10:5 The fact that the angel took an oath and swore by God seems to confirm that he is not God. Lifting the right hand toward God was and is a customary gesture when making a solemn oath (cf. Gen. 14:22; Deut. 32:40; Dan. 12:7). The little book must have been in the angel's left hand.
10:6 The oath emphasized the certainty of what he announced. What was about to happen was extremely important. He appealed to God as the eternal Creator who can cause whatever He pleases to happen. This appeal strengthens the force of the oath and the certainty of its outcome. His message was that there would be no more delay.347Verse 7 explains this affirmation (cf. Dan. 12:7a). The Tribulation martyrs would have to wait no longer for vindication (cf. 6:10). Evidently the seal and trumpet judgments will take some time to unfold giving earth-dwellers time to repent (6:15-17; 9:20-21), but the bowl judgments will come very quickly allowing little or no time for repentance (cf. 2 Pet. 3:1-9).
10:7 In contrast to (Gr. all') delay, when the seventh (trumpet) angel spoke God would fully reveal His mystery. The "mystery of God"probably refers to previously unrevealed details of God's plans for humanity that He was about to make known. Specifically it refers to what will take place so the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of Christ (11:15). The mystery is finished (the aorist passive of teleo) in the sense that God would then have no more to reveal about these kingdom plans beyond what He revealed to John. He had revealed His plans for the future kingdom to His servants the prophets in former times but only partially (cf. Heb. 1:1-2). "His servants the prophets"is a common description of the Old Testament prophets in particular (Jer. 7:25; 25:4; Amos 3:7).
