Good evening, everyone, and welcome to EBible Fellowship's Bible study in the Book of Revelation.  Tonight is study #2 of Revelation, chapter 10, and we are going to be reading Revelation 10:1-2:

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,

I will stop there.  In our last study, we saw that the “mighty angel” or “mighty messenger” that came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud (which identifies with judgment), with a rainbow upon his head, is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ identifies with the “rainbow,” according to Ezekiel 1:28 and other Scriptures.  

What confirms that Christ is in view is the description that follows: “and his face was as it were the sun.”  We have discussed this several times, but let us do it again.  Go to Psalm 84 and we will see how God spiritually defines the “sun.”  Oftentimes in the Bible, when we are looking up a word – whether it be tree or sea or earth or sun – there will be a verse somewhere that will be very helpful in defining that word.  That is one of the ways that God assists us in developing the spiritual meaning.  It says in Psalm 84:11:

For JEHOVAH God is a sun and shield…

He is a “sun,” (s-u-n) and that is why it should be expected, as we read of the Lord Jesus being the “Light of the world” when He entered into the human race, because the “sun” typifies God and Christ is God.  It says in Revelation 10:1: “and his face was as it were the sun.”  It is not literally the “sun,” but “as it were the sun.”  It is a likeness, spiritually speaking, between the brilliant shining of the sun and the brilliant shining light of truth that is Christ, so He is typified by the “sun.”

It goes on to say in Revelation 10:1:

… and his feet as pillars of fire:

Now, again, this assists us and adds to the evidence that Jesus is in view.  In Revelation 1, when God was first coming to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, we see in Revelation 1:13-16:

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Here, we see Jesus is once again in view and His countenance is “as the sun” and notice it says in verse 15:  “his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace,” just as we have in our verse in Revelation 10:1: “and his feet as pillars of fire.”  So it is a similar image to what John saw in the beginning of the Book of Revelation.  That is because it is the same God; it is describing the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not a literal description, but it is figurative language that teaches us various things about the Person of Christ.

So we know that the “mighty messenger” that came down from heaven is Jesus.  There is no question that He is the one in view and it is He who is spoken of in Revelation 10:2:

And he had in his hand a little book open…

We are curious about this “little book” and we have two major questions: 1) What is the “little book?”  What does it signify and what does it mean? 2) Why is the “little book” open?  First of all, when we look at the Greek word translated as “little book,” we find it is one Greek word that is translated into two English words: “little” and “book.”  It is Strong’s #974 and it could be pronounced “bib-lee-ar-id-ee-on” and it means “little book.”  This word is found four times in the Bible and all four times it is in Revelation 10.  It is closely related to Strong’s #975, “biblion,” and #976, “biblos.”  Both of those words are often used to describe the Bible, the Word of God.  For example, it says in Luke 3:4:

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet…

This is the word, Strong’s #975, “biblion.”  It is also found in Luke 4:17:

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

In both Luke 3:4 and Luke 4:17, it is referring to a passage or a Book of the Bible.  It is referring to the Bible because if you refer to a portion of the Bible, you are referring to the Bible.

In Galatians 3, we find Strong’s #976, “biblos,” and it says in Galatians 3:10:

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Now some people might take this to mean the Book of the Law referring to the five Books of Moses, which are known as “the Law.”  But, actually, this is referring to all Scripture.  The Bible is a “Law Book” and the Bible itself could be considered the Book of the Law.  God has given many commandments in the Bible.

Our word in Revelation 10:2 is “bibliaridion” and it is a word that basically means “little book,” as “biblion” and “biblos” mean “book” and “bibliaridion” means “little book.”  It does not mean a portion of the book, in the sense that we have 66 Books of the Bible and the “little book” would be a portion of it.   For example, some people separately package the Gospel of John, or some Proverbs or some Psalms and that would be a portion of the Bible, but that is not what this world “bibliaridion” means.  It means a “littler” or “smaller” Bible.  For instance, we are used to different sized Bibles.  I use a “giant print” Bible; the bigger the print, the more I like it.  The Bible I use tends to be very big, but I have seen other people use “pocket size” Bibles; they pull a Bible out of their shirt pocket or back pocket and it is a “little book,” or “little Bible.”  It is a complete Bible, Genesis through Revelation, but it is a smaller version (smaller letters) and it fits very neatly in their hand.  I think, based upon the word that is used here, that is the idea that God is giving us.  That is the picture when we see the “mighty messenger,” the Lord Jesus Christ, and He had in His hand “a little book open.” 

Why is God speaking of the Bible as a “little book” or “little Bible”?  I am not sure, but we do know that God Himself is enormous in His Being.  He is great.  In one place in the Book of Isaiah, God is speaking of this whole world, and He says in Isaiah 40:15:

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Here, we see God is looking at this world and from our perspective it is a big, wide world, but God says the nations are nothing but “a drop of a bucket” or “small dust of the balance,” and He “taketh up the isles as a very little thing.”  The “isles” would be the continents, as each of the seven continents is an island surrounded by water, and the isles are a “little thing” and all the continents of this world are as “nothing” to God.

Now the Bible is His Word and, of course, it has mighty power and it is “quick and powerful” and a magnificent work which God has put together over the course of many centuries.  It is certainly “all majestic” and glorious and it has accomplished mighty things, but it is also considered a “small book.”  You have a Bible; I have a Bible.  There are millions of Bibles of various sizes, but they are still just “little books,” even though they may be big in comparison to some other books.  But, basically, the Bible is just a “little book.”  As far as its materials, it is ink put to paper or ink on a scroll.  God so blessed it that it became a wonderful work for mankind and a tremendous source of blessing, but its actual physical size is not all that big.

Here in our verse, Christ has in His hand “a little book open.”  This Book is the Bible.  Of course it would be, as it is the Word of God that is in focus, but why would God say the little book is open?  When He is referring to the Bible, He says it is in the hand of Christ, and that we understand.  It is the Word of God and Christ is the Word, so we realize why it would be in his hand.

But why is it open?  Well, if it is open, that means it is not “closed.”  There has actually been quite a lot of information in the Bible concerning the “closing” or “sealing” of the Bible.  If you remember, back in Daniel, chapter 12, God had given the prophet Daniel much end time information, then He said in Daniel 12:4:

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

This was repeated in Daniel 12:9:

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

We are not going to go all through this same discussion that we have talked about quite a bit and we realize that God sealed up His Word, the Bible, until the time of the end; that is, God hid large amounts of truth concerning all kinds of things that He “closed up” or “sealed” so that no one would understand them – not even His own people.  God viewed the time in which the Scriptures were sealed as a time when “men slept” during the church age; they were not able to understand these things.

But at the time of the end, God opened up the Scriptures and began revealing truth to His people.  The time of the end identifies with the beginning of the Great Tribulation period.  It is significant when we get to the Book of Revelation, in chapter 5, that we find the Bible has “seals” upon it, and I am going to read this passage because it really illustrates the Bible as a sealed Book.  It says in Revelation 5:1-9:

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

I will stop reading there.  We see that Christ is clearly the one in view as the “Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,” and He prevailed to take the book out of the hand of Him that sat upon the throne and then He prevailed to open the seals.  In the following chapters in Revelation 6, we have the seals being opened, until we come to Revelation 8:1 when the seventh and final seal is opened; that would coincide with the beginning of the Great Tribulation period. 

The Lord Jesus took the Book from the One on the throne and He took it into His hands and He opened the Book, and that means that in His hand would be an “open book.”  Again, I am going to read Revelation 10:2:

And he had in his hand a little book open…

Now if we were to look at the Greek text and look at the Greek words that are translated here as “a little book open,” we would find that the Greek word for “open” is a perfect passive participle.  It should be literally translated this way: “And he had in his hand a little book having been open.”  That means that Revelation 10 can only be looking at or describing a period of time that comes after the Book, the Bible, was opened.  In other words, Revelation 10 cannot be during the church age when the Bible was sealed.  It must take place after the Book was opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ Himself, because then Christ had an open Book in His hand, a Book having been opened – one that He opened previously. 

That does not pinpoint Revelation 10 to exactly Judgment Day (to our time), but once we consider that Revelation 10 follows Revelation 9 and is actually within the “second woe,” we can see that the Book that was opened at the beginning of the Great Tribulation remains open into the Day of Judgment.  The fact that the Lord Jesus is making an appearance with the Bible as an “open Book” in this passage, in Revelation 10, is revealing that it was God’s plan all along to continue bringing revelation to His people, even as they entered into Judgment Day itself.