When the mighty angel speaks, his words are like the roar of a lion, and he is answered by “the seven thunders.” The angel speaks, and John hears the response from the seven thunders, but he is forbidden to write these words. Why are the words of this mighty not recorded? Possibly this means the angel’s words were unintelligible (2 Cor 12:4; Betz, TDNT 9:296).
The “roar” of the Lord is a somewhat common motif in the Old Testament. Just prior to Moses receiving the Law at Mount Sinai, the people gathered around the foot of the mountain. They witnessed thunders (plural) and lightning as well as a “very loud trumpet blast” (Exodus 19:16). Later Rabbinic literature interpreted these thunders as the voice of God. The voice was so loud all the people of the world heard the voice, and “God’s voice split up into 70 voices acc. to the 70 languages of the earth, so that each people could hear it in its own tongue” (Betz, TDNT, 9: 288). Psalm 29:3-9 is a seven-fold description of God’s voice as thunder, although the word “voice” is not there seven times. There is a rabbinic tradition that the voice of God was heard, as seen through thunders on Mt. Sinai (Exod. Rab. 28:6, cf. 5:9.
Since the lion of Judah appears in Revelation 5:5, perhaps a voice like thunder is drawn from the metaphor of the thunderous voice of a lion. For example, Amos 1:2 begins with the words, “The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem.” Joe alludes to this text: The Lord “will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem” (3:16). The voice of God as thunder is common in other apocalyptic literature as well, “the One who thunders on high” (Sibylline Oracles 5.302). In 4 Ezra 16.10, the Lord is like a hungry lion who thunders and terrifies everyone.
Aune suggests thunder is a common “metaphor for articulate speech by supernatural beings” in both Jewish apocalyptic and Greek magical papyri (2:560). In Sibylline Oracles 5.344–345, “It will be possible to hear a heavenly crash of thunder, the voice of God throughout broad heaven above.” The “voice of the thunder” and the light of the lightning” are kept in the heavens (1 Enoch 69.23). In 2 Enoch 39.7, Enoch claims he has “heard the LORD speaking like loud thunder.” In the mystical visions of 3 Enoch, the writer “saw thunders and voices roaring in the midst of flames of fire” (3 Enoch 42.5)
In an example of a heavenly tour, Enoch is shown the secrets of the thunders:
1 Enoch 59:1-3 In those days, my eyes saw the mysteries of lightnings, and of lights, and their judgments; they flash lights for a blessing or a curse, according to the will of the Lord of the Spirits. 2 And there I (also) saw the secrets of the thunder and the secrets of (how when) it resounds in the heights of heaven its voice is heard (in) the earthly dwellings. He showed me whether the sound of the thunder is for peace and blessing or for a curse, according to the word of the Lord of the Spirits. 3 After that, all the mysteries of the lights and lightnings were shown to me (that) they glow with light for blessing and for contentment.
John prepared to write the content of the words spoken by the thunders, but a “voice from heaven” prevented him. He is told to seal up the vision and not write it down. In Daniel 12:9, Daniel could not understand the angel’s explanation of his vision, and he is told, “The words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end.” On the other hand, Enoch was permitted to write down “the rumble of the thunder and the lightning” (2 Enoch 40.9).
Keeping secrets is common in Jewish apocalyptic literature. In 1 Enoch 49, for example, Enoch is shown “all the secrets in heaven.” The reason for this, as Aune suggests, is that the visionary alone knows the secrets. This makes him wise and different than the reader. It was a mark of authenticity to hold back a little revelation from the readers. If you gave up everything, then perhaps you are not a real prophet.
What did the seven thunders say? Bousset suggested John was given another series of plague judgments like the seals, trumpets, and bowls and that he was told not to record this series (cited by Aune 2:5620). This is certainly possible, and if so, it indicates that there will be more judgments during the tribulation than could expected after reading Revelation. Leviticus 26 has four seven-fold plagues as a part of the curses and blessings in Leviticus (26:18, 21, 23, and 27). This would mean there were four sets of seven judgments. One set was set aside. Caird suggested that John is told not to record the visions’ content because God will cancel these judgments out of his grace and mercy (Caird, 126-127). But as Beale points out, “seal up” does not have the same sense as “cancel” (Beale 535).
Paul mocks the 7 thunder revelation in II Corinthians 12:1-5: John was prevented from revealing what they said, or as Paul put it, “and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful to utter.” Think about it. Pray about it. The Revealing Angel is Satan disguised as an Angel of Light (II Cor. 11:14).
Woodrow Nichols
antinomianuniversalism.com
LOL Paul was not mocking a vision that had not even taken place yet by John at Patmos. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians around 55 AD. Revelations was written around 95 AD. Paul was referring to himself in the third person as he was writing his letter to the church in Corinth.
Many scholars will give an early date to the Revelation, as early as 41 or 42 A.D. The 95 A.D. is not written in stone. Paul never says it was his vision, he says, “I knew a man in Christ.” Taken at face value that means somebody else. Anyway, you have been warned that it is false prophecy from Satan. God bless,
Woodrow Nichols
Maybe the words are for the last generation at a time they need them most. How about… God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…. In every ear on earth.
Oh, yes, when he talking about himself Paul says things like, “For I neither received it [the Gospel] from man, neither was I taught it, but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ…to Reveal his Son in me…” (Galatians 1:12, 16a)
I have written a short article on the subject: “Hope You Guess My Name: The Angel of the Book of Revelation Exposed,” found on my website: antinomianuniversalism.com
Woodrow Nichols
Best explannation so far. The promised and now open book of truth (mostly Daniel 11) helps. Since we know what the trumpet and bowl plagues are in the last tribulation, it’s best not to be here at all. Find the LORD, repent, be saved and “pray that you are considered worthy to escape these things.
atlantis35@sbcglobal.net
The 95 A.D is not universally agreed upon. The Anchor Bible edition on Revelation, written by J. Massyngberde Ford says the first edition was written in the time of the Baptist and the city on 7 hills is Jerusalem not Rome. My opinion has as much force as the copout scholars who don’t want the readers to understand that this is about the War with Rome, which didn’t come to pass as the Revealing Angel promised, and no wonder, for Satan Appears as an Angel of Light [ a Revealing Angel]. All that you are basing your opinion on is someone’s else opinion, because the reign of Domitian does not line up with the prophecies. The church is obviously in its early stage, still being ruled by Angels ;under the Law of Moses. They are in a cult war with the Hellenists, specifically Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the alleged 7 deacons who were not bound by Jewish laws dealing with food and table procedure.
Woodrow Nichols
antinomianuniversalism.com
The speed of sound is faster than the speed of light, The Seven Thunders could be God’s arsenal against the masonic ‘7 rays’ that could be used in the implementation of the beast system.
The only one who knows the answer is John — get it? It is not revealed in the book so everyone would gather round him hoping he would disobey God and reveal it before the time. It’s a con job. People who believe that the answer is there in plain sight are deceived because it is stated very clearly that this info is not revealed in the book.
Woodrow Nichols
antinomianuniversalism.com
I believe that the number seven represent completeness thus the seven thunders should be understood to mean the voice of God as he completely speaks his message in the vision to the apostle John,in revelation.hence before the heavenly throne stood four living creatures one like an eagle,one like a calf,one like a face of a human and one like lion. These have meaning scholars have attempted to interpret these symbols to mean the serphiahs and cherub’s before the the throne as they cover their faces and everypart of their body.and with their wings and with the other wings they fly crying holy holy holy is the lord almighty. Other scholars state the four living creatures represent the different phases of Christ,s ministry. In the old testament God bore Israel on his shoulder like an eagle 🦅 God,s deliverence of Israelites,from slavery out of Egyptian hand. by his mighty powerful hand.then calf represent sacrifice and death through symbols of the old testament sanctuary services, were the high priest offered a bullock.as sin offering before the Israelites. And then the face of a human represent the visibility of God and phases of Christ roles
The seven thunders speak the prophecy of what is about to happen, or rather what is happening as they speak in another dimension. The angel cautions John not to write these words for their utterance is for a future time. That is to say that their utterance causes the prophecy to fulfill.
The seven thunders that John witnesses he is not allowed to share with the church. Almost everything else he is permitted to write down and reveal for the church, but God makes a point for him to write down he witnessed it but not to go into detail. What does this all mean for us? Looking at the last paragraph of this post really sparked my interest. Could it be like the plagues found in the Old Testament (Leviticus 26.) Just another set of things like the trumpets and bowls were. Adding more judgements to the end of times that we just will not know until it happens. Or maybe be some sort of judgment that was cancelled because of God’s grace (Long, 2020). Something that God will not do because of his love for us and almost he changed his mind sort of idea. From both options presented I see myself falling into more of the former. Maybe there is a series of plagues like that of Leviticus and for whatever reason God has chosen for those seven thunders to be hidden from his people. Could there be more to the end of times that God is keeping hidden? I think that is very well within the realm of possibility. What he does most of the time is in unexpected ways to us and I think this is a moment where we can speculate all that we want but must trust the reasoning of the Lord. He purposefully left this out of scripture, and we can wonder but that must be enough for us. The rest comes from resting in God’s sovereign plan.
Not writing down what the seven thunders said is something that really intrigues me. The fact that the author of the book was able to write down everything else about this encounter but this specific event that occurred and what was specifically said makes me first think that it actually sounded like thunder and that it was literally impossible to write down because there are no actual words, but I do feel that this instance is one not to be taken literally and that it just sounded like thunder but that there really was something so powerful or important that it could not be written down. One thing that makes me think why it was not written down is because the words spoken by the seven thunders could contain information about future events or judgments that were not meant to be disclosed at that moment. Their utterances might pertain to events that are yet to occur in the unfolding of God’s plan for the world.
What about the fact that it made John very popular as a man who knew things no one else knew? The book was inspired by Satan and Paul discusses it in II Corinthians 11-12, Satan appearing as an Angel of Light, see Revelation chapter 11 Paul then mocks John’s prophecy where he heard things that can’t be uttered. What kind of prophecy it that? A false one Revelation did not come to pass as predicted and is thus false prophecy according to Deuteronomy 18. I wrote an article called “Hope You Guess My Name” about the book and you can read it at my website, antinomianuniversalism.com
Woodrow Nichols
woodrowenichols.com