(*All Bible verses are from the NIV unless otherwise noted)
Chapter 10
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.
Rev 10:6
There will be no more delay!
Review the verses that declare “I am coming soon”:
- Rev 1:3 … because the time is near.
- Rev 2:16 … I will soon come to you …
- Rev 3:11 I am coming soon…
- Rev 22:6 … the things that must soon take place.”
- Rev 22:12: “Look, I am coming soon!
- Rev 22:20: “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Study other verses expressing the concept of “soon,” such as:
Ps 37:2 …for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Ps 90:10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Isa 56:1 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.
Ezek 7:8 Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.
Notice that these verses do not necessarily mean soon in the immediate sense, such as, “Sit down, the eggs will be ready soon!” Rather, these expressions seem to declare that it’s a sure thing that these things will happen in God’s timing.
We know from historical records that persecution, trials, and disasters struck the Church, Israel, and the Roman Empire over the next several hundred years after Jesus’ ascension, and the eternal principles continue to be played out into modern times. Jesus’ disciples asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.“ (Acts 1:6)
Although no one can determine when and where God’s plans will be completed, all faithful believers accept an eternal principle – Christ does come soon, and, without delay, to every person who believes and calls on his name!
Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
John 16:7 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…
John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
No one knows when Christ will return and history will end. Readers can speculate on how God’s words will play out in history, but what all Christians can know for sure is that, in the immediate sense, Jesus dwells in us and works through us :
John 14:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
1 Cor 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
Eph 2:19-22 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Eph 5:29-30 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.
Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
In faith, we continue as Christ’s body to declare love, peace, healing, and justice. In faith, we look forward to the day that the angels promised will come:
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Rev 10:7
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:
Look again at Zechariah’s vision:
Zech 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” 5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
This courtroom scene vividly depicts God’s redeeming grace in the face of Satan’s accusations. Remember, “satan” in both Hebrew and Greek means adversary, accuser! As we surrender to God, His consistent response to our surrender to Him is, “Take off your filthy clothes, for I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you!” This process of redemption is the great mystery of God. It may seem foolish to the worldly mind, but it brings life to those who are made new by the Holy Spirit of Truth.
Read the following verses, and note each time the mystery of God is mentioned and defined. Note also that the mystery is two-fold, one having to do specifically with the relationship of Jews and Gentiles, and the other, the greatest mystery, that which is made possible through Christ for all people:
Rom 11:25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
1Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1Cor 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Eph 3:4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 9and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Col 1:25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col 2:2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ…
1Tim 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
According to the verses above, the “mystery of God” that has been accomplished for both Jew and Gentile is the “Good News,” which proclaims that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things, those of long ago;I am God, and there is no other;I am God, and there is none like me. 10I make known the end from the beginning,from ancient times, what is still to come.I say, ‘My purpose will stand,and I will do all that I please.’
Isaiah 55:11 …so is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desireand achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Rev 10:8-9
Take the scroll…and eat it:
The sealed scroll of chapter 5, representing God’s plan of redemption, could only be opened by the Lamb of God. In contrast, this “little scroll” is something John will have to deal with himself.
Ezekiel had a similar experience:
Ezek 2:8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Ezek 3:1And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezek 3:14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD on me.
Rev 10:10
It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour:
The sweet
Psa 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste,sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Jer 15:16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.
The sour
Matt 7:26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Rev 10:11
You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings”:
Note the King James translation of this verse (emphasis mine):
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before (Grk. “epi”) many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
The Greek preposition epi, can mean upon, on, at, over, under, against, among, with, or before1, among other things. John has been asked to carry God’s message to the people of the world. In Chapter 11, he will encounter “two witnesses” and the effect their testimony will have on humankind.
Footnotes
- Strong’s G1909. ↩︎
*All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
