1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
“This whole chapter is a transition from the common history of the world to that which is particular of the Church…” (Geneva Study Bible) While Satan was able to affect the actions of the world, thus tormenting them by the permissive will of God. The church understood the will of God.
"I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud.” “Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him.” (Psalm 68:4) “And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire." (1) We saw our Lord “before the opening of the seventh seal and then He appeared in priestly dignity. Here before the sounding of the seventh trumpet He appears again in the same form, but He is called a mighty angel and we behold Him in royal dignity.” (Arno Gaebelein)
“Christ ””had a little book open in His hand." (2a) — the book Revelation translated and explained or the Bible. "It is called a great roll, written with the pen of a man, that is, clearly, that the simplest of men may conceive it, Isaiah 8:1; Deuteronomy 30:11. But it is little in comparison to the volumes of school doctors and popish decretals, wherewith the world was pestered, when the Bible lay locked up and obscured. We may well say of it as St Bartholomew… that in sundry respects it is both a little and a great book. This book Christ held open to His; though Antichrist hid it and shut it up in an unknown tongue for a long while. He was to them as a little sanctuary, Ezekiel 11:16.” (John Trapp) “And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,” (2b) “in token of supreme dominion over both.” (Justin Edwards) “Elsewhere, the church is described as the foundation, and the fluctuating nations are called ‘the multitude of the waters.’” (Joseph Sutcliffe) He defied “all heretics and Antichrists that sought to throw Him out of possession.” (John Trapp)
“And [He] cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When He cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.” (3) “The wrath of a king is as the roaring of a lion; the seven thunders also from the clouds responded in succession to the terror of His words, the thunderbolts of Jehovah to be hurled against His foes.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) — the perfect judgment of the all-knowing God.
“Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.'” (4) “Even though at the time of the end the things sealed in Daniel‘s time were to be revealed, yet not so the voices of these thunders. Though heard by John, they were not to be imparted by him to others in this book of Revelation...’” (Jameson, Faucett, Brown) There is a wrath of God to come. Enough has been said. "The seven thunders indicate that a storm is coming. This was another warning from God concerning the wicked. John had been commanded to write what he saw. (Rev. 1:11) Now he is told not to write what the seven thunders uttered. Judgment had been announced, God's warnings had been given and now there would be no delay." (Charles Box)
“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven”— (5) “a gesture used of one that swears, which men do now use.” (Justin Edwards)— “‘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.’ (5b) The people had received their warnings. They did not repent. Now the announcement is that 'time shall be no more.' The wicked had rejected the gospel plan of salvation and now there is nothing left to offer them." (Charles Box) Blow the trumpet. The hour has come "when the kingdoms of this earth are to become His kingdom.” (Arno Gaebelein) “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” (7) All mysteries would vanish for them. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” 9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
"The message to Ezekiel was 'eat and preach.'" (Box's Commentaries) See Ezekiel 2:8-10; Ezekiel 3:1-14. Here to John: "Take the little book and eat it - The like was commanded to Ezekiel. This was an emblem of thoroughly considering and digesting it." (John Wesley) "The bitterness proceeds from the nature of the tidings. The little book-roll dealt with the fortunes of the Church, not of the world; and the fact that it did so made the first taste of it sweet. To learn that the Lord had chosen out of the nations a people for His name; that He ‘loved the Church, and gave Himself up for it, that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish;’—such tidings could not fail to be sweet. But then to learn still further that that Church would forget her Lord, yield to the seductions of the world, and become lukewarm in the service of One who had bought her with His own precious blood, was bitter. Yet these were the contents of the book now eaten by the Seer. No wonder, therefore, that though sweet as honey in his mouth the little book made his belly bitter." (Schaff's Commentary)
“And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’”(11) "concerning them, and what should in future befall them. John in his writings was to reach many and remote lands that he himself never visited." (Justin Edwards)