THE SEVEN THUNDERS SPEAK AND EXPLAIN THE SEVEN JUDGMENTS, AMPLIFICATION OF EVENTS, PERSONS AND THINGS IN THE TRIBULATION

A MIGHTY ANGEL; WHO IS HE? (Rev 10:1)

In chapter 10 verse 1 John sees a mighty angel coming down from heaven with several messages from God. These messages all relate to Jesus Christ and the details of his coming to earth. There is a mighty angel that we have seen in the past who God has sent with messages about the coming of Jesus. That angel is Gabriel. He was sent to Daniel in Dan 8:15-26 & 9:20-27 with prophecies about the future Second Coming of Jesus. That same angel, Gabriel, was sent to Zechariah and Mary with messages pertaining to the first and second coming of Jesus in Luke 1:11-33. The similarities lead me to believe that this great angel in Rev 10 is Gabriel.

We have seen a similarly described angel in Rev 5:2 and 8:3 who makes special pronouncements and does special things for God in relation to the coming of Jesus. Again, I suspect that this angel is Gabriel. This sounds so much like Jesus himself that it is easy to assume that it is him. However, in Rev 1:1 we are told that Revelation is “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” and that “he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.” So we see that this is Jesus’ special angel. Many prophecy scholars do interpret this to be Jesus and the scroll that we will see him holding in the next section to be the “title deed to the universe.” That may be true but I tend to believe that this in Gabriel as I said above.

We concluded above that the angel in Rev 10:1 was Gabriel. Dan 10:5-9 gives a description of Gabriel that is similar to that in Rev 10. We also see that Rev 10:6 is identical with Dan 12:7. The one speaking to John was apparently the same as the one speaking to Daniel. It was Gabriel. In Dan 8:16 and 9:21 we see Gabriel interpreting visions for Daniel. In Dan 8:15-16 we see God speaking to Gabriel and telling him to interpret the vision for Daniel. In Rev 10 we again have a voice from heaven giving instructions and Gabriel with the prophecy; however this time John is being given the interpretation.

WHAT IS THE SCROLL THAT THE ANGEL IS HOLDING? (Rev 10:2-7)

We see in verse 2 that the angel was holding a small open scroll. He gives a loud shout and when he does “the seven thunders spoke,” and a voice from heaven says “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” Before we can figure this out we must determine who the seven thunders are. First, we know from Jn 12:28-29 that when God spoke from heaven and a crowd heard it, many thought it had thundered. We also see the voice of the Lord being described as “thunder” in Ps 29:3 and in verses 3-9 we see seven characteristics ascribed to the thunder or voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord is described as majestic, powerful and capable of breaking the strongest of manmade institutions.

In verse 4 we see that John hears the voice of the seven thunders speaking. When he does, a voice from heaven tells him that he should not write down what they had said, but instead to seal it up. I suspect that the voice of the seven thunders, or the voice of God, is giving John an explanation of the meaning of the seven judgments that had been given to him by the angel of Jesus. God wants this to remain a mystery so John is told to keep it a mystery and not write it down. I suspect that the small open scroll that the angel was holding contains the description of the seven judgments and their interpretation. Daniel was likewise given a vision of the future and told to seal it up in Dan 8:26.

Next we see the angel proclaiming that there would be no more delay; it was time for the seventh angel to blow his trumpet. With that we are told that the “mystery of God” will be accomplished.

WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GOD THAT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE SEVENTH TRUMPET? (Rev 10:7)

There are several mysteries discussed and revealed in the New Testament. A mystery is described as “something that was hidden in the Old Testament or up until now, but which has now been made known.” The mystery that seems to have most application to Revelation is that given in Eph 1:9-10. It tells us that this mystery will be put into effect when the times have reached their fulfillment. That is just what is happening in Revelation. What then is this mystery? To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In the seventh trumpet judgment description in Rev 11:15 we are told;

“The kingdom of the world had become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Also, Rev 19:6 says, “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty reigns.” Eph 5:32 gives another facet of this same mystery, “Christ and the church.”

WHY WAS JOHN TOLD TO EAT THE SCROLL? (Rev 10:8-10)

 In verses 8-9 the voice from heaven tells John to take the small open scroll from the angel and to eat it. He was told that it would be as sweet as honey in his mouth but would turn his stomach sour. Let us try to understand this. First, why would the scroll be sweet to the taste? If the scroll was an interpretation of the judgments of God upon the earth, why would a first century Jew and follower of Jesus find that appetizing? Could it be because John was an Old Testament scholar and he was seeing a fulfillment before his very eyes of the prophecies and hopes for the Jewish people in the Old Testament? It must have been very pleasurable to John intellectually to know and understand what the fulfillment of the prophecies would be. It must have also been pleasurable for John to know that it was he through whom Jesus was providing the world an expanded view of the end times. However, after John had swallowed it, digested it and he had really assimilated it within him, his stomach became sour. After John had a chance to reflect on what he had seen it must have been very bittersweet indeed. John became sick. Imagine for a moment what John had just seen:

• The nearly total destruction of the earth.
• The release of Satan and his angels upon the earth, including those being held in the Abyss.
• The terrible suffering and death of maybe two thirds or more of the people of the earth.
• The death of two thirds of the Jewish people living on earth at the time, Zech 13:8.
• The rejection of Jesus and God the Father, even in the light of the terrible suffering, Rev 9:20-21.

Remember, at this time John had not yet been shown the results of the seventh judgment, in which Jesus returns to redeem the earth and the people who remain alive on the earth. He had not yet seen the judgment of Satan, the antichrist, the evil angels and Satan’s earthly followers. He had not yet seen the return of Jesus in glory with his redeemed and his angels. He had not yet seen the millennium, the new heaven and the new earth, etc. Bittersweet indeed!

When Daniel was given a similar interpretation of the end times in Daniel chapter 8 he also became very sick. The angel Gabriel gave Daniel an interpretation of end times and Dan 8:27 says that Daniel then fainted and was sick for days. Gabriel tells Daniel to seal up the vision in Dan 8:26 because it was well off in the future. In Ezek 2:9-3:2 Ezekiel was given was given a similar scroll to eat. It tasted as sweet as honey in his mouth, but he later became bitter and angry.

WHY PROPHESY AGAIN? (Rev 10:11)

After John eats the scroll he is told to prophesy again. Up to this point John had seen the seal judgments, which describe the means for carrying out the trumpet and bowl judgments, and he had seen the first 6 trumpet judgments, which describe the initial results of the application of the seal judgments.

John has been given an understanding of what he is seeing. Now John is told to repeat his prophecies. Apparently this means that he is to repeat his description of the results of the application of the seal judgments. What John tells us in the next few chapters is the continuing results of the application of the judgments. These are really the enduring results of the first six trumpet judgments, called the bowl judgments, followed by the seventh judgment, Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ in great power and glory. It does seem that there is also a reapplication of all of the seven judgments all taking place in either the sixth and seventh judgments or at the beginning of the seventh judgment.