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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 10

1 Then I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head;⁠ his face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.⁠ 2 He held in his hand a little scroll that was open,⁠ and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 3 Then he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices.⁠ 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but just then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.”⁠ 5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, just as he has proclaimed to his servants the prophets.”⁠ 8 Then the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak to me again, “Go and take the open scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take the scroll and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”⁠ 10 So I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 Then they told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Jeremiah 25:30 and Revelation 10:3

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation’s reference to a mighty voice like a lion recalls Jeremiah’s description of God roaring from heaven in judgment against the nations. In Jeremiah, this signals divine warfare, which Revelation transforms into a moment of revealed authority.

Passages

Jeremiah 25:30

Hebrew Bible
29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. So how can you possibly avoid being punished? You will not go unpunished. For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!’ 30 “Then, Jeremiah, make the following prophecy against them: ‘Like a lion about to attack, the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven; from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly. He will roar mightily against his land. He will shout in triumph, like those stomping juice from the grapes, against all those who live on the earth. 31 The sounds of battle will resound to the ends of the earth. For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. He will pass judgment on all humankind and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ The Lord so affirms it!
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jeremiah

Revelation 10:3

New Testament
1 Then I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. 2 He held in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 3 Then he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but just then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The Israelites based their opinion of the lion on their encounters with it as pastoralists (Amos 5:19). They knew the lion as a ruthless, almost unstoppable killer, taking from the flock at will. It frequently worked from ambush, but even when not actively hunting, its roar, audible for miles, spread its fear abroad. A significant portion of the references to lion in Scripture concerns its voice (Job 4:10; Psalm 22:13; 104:21; Proverbs 19:12; 28:15; Jeremiah 2:15, 30; Ezekiel 22:25; Hosea 11:10; Zechariah 3:3; 11:3; Revelation 10:3). “The lion has roared; who will not fear?” (Amos 3:8). No doubt many more people had heard a lion than had seen one, and this enhanced the mythology surrounding lions. The Bible uses nearly a dozen words to designate lions of various ages and gender, but not all of these terms are securely defined. Hebrew sahas clearly means lion in most instances, but some have pointed out that the word is confined to poetry and occasionally seems to refer to a more mythical creature than a flesh and blood lion (in passages like Job 28:8; Ps 91:13). In support of this idea, Akkadian literature refers to a snake as “earth-lion.” Ancient art work depicts many composite creatures with clear lion features paralleling mentions of such wonderous animals in scripture ..."
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998), 1741.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Jeremiah 25:30 and Revelation 10:3

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