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The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. This one was covered with a cloud, and a rainbow was over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like columns of fire, and with his hand he held a little scroll[a] that had been unrolled. He stood there with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. Then he shouted with a voice that sounded like a growling lion. Thunder roared seven times.

After the thunder stopped, I was about to write what it had said. But a voice from heaven shouted, “Keep it secret! Don't write these things.”

(A) The angel I had seen standing on the sea and the land then held his right hand up toward heaven. He made a promise in the name of God who lives forever and who created heaven, earth, the sea, and every living creature. The angel said, “You won't have to wait any longer. God told his secret plans to his servants the prophets, and it will all happen by the time the seventh angel sounds his trumpet.”

(B) Once again the voice from heaven spoke to me. It said, “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel standing on the sea and the land.”

When I went over to ask the angel for the little scroll, the angel said, “Take the scroll and eat it! Your stomach will turn sour, but the taste in your mouth will be sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. The taste was sweet as honey, but my stomach turned sour.

11 Then some voices said, “Keep on telling what will happen to the people of many nations, races, and languages, and also to kings.”

Footnotes

  1. 10.2 scroll: See the note at 5.1.

An Angel With a Scroll Says The Mystery Will Be Finished With The Seventh Trumpet

10 And I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, having been clothed-with a cloud. And the rainbow[a] was over[b] his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And he was holding[c] in his hand an opened little-scroll. And he placed his right foot upon the sea and the left one upon the land, and he cried-out with a loud voice— as indeed a lion roars. And when he cried-out, the seven thunders spoke their voices. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal the things which the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them”. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land lifted-up his right hand to heaven and swore by the One living forever and ever— Who created the heaven and the things in it, and the land and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it— that there will be no more time[d] [of delay]. But during the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he is about-to trumpet, the mystery of God was indeed finished[e], as He announced-as-good-news-to His slaves, the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven was again speaking with me, and saying “Go, take the opened scroll in the hand of the angel standing upon the sea and upon the land”. And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little-scroll. And he says to me, “Take, and eat[f] it up. And it will make your stomach bitter. But in your mouth it will be sweet like honey”. 10 And I took the little-scroll out of the hand of the angel, and I ate it up. And it was like sweet honey in my mouth. And when I ate it, my stomach was made-bitter. 11 And they[g] say to me, “You must prophesy again for[h] many peoples and nations and tongues and kings”.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 10:1 That is, the well-known multi-colored rainbow; or, the emerald rainbow of 4:3.
  2. Revelation 10:1 Or, upon.
  3. Revelation 10:2 Or, having.
  4. Revelation 10:6 This answers the question of 6:10. Or, time, in an absolute sense.
  5. Revelation 10:7 Or, completed, accomplished, fulfilled. It is stated as an accomplished fact.
  6. Revelation 10:9 Or, consume it, devour it.
  7. Revelation 10:11 That is, the voice from heaven and the angel, v 8. Or, this may be an indefinite ‘they’ meaning ‘it was said’.
  8. Revelation 10:11 That is, things destined to occur to them. Or, against, about, before.