Revelation 10:3

3 And he cried out with a loud voice like a lion roars, and when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their own voices.

Revelation 10:3 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 10:3

And cried with a loud voice
That all might hear, and to show earnestness and affection, and that it was a matter of great importance, as well as to denote the certainty of it; what he said is not expressed, but seems to be the book of prophecy, or what regarded the state of his church and kingdom, in the several periods of time to the blowing of the seventh trumpet, when the kingdoms of this world shall become his: and this voice of his was

as [when] a lion roareth;
loud and terrible; and indeed it was the voice of the lion of the tribe of Judah, which was heard far and near, throughout the whole world, by his people, and is terrible to his enemies:

and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices;
which some understand of the ministers of the Gospel in the times of the Reformation, who were "Boanergeses", sons of thunder, and think that they are the same with the angels in ( Revelation 14:6 ) or rather these may signify the denunciations of God's judgments, and of his wrath, both upon the eastern and western antichrist, the Turk and pope, signified by the seven vials, hereafter to be poured out, mentioned in ( Revelation 16:1-4 Revelation 16:8 Revelation 16:10 Revelation 16:12 Revelation 16:17 ) .

Revelation 10:3 In-Context

1 And I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, and a rainbow over his head, and his face [was] like the sun, and his feet [were] like pillars of fire,

2 and holding in his hand a little scroll that was opened. And he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land.

3 And he cried out with a loud voice like a lion roars, and when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their own voices.

4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up [the things] which the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them!"

5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "spoke"