“Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, ‘There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.'” (Revelation 10:5-7 NIV).
These verses allow us to return to a discussion we began earlier in our look at Revelation chapter ten. There are several points of similarity between the angelic being depicted here in verse five and some of the descriptions of Jesus given to us earlier in the Book of Revelation. So who is the being mentioned here within this passage?
We find an important clue to his identity in verse six: “And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever…’” With this in mind, consider how Jesus introduced Himself to our author in Revelation chapter one: “I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever…” (Revelation 1:18 NCV). If Jesus is the One who is alive forever and ever, then he would have no need to swear by Him who lives forever and ever.
This tells us that this being is who he is said to be: a mighty angel. But this leaves one question unanswered: if this being is an angel, then why does he bear a striking resemblance to Jesus? One potential answer lies in the fact that we often tend to adopt the characteristics and mannerisms of our associates. This mighty angel may thus bear a resemblance to Jesus because he has spent time in Jesus’ presence.
The Old Testament book of Exodus offers a comparable example. For instance, Exodus 34:29-35 tells us that Moses’ face grew bright with a radiant glow whenever he returned from spending time in God’s presence. In a similar manner, the more time we spend in Jesus’ presence, the greater our potential to adopt His characteristic qualities as well.
Finally, the New Testament epistle of 1 John offers an encouraging truth in this regard: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).