Read with Me
Revelation 10:1-7 (NET)
Then I saw another powerful angel descending 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. He held in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. Then he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but just then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.”
Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, just as he has proclaimed to his servants the prophets.”
Listen with Me
Angels are far from the beautiful, androgynous or slightly effeminate looking creatures with wings that inhabit many classical works of art. To human eyes, they are terrifying, aglow with divine glory and sporting intimidating features that make their normal greeting, “Don’t be afraid,” perfectly reasonable.
The angel that John saw descending from heaven to earth was huge, and was able to stand with one foot on the land and the other flat on the sea. This showed that even though he was appearing in the material world, his existence was actually in the spiritual realm. Even the angel’s voice was terrifying, awakening an echoing response from the seven thunders, even though John was prohibited from writing down what they said in reply. By the way, verse 4 reveals two important things. First, it shows that John was writing as the vision was progressing, not writing it down afterwards from memory. And second, even though everything he wrote was accurate, not everything he saw and heard would be helpful to his readers and was therefore not written down.
The message the angel brought that would be helpful to John’s readers was that God was about to not only begin the process of judgment on those who were persecuting his people, but that God’s judgment would be completed at the time the seventh angel blew his trumpet. The “mystery of God” that would be completed is simply the plan that God had been working and that had been foretold by the prophets. And not just those in the Old Testament, but those in the days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Jesus himself declared that all the Old Testament prophets had spoken words that foretold things that were fulfilled by the time of John the Baptist, that is, his own time. (Matthew 11:12-15: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John appeared. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. The one who has ears had better listen!”)
But God had been faithfully sending and speaking through prophets ever since the days of Pentecost who had been foretelling the ruin of any who dared to attack or oppress God’s people. And that doom was about to reach its climax against Rome.
Pray with Me
Father, it’s amazing what is revealed to us in these few short verses, verses which at first glance seem like a mere interlude in “the real story”. But these are vital things for us to know. In our time there are also people who are persecuting Your Church in nations all over the globe. And this vision is a clear warning that those nations will experience Your judgments, Your wrath. They might think that they have done these things under the radar. But at some point, a voice, like thunder will declare “There will be no more delay!” Then the disaster will fall. Thank you, Lord, that You are always working, and that You are always acting on our behalf. Amen.