Revelation Chapter 10

Sidebar: Opening of the Little Book and Warfare against the Two Witnesses (Rev. 10:1 – 11:13)

In the first six trumpets, we saw judgments falling upon the wicked that opposed God’s Word and persecuted His people. What follows in Chapters 10 – 11:13 is a sidebar, providing background and an explanation. The sidebar describes how God revealed the Bible’s end-time message to the world through the Great Advent Movement. It then shows the warfare of the Church of Rome against the Bible during her rule of 1260 years.

This sidebar also provides insight into the purpose of the trumpets. God uses these judgments to restrain the enemies of His Word in their evil work. At the time of the end, He removes the power of these evil forces so His end-time truth revealed in the Bible can go to the world and prepare a people to stand in the day of God.

Many of the details in Revelation Chapter 10 are taken from the book of Daniel. So before we begin this chapter, we will go to Daniel for some background.

Daniel Chapter 8 – In this chapter, Daniel is given a view of world history ending with a time prophecy (Vs. 1-14). At the end of the 2300 days, the sanctuary will be cleansed (referring to the judgment). Daniel is then given an explanation of the vision (vs. 15-25), except for the 2300 days. He is told to seal up that portion of the vision, because it is far in the future (Vs. 26,27).

Daniel Chapter 12 – Daniel is again told to seal up the prophecy (Vs. 4). When Daniel asks for an explanation, a man clothed in linen (Jesus) raises his hands to heaven and with an oath attests to its truth (Vs. 5-7). Again Daniel asks for an explanation, but he is told to seal up the book, that it would not be understood until the time of the end, the end of the 1260 years (Vs. 8-10).

The opening of this little book and the understanding of its message is the subject of Revelation Chapter 10.

Verse 1

Another mighty angel - This angel symbolizes an end-time movement, that God raised up at the time of the end to announce the end of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14. In Revelation, God often uses an angel (messenger) to represent those who proclaim the message (Rev. 14:6-12). The angel is mighty, indicating the message is given with great power.

Coming down from heaven – The message is from heaven.

This description of the angel’s appearance is remarkably like the descriptions of Jesus in Daniel 10:5,6 and Revelation 1:13-16. It indicates that the message comes directly from Jesus.

Clothed with a cloud – God is often described as hidden in a cloud or surrounded with clouds (Exodus 19:9, Psalm 97:2,6) to veil His glory from sinful man. God’s glory is veiled within this movement.

A rainbow was on his head – The rainbow is a symbol of the everlasting covenant God has made to save fallen man (Genesis 9:8-17, Isaiah 54:8-10, Revelation 4:3). This movement points to the judgment, where God is in the process of fulfilling that covenant.

His face was like the sun – (compare with Daniel 10:6) The angel is clothed with a cloud, but God’s glory is still seen in what is revealed.

His feet like pillars of fire – This is a symbol of Jesus passing through the furnace of affliction when He died to save us (Revelation 1:15, 1 Peter 1:7). The message of the cross is the foundation of the movement and its message.

Verses 2, 3

A little book open in his hand - This little book is Daniel’s 2300-day time prophecy, and it contains the message. Notice that the little book is now open, and the message ready to be proclaimed.

He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land – This message is being proclaimed worldwide, across land and sea. (SOP 1)

Cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars – It is given with a loud voice, indicating that it is urgent, everyone will hear it (compare with Rev. 14:6).

When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices – God’s voice is often compared with thunder (Job 40:9, John 12:28,29) and the number 7 symbolizes completeness. The seven thunders represent a revelation from God, an explanation of the events to take place during the proclamation of the message given by the angel. (SOP 2)

Verse 4

Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered - To seal up means literally “to stamp with a signet, to attest.” Here God is attesting to the truth of the message.

Do not write them - John is told to not write down the messages of the seven thunders. These events will be understood in God’s own time. (SOP 3)

Verses 5, 6

The angel…raised up his hand to haven and swore - The angel gives his message with a solemn oath, indicating its importance. This points us back to Daniel 12:7, where the man clothed in linen held up both hands and attested with an oath. Here the angel holds up only one hand because the little book is in His other hand.

That there should be delay no longer - The translation of the word time as “delay” in some modern translations is unfortunate. The original word is chronos, which literally means “time,” and it is translated as “time” elsewhere in the Bible. The angel’s message should read, “there shall be time no longer.”

The “time” here referred to is prophetic time. The angel is announcing the end of the 2300 day prophecy, which ended on October 22, 1844. (The message “time no longer” indicates that the great prophetic time periods of the Bible are at an end. The Bible gives no specific dates after October 22, 1844. (SOP 4))

This message was the message of the Great Advent Movement. People around the world were led to study to time prophecies of Daniel, and as they understood the message, they proclaimed the end of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14.

Verse 7

The angel next points forward to a future event, the blowing of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15-19. At this time, the mystery of God (plan of salvation 1 Timothy 3:16) would be finished. This reveals that the announcement “time no longer” in vs. 6 doesn’t mean the end of human history, but the end of prophetic time. Probationary time, where people may come to Christ and be saved, will continue until the end of the judgment.

Verses 8-10

The angel then invites John to participate in the experience of those who would accept the message, but he warns John that it would end in bitterness.

Take the little book and eat it – Eating the book is a symbol of accepting and proclaiming the message (Jeremiah 15:16, Ezekiel 3:1-4). The experience would be sweet at first, but it would end in bitterness because the message was not fully understood by those proclaiming it.

Verse 11

John has experienced the bitterness of the great disappointment, but the angel tells him he must prophesy again. But what is he to prophesy? Revelation 11:1 will reveal the new message to be proclaimed, the third angel’s message.

Note: The word “about” (NKJV) in this verse would be better translated “before,” as in the original KJV. (Compare with Rev. 14:6.)

Spirit of Prophecy Quotations

1 “The angel’s position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world.” – Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, page 971.

2 “The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation of events which would transpire under the first and second angels’ messages.” – Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, page 971.

3 “It was not best for the people to know these things [the events proclaimed by the seven thunders], for their faith must necessarily be tested. In the order of God most wonderful and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first and second angels’ messages were to be proclaimed, but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work.” – Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, page 971.

4 “This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of this world’s history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is, the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844.” – Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, page 971.