BITTER JUDGMENT! SWEET HOPE!
Text: Revelation 10:1-11
10 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.
1. The Angel’s Announcement (vv. 1-4)
- This mighty angel makes an announcement:
- The symbols associated with this angel all speak to judgment: clouds, fire, rainbow.
- He has in his hand a little book. The little book in the angel’s and is the same book that the Lamb was worthy to open in chapter 5. It is the seven sealed scroll. It is the title deed to the earth. And it now open.
- The angel has a foot on the land and a foot on the sea. The bowl judgments will be poured out on
2. The Angel’s Affirmation (vv. 5-7)
The angel roared an announcement of judgment (vv. 1-4) and now affirms the announcement by taking an
He affirms judgment is coming, and it is coming
- v. 6 – That there should be time no longer.
Literally – There shall be
This is the end. The mystery of God is now finished, i.e. it is revealed.
- All that God has patiently waited to accomplish is coming to light.
The mystery finished is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in heaven, things in earth, the final consummation.
Right now, we are living in the delay. However, there is a day, there is an hour, there is a moment, there is an appointed time when that angel shall sound the trumpet and the world will become Christ’s. (cf. Rev. 11:15)
- The mystery of God will be over, and God will say to Satan, “This is your destruction.” God will say to evil, “This is your last dominion.” And God will say to demons, “This is your last liberty.” And God will say to godless men, “This is your last chance to repent.” And God will say to believers, “This is your last suffering.”
3. The Angel’s Assignment (vv. 8-11)
- v. 11 – The angel gives John his assignment. “You must prophesy concerning many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
- “John, you have the scroll. You have the book. You have the message. You have the truth. Now go and prophesy, tell, preach. You have the whole story. Jesus is setting all things right. It is