Can I get a witness? (Revelation 10)

Remember your church

Read your church’s letter together to remember what Jesus said to your church.

Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)
Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)
Pergamum (Rev 2:12-17)
Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29)
Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13)
Sardis (Rev 2:1-6)
Laodicea (Rev 3:14-21)

Dive in!

What’s the most exciting piece of news you have ever told someone?

Have you ever had to be the “bearer of bad news”?

In Revelation 10, St. John is tasked with news-sharing.

Try to imagine yourself in John’s shoes as you read.

READ Revelation 10

What popped out at you in this chapter?

Did anything remind you of other stuff we’ve read in Revelation so far?

The Mighty Angel (10:1-2)

What do you find notable about the angel’s appearance?

Where have we seen a rainbow elsewhere in Revelation? (Around God’s throne - Rev 4:3)

Do you remember how John described Jesus’ appearance in Revelation 1? (Rev 1:13-16)

Why do you think the angel would show up looking so much like Jesus when it isn’t Jesus?

(Probably indicates the angel’s God-granted authority. Also shows how majestic God is -- If God’s mere messenger is this intimidating and impressive, how much more is the God who sends him?)

The Seven Thunders (10:3-4)

Take a look at Psalm 29: How many times do you find “the voice of the LORD”? (7x)

Revelation’s “seven thunders” might be pointing us here. Do you notice any connections?

How terrifying would it be to watch this huge angel roar like a lion, and to hear thunder answer back?!

Why do you think the voice from heaven tells John not to write the thunders’ words?

Can you think of other times in the gospels or elsewhere in the Bible where people are instructed not to share information? (E.g., Sometimes after Jesus heals someone he warns them to tell no one.)

The voices of the seven thunders are kept a mystery probably because, like elsewhere in the Bible when people are instructed not to share information, people won’t be able to handle it quite yet. More puzzle pieces need to be in place before people can get what the ‘thunders’ are saying.

The Little Scroll (10:5-8)

Where did the scroll come from? Where have we seen a scroll before in Revelation? (5:1-7)
(It’s the same scroll that Jesus took from the One-Who-Sits-Upon-The-Throne! For the first time in the book of Revelation, John gets ahold of it.)

Any idea why the angel would give John the scroll now? What promise announcement does the angel make? (v. 6)

Do you remember what God’s people asked him to do for them elsewhere in Revelation?
(Look at 6:9-11; 8:1-5 -- Bring judgment on the earth; avenge those who died for Jesus.)

What do you think the “mystery of God” might be that “the prophets” talked about?

Take a quick look at Isaiah 64 -- this is an example of this “mystery” spoken about by the prophets.

What sorts of things does Isaiah say God will do?

(God has heard his people’s prayers, and it’s time to open the scroll and to fulfill all the promises he has made to them. We’re already 10 chapters in, but now the ‘real’ revelation starts.)

Eat This Book (10:9-11)

Why do you think the angel tells John to eat the scroll?

Can you think of anywhere else in the Bible where someone is told to eat something weird?
(Think about what Jesus says in John 6, “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.”)

The angel is actually getting ready to give John a special assignment.

Look at Ezekiel 2:8-3:3, 7-8 -- What task does Ezekiel receive? John’s job is the exact same thing.

John’s task is to preach -- testify to who Jesus is. He eats the scroll so that God’s word is literally inside him. The contents of the scroll will be what he preaches. But, just like in Ezekiel, the angel warns him that the people he preaches to will reject what he says. God’s word might be sweet on the way down, but its message is hard to hear and won’t be received enthusiastically.