서론
無標題
繁體中文
英文原文
This chapter is an introduction to the latter part of the prophecies of this book. Whether what is contained between this and the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Re 11:15) be a distinct prophecy from the other, or only a more general account of some of the principal things included in the other, is disputed by our curious enquirers into these abstruse writings. However, here we have, I. A remarkable description of a very glorious angel with an open book in his hand, Re 10:1-3. II. An account of seven thunders which the apostle heard, as echoing to the voice of this angel, and communicating some discoveries, which the apostle was not yet allowed to write, Re 10:4. III. The solemn oath taken by him who had the book in his hand, Re 10:5-7. IV. The charge given to the apostle, and observed by him, Re 10:8-11.
1-7
The Seven Thunders (95 AD)
繁體中文
七雷（公元95年）
¹ 我又看見另有一位大力的天使從天降下，披著雲彩。頭上有虹。臉面像日頭。兩腳像火柱。
² 他手裏拿著小書卷是展開的。他右腳踏海，左腳踏地。
³ 大聲呼喊，好像獅子吼叫。呼喊完了，就有七雷發聲。
⁴ 七雷發聲之後，我正要寫出來，就聽見從天上有聲音說，七雷所說的你要封上，不可寫出來。
⁵ 我所看見的那踏海踏地的天使，向天舉起右手來，
⁶ 指著那創造天和天上之物，地和地上之物，海和海中之物，直活到永永遠遠的，起誓說，不再有時日了。
⁷ 但在第七位天使吹號發聲的時候，神的奧祕，就成全了，正如神所傳給他僕人眾先知的佳音。
我們在此得悉使徒在第六號與第七號之間所領受的另一個異象。我們留意到，
一、主要將這啟示傳達給約翰的那位——一位從天而來的天使，「另有一位大力的天使」；其描述實在令人認為這位除了我們的主救主耶穌基督之外別無他人！1. 他「披著雲彩」：他遮蔽了自己的榮耀，因為那榮耀過於血肉之人所能觀看；他也對自己的作為加上遮蔽。「密雲和幽暗在他的四圍。」2. 「頭上有虹」；他總不忘記他的約，當他的作為最為難解之時，仍是完全公義信實的。3. 「臉面像日頭」，全然光明，滿有光輝威嚴（啟1:16）。4. 「兩腳像火柱」；他一切的道路，無論是恩典或護理，都純全而穩固。
二、他的位置與姿態：「他右腳踏海，左腳踏地」，表明他對世界擁有絕對的權柄與統治。「他手裏拿著小書卷是展開的」，可能就是從前被封住、如今展開、並由他逐步應驗的那卷。
三、他可畏的聲音：「大聲呼喊，好像獅子吼叫」（啟10:3），他這可畏的聲音由「七雷」回應，就是七種莊嚴可怖、揭示神心意的方式。
四、使徒所受的禁令，要他不可公開、反要隱藏他從七雷所聽見的（啟10:4）。使徒本想保存並發表他在這些異象中所見所聞的一切，但時候還沒有到。
五、這位大力的天使所起的莊嚴誓言。1. 他起誓的方式：「他向天舉起右手，指著那直活到永遠的起誓」，憑自己起誓——正如神屢次所行的——或指著神、以之為神而起誓，而他作為主、救贖主和世界的統治者，如今正是向神呼求。2. 誓言的內容：「不再有時日了」；或（1）意指這卷書的預言不再耽延，只等末位天使吹號便要成就；那時一切都要迅速執行：「神的奧祕就成全了」（啟10:7）。或（2）意指當神這奧祕成全之時，時間本身也就不再有了，因為時間是可變可換狀態中事物的量度；一切都將最終永遠堅定，於是時間本身也被永恆吞沒。
英文原文
The Seven Thunders (95 AD)
¹ 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:
² 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,
³ And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
⁴ And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
⁵ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
⁶ 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:
⁷ But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Here we have an account of another vision the apostle was favoured with, between the sounding of the sixth trumpet and that of the seventh. And we observe,
I. The person who was principally concerned in communicating this discovery to John—an angel from heaven, another mighty angel, who is so set forth as would induce one to think it could be no other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 1. He was clothed with a cloud: he veils his glory, which is too great for mortality to behold; and he throws a veil upon his dispensations. Clouds and darkness are round about him. 2. A rainbow was upon his head; he is always mindful of his covenant, and, when his conduct is most mysterious, yet it is perfectly just and faithful. 3. His face was as the sun, all bright, and full of lustre and majesty, Re 1:16. 4. His feet were as pillars of fire; all his ways, both of grace and providence, are pure and steady.
II. His station and posture: He set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth, to show the absolute power and dominion he had over the world. And he held in his hand a little book opened, probably the same that was before sealed, but was now opened, and gradually fulfilled by him.
III. His awful voice: He cried aloud, as when a lion roareth (Re 10:3), and his awful voice was echoed by seven thunders, seven solemn and terrible ways of discovering the mind of God.
IV. The prohibition given to the apostle, that he should not publish, but conceal what he had learned from the seven thunders, Re 10:4. The apostle was for preserving and publishing every thing he saw and heard in these visions, but the time had not yet come.
V. The solemn oath taken by this mighty angel. 1. The manner of his swearing: He lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore by him that liveth for ever, by himself, as God often has done, or by God as God, to whom he, as Lord, Redeemer, and ruler of the world, now appeals. 2. The matter of the oath: that there shall be time no longer; either, (1.) That there shall be now no longer delay in fulfilling the predictions of this book than till the last angel should sound; then every thing should be put into speedy execution: the mystery of God shall be finished, Re 10:7. Or, (2.) That when this mystery of God is finished time itself shall be no more, as being the measure of things that are in a mutable changing state; but all things shall be at length for ever fixed, and so time itself swallowed up in eternity.
8-11
The Little Book (95 AD)
繁體中文
小書卷（公元95年）
⁸ 我先前聽見從天上所發出來的聲音，又對我說，你去把那踏海踏地之天使手中展開的小書卷取過來。
⁹ 我就走到天使那裏，對他說，請你把小書卷給我。他對我說，你拿著吃盡了，便叫你肚子發苦，然而在你口中要甜如蜜。
¹⁰ 我從天使手中把小書卷接過來，吃盡了。在我口中果然甜如蜜。吃了以後，肚子覺得發苦了。
¹¹ 他們對我說，你必指著多民多方多國多王再說預言。
我們在此有，一、給使徒的嚴格命令，就是：1. 他應當去從前文所提那位大力天使的手中「取過來小書卷」。這命令不是由那位站在地上的天使親自發出，而是由那位曾在啟10:4吩咐他不可寫出七雷所啟示之事的、從天上來的同一個聲音所發出。2. 要吃這書卷；這一部分的命令是由天使親自發出的，暗示使徒：在他發表他所發現之事以前，必須更徹底地消化這些預言，並在自己心中對之有相稱的情感。
二、論到這小書卷當使徒領受之後將有何滋味：起先在「口中」之時「甜如蜜」。一切人對察看未來事件、對預告未來之事都感到樂趣；一切良善的人都樂意從神領受一句話，無論內容為何。但當這卷預言書被使徒更徹底地消化之後，其內容就必發苦；這些是如此可畏可怕的事，是神的百姓所要受的如此嚴厲的逼迫，是地上所要遭遇的如此荒涼，以致預見並預知這些事，對使徒的心並不愉快，反倒是痛苦：以西結的預言對他也是如此（啟3:3）。
三、使徒履行他所蒙召當盡的本分（啟10:10）：「他從天使手中把小書卷接過來，吃盡了」，並且發現其滋味正如他所受的告知。1. 神的僕人理當在自己靈魂中消化他們奉他名帶給別人的信息，並使自己對之有相稱的情感。2. 他們理當傳遞所受託的每一個信息，無論是使人喜悅或不喜悅。最不使人喜悅的可能最為有益；無論如何，神的使者不可保留神旨意的任何部分。
四、使徒被告知，他如今所領受的這卷預言書，不是僅僅為滿足他的好奇心，或使他感到愉快或痛苦，而是要由他傳達給世界。此處他先知的職分似乎被更新，他奉命預備另一次使命，傳達那些對全世界、並對世上最高最大的人都極為重要的、關乎神心意和旨意的宣告，並且這些信息當以多種語言誦讀並記錄。事實正是如此；我們今日已有了我們自己語言的譯本，我們都有責任留意，謙卑查考其意義，並堅信一切都必在當定的時候應驗；當預言應驗之時，其意義和真理就要顯明，那偉大之神的無所不知、權能和信實也要受人敬拜。
英文原文
The Little Book (95 AD)
⁸ And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
⁹ And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
¹¹ And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Here we have, I. A strict charge given to the apostle, which was, 1. That he should go and take the little book out of the hands of that mighty angel mentioned before. This charge was given, not by the angel himself who stood upon the earth, but by the same voice from heaven that in the Re 10:4 had lain an injunction upon him not to write what he had discerned by the seven thunders. 2. To eat the book; this part of the charge was given by the angel himself, hinting to the apostle that before he should publish what he had discovered he must more thoroughly digest the predictions, and be in himself suitably affected with them.
II. An account of the taste and relish which this little book would have, when the apostle had taken it in; at first, while in his mouth, sweet. All persons feel a pleasure in looking into future events, and in having them foretold; and all good men love to receive a word from God, of what import soever it be. But, when this book of prophecy was more thoroughly digested by the apostle, the contents would be bitter; these were things so awful and terrible, such grievous persecutions of the people of God, and such desolation made in the earth, that the foresight and foreknowledge of them would not be pleasant, but painful to the mind of the apostle: thus was Ezekiel's prophecy to him, Re 3:3.
III. The apostle's discharge of the duty he was called to (Re 10:10): He took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up, and he found the relish to be as was told him. 1. It becomes the servants of God to digest in their own souls the messages they bring to others in his name, and to be suitably affected therewith themselves. 2. It becomes them to deliver every message with which they are charged, whether pleasing or unpleasing to men. That which is least pleasing may be most profitable; however, God's messengers must not keep back any part of the counsel of God.
IV. The apostle is made to know that this book of prophecy, which he had now taken in, was not given him merely to gratify his own curiosity, or to affect him with pleasure or pain, but to be communicated by him to the world. Here his prophetical commission seems to be renewed, and he is ordered to prepare for another embassy, to convey those declarations of the mind and will of God which are of great importance to all the world, and to the highest and greatest men in the world, and such should be read and recorded in many languages. This indeed is the case; we have them in our language, and are all obliged to attend to them, humbly to enquire into the meaning of them, and firmly to believe that every thing shall have its accomplishment in the proper time; and, when the prophecies shall be fulfilled, the sense and truth of them will appear, and the omniscience, power, and faithfulness of the great God will be adored.
本章是本書預言後半部分的引言。從本章到第七位天使吹號（啟 11:15）之間所記載的內容，究竟是與其他預言有別的另一段獨立預言，還是只不過對其他預言中所包含之若干要項作較為概括的陳述，這些深入探究此等深奧書卷之人的看法並不一致。然而此處我們有：一、對一位極其榮耀之天使的特別描述，他手中拿著展開的小書卷（啟 10:1-3）。二、使徒所聽見七雷的記述，七雷彷彿呼應這位天使的聲音，並傳遞了一些尚不許使徒寫出來的啟示（啟 10:4）。三、那手中拿著小書卷者所發的莊嚴誓言（啟 10:5-7）。四、交託給使徒、而他也遵守了的命令（啟 10:8-11）。