In Revelation 8 and 9, we caught a horrifying glimpse of the cataclysmic future of our world. But beginning with Revelation 10 and continuing into part of chapter 11, we find a kind of intermission, an interlude that divides the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. As we have already observed, in each series of judgments – the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath – there is always a break between the sixth and seventh judgments.

Beginning in Revelation 10, this vision depicts the church as receiving God’s Word, holding fast to it, and bearing testimony on God’s behalf despite persecution and even martyrdom. Chapter 10 concludes with a command for John to “prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (v. 11). John’s commission to preach, coupled with chapter 11’s vision of the two persecuted witnesses, provides an explanation for the world’s judgment. According to Revelation 10, Christ’s true church is defined as having received and treasured God’s revealed Word. Just as Israel was called to be “a light for the nations” (Isa. 49:6), the church is commissioned to bear testimony to the gospel in a hostile world. The vision of the “mighty angel” and his “little scroll” supplies us with reasons to accept this calling and remain always faithful to God’s holy Word.

The first reason why Christians must maintain our witness to Christ and His Word is the sovereign glory of the Redeemer whose message it is. The vision begins with John seeing “another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun and his legs like pillars of fire” (v. 1). This is the second “mighty angel” we have encountered in Revelation, and since they both deal with the scroll of God’s will, they are obviously connected. This angel “had a little scroll open in his hand” (v. 2), and we recall the scroll earlier opened by Jesus. Since this is a “little scroll,” it is not the entirety of God’s will but the portion that God is revealing to John.

The descriptions of this awesome angel include so many indicators of deity that many scholars believe the mighty angel is Jesus Himself (v. 1). It is unlikely that this figure is Christ, however, since in Revelation He is described as the conquering Lamb and since the word angel consistently designates Christ’s heavenly servants. At the very least, though, this mighty angel is intended to represent the glory of Christ whom he serves. The mighty angel reminds us that we, too, are to adorn our witness of Christ’s gospel message with lives that are being transformed into His holy image (2 Cor. 3:18).

The details of this glorious angel further depict Christ as Israel’s Redeemer in the exodus. During Israel’s sojourn from bondage in Egypt to kingdom in the Promised Land, God’s cloud descended on the tabernacle, Moses’ face shone with God’s radiance when he emerged from the Lord’s presence, and the pillar of fire guided and protected the people. The rainbow symbolizes God’s covenant mercy, signifying not only glory and power but also deliverance for God’s people. In this way, the angel communicates that Christ is going to lead His people to the new and better Promised Land.

The vision of this “mighty angel” emphasizes God’s sovereignty. In Daniel 7:13-14, the Son of Man comes “with the clouds of heaven” to receive His eternal dominion from God. Now this angel represents Christ “wrapped in a cloud” (v. 1). Moreover, the gigantic angel “set His right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land” (v. 2). In the Bible, to have something under one’s feet is to exercise dominion over it. Here, Christ’s angel depicts His sovereignty over the entirety of creation, land and sea. Later in Revelation we will see Christ’s enemy, Satan, raising beasts from the land and the sea. Here, in advance of those beasts, we are reminded that Christ already has His foot planted on the domains from which they come.

Finally, Christ’s sovereignty is depicted by the angel’s great shout, “with a loud voice, like a lion roaring” (v. 3). Jesus has already been revealed as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5:5). It was because Jesus conquered as Lion and Lamb that He received the heavenly scroll, a portion of which the angel now holds out to John.

The angel’s exodus imagery reminds us that Christians are God’s holy people on a pilgrimage through this world toward heaven. Whatever else you may be – as defined by your family, job, race, or social status – if you are a Christian, you are the object of God’s eternal plan of salvation and a follower of the Sovereign Lord who redeemed you by His blood. As the pillar of cloud and fire guided and protected Israel in the desert, you are being led and protested by Christ so that you will arrive safely in the new world of the age to come. The key to following Christ, which you must do for salvation, is to receive, trust, and obey God’s Word, which is why the mighty angel came to John with the “little scroll” open in his hand,

The angel who depicts the glory of Christ as our sovereign Redeemer prompts us to treasure and uphold God’s holy Word because of the glory of the One who gives it. The book of Revelation begins by saying that Jesus has a revelation from God to give to His people, which He made “known by sending his angel to his servant John” (Rev. 1:1). This first point of the book is now vividly depicted by the angel who brings the scroll to John. His appearance reminds us that the Word of God that we read, believe, and proclaim today comes from the One who is sovereign over the entire creation and the Savior who is delivering us to heaven.

The world may call the gospel “hate speech,” but Christians must go on stating that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). How can we dare to hold fast to God’s Word before a scornful world, without capitulation or compromise? Because looking on Jesus as our Sovereign Redeemer, depicted by this “mighty angel,” we remember whose scroll it is and from whom God’s revealed Word came to us. To reject this message is to reject Jesus Himself, the only Savior, and willingly to compromise the Scriptures is to betray Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 10 begins with the appearing of the mighty Christ-angel, but its message about God’s Word is only heightened by the action that follows. John heard the angel shout with a lion’s roar, and in answer “the seven thunders sounded” (v. 3). In the Bible, thunder signifies the majesty of God in His coming (Ps. 29:3), together with power to shatter all opposition. The addition of seven thunders to the seven seals and seven trumpets, along with the seven bowls yet to come, can only speak of more judgment on the world. We were told after the sixth trumpet was blown that idolatrous mankind still would not repent and turn from false gods and from sin (Rev. 9:20-21). Therefore, the shout of the angel is answered by seven thunders foretelling more judgments that the rebel world deserves.

As John was preparing to write down what he heard from the seven thunders, he was unexpectedly stopped: “When the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down’” (V. 4). John was not to record the judgment of the seven thunders. Scholars suggest a number of reasons for this command. One suggestion is that this shows us that God has more plans for history that He has chosen to reveal to us in the Bible. Therefore, we should not be surprised when things happen that are not accounted for by Scripture.

The best explanation is the one given by the angel himself in the verses 5-7. The angel anticipates the seventh trumpet that is about to be blown and solemnly declares that Christ will immediately return to bring the final judgment and the conclusion of the age.

Revelation 10:1-4 Study Questions:

How is the mighty angel described in verses 1-3?

We’ve already seen, earlier in the book, several of the symbols mentioned in verses 1-3. We saw a cloud in 1:7, the sun in 1:16, a rainbow in 4:3 and a lion in 5:5. Look back at these passages. What clues do they give as to the significance of the angel described in 10:1?

The angel also stands with one foot on the land and one on the sea. Taken together, what do they signify?