Revelation 10:1

And {1} I saw {2} 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: (1) Now John passes to the other prophetical history, which is of the Church of God, as I showed that this book should be distinguished Re 4:1. This story goes from here to Re 22:1. This whole chapter is a transition from the common history of the world to that which is particular of the Church. There are in this transition or passage, two preparatives as it were, to this Church story comprised in this whole chapter. One is the authority of Christ revealing his mysteries and calling his servant, to Re 10:7. The other is John, his calling proper to this place, and repeated from before to the end of this chapter. Authority is given to this revelation, by these things: first, by the appearing from heaven in this habit and countenance, strong, ready glorious surveying all things by his providence, and governing them by his omnipotence Re 10:1. Secondly, that he brought not by chance, but out of a book, this open revelation, set forth to the eye, to signify the same to the sea and land, as the Lord over all Re 10:2. Thirdly that he offered the same not whispering or muttering in a corner (as false prophets do) but crying out with a loud voice to those who sleep, and with a lionish and terrible noise roused the secure: the very thunders themselves giving testimony to it Re 10:3.

Revelation 10:1-2 . And — After my former vision, related in the foregoing part of this prophecy, another scene was opened unto me introductory to a further revelation concerning the state of the church and the world. For I saw another mighty angel — Another, different from that mighty angel mentioned Revelation 5:2 ; yet he was a created angel, for he did not swear by himself; come down from heaven — Or divinely commissioned, Revelation 10:6 ; clothed with a cloud — In token of his high dignity; and a rainbow upon his head — A lovely token of the divine favour, and a symbol of God’s covenant and mercy toward penitent sinners; and his face was as it were the sun — Nor was this too much for a creature, for all the righteous shall shine forth as the sun, Matthew 13:43 . Or this might be an emblem of the light of the gospel about to be diffused. And his feet as pillars of fire — Bright and shining as flame. Intimating, perhaps, that the faithful, in the period about to be opened, should suffer persecution, and yet be preserved from the rage of their enemies. And he had in his hand — His left hand, for he swore with his right, Revelation 10:6 ; βιβλαριδιον , a little book, different from the βιβλιον , or book, mentioned before: and it was open, that all men might freely read and consider it.

It was indeed a codicil to the larger book, and properly cometh under the sixth trumpet, to describe the state of the western church after the description of the state of the eastern: and this is, with good reason, made a separate and distinct prophecy, on account of the importance of the matter, as well as for engaging the greater attention. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left on the earth — To show the extent of his power and commission. This angel set his right foot on the sea toward the west, his left on the land toward the east, so that he looked southward. By the earth, says Sir I. Newton, the Jews understood the great continent of Asia and Africa, to which they had access by land; and by the isles of the sea they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, or the several parts of Europe: and hence, in this prophecy, the earth and sea he considers as put for the nations of the Greek and Latin empires. In this sense the angel’s putting his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the earth, will represent him as standing with one foot on Asia, and another on Europe, to signify that the prophecies which he was to reveal would relate to the empires of the east and west.

1 . We are not told yet, as we might expect, that “the second woe is past,” nor does the seventh trumpet and the third woe immediately follow: but just as in ch. 7 the two descriptions of the sealed Israelites and the palm-bearing multitude came after the sixth seal, so here the vision of the mighty angel, and the prophecy (passing insensibly into a vision) of the Two Witnesses, follow the sixth trumpet. another mighty angel ] “Another,” probably, than the four mentioned in Revelation 9:15 : cf. Revelation 7:1-2 . Some suppose a reference back to Revelation 5:2 , where we have heard of a “mighty angel” (the epithet is the same) before. clothed with a cloud ] And therefore with something of the state with which Christ will come to judgement: cf. Revelation 1:7 , &c. a rainbow ] Lit. the rainbow : it is conceived as being the same bow of God that is seen every time that it appears. his feet ] i.e. his legs are as thick as the pillars of a temple, and their substance of fiery brightness.

Revelation 10:1 . Καὶ , and ) From ch. Revelation 10:1 , to ch. Revelation 11:13 , is a remarkable passage, in which there is a foretaste of the awful trumpet of the seventh angel. For while the dragon is even yet in heaven , and the beast with seven heads and the beast with two heads are about to ascend out of the sea and the earth , nor does there appear to be any end of calamities in the world: an angel , whom Cluver, T. iii. f. 4, acknowledges to be a created angel, lays his right hand upon heaven , his right foot upon the sea , and his left upon the earth , showing, and affirming by an oath, that all these enemies [ however they may rage, namely , the dragon in heaven , the beast in the sea and upon the earth .—V. g.], should notwithstanding be removed within a Chronus . [ The heaven, he implies by his action, the earth and sea, belong to GOD, the Creator ( Revelation 10:6 ), and continue so.—V. g.] This passage has two parallel parts: ch. Revelation 10:1-7 , and Revelation 10:8 , ch. Revelation 11:13 . Whence also the two periods, time—no longer [no whole period any longer], and, a multitude of kings , are parallel: ch. Revelation 10:6 ; Revelation 10:11 . Both periods begin before the close of the second woe, ch. Revelation 11:14 : but, when they have once begun, they extend themselves far in a continued course to the very trumpet of the seventh angel, as far as that great goal, respecting which, ch. Revelation 12:14 .

Therefore, on account of the continued connection with those circumstances, which precede the rising of the beast out of the sea, many things are here represented, without any interruption of the order of the book, which occur again at a much later portion of the book. Thus the consummation of the wrath of God , ch. Revelation 15:1 , precedes the joyful consummation of the mystery of God , ch. Revelation 10:7 : and this consummation is pointed out as future even in ch. Revelation 17:17 . The ascent of the beast out of the bottomless pit , ch. Revelation 11:7 , is still future even in ch. Revelation 17:8 . That earthquake , by which the great city is divided into three parts, ch. Revelation 16:19 , precedes this earthquake , by which a tenth part of the same city falls, and the remnant are converted: ch. Revelation 11:13 . This observation is sure, and very necessary; and by its aid many and great errors, which are everywhere to be met with, are avoided.— ὡς στύλο πυρὸς ) In the Septuagint, the pillar, by which the Israelites were led by night in the wilderness, is called στύλος πυρός . The feet of this angel, like pillars , were parallel as he stood; and round, of equal rotundity, as far as the sole. Comp. Ezekiel 1:7 .

Revelation 10:1 . ἄλλον , referring to Revelation 10:2 , where another strong angel was mentioned, also in connexion with a book. The position of the seer is implied (since Revelation 8:2 ?) to be no longer in heaven ( cf. Revelation 10:4 ; Revelation 10:8 ), but on earth, as the gigantic angel of light descends to him. The face and feet are described in stereotyped fashion. In Ezekiel’s description of God ( Ezekiel 1:28 ) the appearance of a rainbow surrounds the divine throne, as an element of the theophany in nature. Here also it is an æsthetic detail. Suetonius describes ( Vit. Aug. 95) Augustus seeing suddenly “in a clear and bright sky a circle, like a rainbow in heaven, surrounding the sun’s disc”.

FIRST SCENE OF THE INTERPOSED VISION. (1, 2) And I saw . . .—Translate, And I saw another mighty angel descending out of the heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the (not “a”) rainbow upon his head, and his face as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, and having in his hand a little book (or, roll) open. Many have thought that this angel can be none other than Christ Himself. It must be acknowledged that the description is such that we might well hesitate to apply it to any but our Lord; but, nevertheless, the words, “another mighty angel,” afford serious difficulty. Our Lord might indeed appear as an angel, but it is scarcely conceivable that He would be called “another mighty angel:” an expression which seems to associate this angel with those others who have taken part in these visions. Remembering this, we must separate from our thoughts the idea of personal angelic beings. Such are employed by God, but in the mechanism of these visions the angels are not necessarily such, any more than the stars are literal stars: they are typical, representative angels, as we speak of the Angel of Peace, the Angel of War; so we have the Angels of Time, of Death, of Life, as in the Apocalypse. The angel here, even if he does not represent Christ Himself, descends with the evidences of Christ’s power.

He comes to remind the secret ones of God that Christ is with them always, and that He will not hide His commandments from those who are living as strangers and pilgrims upon earth (Psalm 119:19; 1Peter 2:11); for he bears a little book open in his hand. The value of this vision is best seen by calling to mind the vision of the Fifth Trumpet. There, for the first time, the plagues seemed to gather supernatural power: the key of the abyss was given to the star that fell, and the locust host were led by the angel of the abyss. As an answer to this comes this angel, bearing the witnesses of Christ’s power. When the troubles come that darken and confuse, the messenger from heaven will come to give light, teaching, and strength to the faithful—so does this angel first give assurance of the power of Christ. He comes clothed with a cloud, the token always of the Divine Presence (Exodus 13:21; Ezekiel 1:4; Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9). The, not “a” rainbow, but the rainbow (i.e., the rainbow of Revelation 4:3), the token of covenant and of love, glowed round his head; his face, like Moses’, had caught the unutterable light, the sun-like light of Christ’s presence (Revelation 1:16); and his feet were like pillars of fire to tread the earth, strong in the power of purification and judgment.