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Revelation Chapter 10

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September 12, 2025

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🌈 The Amazing Angel from Heaven

Then John saw something incredible! A super powerful angel came down from heaven. This wasn’t just any ordinary angel – he was wrapped up in a cloud like a cozy blanket, and he had a beautiful rainbow sitting on top of his head like a crown! His face was so bright it looked like the sun, and his legs were like giant pillars made of fire.ᵃ This amazing angel was holding a little scroll in his hand – kind of like a small book that was rolled up. And get this – he was so big that he put one foot in the ocean and his other foot on the land! He was like a giant standing over the whole world!

🦁 A Voice Like a Roaring Lion

The angel opened his mouth and shouted so loud it sounded like a mighty lion roaring through the jungle! When he roared, seven thunderclaps answered back from heaven, speaking in their own special thunder language.ᵇ John was getting ready to write down what the seven thunders said, but then he heard God’s voice from Heaven telling him: “Don’t write that down, John. Keep what the seven thunders said as a secret.”

⏰ No More Waiting!

Then the giant angel raised his right hand up toward heaven, just like when you raise your hand to make a promise. He made a super serious promise to God, who lives forever and ever and made everything – all the stars in the sky, everything on earth, and everything in the sea. The angel promised: “No more waiting around! When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s amazing plan will finally be complete – just like He told all His special messengers, the prophets!”ᶜ

📜 The Sweet and Sour Scroll

Then John heard God’s voice from heaven again: “John, go ask that angel for the little scroll he’s holding.” So John walked up to the huge angel and said, “Can I please have that little scroll?” The angel smiled and said, “Sure! But here’s what you need to do – you need to eat it! I know that sounds weird, but when you eat it, it will taste as sweet as honey in your mouth. But then, your tummy is going to feel really sour and upset.” John took the little scroll and ate it, just like the angel said. And wow! It was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted – like the most delicious honey ever! But then, just as the angel warned, his stomach started feeling really sick and bitter.ᵈ

📢 Time to Share God’s Message

After John ate the scroll, God told him: “Now you have My message inside you, John. You need to go tell people all around the world about what I’m going to do – people who speak different languages, live in different countries, and even kings and queens need to hear this!”

📝 What This Means for Us

This amazing story shows us that God has important messages He wants to share with the world. Sometimes God’s messages are sweet and wonderful (like knowing He loves us!), but sometimes they can be hard to hear (like when we need to change something we’re doing wrong). But God always gives us exactly what we need to hear, and He uses people like John – and even kids like you – to share His love with others!

📚 Kid-Friendly Footnotes

ᵃ Fire legs: The angel’s legs looked like pillars of fire! This shows how powerful and holy angels are. Fire in the Bible often represents God’s amazing power and purity. ᵇ Thunder language: The seven thunders spoke in a special way that only God understood. Sometimes God has secrets that aren’t meant for us to know right now – and that’s okay! ᶜ God’s plan: God has been working on a wonderful plan since the very beginning of time. The angel was saying that God’s plan was almost ready to be finished! ᵈ Sweet and sour scroll: Eating the scroll was like receiving God’s message. It was sweet because God’s word is wonderful, but it made John’s tummy hurt because some of God’s messages are about sad or difficult things that will happen. Sometimes the truth can be hard to hear, but it’s always good for us to know it.
  • 1
    ¹Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face blazed like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.
  • 2
    ²He held a little scroll open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
  • 3
    ³and he cried out with a loud voice like a lion roaring. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices.
  • 4
    ⁴When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to write it down, but I heard a voice from Heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
  • 5
    ⁵Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven
  • 6
    ⁶and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!
  • 7
    ⁷But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be completed, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”
  • 8
    ⁸Then the voice I had heard from heaven spoke to me again: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
  • 9
    ⁹So 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.”ᵃ
  • 10
    ¹⁰I 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 became bitter.
  • 11
    ¹¹Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Footnotes:

  • ⁹ᵃ Eating the scroll: This symbolic act represents receiving and internalizing God’s prophetic message. The sweetness represents the joy of receiving God’s word, while the bitterness reflects the difficult and often painful nature of the prophecies that must be delivered.RetryP
  • 1
    (1) I saw another mighty angel coming down from the sky, clothed with a cloud and the rainbow upon his head, his face like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire.
  • 2
    (2) He had in his hand a little scroll open and placing his right foot on the sea and left on the land,
  • 3
    (3) his voice shouted out loudly, exactly like a lion roars. When he had shouted out, the seven thunders spoke their voices.
  • 4
    (4) When the seven thunders had spoken, I was going to write and I heard a voice from the sky saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and don’t write them.”
  • 5
    (5) And the angel who I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky.
  • 6
    He vowed by Him who lives into the ages of the ages! WHO CREATED THE SKY AND THE THINGS IN IT, THE LAND AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND ALSO THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT. That there will be no more time.
  • 7
    (7) Yet in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, whenever he’s going to sound, the mystery of אֱלֹהִים Elohim is completed as He proclaimed good news to His love-slaves, the prophets.
  • 8
    (8) The voice which I heard from the sky, again spoke with me saying, “Go, take the scroll that’s open in the hand of the angel who stands upon the sea and upon the land.”
  • 9
    (9) And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll and he says to me, “Take and eat up, it will make your stomach bitter but in your mouth it will be sweet like honey.”
  • 10
    (10) I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it up and in my mouth it was sweet like honey and when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter!
  • 11
    (11) They say to me, “You must prophecy again upon many people, nations, tongues and kings. “

Footnotes:

  • ⁹ᵃ Eating the scroll: This symbolic act represents receiving and internalizing God’s prophetic message. The sweetness represents the joy of receiving God’s word, while the bitterness reflects the difficult and often painful nature of the prophecies that must be delivered.RetryP
  • 1
    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
    Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.
  • 2
    He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.
  • 3
    Then he cried out in a loud voice like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their voices.
  • 4
    When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
  • 5
    Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.
  • 6
    And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!
  • 7
    But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”
  • 8
    Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”
  • 9
    And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”
  • 10
    So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.
  • 11
    And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

Revelation Chapter 10 Commentary

1What’s Revelation 10 about?
2The Full Context
3What the Ancient Words Tell Us
4What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
5Wrestling with the Text
6How This Changes Everything
7Key Takeaway
8Further Reading

The Angel, The Book, and The Bittersweet Truth

What’s Revelation 10 about?

This is the chapter where everything pauses – right in the middle of cosmic chaos, a mighty angel descends with a little scroll that’s sweet in your mouth but bitter in your stomach. It’s John’s commissioning for the final act of God’s story, and it changes everything about how we read what comes next.

The Full Context

Picture this: we’re halfway through the trumpet judgments, and suddenly the narrative hits the brakes. After six devastating trumpets that have unleashed unimaginable destruction upon the earth, Revelation 10 opens with what feels like an intermission – but it’s actually the calm before the ultimate storm. John, exiled on Patmos around 95-96 AD during Emperor Domitian’s persecution, is receiving these visions for churches facing their darkest hour. They needed to know that God’s plan, however mysterious and painful, was still unfolding according to His sovereign will.

This chapter serves as a crucial hinge in the book’s structure, bridging the first six trumpets with the seventh trumpet that won’t sound until Revelation 11:15. It’s what scholars call an “interlude” – but this pause isn’t empty space. Instead, it’s where John himself becomes part of the vision, where the prophet is recommissioned for the final revelations about the beast, the bride, and the ultimate victory of the Lamb. The little scroll he must eat represents both the sweetness of God’s ultimate triumph and the bitterness of the judgment that must come first.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The angel who appears in Revelation 10:1 isn’t just any messenger – he’s described as ischyros, meaning “mighty” or “strong.” This is the same word used for God’s mighty arm in the Old Testament, and when combined with his description as being “clothed with a cloud” and having “a rainbow upon his head,” we’re seeing divine attributes that make many scholars wonder if this is a theophany – an appearance of Christ himself.

Grammar Geeks

The phrase “his face was like the sun” uses the Greek word hēlios in a way that echoes Revelation 1:16 where Christ’s face shines like the sun. The parallel language is striking and intentional – John wants us to see the connection between this mighty angel and the glorified Christ.

But here’s where it gets fascinating: this cosmic figure holds a biblaridion – a “little scroll” or “little book.” The diminutive form is crucial because it distinguishes this from the sealed scroll of Revelation 5. This isn’t the book of God’s eternal purposes; it’s a specific revelation about what must happen in the immediate future.

When the angel cries out “with a loud voice, as when a lion roars” (Revelation 10:3), the Greek verb kraugasē suggests not just volume but authority. This is the roar of the Lion of Judah, and when he speaks, seven thunders respond. But then something unprecedented happens – John is told not to write what the thunders said. In a book that’s all about revelation, we encounter divine secrets that remain sealed.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

For John’s first-century readers, this scene would have triggered immediate memories of Ezekiel 2-3, where the prophet was commanded to eat a scroll that was “sweet as honey” in his mouth. But there’s a crucial difference: Ezekiel’s scroll was only sweet, while John’s becomes bitter in his stomach. This addition speaks to the dual nature of prophetic ministry – the sweetness of God’s word mixed with the bitter reality of judgment.

Did You Know?

In ancient Mediterranean culture, eating scrolls wasn’t just metaphorical. Magicians and oracle-givers would literally consume papyrus with written spells, believing this would give them power over the words. John’s audience would understand this as truly internalizing God’s message.

The angel’s posture – one foot on the sea and one on the land (Revelation 10:2) – would have communicated total dominion to ancient readers. In a world where sea represented chaos and land represented order, this mighty figure stands as sovereign over both realms. He’s not just delivering a message; he’s claiming the territory.

When the angel raises his hand and swears by “him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it” (Revelation 10:6), he’s using the most solemn oath formula possible. This echoes Daniel 12:7 and signals that we’re at a crucial turning point in salvation history.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s what keeps me up at night about this chapter: Why would God reveal something to John through the seven thunders, only to immediately seal it up? Revelation 10:4 is the only place in Revelation where John is told not to record what he sees and hears. In a book literally called “The Revelation” – the unveiling – what could be so significant that it must remain hidden?

Wait, That’s Strange…

The seven thunders speak in response to the mighty angel’s roar, suggesting they have intelligence and purpose. Yet whatever they revealed was so sensitive that John was forbidden from recording it. Some scholars suggest these were judgments so severe that God chose mercy over revelation.

The timing element in Revelation 10:6 creates another puzzle. When the angel swears that “there will be delay no longer,” the Greek word chronos can mean either “time” or “delay.” Most modern translations go with “delay,” but this raises the question: delay of what? The context suggests it’s the delay of the final completion of God’s mystery mentioned in Revelation 10:7.

And then there’s the little scroll itself. Why is John told to eat it rather than simply read it? The act of consumption transforms the prophet from observer to participant. He doesn’t just receive the revelation; he becomes part of it. But the bitter aftermath in his stomach suggests that knowing God’s plan isn’t always comfortable – even when that plan is ultimately good.

How This Changes Everything

This chapter fundamentally shifts our understanding of prophetic ministry and God’s revelation. The bittersweet scroll teaches us that experiencing God’s truth isn’t always pleasant, even when it’s necessary. The sweetness represents the joy of knowing God’s ultimate victory and the privilege of being His messenger. The bitterness reflects the weight of proclaiming judgment and the cost of truth-telling in a fallen world.

“Sometimes the most important truths are the hardest to swallow – sweet in revelation, bitter in realization.”

The recommissioning of John in Revelation 10:11 – “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings” – marks a turning point in the book’s structure. Everything that follows deals with earthly powers, political systems, and the final confrontation between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world.

The angel’s oath that the mystery of God will be completed “as he announced to his servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7) connects this moment to the entire prophetic tradition. This isn’t a new plan; it’s the culmination of everything God has been revealing since the beginning. The prophets spoke of this day, and now it’s about to unfold.

For us today, this chapter reminds us that God’s perspective on timing isn’t ours. When the angel swears there will be no more delay, it’s not because God was procrastinating, but because His patience has a purpose. The delay allows for repentance, for the gathering of His people, for the completion of His mysterious work in history.

Key Takeaway

God’s truth is both sweet and bitter – sweet because it reveals His ultimate victory and our security in Him, bitter because it exposes the reality of judgment and the cost of faithfulness. The prophet’s calling isn’t just to enjoy God’s revelation but to internalize it so completely that it becomes part of who we are.

Further Reading

Internal Links:

External Scholarly Resources:

Tags

Revelation 10:1, Revelation 10:3, Revelation 10:4, Revelation 10:6, Revelation 10:7, Revelation 10:11, prophetic ministry, divine revelation, bittersweet truth, seven thunders, little scroll, mighty angel, theophany, Ezekiel parallels, end times, apocalyptic literature, mystery of God, prophetic commissioning

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