Prophecy · Chapter 10 of 22

Revelation 10

A mighty angel descends from heaven, his face like the sun, holding a little open book, one foot on sea and one on land. He cries like a lion, and seven thunders speak, but John is told to seal their words. The angel swears delay shall be no longer: at the seventh trumpet God's mystery will be finished. John eats the book, sweet as honey yet bitter, and is told to prophesy to the nations.

What happens in Revelation 10

Between the sixth and seventh trumpets, John sees another mighty angel come down from heaven, robed in a cloud, a rainbow over his head, his face like the sun. He holds a little open book, planting his right foot on the sea and his left on the land, and cries out like a roaring lion; seven thunders answer. As John prepares to write, a voice from heaven tells him to seal up those words. The angel lifts his hand and swears by the eternal Creator that there should be delay no longer: when the seventh angel sounds, the mystery of God will be finished as He declared to His prophets.

Then John is told to take the open book and eat it. It will be sweet as honey in his mouth but bitter in his belly. He eats, and is told he must prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.

Revelation 10 in context

Chapter ten is an interlude before the seventh trumpet, pausing the judgments to recommission John. His eating of the scroll deliberately echoes Ezekiel, who ate a scroll sweet as honey before prophesying. The sealed seven thunders remind readers that not all of God's counsel is disclosed; some things remain hidden.

The angel's oath that time shall be no longer, that delay shall cease, assures that God's purposes will not be endlessly postponed. The chapter renews John's prophetic calling for the wider world.

Main themes of Revelation 10

Revelation 10 (KJV)

1And 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: 2And 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, 3And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4And 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. 5And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6And 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: 7But 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. 8And 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. 9And 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. 10And 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. 11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Verses to carry from Revelation 10

“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.”Revelation 10:4

“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:”Revelation 10:6

“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.”Revelation 10:10

Reflection

God's word came to John sweet and bitter at once, a joy to receive and a burden to bear. If you have found Scripture both comforting and hard, you have tasted rightly. Do not flee the bitterness of its harder truths; swallow the whole book. Then, like John, go and speak it faithfully to others.

A prayer from Revelation 10