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Vision of an Angel with an open book, a description of his appearance and an indication of his mission (1–3); the Angel’s oath (4–7), John’s receipt of the book from the Angel, the sensation of eating it, and the Angel’s explanation of this symbolic vision (8–11). Rev.10:1. And I saw another mighty angel descending from heaven, clothed with a cloud; over his head was a rainbow, and his face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire, Rev.10:2. he had an open book in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, Rev.10:3. and he cried out with a loud voice, like a lion roars; and when he cried, then the seven thunders spoke with their voices. Rev.10:4. And when the seven thunders spoke with their voices, I wanted to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Conceal what the seven thunders said, and do not write it. Rev.10:5. And the Angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth, raised his hand to heaven Rev.10:6. and he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in it, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, that time would be no more; In X chapter. the direct flow of revelation is interrupted, and John sees and describes one intermediate vision. – John contemplates a still new Angel, whose image suggests that he is a simple messenger of the Divine will, although one of the highest messengers: he descends from heaven, as if from God. This Angel (clothed) is surrounded by a cloud to reveal greater glory and majesty; above his head there was a rainbow, which in this case was the refraction of rays in the cloud surrounding the Angel, shining like the sun. His face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. This feature leads from the thought of the goodness and mercy of God to the thought of Divine judgment, which, bypassing the pious, punishes the wicked. In the Angel's hand, John noticed an open book, the contents of which were, however, still unknown from the previous one, and would only be revealed in subsequent appearances. – The sea and the land are the whole world, before which an Angel appears with an open book as a messenger of the coming Last Judgment. The Angel's exclamation can be understood as a signal for further revelation of the phenomenon. This signal can be compared to the cries of the four animals that were heard when the four seals were opened. The voices of thunder were not simple thunder sounds, but were speech that revealed and communicated something that remained unknown to us. They said what John had heard and even wanted to write down, but a voice belonging to one of the celestial beings (hardly God Himself) forbade recording what they heard, and it remained forever unknown. These voices of thunder, in accordance with the very image of the Angel and in accordance with the content of his oath (6-7 vv.), undoubtedly refer to the end of the world, and since people are not given knowledge about the last day of the world and the day of the coming of the Lord (Matthew 24:36), then the content of the seven thunders must remain unknown to them. As if to further enhance the impression of the revelation of the truth about the immutability of the Divine determination regarding the upcoming judgment of the world, the Angel standing on the sea and on the earth swears by raising his hands to heaven (Dan.12:7). The angel swears by Him who lives forever and ever and is the Creator of all things. The meaning of indicating this Divine property is that the Lord God, as the omnipotent Creator, can bring the creations of His hands to the final goal of their existence. The content of the oath itself is simply an indication that soon, without any delay, the end of earthly time will come, or that the time of eternity is near, since the day of judgment 50 and the global revolution is near. Rev.10:7. but in those days when the seventh angel proclaims, when he blows the trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. The mystery of God is nothing more than God’s determination about the economy of human salvation and about the fate of the whole world, which the Lord announced to His servants and prophets throughout the past time. This definition is a mystery because it refers to the future and because only God knows how and with what glory all this will happen. Rev.10:8. And the voice that I heard from heaven began to speak to me again and said: Go, take the open book from the hand of the Angel who stands on the sea and on the earth. Rev.10:9. And I went to the Angel; and said to him: give me the book. He said to me: take it and eat it; she will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth she will be sweet as honey. A voice, probably belonging to some Angel, commands John to come up and take the book. At the same time, he was ordered by the Angel holding the book to eat it and not read it. This eating must be understood in a literal sense, although as an act of seeing, its spiritual meaning must also be sought. Namely, John had to process the contents of this book within himself and assimilate it. Rev.10:10. And I took the book from the hand of the Angel and ate it; and she was as sweet as honey in my mouth; When I ate it, my stomach became bitter. Rev.10:11. And he said to me: You must prophesy again about peoples and nations and languages ​​and many kings. End of 10th century means that John was not upset, but even enjoyed and was comforted when he remained only in the consciousness of receiving Divine revelation, which in itself, as communication with God, should be a source of sweetness and consolation. When he transferred the content of this revelation to himself and to others to whom it related, his womb was filled with bitterness, that is, his heart was filled with a feeling of compassion and condolences 51 . Now John will again have to prophesy, that is, receive for transmission a prophecy regarding the fate of the whole world; he will have to again (further) contemplate the revelation of revelation in images and pictures, which revelation will generally concern the fate of all people, both blessed and wicked. Andrew of Caesarea, Ewald, Lutardt, Suller, Kliefoth. You might be interested in: