The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll
Revelation 10
Main Idea: When things go sideways all around you, remember what is True and do not let your circumstances derail your obedience.
I. The Mighty Angel and his Muscular Roar (10:1-3a)
Revelation 10:1-3a: Then I saw 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. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.
The clear message: If this angel and the kingdom he represents is on your side, you have far less to worry about than you might think you do even in spite of your present circumstances.
The mighty angel teaches us that there is a King and Kingdom far superior to anything that can dominate us on earth that is over and involved in everything that happens here.
II. The Seven Thunders and Their Silenced Scribe (10:3b-4)
Revelation 10:3b-4: When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And 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.”
Here is the key take away from sealed thunders: The visions that are sealed up, stay sealed up. When heaven goes quiet on a matter, no one ever figures it out. But heaven always wins.
The Seven Thunders and their Silenced Scribe teach us that there is more going on than we are being told and that Somebody does know it all!!
The seven thunders invite us to acknowledge by faith that though we do not, cannot, and will not know everything that can be known, Someone does.
III. The Loud Oath and the Little Scroll (10:5-10)
Revelation 10:5-10:And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him 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, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
John has been graphically reminded of two important Truths:
There is more going on than we can typically see. There is Someone greater in control even though things seem to be totally out of control.
There is more to be known than we are given to know. There is Someone who knows more than we are being told and He can be trusted.
Now we learn that there is an agenda in play that will not - indeed cannot - be resisted. We can only choose whether or not to participate in it.
When things go sideways all around you, remember what is True and do not let your circumstances derail your obedience.
