10.2)         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

 

1.   I do not know exactly what the little book is. Maybe it is the angel’s authority, in written form. Or, maybe, this book is the scroll which Christ has opened and this angel is using it in his service to Christ. However, this is unlikely, since this is a “little book,” a biblaridion, and the scroll that Christ had in His hand in Revelation 5.1 was definitely not described as a “little book,” but was the word biblion.

 

2.   A. T. Robertson observes that this “little book” is a biblaridion, which itself is the diminutive of biblarion, which is in turn a diminutive of biblion.^[1] So, this “little book” is actually the smaller form of a book which is itself a smaller form of the kind of book found in Revelation 5.1.

 

3.   Notice that the book is open. What are the contents of this book and what is meant by the comment that it is open? “The contents of the book are nowhere revealed in Revelation, but they seem to represent in this vision the written authority given to the angel to fulfill his mission.”^[2]

 

4.   We do know that this mighty angel sets foot on this planet. One foot on the sea and one foot on the earth. Maybe he does so as an act of taking possession of the earth for his master, the first step in a heavenly occupation. Maybe he is reclaiming the earth. Whatever he is doing it is important, because John mentions the fact that he stands on the sea and the earth three separate times in this short chapter. The other two times are in Revelation 10.5 and 8.

 

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

 

1.   Something is said with a booming loud voice, like the fearsome roaring of a lion, but we do not yet know what is said. The phrase “loud voice” translates the words jwnh megalh, from which we get megaphone.

 

2.   Whatever this mighty angel says, “seven thunders uttered their voices.” But what does that phrase mean? Turn to Psalm 29.3-9 and read along with me:

 

³     The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

⁴      The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

⁵      The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶      He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

⁷      The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

⁸      The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹      The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

 

2.   It might be a safe guess to conclude that whatever this mighty angel said with his megaphone voice, the response to what he said is an affirmation from heaven in what is likely the very voice of God, Himself. But without more information we cannot be certain.

 

(10.4)         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.

 

1.   Whether or not John understood what the mighty angel said, we seem to have indication that he did understand what the seven thunders which responded said, since he was about to write the response down when the voice from heaven told him to seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

 

2.   This verse has a real application for us today, concerning our study of the book of Revelation. How many of you felt, at one time, or were told at one time, that the Revelation simply could not be understood, because it was a closed book?

 

3.   But is the Revelation a closed book? No. It is an open book. Only the things which the seven thunders uttered, out of all the things which we have read to date, have been sealed.

 

4.   Friends, if anyone tells you that this last book of the Bible cannot be understood, tell him “Baloney.” That simply is not true. We may not understand all of it. We may not understand fully. But this is not a closed book to the believer who will study.

 

(10.5-7)     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.

 

1.   This mighty angel made a grand gesture of lifting one hand toward heaven, and then he swore an oath to God, Creator of heaven and earth and all things therein, Who lives forever and ever.

 

2.   Folks, if there was any doubt about this angel’s identity, this oath seems to settle the issue once and for all. Hebrews 6.13 proves that the angel cannot be the Lord Jesus Christ:

 

“For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself”

 

Had the angel been the Lord Jesus Christ, He would have sworn by Himself, not another.

 

3.   What he is swearing is that “there should be time no longer.” This does not mean that we are at the end of time here. It simply means that time has run out on God’s patience and He is about to have the last trumpet blown.^[3]

 

4.   We see this in verse 7. When that trumpet blows, all of the things predicted by the prophets will come to pass. This is the midway point of the Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is about to begin. The time of Jacob’s trouble is going to commence, as soon as God introduces two very special characters to us.

 

5.   What is meant by this phrase “the mystery of God”? John Walvoord offers an opinion:

 

The reference to the mystery of God seems to mean truth concerning God Himself which has not been fully revealed.

It is often overlooked, however, that the mystery is said to have been “declared to his servants the prophets” (v. 7). The mystery of God which is declared as subject to fulfillment is unfolded therefore in the Old Testament in the many passages which speak of the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.

The prediction is related to the full manifestation of the divine power, majesty, and holiness of God which will be evident in the glorious return of Christ, the establishment of His millennial kingdom, and the creation of the eternal state which will follow. The ignorance of God and the disregard of His majestic person which characterize the present age as well as the great tribulation will exist no longer when Christ returns and manifests Himself in glory to the entire earth. In that day all, from the least to the greatest, will know the Lord, that is, know the important facts about Him (cf. Jer. 31:34).^[4]