We have been looking at the subject: From Malachi to Rapture, and we’ve had quite some subtopics under this subject. This morning, we are considering another subtopic: The Mighty Angel in Revelation 10:1. What is His Position, when will He appear, and what is His purpose of appearance?
Text: Revelation 10:1-6, Daniel 10:13, Luke 1:19, Judges 13:21-22, Revelation 1:13-17, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 19:18, Revelation 6:15, 2Thessalonains 1:7, Luke 1:52, 2Kings 5:1, Judges 3:17, Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 6:12.
Angel means Messenger, and we have two kinds of angels -the Cherubim and the Seraphim. However, God Himself do appear as an Angel. When the glad tiding of the birthing of a baby came to Manoah and his wife, the bible records that it was the angel of the Lord, and when Manoah realized this, he exclaimed that they have seen God. Thus, with this, and many other scriptures, we know that God use to manifest Himself as an Angel.
21 But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
The Description
Just like God manifested Himself in the body of Jesus Christ, and in him dwell the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus was not born God but was made both Lord and Christ. When He was to appear to Moses, He appeared as a Pillar of Fire, He appeared to the three Hebrews and came as the fourth man in the fire. God at sundry times and in divers manner have appeared to our fathers in various ways. The angel in Revelation 10:1 is Jesus Christ in angelic form. Let’s look at His description in Revelation 1:13,
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Of course, His mandate and purpose in Revelation 1:13 is different from Revelation 10:1, but we see the similarity in their description.
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.
In the book of Daniel, we see Daniel asked a question from the Angel that appeared to Him, and a reply was given to him precisely
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Long after Daniel, in the Revelation, a reply came to John in a different way:
And he swore by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer,
If we look closely, we will also see the similarity in the description of this angel, and the matter was about the three and half years of the one week left for the Jews. In the first three and half years of the one week, God has programmed that He will send them messengers in the spirit of Moses and Elijah who would preach and seal the servants of God, and the next three and half years is for the Great Tribulation. In Daniel, the precise time was given to Daniel -time, times, and half; but in Revelation, He says, there should be time no longer. Amen.
More so, the word “mighty” was used in His description, and this does not mean that He was huge. It rather speaks of His position -who He is. He is Jesus Christ; He occupies a greater position than any and every angel -the head of principalities and powers. There is a way the Bible describe huge people or referring to their size. The bible would call them giants or fat. We see this in Judges 3:17, 2Samuel 21:20.
17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
Gideon was called a mighty man of valor, not because he was huge. We have mighty angels, mighty men, who are called mighty because of the position they occupied and who they are.
Everything about this Mighty Angel stand for something, and we cannot say that there’s nothing about Him that we don’t need. Everything has meaning and we need them all. The book of Revelation is a book of symbol, written in codes, and we can only decode them by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Little Book
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,
This Mighty Angel -Jesus Christ was seen with a little book. There is an explanation that this book was small because the one who held it was huge. This is not true. The book is little because it is the seventh seal. The Bible scripted the seven seals, but this little book is not the seven seals, but the seventh. It is not the size of this Mighty Angel that rendered the book little.
When John was commanded to come up hither, he was permitted to see Christ breaking each seals up to the sixth. The first four seals deal with the four horses -the strategies upon which the devil attack and antagonize the word of God in the seven church ages. The fifth seal deals with the souls under the altar -the Jews that were killed for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
These souls crying were killed in the days of Hitler when the Jews were massacred because of their faith. They were given white robes which stands for salvation. At their seeking of vengeance, they were told to rest a little until their fellow brethren and servants who would be killed as they were would be fulfilled. These are the foolish virgins who, at their hearing of God’s word refused to be converted, despite their believing. They did not take the full light of God available to them to work out their salvation and make their election sure.
Friends, it’s not an easy road, and sacrifices demand that you feel its impact, however, if it is for your soul, it is worth doing, because the sufferings of this present times are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in the overcomers, but you must overcome, channel your diligence to that angle. Because, if in the time of grace, you are unable to overcome, how do you think you will when persecution like never before comes? Jesus Christ gave a parable of ten virgins; parts were wise, and others were foolish. Those in the foolish category are the ones who would be killed like these souls crying.
The word of God must have effect in your life, that is the demand of the word of God. No one is asking you not to go to school, or enjoy all that life presents to you, but in all you do, live Christ. Let the word of God be a lamb to your feet and a light to your path. If grace is presented to you, then you should make it to paradise through grace -otherwise, you are a foolish virgin. Pay the price now.
The overcomers of the ages would be clothed in fine linen, while the foolish who would pay with their blood because of their foolishness would be given a white robe -they sure will not be in the same position, it’s your choice to make.
The book of Revelation as said earlier is in symbols, thus, their fulfillment is not in accordance with the verses as they are arranged. Considering this, six seals were broken out of the seven, and when this Mighty Angel came up on scene with this little seal, it then shows that the seventh seal is broken.
At the sounding of the Mighty Angel, seven thunders uttered their voices. The seven thunders ministry is not for the dead saints, but those that would be alive. Also, what the seven thunders uttered wasn’t written in the Bible, it is the work of the Spirit in the life of the living bride that would bring about their transformation. Everything you need to know about your salvation and perfection would be preached from the Bible, except the seven thunders.
The sounding of this Mighty Angel would take place in the heavenly realm, and the effect of this Voice would produce seven thunders on earth that would bring transformation. We would then realize from here that Revelation 10 would fulfill first before Revelation 6 and 7.
God can only send the seven thunders to the living saints because the fivefold ministry has wrought the perfecting work of grace in the life of the saints. The unity of the saints would consummate at the seven thunders.
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,
Setting His right feet upon the sea and His left upon the earth tells us that He is the Lord of the earth -coming to claim His property. The earth is the Lord’s and all that dwell therein. This tells us more that this Mighty Angel is the Lord Jesus Christ.
We will continue from this in our next episode. Shalom in the name of Jesus Christ.