Revelation 10:1-11 Lesson 481

Revelation 10:1-11
Lesson 481

Read the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The angel and the little scroll (10:1-2).
John eats the little scroll (10:8-10).

Preparing for the seventh trumpet, the final judgment.

John eats the little book.
By German engraver, painter, and printmaker Albrecht Durer (1478-1528).

Study Tip:

Apply important verses to your life by asking yourself;
What does this verse teach me?
Does it tell me what to do?
Does it warn me what not to do?
What difference would it make in my life?

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 10:1-11
The angel and the book

1 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:

2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

6 And sware by him that liveth for ever 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:

7 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.

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Margin notes:

"I saw another mighty angel." (10:1) - This angel will announce the final judgment on mankind.

"A little book." (10:2) - "A little scroll." This is a different, smaller scroll than the one in Revelation 5:1-2.  That scroll proclaimed a series of judgments on mankind. John is told not to reveal the contents of this second scroll (10:4; 10:9). A third scroll will appear in chapters 21 and 22.

"He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth." (10:2) - To demonstrate his power over land and sea.

"I was about to write." (10:4) - John was preparing to write down what the seven thunders said.

"Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered." (10:4) - "Keep the things the seven thunders said to yourself."  Just as Daniel was prevented from revealing all of his vision in Daniel 8:26, 12:4, and 12:9, God doesn't want all of His plans told yet.

"There should be time no longer." (10:6) - "There is no more time." The final judgment is due. This is similar to Daniel's vision in Daniel 12:7.

"The mystery of God should be finished." (10:7) - "God's secret plan will be completed." Then what? Read 11:15.

"Take it, and eat it up." (10:9) - The book contains the prophesies John is not allowed to reveal. By eating the book, God's words became part of John.  Ezekiel was also instructed to eat the scroll that contained Israel's future judgments (Ezekiel 2:8-3:3).

"It was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." (10:10) - John is telling us that God's words are sweet to hear, but His final judgment will be bitter for sinners.

"Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." (10:11) - "You must preach again to many people, nations, languages, and kings."

Six hundred years before John, Daniel had a similar vision of a similar angel (Daniel 10:4-12:13).
Also, notice the similarities between verses 10:9-11 and Jeremiah 15:16-18 and Ezekiel 2:9-3:4.

New Living Translation

Revelation 10:1-11
The Angel and the Small Scroll

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire.

2 And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

3 And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.

4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down."

5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven.

6 He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it. He said, "There will be no more delay.

7 When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God's mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets."

8 Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: "Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. "Yes, take it and eat it," he said. "It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!"

10 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.

11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings."

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Why keep parts of the vision secret (10:4)?

The most critical step in Bible study is applying what you learn to your life.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "We do not know. But such hidden visions (Daniel 8:26) remind us that we do not know everything about the future - only God does. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter (Proverbs 25:2), because that forces us to acknowledge that God alone is all-knowing. If the content were vital to our understanding of the message, God would have permitted John to record what was revealed."

(The "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1785)

Application thought for the day:

What does this chapter teach about God's universal judgment?
How can you apply this lesson to your life?
Why should you?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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