The Mighty Angel

vv. 1-4) The power of the angel

Who is the mighty angel, and what is his purpose?

Many have identified this angel as jesus because some of the imagery also applies to Him:

Revelation 1:15–16 NKJV

15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Yet angels are never clearly identified with Jesus in this book or in the NT, though He is clearly associated with the Angel of the Lord in the OT. A better identification is with the angel known as Michael.

Daniel 12:1 NKJV

1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.

Daniel 12:6–7 NKJV

6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

A rainbow was on his head: Not only is the rainbow a reminder of God’s promise to man, but it is also a natural result when the sun shines through a cloud.

What is the significance of the little book?

[2-3] This is a “little book” (a diminutive form of the word book), and is not the same one that only Jesus could open.

The contents of the little book are nowhere revealed in Revelation, but they seem to represent in this vision the written authority given to the angel to fulfill his mission.

Some interpreters are too eager to explain every symbol. Some have said that the right foot on the sea and his left foot on land represents:

Israel is the land and the sea is a reference to the Gentile nations. But I believe a better and more simplistic view is that the authority of the angel encompasses the whole earth.

This angel roars, like that of a lion. And this roar is different from the seven peals of thunder.

John is about to write when he is commanded by a voice from heaven forbidding him to record what the seven thunders said.

2 or 3 important observations:

the seven thunders are more than just the rumble of the distant crashing molecules. Each peal of thunder must have carried with it a discernible message such as those revealed with the opening of the seals and the sounding of the trumpets.

One legitimately inquire about the report of the seven thunders and what would demand the sealing of their messages in contradistinction to the revelation of the seals, trumpets, and bowls.

We must be content to leave the messages of the seven thunders with John who heard them, knowing that at the appropriate time their messages also will be clear. And John must accept the unusual experience of having heard and understood yet for the first time being forbidden to write what he knew.

vv. 5-7) The promise by the angel

What does the angels oath signify, and why is that important?

The angel gives a solemn oath declaring that the end is irrevocably set in motion. There was absolutely no turning back.

What is the mystery of God?

One important aspect of this mystery is that it has been declared to His servants the prophets.

A mystery isn’t something no one knows. A mystery is something no one could know unless it was revealed to him. If you could know it by intuition or personal investigation, it isn’t a mystery, because mysteries must be revealed. Because of that, something can be known and still be a mystery in the Biblical sense.

Now it’s hard to say what this precise mystery of God is, because the phrase—or its equivalent—is used for many different aspects of God’s plan.

The ultimate conversion of the Jewish people is called a mystery:

Romans 11:25 NKJV

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

God’s purpose for the church is called a mystery:

Ephesians 3:3–11 NKJV

3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

The bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles is called a mystery:

Romans 11:25 NKJV

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

The living presence of Jesus in a believer is called the mystery of God:

Colossians 1:27–2:3 NKJV

27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. 1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The gospel itself is called the mystery of Christ:

Colossians 4:3 NKJV

3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,

Here in context though, this mystery is probably referring to the unfolding of His resolution of all things, the finishing of His plan of the ages.

God freely acknowledges that life today is full of mysteries; but it will not always be so. A day will come when all the questions that can be answered will be answered.

vv. 8-11) The plan shown by the angel

What is the significance of John being commanded to eat the little book?

How does the message of the little scroll in verse 11 relate to the larger themes of the book of Revelation, in regards to judgement, salvation, and the ultimate victory of God over evil?