The Little Scroll – 19

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? As a youth pastor, I’ve seen some pretty weird things get eaten. And I gag almost every time…not just when I eat it, but watching them! Have you ever eaten too much of a good thing? Do you know the feeling in your stomach at Easter, Halloween, or Christmas when you eat tons of candy early in the morning and it makes you feel just blah?

Tonight, as we continue in our series through Revelation, we are taking a little pause before the final trumpet is blown and the final judgment comes down. This chapter is kind of an interlude before that final, seventh trumpet is blown. We get another magnificent picture of the grandeur of the occupants of heaven, and we see something interesting get eaten, but of course which has greater purpose and meaning. So, let’s dig in.

Revelation 10

God is bigger than you think. (1-3)

Some people have thought that this angel was actually Jesus. But it refers to him as “another mighty angel,” showing it is like an angel previously mentioned, not Jesus. But this angel is a representative of Jesus.

“Angels are mentioned more than 60 times in Revelation, mighty or strong angels three times (5:2; 10:1; 18:21). The angel, coming down from heaven, is described as “mighty,” perhaps because he is both majestic (10:1) and mammoth (10:2, 5, 8). Demons ascend out of the abyss in chapter 9, but this angel, as God’s servant, descends from above. He comes to earth with great authority as God’s ambassador.”[1] “This is not Christ but His heavenly representative.”[2]

We need to get a good picture in our minds of this angel. Think through the New Testament. What happens most times someone encounters an angel? They freak out! Usually the first thing the angel has to say is, “Don’t be afraid.” Angels are more magnificent and unlike anything we know. But this angel even greater…a “mighty” angel.

How does it describe him? He’s coming down from heaven. He is wrapped in a cloud. There’s a rainbow over his head. His face is like the sun. His legs are like pillars of fire. He sets one foot on the sea and the other on the land. His voice is like a roaring lion. Loud thunder follows the sound of his voice.

“If this is how impressive one who reflects God’s glory is, how much more impressive must the Lord himself be?”[3]

I am convinced that we need a far bigger view of God in our lives. We need a bigger view of God when we’re fighting temptation. We need a bigger view of God when we have anxiety or are depressed. We need a bigger view of God when we pursue the things of the world thinking it will satisfy us. We need a bigger view of God so that we will live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). God isn’t just bigger than we think, but…

God’s plans are greater than you think. This whole section is full of Old Testament wording and imagery. Remember last week we saw that many of the judgments coming down paralleled plagues that God performed on Egypt as the led the people to freedom in Exodus. The same imagery purposefully continues here. Think back to where we ended last week in chapter 9 where the wicked saw God’s judgment come down yet still didn’t repent.

“The wicked who survive the trumpet judgments are like Pharaoh in that they refuse to repent (9:20-21). Meanwhile God’s people are being delivered through these judgments on the world. Just as Israel was led out of Egypt through the wilderness to the promised land by the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, so now in Revelation an angel who is wrapped in a cloud and has legs like pillars of fire is going to lead God’s people. Just as Israel was led to Mount Sinai, where God revealed himself to Israel and gave them his word, so this angel in chapter 10 is going to give God’s word to John.”[4] That “his legs were like fiery pillars,” is a picture of stability and uncompromising holiness and it brings with it the meaning from Exodus of guidance, protection, and deliverance.[