Revelation 10, Second mighty angel, and the little scroll

• Middle of the tribulation
• Difficult to determine the order


Rev 10:1-11 (ESV) 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. 2  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, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 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." 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 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, 7 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.


8 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." 9 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." 10 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. 11 And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."


• Let's look at this mighty angel and makes some observations about the description
• This is the second of three "mighty angels" in Revelation (in the bible) [Rev 5:2; 10:1; 18:21]
• The first strong angel appears when the scroll with seven seals is in the hand of him who was seated on the throne, asking who is worthy to break the seals
• The second mighty angel appears carrying a little scroll with the declaration of seven thunders (unknown), and that God's mystery will be fulfilled
• The words of the thunders are withheld from us
• Thunders usually are a warning of an impending storm
• The third mighty angel takes a stones, a great millstone, and throws it into the sea symbolizing the throwing down of Babylon
• Robed in a cloud (emblem of God)
• Rainbow above his head (rainbow is both a symbol of God's mercy (to his people) and his last judgment on the earth (to his foes))
• Face like the sun (incredible brightness -- God's glory)
• Legs like fiery pillars (God led the nation with a pillar of fire during the Exodus)
• His feet are on both the land and the sea (emphasizes God's control over land and sea)
• He has a roar of a lion (the lion often refers to a king)
• We are Introduced to the "seventh" angel
• The seventh angel is going to sound the seventh trumpet
• The seventh trumpet contains the remaining bowl judgments
• This will finish God's judgment (plural "days" (verse 7) tells us that it extends over a period of time)
• The focus now shifts to this second scroll, called the little scroll
• The key to its contents is found in verse 11, it is prophecy
• Typically, people enjoy hearing prophecy (sells a lot of books) and it is sweet, but in the end the experience is bitter
• We end chapter ten in a calm before the storm
• APPLICATION: There is a certain excitement to look into the future to see the things that will take place (that's the sweetness of prophecy). But prophecy should also burden us with a desire to tell as many people as possible about Jesus (the effect of the sourness)


• Look ahead (middle)
• Temporary cessation of Judgments
• The second world wide war of the tribulation
• The Antichrist is killed
• Satan is cast down to earth
• The resurrection of the Antichrist
• Three kings are killed, seven submit (the Antichrist becomes the eight horn)
• Destruction of Ecclesiastical Babylon
• 7 Mid tribulation announcement
• The failure of the counterfeit trinity's attempt to usurp God's authority
• Proclamation of Political Babylon's fall
• Results of the approaching last seven judgments
• A final call to heed the gospel
• (3) Words of assurance, encouragement, and comfort  to the post-rapture saints
• The death of the two witnesses
• The worship of the Antichrist
• The False Prophet and 666
• The seven year covenant is broken
• The abomination of desolation is set up
• World-wide persecution of Jews
• 7th Trumpet (third woe) sounds declaring Messiah's kingship
• In heaven
• Judgment seat of Messiah
• The marriage of the lamb