“The Mighty Angel and the Little Book”
I. Intro
1. This chapter begins another interlude, a break between the judgments, just like halftime at a sporting event. This interlude is between the sixth and the seventh trumpet judgments.
2. This interlude begins with a mighty angel. What do you guys know of angels? Do you think there are different classes? Different ranks? Who’s the baddest of them all? Here’s some things you need to know about angels:
3. Definitions of angels:
A. Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ (messenger, courier, class of beings)
B. Greek: ἄγγελος (messenger, envoy, class of beings)
4. Classifications of angels:
A. Angel of the Lord: Preincarnate Christ
B. Michael the Archangel: Protects Israel
C. Angel Gabriel: Protects Messiah
D. Cherubim: Protects (God’s) Holiness
E. Seraphim: Worship Leaders
II. Revelation 10:1
1. “another mighty angel coming down” (v.1):
A. Who is this mighty angel? We are not told. This could be Michael, Gabriel, or it could be some other class of angels we don’t know about. Some even think this could be Jesus Christ.
B. The purpose of this angel is quite clear – to announce the final judgments upon the Earth. He introduces the seventh seal judgment, which ushers in the seven bowl judgments, the worst of them all.
C. His description is actually kind of similar to Jesus Christ in chapter one, but far too different for Him to actually be Christ.
III. Revelation 10:2-3
1. “little book (scroll) in his hand” (v.2):
A. We are not told what is contained in this book/scroll. It only says that it is small. Most likely it contains the words that God wants to give to John to speak, and we will see that later in the chapter when the angel makes John eat the book.
2. “right foot on sea…left foot on land…lion roars” (v.2):
A. He must have been a very large angel. He sounds like one of the body guards in heaven, all big and fat.
B. And his voice was very intimidating, just like a lion’s roar. His right foot on the sea and his left foot on land probably indicate that his words deal with all of creation, not just some of creation like the other judgments did. The other judgments only affected part of the Earth, but these will affect all of it.
IV. Revelation 10:4
1. “seal up the seven thunders…do not write them” (v.4):
A. We are not told what the seven thunders said, because God told John to keep it secret. I wonder what language thunder speaks?
B. This isn’t the first time God told one of his prophets to seal up a prophecy and keep it secret. Daniel was told to do this (Daniel 12:4,9)
C. Why does not keep things hidden from us? Two reasons:
1) He wants us to live for the now. Not knowing the timing of His coming forces us to be ready at all times.
2) He is God and we are not. I think this verse is put in here to show that even though God has revealed a lot of things in the book if Revelation, He hasn’t revealed everything. And He doesn’t have to, because He is God, and we are not.
V. Revelation 10:5-7
1. “swore by Him who lives forever…created heaven” (v.5):
A. He swore that the seventh trumpet was about to sound and the mystery of God was about to be finished. Swearing by God shows the words of the angel should be taken seriously. (Unlike guys like Harold Camping, who swear they know the timing of the rapture)
B. Was it ok for this angel to swear? Here’s three things you need to know: first, man is not to swear (James 5:12). Second, profanity is different than swearing, but also bad (Ephesians 4:29). Third, since this angel is swearing by God, then it shows He is not Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:13).
2. “the mystery of God would be finished” (v.7):
A. The mystery of God is different from how we normally think of a mystery. We think of a mystery as something unknown that we discover through clues and CSI. But the mystery of God is truth that has been hidden in the past but is now revealed by God.
B. For example, the coming of the Messiah. The Old Testament prophets, they didn’t understand how a divine man could suffer for the sins of the nation. They were writing these things down but were confused. Then Jesus comes on the scene, dies for the sins of the whole world, and it all makes sense to us.
C. We’ll, there are still a lot of Old Testament prophecies that have not been fulfilled yet, even in our lifetime. The mystery of God will be fulfilled when Christ comes a second time, establishes His earthly kingdom for 1,000 years, and the creation of the eternal state which will follow that.
VI. Revelation 10:8-11
1. “stomach bitter…sweet as honey in your mouth” (v.9):
A. This isn’t the first time God has asked one of his prophets to eat a scroll. Ezekiel also had to do this in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 3:1-4). His experience shows eating a scroll is symbolic digesting the words of God.
B. The scroll probably symbolizes the words of God. So John was told to digest it, but it would be a bittersweet (gross) experience.
C. For many, when they hear the Word of God, they receive it well, its sweet to them like honey; but for other people, when they hear God’s Word, they reject it, its bitter to them. So teaching the Bible can be bittersweet, because some receive it well and others ignore it.
D. This also applies to us when we study our Bibles. Sometimes reading Scripture is sweet, especially when we read awesome promises of God to us, like Hebrews 13:5 where Jesus says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Those promises are sweet.
E. But reading Scripture also can be bitter, that is, the Bible is often times brutally honest. Just take 2 Timothy 3:12 where Paul says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” That’s not so sweet. It’s true, but it’s kind of a bummer. So when we read our Bibles it can be a bittersweet experience.
2. “you must prophesy again” (v.11):
A. By digesting the words of God, John was now able to speak the words of God. That is what prophesy is: speaking God’s words. The prophets were given the words of God by divine revelation and then they spoke.
B. Same way with us. When we are regularly digesting the Word of God, naturally we will want to share God’s Word with others.
C. I can testify to that personally. Do you know why I am up here teaching you right now? When I was your age, I didn’t go to a church that taught the Bible. So I never really digested God’s Word. It wasn’t until I started going to a different church, a Calvary Chapel, that I began to learn the Bible.
D. We’ll I enjoyed it so much I began studying it on my own. I had no intentions of becoming a pastor, I just loved studying the Scriptures, and I was learning so many cool things. After a while, I wanted to tell others about all the things God was showing me. So I starting teaching once in a while at a home bible study.
E. I enjoyed that so much that I enrolled in Bible College, so I could spend two years being totally immersed in the Word of God. Best two years of my life for my own personal growth.
F. After Bible College I knew God wanted me to be a pastor, so here I am. And nothing has changed. I still spend time in God’s Word every day, separate from preparing sermons for you guys. My spirit longs to be fed the Word every day just like my body longs to be fed food every day.
VII. Conclusion
1. As we close, I have a personal question for you. How often are you digesting God’s Word? If we were to take a poll, which category would you fall under:
A. Read 1-2 times a week
B. Read 3-4 times a week
C. Read 5-6 times a week
D. Read 7 times a week
2. If you are not in the 5-6 or 7 category, then I’m speaking to you. Jesus said “you are truly my disciples if you abide in my Word” (John 8:31). Abiding means daily or almost daily opening your Bible and learning about God. Do you consider yourself His disciple?
3. I really want to encourage you to take seriously the D6 program that we are starting. It gives you a daily reading plan, so you will won’t have to worry about where to start. This is the single most important discipline that I can teach you. I pray you all will obey God’s command.
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