Between the sixth and seventh seal judgments in Chapter 7, an interlude occurred, a lull before the storm. In Chapter 10, we once again experience a

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3 Between the sixth and seventh seal judgments in Chapter 7, an interlude occurred, a lull before the storm. In Chapter 10, we once again experience a break between the sixth and seventh trumpets that will continue through Chapter 11:14.

4 1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: On three separate occasions to this point in Revelation, this special angelic messenger has appeared in various roles of action.

5 Rev. 7:2-3 ~ And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. PROPHET The tides of judgment are held back for a special period of grace to seal the 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel. PROPHET

6 Rev. 8:5 ~ And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. PRIEST He stands as the messenger of the covenant, pouring out the fire of judgment upon the earth. PROPHET

7 Rev. 10:1 ~ And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: KING He appears as a King with authority to reign over all. PROPHET

8 This mighty angel is the Lord Jesus Christ. The threefold ministry of our Saviour as Prophet, Priest, and King is observed in these verses. PROPHET PRIEST KING

9 As this mighty angel in Revelation 10:1 comes down from heaven, several other attributes signify the identification of Christ: 1. He is clothed with a cloud 2. He has a rainbow upon his head 3. His face shines like the sun 4. His feet are like pillars of fire

10 The cloud is a garment of deity. Christ in His deity is usually surrounded with clouds. Psalms 97:2 ~ Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

11 Bickering Israel witnessed the appearance of the Lord in the clouds. Exodus 16:10 ~ And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

12 When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments of judgment, He descended in a thick cloud and said, Exodus 19:9 ~ Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever.

13 At the completeness of the tabernacle, the Bible says: Exodus 40:34 ~ Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

14 In Exodus 16, during the wilderness wanderings, the Lord Himself led His people with a glory cloud through the desert. He guided and guarded them then and now during the tribulation and will continue to protect and lead His people.

15 On the Mount of Transfiguration Matthew 17:5 ~While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

16 When Jesus ascended back to Heaven, a cloud received Him. Acts 1:9 ~ And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

17 As Jesus departed, He said in Luke 21:27~ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

18 When Christ returns, He will do so in the clouds and be clothed with a cloud! Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

19 2. He Has a Rainbow Upon His Head The rainbow is a symbol of the mercy and faithfulness of God.

20 The rainbow first appeared in Genesis 9 after God made a covenant with Noah that promised He would never destroy the earth with flooding again. He placed the rainbow in the sky as a symbol of His faithfulness and mercy in the midst of judgment.

21 The rainbow also appears in Revelation 4, where the throne of God is surrounded with an emerald rainbow. Here, it is a symbol of His mercy.

22 3. His Face Shines Like The Sun This is a description of Christ s glory! Saul of Tarsus met this One whose countenance was a blinding light. While on the road to Damascus, God parted the sky and Jesus looked down to call Saul, eventually known as Paul, to be his witness to the Gentiles. The light was so bright that Paul was blinded for three days. (Acts 9)

23 4. His feet are like pillars of fire This is a picture of Christ s judgment. When Jesus comes again, He is not coming as the Savior. He is coming back as the Sovereign Lord of the universe to execute judgment on all those who have rejected Him!

24 The word pillars also brings to mind images of firmness, stability and strength. Jesus is rock steady and able to carry through with His mission. He is going to judge this world, the sinners in the world and Satan himself, and no being will be able to prevent Him from doing what He intends to do!

25 2a And he had in his hand a little book open: Christ holds in His hand the unsealed scroll, which contains the judgments and is the title deed to planet Earth.

26 In ancient times, when a person was going to take dominion over a place or a person, he put his foot on it. When God gave Canaan to Israel, He said, Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. Joshua 1:3.

27 2b and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, Here, the victorious Jesus lays claim to the planet Earth. He stands with one foot on the dry land and another on the sea. Jesus has come to reclaim His property and take total control and dominion of this world, eliminating all evil and opposition forever.

28 3a And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: It is said that the roaring of a lion can strike fear into the bravest heart. An adult male lion s roar can be heard as far as five miles away. Lion s usually roar just after sunset to proclaim a place as their territory. The Lord is staking His claim and He is saying, I am the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This world is my world. Keep your hands off what belongs to me!

29 3b and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. Thunder is usually associated with judgment. The seven thundering voices symbolizes that this is a message of completeness and finality.

30 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

31 Already set before us are judgments of blood, tears, famine, heartache and heartbreak; killing, misery, hail, fire, burning mountains, demon monstrosities, men begging to die and unable to do so. The seven thunders must have given a terrible message of indescribable judgment beyond human imagination and understanding that God commands to be kept secret.

32 God has some things that He wants to keep concealed for the time being. Paul writes of a time when he was caught up into the third Heaven. He was taken into very presence of God and He was not allowed to write about it. (2 Corinithians 12:4)

33 5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.

34 Christ lifts His holy hands and makes a tremendous promise or oath by God that the days of waiting are finished. God is preparing to consummate His work of judgment and bring redemption to an end. completing His word.

35 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. The prophetic time clock has struck midnight, or the zero hour. There will be no further delay. The final trumpet is ready to sound in Revelation 11:15, and the warnings of the prophets concerning judgment will be fulfilled. Then the mystery of God will be finished, and the Tribulation hour will end.

36 8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. The things of God are never forced on us. If we are to receive the things of God, we must get them.

37 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

38 10a And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up;

39 10b and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: John followed the angel s instructions, and finds the words contained in the scroll sweet as honey. This is because he can see the prophecies concerning the established kingdom, the Bride sitting beside the Bridegroom, and the peace and prosperity prevalent in the land with Satan bound and sin abolished. What sweetness and blessing!

40 10c and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. The words of the scroll becomes bitter in John s digestive tract as he learns of the remaining judgments still to be released and he becomes sick.

41 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. John does just this in the remaining chapters. He is faithful proclaiming the good news and the bad, presenting both the sweet and the bitter. He warns of the remaining judgments, the seven bowls or vials, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the dissolution of the present heavens and earth and the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth.

42 In applying the message of this chapter, like John, we need to continue eating the Word of God that provides spiritual food for our souls. We need to continue sharing the good news of the gospel helping others to Get in on the honey, before God ends the dispensation of Grace and unleashes His fury and judgments upon the earth and unbelievers!

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