Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

We are about at the middle of Revelation.

A lot has happened already.

What exactly has happened up to now?

Chapter 1 introduces John’s circumstance and the true Author of this book: Jesus

Jesus then relates special messages given to John to give to the churches in Asia Minor

Then chapter 4 comes along with a stark transition - Suddenly caught up into heaven, John sees a vision of God Almighty on his throne.

All of Christ’s followers and the heavenly angels are worshiping God (4:1–11).

John watches as God gives a scroll with seven seals to the worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ (5:1–14).

The Lamb begins to open the seals one by one.

As each seal is opened, a new vision appears.

As the first four seals are opened, riders appear on horses of various colors; war, famine, disease, and death are in their paths (6:1–8).

As the fifth seal is opened, John sees those in heaven who have been martyred for their faith in Christ (6:9–11).

A set of contrasting images appears at the opening of the sixth seal.

On one side, there is a huge earthquake, stars fall from the sky, and the sky rolls up like a scroll (6:12–17).

On the other side, multitudes are before the great throne, worshiping and praising God and the Lamb (7:1–17).

Next, the seventh seal is opened (8:1–5), unveiling a series of God’s judgments announced by seven angels with seven trumpets.

The first four angels bring hail, fire, a burning mountain, and a falling star, and the sun and the moon are darkened (8:6–13).

The fifth trumpet announces the coming of locusts with the power to sting (9:1–12).

The sixth trumpet heralds the coming of an army of warriors on horses (9:13–21).

Now we are caught up to chapter 10

Transition:

Between the sixth and the seventh seal judgments is the first interlude that consisted of the 144,000 from the tribes in the first half of ch.7, and the great multitude of every nation in the second half of ch.7 in heaven.

Similarly, now in our timeline, between the sixth and the seventh trumpet judgments we find the second interlude consisting of the mighty angel and the little scroll in 10:1–11, when John is recommissioned to prophesy, and the vision of the two witnesses in 11:1–13, which we’ll hit on next week, when the role and destiny of the witnessing church is described.

(Interestingly, there is no interlude between the sixth and the seventh bowl judgments as we would come to expect.)

Scripture Reading:

As with the other interlude, this passage clarifies the role of God’s people and offers perspective and encouragement to help them to endure faithfully.

The theme of prophecy unites both parts in this interlude, including John’s role as prophet and the church’s role as witness.

Grant Osborne writes on how the entire first half of Revelation is framed by the motif of prophetic witness.

The first vision or first part in this interlude deals with John’s prophetic role using the imagery of the “little scroll.”

Transition:

This little scroll has some enormous aspects to it, the first one being:

I.

The Big Secret (vv.1-4)

Not a whole lot of secrets are kept in the Bible, but John now sets the stage for one of the biggest:

Who is this angel?

Three “MIGHTY angels” appear in Revelation (first in ch.5, here in ch.

10:1; and the third in ch 18:21), and the first two are both associated with the scroll of God’s redemptive plan.

Although the first two mighty angels are closely related, they are not identical since the second angel is described in language used earlier for Christ himself (cf.

with 10:1).

The identification of this angel with Christ, however, seems doubtful since Christ never appears anywhere else in Revelation as an angel, and it would seem out of place for Christ to take an oath (as in v.6).

Nevertheless, this angel obviously plays an extremely significant role in the fulfillment of God’s plan.

Is the “scroll” with the 7 seals of chapter 5 is the same as the “little scroll” here in ch.

10?

There are variations between the two scrolls (e.g., scroll vs. little scroll, sealed vs. open in hand, heavenly scene in ch.5 vs. earthly scene now)—so different scrolls, right?

BUT the similarities could suggest that a single scroll is in view: both are held by a mighty angel, and both concern God’s redemptive plan.

One commentator suggests that perhaps the designation “little scroll” says more about the large size of the mighty angel than the small size of the book.

In chapter 5, the scroll was sealed with seven seals, which were then opened by the Lamb in ch. 6.

Now in chapter 10, the scroll lies open in the angel’s hand.

The scroll reveals how God plans to defeat evil, rescue his people, and transform his creation, and what all this means for John and the rest of God’s people here on earth.

Thunder is often associated with judgment in Revelation (e.g., 4:5; 6:1; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18), and here “the seven thunders” could likely be yet another series of divine judgments.

Thunder is often associated with judgment in Revelation (e.g., 4:5; 6:1; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18), and here “the seven thunders” are likely yet another series of divine judgments.

John hears and understands the message of the seven thunders, but a heavenly voice tells him to seal what they say (i.e., keep it secret) and not write it down (cf. a similar command to Daniel in ; , , and the contrasting commands to John in ; ).

We can only speculate about why John was told to seal up the thunderous message.

The most convincing explanation seems related to the sealing of the angel’s message in verse 6: “There will be no more delay!”

As a result, another series of partial judgments along the lines of the seals and trumpets is unnecessary (note the failure to repent in 9:20–21).5

In addition, the thunders are sealed but the scroll lies open, indicating that there will be no further intervention.

The fulfillment of God’s purposes is at hand.

John hears and understands the message of the seven thunders, but a heavenly voice tells him to keep it secret—don’t write it down.

We can only guess why John was told to seal up this thunderous message.

Maybe the terror is too great.

Maybe the secret is a divine surprise to Believers.

Maybe it’s related to the angel’s message in verse 6: where the angel says: “There will be no more delay!”

If so, another series of thunder judgments along with the seals and trumpets are then unnecessary (especially with the failure of the earth dwellers to repent in the end of the last chapter in vv.

20–21).

In addition, the thunders are sealed but the scroll lies open, indicating that there will be no further intervention.

The fulfillment of God’s purposes is at hand.

Rev

Illustration:

Transition:

So that’s the big secret —7 thunders, but there’s more grand things John writes:

II.

The Mighty Oath (vv.5-7)

This mighty angel makes a wonderful oath!

his mighty angel makes a wonderful oath!

5-7

The angel standing on the land and on the sea points to YHWH’s sovereign control over His world (repeated from v.2, here, then again in v.8).

This is the only place in Revelation where anyone swears an oath, and this is from , where the prophet Daniel asks a question about the end of time: “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

(; cf. the martyrs’ question in ).

Note as well that the figure in Daniel also swears by him who lives forever ().

What is delayed in Daniel now stands ready to be fulfilled: “There will be no more delay!”

(cf.

with ).

The angel’s stance on the land and the sea points to God’s sovereign control over his world (repeated in 10:2, 5, 8).

This is the only place in Revelation where anyone swears an oath, and the background is , where the prophet asks a question about the end of time: “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

(; cf. the martyrs’ question in ).

Note as well that the figure in Daniel also swears by him who lives forever ().

What is delayed in Daniel now stands ready to be fulfilled: “There will be no more delay!”

(cf.

with ).

Rev

The “mystery of God?” Is this referring to the secret that John was just told not to write?

We can know that The “mystery of God” contained in the little scroll refers to God’s plan to judge evil, redeem his people, and transform his creation, a plan that will soon come to completion.

This will occur when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet—a reference to the events we’ll see later in Revelation chs.

19–21.

God announces his plans to his servants the prophets, including both the Old and the New Testament prophets as makes explicit:

Illustration:

Everyone knows what happens when you take a large snow globe and shake it.

As you watch the flakes, you can see the chaos that is swirling inside.

Yet no matter how wildly the snow might rage within this globe, a steady hand is holding it safely in place.

There is a reality more real, more substantial.

There is a will that lies behind the snowstorm within.

Us Believers can live within this world as people who know that YHWH is at work in history.

His will is being enacted even in the circumstances that seem confusing and strange.