“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars.
When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them” (Revelation 10:1-4).
The preceding chapters of the Book of Revelation detailed the trumpet calls of five angelic beings. Each of the first four trumpets heralded a different natural disaster, while the fifth unleashed a terrifying swarm of demonic creatures. The sixth trumpet sounded in Revelation 9:13, followed by the release of four murderous angels with an armed force of 200 million members that decimated one-third of humanity.
While we might ordinarily expect to see the seventh and final trumpet sound here in Revelation chapter ten, that will not take place until we reach Revelation 11:15. In the interim, the Book of Revelation presents us with a brief interlude that extends from the opening verse of this chapter through the first half of the following chapter. This portion of Scripture opens with a reference to “…another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars” (NIV).
So what observations can we make regarding this angelic being? Well, our text from Revelation 10:1-4 offers several characteristics…
- He is a being of great strength.
- He is robed in a cloud.
- There is a rainbow above his head.
- His face was like the sun.
- His legs were like fiery pillars.
These characteristics seem to bear a resemblance to Jesus as we see Him in the book of Revelation. Consider the following parallels…
- Jesus is identified as “the first and last” in Revelation 1:17, a testament to His superior strength.
- Revelation 1:7 says that “He is coming with clouds.”
- We encountered a rainbow above the throne of God in Revelation 4:3.
- Revelation 1:16 says that “His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.“
- His feet were like “bronze glowing in a furnace…” according to Revelation 1:15.
We’ll revisit these items with an eye towards a personal application later in our study of this chapter.