Revelation 12:10
And I heard a [loud voice] saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night.
Here we have a "loud voice" identifying itself with "our brethren". The
common belief among Christian groups is that in this verse "the accuser
of our brethren " is referring to Satan, and "our brethren" refers to
Christians. Not agreed though is the owner of the "loud voice". One
belief is that it is Christ. Another is that it is an angel and this is
"proof" that humans will become angels in the resurrection. Another view
is that it is a combined group of martyred Christians.
If we let the Bible interpret itself, we may be able to identify the
owner.
The phrase "loud voice" occurs 12 times in the King James
Version and the verses are listed below:
Revelation 5:2
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a [loud voice], Who is
worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Revelation 5:12
Saying with a [loud voice], Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing.
Revelation 6:10
And they cried with a [loud voice], saying, How long, O Lord, holy
and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth?
Revelation 7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of
the living God: and he cried with a [loud voice] to the four angels,
to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Revelation 7:10
And cried with a [loud voice], saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 8:13
And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,
saying with a [loud voice], Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the
earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three
angels, which are yet to sound!
Revelation 10:3
And cried with a [loud voice], as < when > a lion roareth: and when he
had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Revelation 12:10
And I heard a [loud voice] saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night.
Revelation 14:7
Saying with a [loud voice], Fear God, and give glory to him; for the
hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Revelation 14:9
And the third angel followed them, saying with a [loud voice], If
any man worship the beast and his image, and receive < his > mark in
his forehead, or in his hand,
Revelation 14:15
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a [loud voice]
to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for
the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is
ripe.
Revelation 19:17
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a [loud
voice], saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven,
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great
God;
From these verses, we can see that an angel is identified as the owner
of the loud voice in 5:2, 7:2, 8:13, 14:9, 14:15 and 19:7. For the
remaining verses, we need to read more of the context.
Revelation 5:11-12
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11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was
ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a [loud voice], Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing.
We see that in this reference, the "loud voice" refers to the combined
voices of "many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders".
Revelation 6:9-10
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9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a [loud voice], saying, How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth?
We see that in this reference, the "loud voice" refers to the combined
voices of "them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held". Because these were martyred, they can only
be humans, so no angels are involved here at all. Verse 9 specifies that
this voice came from "under the altar" in heaven.
Revelation 7:9-10
-----------------
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man
could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a [loud voice], saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
This reference introduces a different group with a "loud voice", a great
multitude of people who have been clothed with white robes. Where are
these people located? Again let the Bible tell us:
Revelation 7:13-17
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these
which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These
are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day
and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall
the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Verse 15 tells us they are "before the throne of God" and "day and
night in his temple".
Revelation 10:1-3
-----------------
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.
Here we have a loud voice of another mighty angel.
Revelation 12:9-12
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9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a [loud voice] saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word
of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation
12 Therefore rejoice, < ye > heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe
to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time.
Even reading the surrounding verses does not identify the source of the
"loud voice" in verse 10.
Revelation 14:6-7
-----------------
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a [loud voice], Fear God, and give glory to him; for
the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven,
and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Again we have an angel as the source of this loud voice.
Whose voice in 12:10?
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Having read these verses in context, we now know the book of Revelation
identifies the candidate sources of the "loud voice saying in heaven" of
12:10 as:
1. a single angel in heaven
2. a group of angels in heaven
3. the souls of martyrs under the altar in heaven
4. a great multitude before the throne of God and in the temple in heaven
5. another individual in heaven not referred to in the above references
6. another group in heaven not referred to in the above references
Possibilities 6 has been pretty much eliminated by groups 1 and 2. The
wording of 12:10 indicates it is not spoken by God or by Christ,
eliminating possibility 6. We are left with angels and two groups of
humans. Who identifies with people as their brethren? Angels? Some say
yes, most say no.
What we do know is that those who do definitely identify with the
accused brethren of 12:10 are groups 3 and 4, both humans. Group 3 were
not only accused by Satan in heaven but were also accused on earth,
resulting in their murder. Group 3 also expressed impatience with God's
delay with intervention and requested God to act. It is easy to picture
them as later expressing relief and gratitude in the words "Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night."
Which Group?
------------
It is up to the reader to evaluate and select the most logical choice as
the source of the loud voice in 12:10. Most will choose the souls of the
martyrs under the altar in heaven but some may prefer an alternative.
Written by Selwyn Russell January 1997.
Copyright (C) Selwyn Russell. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this article royalty free if the article is retained in its entirety.
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Latest Update: February 1997
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