The Revelation · New Testament

Revelation 10

Revelation 10: the sealed thunders and the little book eaten

General context

Another mighty angel comes down from heaven clothed with a cloud, a rainbow on his head, his face as the sun and his feet as pillars of fire, holding a little book open. He sets his right foot on the sea and his left on the earth and cries with a loud voice as a lion roars, and seven thunders answer with voices of their own. John is about to write what they said and a voice from heaven tells him to seal it up and not write it. The angel lifts his hand to heaven and swears by the one who created heaven, earth and sea that there should be time no longer, and says that in the days of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be finished. The voice from heaven then tells John to go and take the open book from the angel's hand. John asks for it, is told to eat it, and is warned in advance that it will be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his belly. He eats it and reports both effects in that order. The angel tells him he must prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.

Cited passages: Revelation 10:1, Revelation 10:2, Revelation 10:3, Revelation 10:4, Revelation 10:5, Revelation 10:6, Revelation 10:7, Revelation 10:8, Revelation 10:9, Revelation 10:10, Revelation 10:11

Revelation 10 (KJV)

¹And 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:

²And 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,

³And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

⁴And 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.

⁵And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

⁶And 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:

⁷But 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.

⁸And 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

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Historical context

This chapter contains a point where content is deliberately withheld from the reader. John hears the seven thunders, is about to write, and is told, "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not", so what they said is not in the text and cannot be recovered from it. The angel is not named and is described only as "another mighty angel". The little book is not described beyond being open and small, and its contents are never stated. The oath is given in the text and says "that there should be time no longer", followed by a clause about "the days of the voice of the seventh angel"; the text does not explain what the mystery of God is, saying only that it was declared "to his servants the prophets". No place on earth is named, and no date is given.

Cited passages: Revelation 10:1, Revelation 10:2, Revelation 10:4, Revelation 10:6, Revelation 10:7

Literary context

The chapter stands between the sixth trumpet in the previous chapter and the seventh at 11:15, in the same way chapter 7 stood between the sixth and seventh seals, so the series is interrupted a second time. The angel's stance divides the world in two, with the right foot "upon the sea" and the left "on the earth", and his voice is placed against seven answering thunders. The chapter's turning point is a refusal, since the narrator who has repeatedly been told to write, from 1:11 onward, is here told not to. The eating of the book packs two opposite tastes into one prediction and then repeats them as experience, sweet first and bitter second in both the warning and the report. Nothing is destroyed in this chapter. It closes with a commission rather than a plague, sending John back to speak "before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings".

Cited passages: Revelation 10:2, Revelation 10:3, Revelation 10:4, Revelation 10:9, Revelation 10:10, Revelation 10:11, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 11:15

Key moments

An angel on sea and land (Revelation 10:2). The angel holds an open little book and plants one foot on the sea and one on the earth.
The thunders sealed (Revelation 10:4). John is told not to write what the seven thunders said.
The angel's oath (Revelation 10:6). He swears by the creator that there should be time no longer.
Told to eat the book (Revelation 10:9). John is warned the book will be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his belly.
Sweet then bitter (Revelation 10:10). John eats the book and both effects follow in that order.
Sent to prophesy again (Revelation 10:11). John is told he must prophesy before many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.

For reflection

John is told to seal up the only message in the book that the reader never gets to hear. What does it do to your reading to know that something was said and deliberately left out?