Chapter Ten

The vision of an Angel with an open book, description of his outward appearance and indication of his mission (1–3); the oath of the Angel (4–7), John’s receiving of the little book from the Angel, the sensation from eating it and the Angel’s explanation of this symbolic vision (8–11).

Revelation 10:1. And I saw another Angel, mighty, descending from heaven, clothed in a cloud; above his head was a rainbow, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire, Revelation 10:2. and in his hand was a little scroll opened. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the earth, Revelation 10:3. and he cried out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring; and when he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their own voices. Revelation 10:4. And when the seven thunders had spoken with their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me: seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it. Revelation 10:5. And the Angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth, raised his hand to heaven Revelation 10:6. and swore by Him Who lives forever and ever, Who created heaven and all that is in it, the earth and all that is on it, and the sea and all that is in it, that there will be time no more; In chapter 10 the direct course of revelation is interrupted, and John sees and describes one intermediate vision. – John perceives yet another Angel, whose image speaks of the fact that he is – a simple messenger of Divine will, although one of the highest messengers: he descends from heaven, as it were from God. This Angel (is clothed) surrounded by a cloud for the display of greater glory and magnitude; above his head was a rainbow, which in this case was the refraction of rays in the cloud surrounding the Angel, shining like the sun. His face was like the sun, but his feet like pillars of fire. This feature leads the thought from that of God’s goodness and mercy to the thought of God’s Divine judgment, which, passing by the pious, punishes the impious. In the hand of the Angel John noticed an open little book, the contents of which, however, was still unknown from before, but will be revealed only in the subsequent phenomena. – Sea and land – this is the entire world, before which the Angel appears with the open book as a messenger of the approaching terrible judgment. The outcry of the Angel can be understood as a signal for the further unfolding of the phenomenon. This signal can be compared to the cries of the four living creatures that sounded at the opening of the four seals. But the voices of the thunders were not simple thunder sounds, but were speech, which disclosed and communicated something that has remained unknown to us. They spoke what John heard and even wanted to record, but a voice belonging to one of the heavenly inhabitants (hardly to God Himself) forbade recording what was heard, and it remained forever unknown. These voices of the thunders, in accord with the very image of the Angel and in accordance with the content of his oath (verses 6–7), undoubtedly pertain to the end of the world, and since people have not been given to know about the last day and the day of the coming of the Lord (Matt 24:36), for them the content of the seven thunders must remain unknown. As if to strengthen the impression of the revelation of the truth about the unchangeability of God’s determination concerning the impending judgment over the world, the Angel, standing on sea and land, swears, raising his hands to heaven (Dan 12:7). The Angel swears by the One who lives forever and ever and the Creator of all. The meaning of the indication of this Divine property is that the Lord God, as an omnipotent Creator, can bring His creatures to the final goal of their existence. But the content of the oath itself is simply an indication that very soon without any delay the end of earthly time will come, or that the time of eternity is near, since near is the day of judgment 50 and of the universal upheaval.

Revelation 10:7. but in those days, when the seventh Angel will cry out, when he will sound, the mystery of God will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets. The mystery of God is nothing other than the determination of God concerning the administration of human salvation and the destiny of the entire world, which the Lord throughout all past time has proclaimed to his servants and prophets. This determination constitutes a mystery because it pertains to the future and because it is known to God alone how and with what glory all of this will be accomplished.

Revelation 10:8. And the voice, which I heard from heaven, began to speak to me again, and said: go, take the open scroll from the hand of the Angel, who stands on the sea and on the earth. Revelation 10:9. And I went to the Angel; and said to him: give me the scroll. He said to me: take and eat it; it will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth it will be sweet like honey. The voice, probably belonging to some Angel, commands John to approach and take the book. At this, from the Angel holding the book, he was ordered to eat it, not to read it. This eating must be understood in the literal sense, although in the act of vision in it one must seek its spiritual significance. Namely, John was to process within himself the contents of this book and appropriate it.

Revelation 10:10. And I took the scroll from the hand of the Angel, and ate it; and it was in my mouth sweet like honey; but when I had eaten it, it became bitter in my belly. Revelation 10:11. And he said to me: you must prophesy again concerning peoples and nations and tongues and many kings. The end of verse 10 means that John was not grieved, but even rejoiced and was comforted, when he remained only with the awareness of receiving Divine revelation, which in itself, as communion with God, should be a source of sweetness and comfort. When he transferred the content of this revelation to himself and to others to whom it pertained, then his stomach was filled with bitterness, that is, his heart was filled with the feeling of compassion and sorrow 51. Now John must again prophesy, that is, receive for transmission a prophecy concerning the destiny of the entire world; he must again (further) observe the unfolding of revelation in images and pictures, which revelation will pertain to the fate of all people, both the blessed and the impious. * * * Andrew of Caesarea, Ewald, Lutardt, Suller, Kliefoth. Andrew of Caesarea