REVELATION CHAPTER 10: THE LITTLE SCROLL BEGINS

> Read Revelation Chapter 10 <

THE LITTLE SCROLL: This segment is written in its own chiastic structure, minored, and creating a centerpiece for the book of Revelation as a whole.

STUDY NOTES:

• Verse 1: Whoever this angel is, He emits the brightness of the glory of God.  Symbolically this being uses the same words and symbols as God Himself and perhaps the least speculative identification of this Being is Jesus the Son of God (see Ezekiel 1:28-29, Revelation 1:16, Matthew 17:2).  It is not just verse 1, but there is more to link Him as Jesus in the following verses.

• Verse 2: The little scroll was in His right hand which indicates ownership of its contents. His right foot placed on the sea and left foot on the land identifies His authority and stewardship like Father God.  We should note that ‘land’ in the Old Testament is what the Jewish people call God’s portion (Israel) and the ‘sea’ is the nations.  The sea is the unstable people without the Law of God… the Gentile nations. 

• Examples: Jeremiah 47:1-2, 51:55-56; Isaiah 17:12, 43:16; Habakkuk 3:15; Ezekiel 26:3; Psalm 2.  All of these speak to the depicted imagery.  God is sovereign over both sea and land and gives it to whom He wills. 

• Verse 3: The Being shouts like a roaring lion (Isaiah 31:4, Hosea 11:10) and has authority over the 7 thunders (7 meaning complete = thunders mean Judgment = Judge of land and sea = all nation or the earth in totality). 

• Verse 4: See Matthew 24:36, 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 where God speaks about the day and hour of the end.  God says the end would not take place until the Gospel goes out to the nations (Acts 1:6-8).  We should rightly see this verse with the prior imagery declaring this Being has authority (earth and sea) and the capacity (thunder speaking judgement) to judge the earth, but is also under the Voice’s (Father God’s) command.

• Verses 5-7: It is Father God Who created heaven and earth and has the authority to give the commands the reveal the mystery of God in completion (not just what it is).  The trumpet is sounded by an Angel/Messenger and the mystery of God is revealed. The mystery of God is… what?  Paul speaks that the Mystery of Gods is the new creation bringing together humanity in Christ (See 1 Corinthians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:1-3).

• Verses 8-11: The little scroll is open meaning it is ‘already active.’  John eats it as instructed and it is sweet, but bitter on the stomach.  This is the same as the Gospel Truth.  The Gospel is sweet if you receive it, but also bitter as it brings understanding to the results of denying Jesus as Lord.

NOTE: Please read this note slowly and carefully.  ‘Angel’ is a job description of a spiritual being and not the spiritual being itself.  Biblically and theologically, in chapter 10, this Being symbolically looks just like God.  The same imagery is used.  It is worthy to consider the ‘angel’ here in question… that looks symbolically like God… should be seen as Jesus.  In addition, in the Old Testament, ‘the angel of the Lord’ who had ‘the Name of God in Him’ is similar to how the glory of God in this chapter is described.  The angel’s face is wrapped in cloud and crowd with a rainbow.  This is God-level description for a Being having the job of bringing a message.  The point: There is a solid Biblical reason symbolically to call Jesus… an angel… especially when the term is used as a job description.  What we want to be careful of is false teaching claiming Jesus is an ‘angel’ (lower being) like Michael.  That is not even hinted at in this note.

COMMENTS TO HELP YOU STUDY:

A powerful angel descends from heaven wrapped in a cloud.  Remember in prophetic language, judgment often ‘comes on a cloud.’  There is also a rainbow.  We are meant to think of God’s promise to Noah and therefore we are to think of ‘grace.’  This powerful being has the authority of judgment and grace.  He stands on land and sea which I think refers to his territorial responsibility over mankind.  The shout with a loud voice is like a lion and the 7 thunders voice God’s final word signaling the Second coming of Jesus.  

The Angel has a little scroll.  It is open (it does not say he opened the scroll).  The scroll here is little, therefore not the same scroll from chapter 4 which the Lamb opened. The angel swears to God there will be no more delay.  The 7th Angel is about to blow his trumpet and the Mystery of God is to be completed. 

The Mystery of God is that Jew and Gentile in Christ are God’s people.  This is the Israel of God that the Apostle Paul describes in Galatians 6:15-16.  Being one in Christ will come about (Galatians 3:27-29).  What we are seeing is the Church Age where the Gospel goes out to all the nations.  All nations should repent and follow the King of Kings.

The little book is to be eaten because more prophecy (proclaiming the Gospel) is to take place after the judgement John has seen.  This is similar to Matthew 24 where judgment is said to come on Jerusalem, the Temple, and then the Gospel goes out to the nations. 

BMD & TMB