Revelation Chapter 10: The Angel and the Little Scroll

Chapter 10 is a short chapter that is considered to be an interruption or interlude in John’s vision, with vv. 10:1 to 11:14 preceding the seventh trumpet judgment, which is found in 11:15.

You may remember from our discussion of chapter seven that John placed two visions (7:1-8, 9-17) between opening the sixth and seventh seals. Likewise in chapter 10 through 11:14 John places two interludes before the blowing of the seventh trumpet. These are two affirmations for us, with God announcing via this angel that the last woe is at hand with no further delay.

Revelation 10:1-4:

“¹ Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. ² He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.’”

The Angel of Revelation 10, watercolor
by William Blake (1757-1827)

In the midst of the terrible events on earth that the angels and saints in heaven have been witnessing, John sees “…another mighty angel coming down from heaven” (v. 4; possibly Michael, “…the great prince…” of Daniel 12:1). This is not one of the angels of the judgments, but is an angel that arrives with a message in “…a little scroll…” (v. 2). This scroll is thought to be similar to or connected with the symbolic scroll of Ezekiel 2:9-3:3. Ezekiel was told to eat the scroll, just as John is told to eat the scroll given him here (see vv.9-10). This is a literary device intended to symbolize the reception of the word of God into one’s innermost being.

John could see the words on the scroll because it “…lay open…” in the angel’s hand. The angel “…planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land…,” symbolic the prophetic message meant for the whole world.

Great thunder accompanies the shout of the angel (v. 3)When the angel shouted (v.3), seven thunders spoke, an indication that the message of the scroll is to have a huge impact on the earth. Then John heard “…a voice from heaven…” (most likely the voice of Christ) that commanded him to “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” We do not have any details about the contents of the small scroll in the angel’s hand (not to be confused with the Lamb’s scroll in Revelation chapters 5-7). The instruction not to seal the contents of the scroll is reminiscent of Daniel’s vision of the tribulation and judgment of the last days in Daniel 8:26: “…‘seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future…”

There is something mysterious or special about the arrival of this angel. Being  “…robed in a cloud…” amounts to a mysterious appearance but also great majesty. His features are masked or dimmed by the mist, and he is like royalty “…with a rainbow above his head…”

The rainbow is a reminder of God’s promise in Genesis 6-9 that God chose the rainbow to be the sign of His promise to Noah. Genesis 9:8-13:

“⁸ …God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ ‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you— every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Just as in the example of Noah, while God judges evil, he protects and preserves His people. There is something majestic or mysterious about a rainbow. Even though today we know the science of the phenomenon and refraction of light, the rainbow still seems to be a mysterious and majestic image of the power of God.

It has been so in history. When God called Ezekiel to be His prophet among the Jews exiled in Babylon, Ezekiel described God’s appearance this way (Ezekiel 1:26-28):

“…²⁶ high above was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷ I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord…”

Also, remember John’s description of what he saw as he entered God’s presence in Revelation 4:2-3:

“…and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne…”

Returning to Revelation 10 and the angel John saw descending from heaven, we read about the appearance of the angel in v. 1: “…his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars…” That completes John’s description of the descending angel—a powerful, authoritative, and majestic appearance.

As chapter 10 unfolds, we will see the meaning of this vision. We know that at this point in the vision, the Lord is not ready to provide those left on earth after the seven seal judgments and six trumpet judgments with an actual account of the terrible bowl judgments and final judgment of mankind. He has given mankind repeated, detailed warnings of the coming judgments. Knowing more details about what is coming will change no more minds about turning to the Savior. He will reveal the details when the time comes.

Vv. 5-11:

“⁵ Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. ⁶ And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, ‘There will be no more delay! ⁷ But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.’ ⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: ‘Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ ⁹ So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.’”

The angel “…raised his right hand to heaven. ⁶ And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it…” (vv. 5-6).  The verb here, “…raised his right hand…,” is a term which means the taking of an oath. The angel is taking an oath, and that oath, and “…There we no more delay!…” (v. 6), signifying that the time has come for the seventh trumpet judgment and the releasing of the bowl judgments.

The angel instructs John to take the take the little scroll. Having been commanded to write all that he saw (Revelation 1:19: “Write therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later…”), John’s likely intention is to write what the scroll contains, but the angel with the scroll tells him not to reveal the contents. (The angel) “…said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey…” (vv. 9-10). This is reminiscent of Ezekiel 3:3, where Ezekiel says “So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”

V. 11 (“Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings”) is a call for John to redouble his efforts to warn sinful mankind of its impending judgment. John obeys this directive by revealing the seventh trumpet and the bowl judgments, beginning in Revelation 11:15.

Note that chapter 10 offers us a confirmation of John’s prophetic call, as v.11 indicates: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”