Mighty Angels of the Apocalypse
The Wrath of the Lamb Part 10 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Please turn in your Bible to Revelation 10 as we look at Mighty Angels of the Apocalypse.
Before we delve into the sermon, I would like to let the YouTube viewers know that for the next two weeks, Sundays, November 17 & 24, we will be having Missionary speakers here at the church. So, there will not be new sermons uploaded for those weeks. I will be back in the pulpit, Lord willing, on December 1st.
Over the past few weeks of our study in Revelation we have looked at the first six trumpet judgments. We noted last time that during the seven seal judgments and the first six trumpet judgments nearly one half of the world’s population will perish due to the outpouring of God’s wrath. And that doesn’t even include the throngs of tribulation saints who will perish due to the persecution inflicted on the followers of Christ by the Antichrist and his evil followers. It will be a horrendous time for the inhabitants of the earth.
If you will recall, between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals there was a two-part interlude which pictured the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, and the worship of the throngs of martyrs who died during the tribulation for the sake of the word of God. Now, between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets there is another two-part interlude. The first part we will look at today, and the next we will look at in a few weeks.
Our scene for today is about a mighty angel who John sees in a new vision. But as you can see, this sermon refers to angels in plural. That is because this is not the only mention of a mighty or strong angel in the Apocalypse. We first ran into a strong angel in
I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
Our text for today refers to a second strong or mighty angel. And there is one more reference to such a being in
Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
We do not know much about this order of angels, apart from today’s passage, except that they are strong and apparently stand in the presence of God, and before His throne.
As we go through our text we will look at the angel’s might, glory, origins, declaration, and directive.
Let’s begin by reading our passage together.
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;
and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.
When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.”
Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven,
and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer,
but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.
Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.”
So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”
I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
Let’s begin by looking at
Angelic Might
Angelic Might
As we consider angelic might, we might be tempted to ask how much might or power does an angel have? Note that,
Angels Have Enough Power to Perform the Tasks which God Assigns for Them to Accomplish
Look at the first phrase of verse 1.
Revelation 10:1 (NASB 95)
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven,
The phrase I saw indicates that this is a new vision. The phrase coming down out of heaven indicates that this is a new location for the vision. The previous visions had taken place in heaven. But this one takes place on the earth.
Warren Wiersbe noted that, “All angels excel in strength (Ps. 103:20),
Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
but apparently some have greater power and authority than others.” (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 597.)
Angels not only have massive raw strength, but they also have power in the sense of authority. The angel Gabriel had the authority to cause Zacharias to go mute for a period of nine or more months. He did so because the priest scoffed at the message Gabriel delivered about Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth having a child in their old age.
Never forget that Satan and his demonic forces were once righteous angels. And the destructive power which they have has been attested to throughout the Scriptures.
Though we, as human beings, do not have supernatural powers we do have one residing within us who does. John wrote that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. And Paul tells us that His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.
How much power do we, as believers’ in Jesus Christ, have? Enough. We have enough power to fulfill the tasks which God assigns to us. Why do we have this power? Because we received power when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. And the power we received is specifically for being ambassadors for Christ, sharing the message of reconciliation with the world around us.
Let’s move on to consider
Angelic Glory
Angelic Glory
Notice the description of this angel found in the remainder of verse 1.
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
I get the idea that this angel was gigantic — larger than any giant who ever walked the earth. Perhaps the reason why John said he was clothed with a cloud is that he was so tall that a cloud covered his torso. But that is not necessarily the case.
Note that,
The Angel Being Clothed in Clouds Indicates that He is Associated with Judgment
Thomas wrote, “Clouds are often the vehicles on which heavenly beings ascend or descend, usually in an eschatological setting (Ps. 104:3; Dan. 7:13; Isa. 19:1; Acts 1:9; Rev. 1:7), but here they are the angel’s clothing (Mounce). The cloud does more than reinforce the angel’s dignity, however. It shows his mission to be related to judgment. Of the twenty other occurrences of νεφέλη (nephelē, “cloud”) in the NT, nine come in connection with scenes of judgment (cf. Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev. 1:7; 14:14, 15, 16). This context falls into that category because of the angel’s function in relation to the trumpet judgments past and future (Walvoord).” (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 61.)
Not only does this angel have an unusual wardrobe, he also has an unusual hat! Look at verse 1 again.
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;
We often picture angels with a halo over their heads, which indicates the glory they shine due to their being in the presence of God. This angel, rather than having a halo of bright light, had a halo of a rainbow. In chapter four the was a description of a rainbow being over the throne of God. Thus, this unusual hat which the angel was wearing reflected the glory of God. But that is not all. Thomas wrote, “But the rainbow denotes more than just heavenly glory ... It betokens mercy in the midst of judgment as it did in Noah’s day, the same significance as it had in the initial vision of the throne room (Alford).” (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 61.)
MacArthur noted that “Perhaps God included this detail to remind John, that even in judgment, He will always remember His Noahic Covenant and protect His own.” (MacArthur Study Bible, pg. 1738).
There is more to the description of this angel. Look again at Revelation 10:1 “I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;”
Do you remember from the book of Exodus that after Moses was on the mountain, alone with God, for 40 days, his face shone with the glory of God. It was so bright that is scared the people. So, he had to wear a veil over his face whenever he was out in public. This is the same type of brilliance with which the face of the angel shone. If Moses’ face was scary bright after just 40 days which God, imagine what this angel’s face must have been like.
There is still more to the description of this angel. Look again at verse 1. Revelation 10:1 “I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;”
Do you recall how during the Exodus from Egypt God led the children of Israel with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? This angels fiery feet remind me of God’s leading His people.
That being said, more than likely the feet being like pillars of fire indicate this angels firm resolve with which he will execute the day of the Lord.
Look at verse 2.
and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;
In chapter 5 God had a book which was sealed shut with seven seals. This angel is holding small book which was wide open in his left hand. Some identify this book as being the same book. But most consider it to be a different book since it is referred to as a little book. We will return to this book a little later on.
Notice where this gigantic angel appeared. He had one foot standing on the sea (not in the sea), and the other standing on the land. MacArthur wrote, “That the angel put one foot on the sea and the other on the land shows his massive size from the perspective of John’s vision. Since no limitation is given in describing the sea and land, this action of the angel demonstrates God’s sovereign authority to judge the entire earth, which He will soon take back from the usurper, Satan.” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 282.)
Finally, look at verse 3.
and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.
You and I have probably never experienced this, but in the heart of Africa, when a lion roars its mighty voice near a village, the inhabitants of the village shake in fear. And that may be the intention here. The text doesn’t indicate whether the inhabitants of the earth will hear this mighty voice, or if it was just John hearing it in his vision. But if the peoples of the earth hear this voice, I wonder how they will react?
This summer, while Gail and Luke were visiting Tim in California, I heard a loud noise outside. I went racing out of the house wondering if there had been an explosion of some kind. Our neighbor from across the street did the same thing. We couldn’t figure out what had happened, so I went to the Britton page on Facebook and asked a question. It turns out that the air force was conducting an exercise and one of the fighter jets created a sonic boom as it accelerated past Mack 1 (which is the speed of sound).
I wonder if the voice of this angel will have a similar affect on earth when he roars? Something happens when this angel roars his voice. Look again at Revelation 10:3 “and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.”
At least one commentator consider the seven peals of thunder to be a distinct group of judgments just as the seven seals, seven trumpets, and the seven bowl judgments are. But the truth is that we just do not know what these thunders are. There is not enough information provided for us about them. Why is that? Look at verse 4.
When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.”
First, notice that John was able to understand what was being said by the seven peals of thunder. Just as some who heard God thunder from heaven at the baptism of Christ were able to understand what He said — “This is My Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”
Notice second, that John was trying to be obedient to what Christ had instructed him in chapter 1. He was instructed to write down the things which he saw and heard, and he was about to write down the message of the seven thunders. But something happened. God intervened. Look at the last have of Revelation 10:4 “When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.””
When you hear a voice speaking from heaven you had better obey that voice. Understand that in this present day and age we do not hear the voice from heaven speaking to us by means of direct revelation. Direct revelation from God came to a conclusion as John wrote the closing words to this book. At this present time we do not need any new direct revelation from God because He has given us everything we need for life and godliness in the sixty-six books of the Bible. But John was a recipient of divine revelation — he was the last recipient of it. We will look at that more closely when we look at the last passage of this book.
This is not the first time in which a prophet was prohibited to write certain aspects of his vision. The same thing happened with Daniel. There are some things which we are not to know. And we need to be okay with that. If it is not written in the Word of God then we do not need to know it, as it relates to the workings of God.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
So far we have considered this angels might, and glory. Let’s turn now to his
Angelic Origins
Angelic Origins
Origins may be a misleading term for what I am trying to communicate here. Like human beings, angels are created beings. We do not really know when they were created. It seems most likely that they were created long before the heavens and the earth because Scripture mentions them singing at the time that God created the heavens and the earth.
There is much debate as to the identity of this angelic being. Some see that as being a reference to Christ, since He is described in Revelation as having many of these same features. But I think the arguments against this being Christ are stronger than they are for it being Him.
First, while the pre-incarnate Christ was sometimes referred to as the Angel of the LORD in the OT, in NT testament there is never a reference to Him being an angel.
Second, the term in verse 1 translated another means another of the same kind. Jesus is not of the same kind as angelic beings. He is of the same kind as God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
So, which same kind would this refer to? Some say he is of the same kind as the angels who sound the seven trumpets. More likely, however, he is of the same kind as the angel in chapter 5 who is also called a strong angel.
This angel could be an arch angel, like Michael. As a matter of fact, this angel could be Michael. But if it is Michael, then it is odd that John did not mention his name, since he does mention it in chapter 12.
Note that,
This Angel is Most Likely from the Highest Order of Angelic Beings
Let’s move on to consider the
Angelic Declaration
Angelic Declaration
Look at verses 5-6.
Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven,
and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer,
These verses begin with the second of three mentions of the angel standing with one foot on the sea and the other on the land. Since this is mentioned three times we must conclude that this is an important detail.
Have you ever had to take an oath in court. When you do you place your left hand on a Bible and you raise your right hand and swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. That is very similar to this angels posture. In his left hand he is holding a book, and then he raised his right hand and swears an oath.
What is the truth that he swears to tell? Look at the end of verse 6 and then verse 7.
Revelation 10:6–7 (NASB 95)
that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.
The end of verse 6 gives the answer to the question of the martyrs as to how long it will be until God takes vengeance on those who killed them. There will no longer be any delay.
Amir Tsarfati wrote, “For anyone on the earth who doubted that this was God’s work, that suspicion could now be put to rest. What was taking place in all the nations with the death and destruction was exactly what God had promised would happen to those who turned their backs on Him in rebellion. The angel took a solemn oath on both the Creator and on all things created that this was true. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, it will lead to the ‘mystery of God’ coming to its conclusion.” (Amir Tsarfati, Revealing Revelation, pg. 129).
I would like to spend a few moments focusing on the last part of verse 7 which states, as he preached to His servants the prophets.
The revealing of God to mankind, and the revealing of His plan are said to be progressive revelation. In other words the picture may be fuzzy when it is first revealed by God, but it gets clearer as God reveals more and more.
The revelation of redemption began in the Garden of Eden when God rebuked the serpent who had deceived Eve. We see there that
God Promised a Redeemer
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Next we see that
God Promised a Scepter
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Then we learn that
God Promised a King and a Location
He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
Then we learn that
God Promised a Royal Lineage
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Then we learn
The Destination of the King’s Arrival
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
This, by the way, is the same place from where He left – the Mount of Olives.
God preached this message through His servants the prophets. And it is recorded for us to read and learn from.
Let’s now look briefly at the
Angelic Directive
Angelic Directive
Have you ever had a dream in which you are observing a movie or show and then suddenly you get pulled into the movie and become the main character? That seems to be similar to what happened to John in this chapter. At first he was just an observer who was to write the things he saw and heard. Then he was prohibited from writing some of the things he heard. And now he becomes one of the leading character in this drama as he is given a command from God and then another command from this mighty angel. And these commands are related to the Word of God.
Note that,
Feeding on God’s Word Brings Both Great Joy and Great Concern
Look at verse 8.
Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.”
This is the second time in this passage that the voice from heaven gave John a command. This command actually caused John to insert himself as a character of this drama. He was to take the book which lay open in the hand of the angel. Can you imagine the fear John must have felt in approaching this majestic being?
Look at verse 9.
So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”
When I read this what sticks out to me is that John actually gave this angel a command. He told the angel to give him the book. Probably the better sense of the passage is that John went and spoke with the angel about giving him the book. Not so much a command as a request.
Of course, the angel was well aware that John would play a role in this drama. The angel was even prepared with a directive for John concerning this little book. This mighty angel instructed John to make a meal out of this book.
How would you like to be told to eat a book? Of course this book wasn’t a hard covered book. It wasn’t even a soft cover book. It was a scroll. Much easier to eat! John was not the first prophet told to eat a scroll. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel had to eat one as well.
Thomas wrote, “Κατάφαγε (Katesthio, “Eat”) is a Hebrew idiom for receiving knowledge, similar to the English use of “digest” for considering and meditating on what has been learned (Bullinger).” (Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 73.)
Believers should be feeding on and digesting the Word of God on a regular basis. And certainly teachers and preachers must feast on it before serving it to their congregations to feed on.
Have you ever eaten something which tasted good in your mouth, but it made your stomach sour? I used to make this really good spicy hot chili. It was very flavorful and I enjoyed eating it. The thing is that at point in time I was the only one in the house who would eat it. And eventually my stomach would react in an unfavorable way to this flavorful food. So, I stopped making it.
For John, eating this scroll was a tasty treat. But just as the angel warned, it turned his stomach sour. Why is that? For the believer, the Word of God which we feast on brings great joy to us. We’ve read the last page, we know that God wins! But it also brings a great deal of disturbance when we read what is going to happen to those who have to life through the horrors of the tribulation. For the wicked earth dwellers, it will bring judgment. For the tribulation saints, though they will be looking for the same blessed hope, and glorious appearing as we look for, still what is written on this scroll will bring persecution.
If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, I pray that God would draw you to Christ so that you will not have to go through the horrors of the tribulation, or the horrors of hell.
I beg you to acknowledge that there is a God to whom you are accountable — the God of the Bible. I beg you to acknowledge that your sins have caused an offense to God. I beg you to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God who took on flesh so that He could die as the substitute for those who embrace His person, work, death, and resurrection. I beg you to embrace Him today.
Believers, we have been given a task by God. We are to make disciples, and train them in the way of the Lord. This is not just the responsibility of the Pastor of the church. It is every believer’s responsibility. I beg you to do your part to fulfill this task.
Let’s pray.
Holy Father,
We come before acknowledging our constant need of You. We need You to save those who are lost. We need You to sustain those who are found. We need You to lead us into green pastures, and beside still waters. We need You to be with us as we journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We need You to embolden us to be strong and courageous.
In Jesus name. Amen.
Closing Song: #718
Closing Song: #718
Verses 1-3.
Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here. Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto each day what He deems best, lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.
Help me then in every tribulation so to trust Your promises, O Lord, that I lose not faith’s sweet consolation offered me within Your holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e’er to take, as from a Father’s hand, one by one, the days, the moments fleeting, till I reach the Promised Land.
