of Judah to whom the obedience of the
nations comes. So he calls put like a lion and 7 thunders sound in a way that
imparts information to John. Quite possibly they are the voice of God or other
mighty angels (6v1, 19v6, Ps 29). Thunder implies judgment. One presumes this
is like the 7 seals and trumpets imparting information. But as John is about to
record what he hears he heard a voice from heaven (perhaps Christ) telling him
to seal up what he has heard and not write it down (contrast 1v19). Echoing
Daniel 12v9 this may communicate that there are other events of judgment that
will take place at the "end" that are not made known to us. We cannot
therefore expect everything at the end to find a prediction in scripture. More
likely given what follows, the sealing up may well be a way of saying God will
not send those judgments and so delay the end further. Previously, being sealed
up has certainly kept judgments from taking place (ch. 6). If this is correct,
it stresses God's concern that his people's tribulations don't carry on
unecessarily. The preordained time he gives people to repent is tempered by his
concern his people enjoy their redemption. History will not continue endlessly.
God's patience will come to an end.
v5: The mighty
angel then takes a solemn oath - signalling it is taken by God who created
everything to be impacted by the events of the book. The path is that after the
sounding of the sixth trumpet there will be no "delay." In the
"days" preceding the seventh trumpet call the "mystery"
would be fulfilled just as prophesied. There's much here that is critical to
understanding the book: (1) The accuracy of prophesy is upheld in testifying
that the delay in history is not error in what was predicted. Revelation
therefore works like the book of Daniel. As history progresses those who once
read the temporal ambiguities prophesy as about to be fulfilled start to wonder
at its delay, and so God reveals something of the events that must take place
first. Certainly "soon" could speak of events near in time to the
first readers (1v1, 3v11). But the delay Daniel predicted was hundreds of years
and Christ spoke of his return as "soon." So this doesn't require a
short period but only that the end is certain and potentially imminent. (2) We
see God's great purpose in the delay of having the mystery of God fulfilled. In
the wider context this must surely refer to his purposes in redemption and
judgment previously hidden in the scroll - ie. Christ's victory over evil and
salvation from all peoples. It is therefore an apocalyptic version of Paul's
mystery that Jew and Gentile are united together through the gospel (Eph 3v6).
(3) The extent of the delay itself showing that it stretches to the return of
Christ (11v15-18), meaning that the trumpets do not lead up simply to the
destruction of Jerusalem or Rome as preterist argue. Indeed, the idea of delay
suggests largely futurist reading of the book with a focus on progression to
and the events of the end. (4) The days of the seventh trumpet also argue for a
chronological reading at least of the trumpets - and perhaps the seals too.
v6: Now the voice
of God or of the Lamb (cf. v4) speaks from heaven again. He is to take the
scroll. This passes then like a baton from God to Christ to the angel to John.
What dignity for a mere man. The repetition of the angel standing on the sea
and land keeps in mind the scroll reflects the sovereignty of Christ. John
perhaps assumes the angel didn't hear the voice so he tells him to give him the
scroll. His experience is that of Ezekiel 3v3: As the word of God it was sweet
to taste - after all, it promised the redemption of God's people. But because
it's message was one of judgment and brings rejection, this one was also bitter
to the stomach.
As Ezekiel was
immediately commissioned to speak God's words we should understand this scroll
as containing the words John is immediately commanded to prophesy (v11). The
words are about "many peoples and nations and languages and kings" -
the theme of chapters 12-19 if not the rest of the book (almost all references
to these come in what follows, cf. 11v9, 17v15-17, 18v4). It seems then that we
are to conclude this is the content of this mini-scroll. In short it describes
the battle with Satan and Christ's ultimate victory overy him, which must be
why it was so serious when none could be found to open its mother scroll. But
now the 7 seals of the original are open it's contents can be revealed to the
comfort of the Saints.
Before we move on
we must note the fulfilment of Daniel 12 here. There too, an angelic being
raises a hand to heaven and swears. He then declares the figurative time until
the end that will be picked up later in Revelation, noting it will be when the
"shattering of the power of the holy people" comes to an end. Like in
Revelation his purpose is to build perseverance. And he speaks of those who
make themselves white and of resurrection. Daniel 11 also describes a wicked
king with chariots and horsemen, who devastates many countries - whilst some
others are protected. This could correspond to the details of the sixth trumpet
(9v13-17). Key however, is the note that knowledge of "the outcome of
these things" has been "sealed" until the time of the end. One
cannot but see the 7 seals as the unsealing of this knowledge. And so with
John's coming prophecy it is finally being revealed!