Revelation 10-11

Summary of our Study:

Revelation 1-3
- Johnʼs vision of Jesus, the letters to the churches
- “Revelation”
- What is revealed about Jesus and His relationship to us?
Revelation 4-5
- The vision of the throne room, the Lamb and the scroll
- “Redemption”
- What has God redeemed in my life?
Revelation 6-7
- The six seals, the two multitudes
- “Perseverance”
- What do you hope for?
Revelation 8-9
- The six trumpets
- “Idolatry”
- What do you worship?

Think about those around you whose lives touch yours in ways large or small. Make a
list.

Note the pattern of 6 judgements, then an interlude, then the 7th judgement being a
picture of the end. Revelation is a carefully constructed book, with careful patterns and
layered allusions. John didnʼt just write these down as he heard/experienced the visions
from the Lord, but they were written in a precise manner, under the inspiration of God.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

The Angel
- Resembles God and Christ in many features but is only an ambassador
- rainbow, cloud, face shining like the sun, feet like pillars of fire, lion roaring are
features ascribed elsewhere in Revelation to God and Christ
- Is definitely not God or Christ because he makes an oath by “Him who lives
forever”
- Represents Godʼs dominion over everything (see vs. 6), and the scope of his
message, by his standing over sea and land
- Does two things:
- Delivers scroll
- Makes oath promising no further delay
- Delaying Godʼs judgement is something we will discuss further

The Seven Thunders

- Psalms 29 describes the “Voice of the Lord” seven times, Rabbiʼs consider this
passage to describe the 7 Thunders of the Lord. Passage was meant as a description
of Godʼs triumph over the nature Gods.
 Revelation 10-11

- Note an intensification of judgement in the previous (and future) judgements

- 1/4 of people affected in 6 seals (Rev. 6:8)
- 1/3 of people affected in 6 trumpets (Rev. 9:15)
- unlimited judgement in 7 bowls (Rev. 16:3)
- Where the 7 Thunders were, there should have been a judgement on 1/2 of the
world
- Because of this we can presume that the 7 thunders in Revelation would have been
further judgement
- Why were they sealed up?
- Previous partial judgements have no effect on repentance (Rev. 9:20) so God
decides to delay no longer for the sake of the saints (the promise of the angel in
Rev. 10:6)

The Little Scroll

- Is likely the same scroll that the Lamb has unsealed
- Itʼs open now (Rev. 10:8)
- Similarities to the Ezekiel scroll
- Written on both inside and out (Ezek. 2:10, Rev. 5:1)
- Both eaten, sweet to the taste (Ezek. 3:3, Rev. 10:10)
- For Ezekiel, it was God calling him to deliver a message of “lamentations, mourning
and woe” (Ezek 2:10), the calling of a prophet to preach repentance
- This is reinforced by being called to “prophecy again” (Rev. 10:11) as Godʼs “servants
the prophets” (Rev. 10:7) already had

The ministry of prophecy: the call to repentance

The Witnesses

The Measuring of the Temple

Note that at this time in history, Jerusalem and the temple were rubble.
- Measuring denotes protection, not determining itʼs dimensions (see Zech 2:1-5, a man
measures Jerusalem to denote Godʼs protection of it)
- Elsewhere in Revelation, the “holy city” refers to the New Jerusalem, or Godʼs
bridegroom the Church (see Rev. 21:2, 19:7-8)
- 42 months, 3 ½ years or days, 1260 days, are all common apocalyptic numbers, used
frequently through Revelation, referring to a “time of trouble”, especially for the saints
(see Daniel 7:25, 12:7)
- The New Testament teaches that the Church is the temple now (see Eph. 2:21, 1 Cor.
3:16)

The Two Witnesses

- Sacklothe was traditional clothes of repentance (Jonah 3:4-10, Matt. 11:21)
- There are two because of the well known biblical requirement that evidence be
acceptable only on the testimony of two witnesses (Deut. 19:15)
- Lampstands were used as a symbol of church in Rev. 1:20
 Revelation 10-11

- Zech 4 describes a golden lampstand and two olive trees, representing Godʼs people
and itʼs leaders
- Fire coming from their mouths from Jeremiah 5:14, which says “Behold I am making
My words in your mouth fire and this people wood, and it will consume them.”
- The signs of the prophets are those of Moses and Elijah, (see 1 Kings 17:1, Exodus
7:17ff)
- Jezebel and Balaam, the villains of Elijah and Moses respectively, are the enemies of
the church in the messages at the beginning of Revelation (Rev. 2:20. 2:14)

Their Death
- The “beast” is Satanʼs earthly representative (Rev. 13:1-6)
- “make war with them” is a term from Daniel 7:21 where the “little horn” (Antichrist)
“wages war” and “overcomes” the saints
- “mystical city” is a blanket term for any place that practices idolatry, persecution,
rebellion… everything that Jerusalem, Egypt, and Sodom represent (see Gen. 19:1-11,
Deut. 32:32, Isaiah 1:9)
- “those who dwell on the earth” represents the entirety of unbelievers (Rev. 3:10, 6:10,
8:13, 13:8,14, 17:8)
- Godʼs call and their ascent into the clouds echoes Paulʼs words in 1 Thess. 4:16-17
“16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

The Judgement and Repentance

- In O.T. prophets spoke of the tenth of the people and 7,000 being a remnant who will
be saved (see Isaiah 6:13, Amos 5:3, 1 Kings 19:14-18)
- In Johns vision, the reverse is true. The remnant is judged, the majority repent!

Witness
- “Witness” was the greek word “martyr”
- Christ is the “faithful witness” in 1:5
- Antipas, who was killed, is faithful witness in 2:13
- Saints under the altar in Rev. 6:9 were killed “because of the Word of God, and
because of the testimony which they had maintained”. The word “testimony” is the
greek for “martyr”
- “my two witnesses” is “my two martyrs” in Rev. 11:3

Discussion questions
- Can you be a “martyr” without dying?
- How do we partake in Jesusʼ death and life in our lives?

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

What is your witness?