Incredibly, many Christians still testify that they find the book of Revelation frightening and hard to comprehend. They fail to realize that God’s mercy and hope for those who love Jesus runs throughout the book. We are about to delve into one of the most exciting and joyous areas of Revelation chapter ten. This chapter should not only quell the fears of any believer, it should add to their hope and fill them with joy about God’s wonderful purpose for the Church. In chapter ten the Father reveals His plan to transfer control of the earth from Satan and faithless men to His Son’s faithful followers. It is the moment of fulfillment of Jesus’ promise on the Mount of Beatitudes when he said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth“. It is the time spoken of in Ephesians 1:14 when we shall actually inherit the “purchased possession”.

This act of possession happens simultaneously with the death and resurrection of the Two Witnesses which is detailed in chapter eleven, and together these two monumental occurrences signal the end of the sixth trumpet judgment, or the Second Woe. Time has run out. We are near the end of the seven-year Tribulation period. All that is left after these two compelling and decisive events is the blast from the final trumpet which will send forth seven more angels with the seven last devastating plagues of God. Soon Christ shall return with His armies from heaven and the battle of Armageddon, that final war of this age, will take place.

Three Steps in the Process of Repossession
After the sixth trumpet judgment is described, John suddenly sees an interruption in the process of judgment. He writes, “And I beheld another mighty angel come down from heaven with a little book in his hand.” Rev 10.1. The time has now come for Christ to take back the possession which He purchased in His own blood. Three significant things take place in the chapter, all concerning the repossessing of the earth: (1) Christ takes physical possession; (2) the would-be inheritors (The Church) are given a test in patience to give them an idea of the conditions of inheritance; and (3) the title deed to the earth is handed over to the Church, the rightful heirs, under the provisions of the cross.

The Church is also told the terms of the testament of inheritance and ownership. This is the greatest transferal of power the earth will ever see. Satan is thoroughly and finally deposed. He and all of his hordes of fallen angels are dispossessed and what once belonged to Satan is now taken away and given to another. Those who have exhibited faith and trust in their Father, because they have loved the Son, have come into their inheritance. Chapter ten of Revelation is about taking possession of the earth. As we shall discover this is the consummation of the process that was begun in chapter four when Jesus began breaking the seals on the book.

Identifying the Mighty Angel

“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:
  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,
  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.” Rev. 10.1-3

As Arthur Bloomfield, the respected author of numerous end times prophetic studies put it, the action in Revelation is literal, but the symbols performing the action often have to be interpreted. This is the case with the “mighty angel” and the other characters of chapter ten. We know that someone will come down and put one foot on the earth and one on the sea and that this someone will be holding a little book in his hand. What we need to determine is: who is this “mighty” angel, what does His act of standing on sea and earth represent, and what does the little book symbolize? Once we have determined these things we can begin to comprehend what this chapter of Revelation is all about.

The object of any given action in Scripture is often identified by a symbol we find somewhere else in Scripture. Sometimes the symbolic meaning of a character or object can be discerned by cross-referencing our knowledge of other prophetic passages of the Bible. Even though we know it will happen, we need further interpretation so we can understand its underlying implications and spiritual purpose. For example, we have concluded in this study that the twenty-four elders represent a proportionately small fraction of Christians, both dead and living, who were caught up to heaven before the Tribulation began. The action – that they were redeemed from every nation, kindred, tongue and people and taken to heaven – is literal. That they worship before God’s throne in heaven prior to the opening of the first seal is literally going to take place. But discovering who the “twenty-four elders” represent is something of a more difficult nature. We have to employ a detective’s mentality and deduce from our research of the Scriptures and our understanding of the full gospel message who these elders represent. From there we uncover things like their purpose and what qualifies one to be part of the group of “twenty-four elders”. We will employ the same methods of a Biblical sleuth to discover the meaning of the events of chapter ten.

Who is the Angel?

Employing these methods of interpretation we ask then, who is this “Mighty Angel” coming down out of heaven with such obvious authority and power? For many reasons the answer must be that it is Christ Himself, in the role of God’s greatest messenger. Mr. Bloomfield points out in his book, All Things New, that Jesus can always be identified in Revelation because He will appear in some way or in some aspect as He did in chapter one. Bloomfield writes:

Christ is called a mighty angel. Throughout Revelation, heavenly beings, whether Christ, the saints, or created angels, are called angels. They may be identified by their description. This description [of the angel in chapter ten] follows the rule that when Christ is mentioned, some portion of the first chapter is repeated. There is added the rainbow which was around the throne. The rainbow is the sign of God’s purpose to redeem, not to destroy the world and the human race.

Who could wear the aura of a rainbow around his head other than Jesus Christ. He is the one “by whom all things consist”. This mighty angel not only has a rainbow, he is clothed with the clouds, a symbol of the resurrection and a preview of the manner in which Christ is about to return to earth. It was Christ who left in the clouds and it is He who will “return in like manner”.

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
   And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by
   Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1.9-11

Further, the angel has the voice of a lion. What other creature at this point in time would be depicted in Scripture as having a voice of a lion other than Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? He came first as a Lamb, but He shall return as a lion! Remember too, that the word, “angel”, does not always have to mean a heavenly, spiritual creature. The word strictly means, messenger. Remember, the central character of Revelation is Jesus Christ. We have already seen Him appear in many different roles, all of which are characteristic of His priesthood and royalty. He first appears in Revelation chapter one as the glorified Jesus with fire, brass, brightness, power and purity. In chapters two and three He introduces Himself in seven different ways in His letters to the seven churches. In chapter five we see Him as the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of the Holy Spirit. Then we see Jesus as the Lamb taking the book of the title deed of the earth and beginning to open each of its seven seals one by one in order. In chapter ten we see Jesus once again in another one of His vital roles as the Redeemer of mankind. This time it is not as a meek servant, but instead the mighty Savior. Instead of the Lamb, here He is fulfilling His role as the Mighty agent of God’s sovereign power. He roars like a lion because He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is the Kinsman Redeemer going through the legal protocol to redeem His people’s possession. It is inconceivable that any creature or person, especially in Revelation, would be endowed with these Christ-like qualities and attributes, other than Christ Himself. All the evidence proves that the “mighty angel” must be Jesus.

He Holds a Little Book
Notice also, that the Mighty Angel is holding a little book in His hand. The only other book seen in Revelation is the book which had the seven seals. At this point, all the seals have been broken on that book so we can assume it is fully open. Chapter ten makes a point of saying that the “little book” is open. Christ was found to be the only one who could open the book so we might deduce that he is the only one who has the right to be in possession of the book at this time of the redemption process. We can also deduce that this book amounts to nothing short of the title deed to the earth.

The stance that the Mighty Angel takes upon the earth is very significant also. Men stake claim to lands by planting their nation’s flag into the soil. When we landed on the moon the first thing we did was plant the flag of the United States into its soft surface crust, staking our nation’s claim to it. The first thing Columbus did when he reached the New World was to claim it for the Spanish crown. Jesus stakes His claim to the earth in this Biblical way. He is holding the title deed to the earth; the soles of His feet are placed on the land and the sea. God has used this method to show ownership and redemption of property throughout His dealings with man. God told Abraham to walk the width and breadth of the land that He had promised to his seed. God told Moses that wherever the soles of Israel’s feet touched that would be their possession. “And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s forever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.” Jos 14.9 God had told Joshua the very same thing. The law of the kinsman-redeemer required a man to take on the responsibility of his brother’s wife and household and if he refused, the widow was to take off his shoe in public, expose the man’s bare foot to symbolize that he would not take possession of his responsibility, and spit in his face. The feet placed on an object means taking possession and responsibility. So now the Mighty Angel, Jesus, openly accepts the responsibility of His Divine mandate by placing His feet on the purchased possession. The symbolism of the act is unmistakable. Christ is taking possession of the land and the sea. The entire earth is now under His control. Just as a new owner comes in to clean and renovate a newly acquired home, so Jesus is about to command the final angel to sound his trumpet which will begin the final cleansing process.

“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
   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:
   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.” Rev. 10.5-7

The Mighty Angel is Jesus. If He was the only one who could open the book he must be the only one who can take possession of the earth. He is clothed in the rainbow-promise of God’s mercy. Only Jesus could wear such glory. And He declares on earth that “there should be time no longer”. Only Jesus can say, “It is finished”. The repossession of the earth has taken place. Who else but Jesus would have this honor, power and right?

The Seven Thunders: A Test of the Church’s Heart

“… and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 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.” Rev. 10.3,4

Once Jesus appears on earth holding the title deed in His hand, the seven thunders of God’s heaven utter a statement that reverberates throughout creation. But just as John, the faithful reporter, is about to record what they have said, he is told to refrain from reporting it. This has long been a subject of speculation and conjecture by many students of prophecy. There have been so-called prophets in the Church who have declared that it was revealed to them in the spirit or by a vision what the seven thunders had uttered. But this is highly unlikely, if not impossible. God had these words spoken and then sealed them up for a purpose. He wants us to know they will be uttered in that day, but He does not want us to know what they are before that moment. We must accept that. It could be that they have something to do with taking possession of the earth and God does not want Satan and the Antichrist to know what they are. But it would also seem that God is testing the hearts and attitudes of the saints. Will they be willing to wait for the fulfillment of prophecy without conjuring up their own visions of it? The nature of studying prophecy, and Revelation in particular, is that we must often wait on the Lord for the fulfillment of the prophecy before we can know how and when it will be fulfilled. This takes patience and trust in God. We are given the knowledge of what will happen, so we know that it will come to pass, but often the details of the fulfillment are kept concealed behind the veil of time. It is written that the secret things belong to God, and so it is true.

This is a test of the inheritors. In the Beatitudes, Jesus quoted Psalm 37.11 preaching that “the meek shall inherit the earth”. Ephesians 1 says we shall inherit the “purchased possession”. The student of Revelation must remain meek and humble in this way. We cannot force God’s hand. We should not demand to know every detail. The student of Revelation must be content with what is revealed in prophecy: the book of Daniel, Psalms, the minor and major prophets and Revelation. We should not let speculation, rumor and hearsay be our inspiration. God has told us the day is coming that the seven thunders will utter their voices to all creation. We should accept this as God’s wisdom. The greatest example of this type of acceptance is the promise of Christ’s appearing in the clouds to Rapture His faithful Bride. Jesus has said that “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matt. 24:36 Many misguided people have tried to predict the day of the Lord’s appearing in the clouds, from scoundrels to unfortunate fools, but all have shamed themselves. We know that Christ shall return for His own in the clouds, and then He shall return with His saints to judge the earth. Until then the righteous wait and watch.

While it is natural for us to wonder what the seven thunders will say, and we might discuss it or speculate on it, we should not spend much time on it or put any faith in a supposed answer to it. If God’s Word sealed it up, and God’s Word is a universal truth to enlighten the world and speak to the Church and the Jews, how can it be opened to a single prophet or minister? We’ll all hear the words together on that day in the final year of the Tribulation when the title deed of the earth is being presented to its inhabitants by the Redeemer Himself, Jesus.

The Title Deed: Transferred to the Inheritors

“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.
   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.
   And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
   And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy  again  before   many  peoples,  and nations,  and  tongues, and  kings.”  Rev. 10.8-11

This is that outstanding moment when the deed to the earth is transferred to the Church. John is acting as the representative of the Church. Two things happen. John eats the book and he is told that he will again have to prophesy to the world. When the transferal of the deed to John takes place there is a conveyance of duty and responsibility that goes along with that acceptance of ownership. As with ownership of any property, labor and good stewardship is required. The gift of the possession is joyous and sweet, as when it entered into John’s mouth, but the responsibilities of taking care of so great a possession will at times be bitter. It is prophesied that Jesus and His saints will come back to rule the earth with a rod of iron. The prospect of having the power and authority to bring righteousness to the world is wonderful. The fact that these things will have to be imposed, even during the Millennium, with a rod of iron will be a bitter and weighty responsibility for the saints.

Christ’s words to John imply that the Church will have to teach, prophesy, and correct the nations during the thousand year reign of the Millennium. Though order will be imposed on an earth, controlled and owned by Christ and His Church, the salvation of those who are living in the flesh during this time will still hang in the balance. We will find at the end of Revelation that one last world-wide rebellion takes place at the end of Christ’s thousand year reign. As implied by the transferral of power to the Church in chapter ten, there will be much responsibility and some bitter disappointments even during the Millennium. This is why we are being prepared to be kings and priests (Rev 1.6) right now, so we can be good stewards of the purchased possession which we have inherited from God. ✞

Taken from the book Revelation Pure & Simple by Terry Myers Smith