seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies 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 asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
Y'all know I have to use the commentary.I was about to write… do not write them: Of course, this irritates many commentators and sets speculation running wild. What did they say that John must not tell us?
Do not write them: If John was not permitted to tell us what they said, why should he even record the incident? One result of it should be to let us know there are secrets in the prophetic scenario, mysteries that should keep our exposition and prediction humble.
“This illustrates the principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time.” (Walvoord)
“Let us not proceed as though all has been revealed.” (L. Morris)
In Biblical vocabulary, a mystery isn’t something no one knows. A mystery is something no one could know unless it was revealed to him. If you could know it by intuition or personal investigation, it isn’t a mystery, because mysteries must be revealed. Therefore, something can be known and still be a mystery in the Biblical sense.
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it: In Ezekiel 3:1-3, the prophet was also commanded to eat a scroll, the revelation of God to Israel. “This figure of eating the book is familiar, and suggests the feeding of the soul on the Word of God.” (Morgan)
It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter: This little book was initially sweet to the taste, but becomes bitter in John’s stomach. “Every revelation of God’s purposes… is ‘bitter-sweet,’ disclosing judgment as well as mercy.” (Swete)
You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings: Whatever the content of the scroll, it is connected to John’s command to prophesy to all men. This is not a message just focused to the church.
I know, it's a lot of reading. I'm not getting bogged down in how the angel looked or why he had one foot on land and one foot on the sea. It's explained in the commentary. The bigger picture is.... the Secret or Mystery was shown to John in the Vision... but it is withheld from everyone else. There's a mystery or a secret.... and I don't know what it is. Like I have said, it's above my paygrade. I'm just an old woman with an online Bible and some online commentary.
I wonder if we are all going to be surprised about the mystery.
I wonder if we are all going to be smiling, or will we be crying, when He finally lets us in on the mystery.
Does this mystery involve someone we despise because we upright citizens of the churches and temple think their actions are ungodly?
Does it turn out that someone we have been hating "for god's sake" is also a child of God?
It's not about who the angel is, or how he's standing.
There's a Secret!
