Revelation 10:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

NIV: Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

NASB: Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, 'Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.'

CSB: Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

NLT: Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: 'Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

According to this verse, the apostle John heard the voice from heaven again. Apparently, this was God's voice commanding him to go and take the open scroll from the mighty angel who was standing on the sea and the land. In Revelation chapter 5 we learned that no one in heaven or on earth was found worthy to open the scroll of God's judgment or even to look into it. However, Jesus Christ was able to take the seven-sealed scroll from God's hand, because He is the only one who took the punishment for the sins of mankind without having any sins of His own.

This scroll, however, is not the same one as was seen in chapter 5. The word for "scroll" used to describe this object in verse 2 was biblaridion, whereas the scroll in chapter 5 was called a biblion. Here in verse 8, the term biblion is used, without the "small" designation, but it is clearly the scroll indicated in verse 2, which is clearly something separate from the scroll in Revelation 5. Later verses will again identify this as a "little book" or "little scroll."

Many interpreters believe the mighty angel of verses 1 through 7 is Jesus. If so, John could draw near to Him because Jesus is the approachable mediator between God and man. First Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Jesus has never turned away anyone who came to Him in simple faith (John 6:37).

Revelation 10:8–11 records that the voice John heard from heaven commanded him to take the scroll from the mighty angel's hand. John obeys the instruction and is told by the mighty angel to eat the scroll. Upon eating the scroll, John finds it is sweet to the taste but bitter to his stomach. John receives word that he must prophesy again about many people and nations and languages and kings. The rest of the book of Revelation unfolds what lies ahead for the Gentiles and the people of Israel.

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.''