Revelation 10:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,

NIV: He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

NASB: and he had in his hand a little scroll, which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;

CSB: and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land,

NLT: And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

KJV: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

NKJV: He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

Though the Bible does not give an exact identification, this verse adds further support to the belief that the mighty angel described in verse 1 is Jesus Christ. In chapter 5 Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, prevails to open the seven-sealed scroll (Revelation 5:5–7). Here, this "mighty angel" holds a little scroll open in his hand. This scroll appears to be different from the scroll of chapter 5. The word for "scroll" here is biblaridion, whereas the scroll in chapter 5 is biblion. Perhaps the little scroll contains the mighty angel's orders for what he is to do.

The mighty angel plants his feet on the sea and on the land. This action suggests he has full authority over the sea, probably the Mediterranean Sea, and the land, probably Israel. This action also suggests that he claims both the sea and the land as his possessions, or at least that they are under his control. Interestingly, the seal and trumpet judgments that Jesus initiates seem to target the Mediterranean region and the land of Israel—in contrast, the future bowl judgments explicitly are said to affect the entire earth. In the tribulation, two beasts—evil men—hold diabolical control over, possibly headquartered in these regions (Revelation 13), but when Jesus returns to earth He judges these beasts and takes possession of the entire earth. Then He rules as king over all the earth (Psalm 47:2).

Revelation 10:1–7 involves a vision John sees between his visions of the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. John observes a mighty angel descending from heaven with a little scroll in his hand. The description of the angel and the reference to a little scroll remind us of what John saw in chapter 5. In that chapter, Jesus took the seven-sealed scroll from the hand of God. In chapter 10, the mighty angel calls upon the seven thunders, but God forbids John to write the thunders' response. However, the angel tells John that what the prophets predicted will be fulfilled when the seventh angel blows his trumpet.

The apostle John reports what he saw after the sixth trumpet judgment. He saw a mighty angel descend from heaven. The angel held a little scroll open in his hand. His right foot rested on the sea and his left foot rested on the land. Next, John heard the mighty angel call out to the seven thunders, but the angel would not allow John to record the thunders' response. The angel promised there would be no further delay: the seventh trumpet judgment would fulfill the words of the prophets. Finally, John is commanded to take the little scroll and eat it. When John obeyed the command, he found the scroll to be sweet to the taste but bitter in his stomach. The angel told John he must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

The tenth chapter of Revelation provides an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. Chapter 9 described the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, which were somehow even worse than the first four, as described in chapter 8. Here the apostle John reports that he saw a mighty angel descend from heaven and place his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land. He predicted that in the days of the seventh trumpet judgment the mystery of God would be fulfilled. God will soon complete His program for Israel and the Gentiles. In the remaining chapters of Revelation, we see how God deals with apostate Israel, Jewish believers, and the unbelieving Gentiles. This chapter is related to Isaiah 42, Jeremiah 33, and Daniel 2:31–45.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''