Revelation 10:3 Meaning: What Did the Seven Thunders Say?
He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. When he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.
and he cried with a great voice, as a lion doth roar, and when he cried, speak out did the seven thunders their voices;
and cried with a loud voice as a lion roars. And when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their own voices.
Meaning in one sentence
Revelation 10:3 shows an angel roaring like a lion and seven thunders speaking. John is told not to write what they said. What does this mean for readers today?
Context
John is in the middle of a series of visions between the sixth and seventh trumpets. A mighty angel comes down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head, his face like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire. He holds a little open book and plants one foot on the sea and the other on the land. Then he cries out with a voice that sounds like a lion roaring. At that cry, seven thunders speak. John starts to write down what they said, but a voice from heaven stops him: “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it.” The angel then lifts his hand to heaven and swears that there will be no more delay, that when the seventh trumpet sounds, the mystery of God will be completed. This moment is full of power and secrecy, and it comes right before the final trumpet.
Key Words
The Greek word for cried out here, krazō, means to cry aloud or vociferate. It is not a calm statement; it is a shout that demands attention. John uses this same word for Jesus crying out on the cross and for souls crying out for justice. The angel is not whispering.
The word for roars is mukaomai, which originally described the lowing of cattle and then came to mean the roar of a lion. It appears only once in the New Testament. The sound is raw animal power, but paired with the angel’s heavenly appearance it points to authority that shakes creation.
The phrase their own voices translates tas heautōn phōnas. The pronoun heautōn is reflexive and emphatic: each thunder had a distinct voice. This was not just random noise but intelligible speech from a source John recognized. Yet the content was sealed. The seven thunders had something particular to say, and we are not allowed to hear it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have understood the seven thunders in several ways. Some Protestant commentators like Gill and Barnes saw them as judgments against false religion, perhaps the Reformation era’s denunciations of papal and Islamic power. The Cambridge Bible notes that thunders in Scripture often represent God’s own voice, as in Psalm 29, so these are likely divine pronouncements. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown emphasize that the thunders form part of the prophetic symbolism, and their meaning will only be fully known at the final consummation. Others, like Lange, call them mysterious mediations of the end times. All agree on one point: John was commanded to seal them up, and no tradition claims to know exactly what they said.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to treat the seven thunders as a code to be cracked, linking them to historical events like the seven crusades or seven kingdoms of the Reformation. In fact, the text itself forbids this. John tried to write, and a voice from heaven said, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it.” The point is not that we should guess what they meant, but that God chooses to reveal some things and keep others hidden. Speculation misses the purpose.
Living This Out
This week, you will likely face a situation where you wish you knew more than God has told you. A hard conversation, a health concern, a decision about the future. You want the seven thunders decoded. This verse invites you to trust the voice that roars like a lion and still keeps secrets. You do not need to know everything. The angel who cries out is the same one who holds the open book and stands on earth and sea. He is in control. You can let the sealed thunders stay sealed and follow the voice you already have.
Main takeaway: God reveals what we need to live by and keeps the rest safely hidden in His own authority.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
An angel shouted so loud it sounded like a lion. Then seven big thunders talked! John wanted to write down what they said, but God said, “Don’t write it.” Sometimes God tells us only what we need to know.
For ages 9, 12
Imagine hearing seven thunders speak in clear words and then being told to seal it up forever. That is what happened to John. This shows that God gives us enough truth to trust Him, even when He does not explain everything. You may have questions God has not answered yet, and that is okay. He is still the one in charge, and His plans are good.
Questions People Ask
What are the seven thunders in Revelation 10:3?
The seven thunders are seven distinct voices that sounded like thunder. John understood them as speech, but he was commanded not to write what they said. No further explanation is given in the Bible, so Christians do not know exactly what they pronounced. Some see them as divine judgments, others as God’s own voice. The main point is that God chose to keep that message hidden.
Why did God tell John to seal up what the seven thunders said?
The voice from heaven told John to seal up the message and not write it. This shows that God reveals only what He intends for us to know. Some truths are reserved for His own purposes. It is a reminder that we are not meant to understand every detail of prophecy or God's plans. Our job is to trust what He has made clear.
Is the lion roar in Revelation 10:3 actually Satan?
No. The roaring lion here is a mighty angel, and many commentators identify this angel with Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is compared to a roaring lion, but that is a different context. Here the roar is full of authority and judgment, not deception.
What does 'their own voices' mean in Revelation 10:3?
The Greek phrase is emphatic: each thunder spoke its own distinct voice. This implies they were not just noise but articulate speech. John could recognize that each thunder had something specific to say. Yet the content was sealed, so we only know that there was meaningful communication that we are not permitted to hear.
Does Revelation 10:3 connect to the seven trumpets?
Yes. This vision takes place between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The angel’s oath that there will be no more delay leads directly into the sounding of the seventh trumpet. So the seven thunders and the sealed message are part of the buildup to the final trumpet that completes the mystery of God.
For pastors & researchers
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