(1) 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. (4) And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
This is a short but highly interesting Chapter. Between the sounding of the sixth and the seventh trumpet, Christ appears to John in vision, to prepare his mind for the relation of certain events, yet to be accomplished. And we may suppose both from Christ's coming, and coming as a mighty Angel or Messenger of his own dispensation, it is of the highest signification, I beg the Reader to look at what is here said with the utmost attention, and remark, with me, some few of the striking particularities, distinguished both in Christ's Person, and the purpose of his coming.
And, first. His Person. John describes him as a mighty Angel. Mighty indeed, for he is, as the Prophet, ages before his incarnation, spoke of him by the Spirit of inspiration; His name (said he) shall be called Wonderful, counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6. And who can question these things, when he hears this mighty Angel, as in the next Chapter, declaring that he will give power to his two witnesses to prophecy, Revelation 11:3. Who hath witnesses but God, Isaiah 43:10-12. What Angel ever talked of his witnesses? Yea, more than all, who giveth the power to prophecy, but God? Must not that man be hoodwinked indeed, that reads this scripture, and yet questions Christ's Godhead? The whole world, infidels as well as believers, are compelled to acknowledge that Christ is the speaker, when he saith, I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophecy. And who can give a spirit of prophecy to the prophets, but the Lord God of the prophets; or what shall their prophecies be witnesses of, but of Him, to whom all the prophets give witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins? Acts 10:43. Oh! wretched men, deniers of the Godhead of my Lord! Well will it be for you, if the Lord peradventure should give you repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that ye may be recovered out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will, 2 Timothy 2:25-26. Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in. him, Psalms 2:12
Secondly. This mighty Angel is said to come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. By which I apprehend, that as he came to publish very awful things, such as, that time should be no longer, and, as the next Chapter declares, the slaughter of his two witnesses; it was intended to show, how dark and cloudy, for a while, would be the dispensation now about to take place in the Church, at the close of the sixth trumpet, and before the opening of the seventh. Clouds and darkness are said to be round about him; while righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne, Psalms 92:2. Reader! ponder this well. Remember the sixth trumpet is still here operating, when Christ was thus seen. The witnesses are not slain. Perhaps the most awful times, which ever took place in the Church of God, since the foundation of the world will then be. And if so, what are those men dreaming of, who talk of evangelizing the whole earth, whom God hath not evangelized, and who run unsent, whether the Holy Ghost hath forbidden or not, as in the case of the Apostles, when he himself ordained them they were not suffered; to preach the word in Asia and Bithynia, Acts 16:6-7
Thirdly. Though Christ was clothed with a cloud, perhaps, as I before remarked, it meant to intimate awful dispensations were coming on, yet we find the rainbow was still upon his head. Sweet and precious token to all his dear people. The same bow, which at the destruction of the old world, God said he would set in the cloud, in token of his everlasting Covenant, is still there, and must be there forever. Jesus is the whole of it. And all clouds, and all afflictions, which drown Egypt in destruction, and everlasting darkness are to the Lord's Israel, messengers of sanctification and safety. Oh! how blessed is it, to behold our Jesus, God's rainbow, in every cloud. As God cannot look to the Church in any way, or in any direction without looking through the rainbow which encircles the whole throne, so neither to his people, will he look but in and through his dear Son. Reader! keep this all along in view. This mighty Angel, this precious Almighty God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ John saw, had a rainbow upon his head. So is he now. So will he everlastingly be. He comes as the bow of the Covenant; yea, be is the whole Covenant, And as God our Father always beholds the Church in, and through him, so do the Church behold God our Father, always and only in and through Him.
Fourthly. Beside these manifestations of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are told, that his face was as it were the Sun, while his feet were pillars of fire. Perhaps to intimate, that while the Church was about to be brought into fiery afflictions, and in which we know from history, numbers of Christ's dear members were burnt at the stake for their adherence to him, yet, the Lord's face would shine upon them, with a continued sunshine of love. He would lift up the light of his countenance upon them, and give them peace. Reader! do you know anything of the history of your own country? Remember, the reign of this sixth trumpet hath been many hundreds of years. Oh! what numbers of the blessed reformers, burnt for Christ's sake in the time of persecution in this land, went in chariots of fire to glory, who, from the light of Christ's countenance shining upon them, during the time of their martyrdom, declared, that the passage at the stake in the deepest suffering, became like a bed of roses to their spirits! And remember the reign of the sixth trumpet is not ended. Yea, the two witnesses which are to be slain before it be passed, have not yet been brought forth in the street of spiritual Sodom and Egypt for slaughter, Revelation 11:8. When they are, Jesus will be again seen by faith, by them, though clothed with a cloud, and his feet as pillars of fire; yet, with his glorious rainbow upon his head, and his face shining with ten thousand times greater glory, than the sun in love and grace, and with the sweetest countenance of complacency upon them. Oh! the preciousness of Jesus!
But the subject goes on. John saith that this mighty Angel had in his hand a little book open. In the former vision of the ministry of the book, which the same glorious Person, was then said to have taken out of the hand of him that sat upon the throne, the book was sealed. And he, and he alone, was found worthy to open it. That had been then opened, and the purport of it appears to have been now in a great part fulfilled, under the ministry of seals and trumpets, But now, before the final accomplishment of the trumpets, Jesus comes to his servant again. And now he tells him, and his Church through him, that when the sixth trumpet shall have run fully out, and the seventh trumpet comes to be sounded, there shall be time no longer: Christ's complete reign on earth shall begin, and the kingdoms of this world, shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever, Revelation 11:15
But though this will be the final consummation, and the mystery of God concerning his Church upon earth shall then be finished, yet, as great events are to take place, in the world, and in the Church, from that period in which Christ thus appeared to his servant John, before the whole is closed, the Lord brings in his hand an open book, and which John is to eat, that is, to receive the contents of it in his mind, and which are to be made known to the Church, by way of comforting the Lord's people, during the long periods yet to expire, before the accomplishment of the whole. So that here opens a new and distinct prophecy, concerning the great things of God: And though the subject is one and the same, of this whole Book of the Revelation, yet, from the opening of this Chapter, in which Christ appears to prepare his servant's mind for new prophecies on the subject, we may be on the lookout, for other plans of divine teaching, besides the ministry of seals and trumpets; and to learn from the pouring out of vials, God's further revelations to his Church. The new series of prophecies opens with the beginning of the twelfth Chapter. This, and the intermediate one, the eleventh, are designed as preparatory to it.
There is somewhat very sublime, in what is said of Christ setting his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth. Probably to intimate his sovereignty over all. For as he came from heaven, where all angels, principalities, and powers are subject unto him, so here; by those acts, he denotes, his Almighty power upon earth, as the Prophet hath described him, his dominion being an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation. He doeth, saith the Prophet, according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou? Daniel 4:34-35
And what Majesty is expressed, under the words of crying with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. He is called indeed, the lion of the tribe of Judah, to intimate the sovereignty in his Israel. And the answer of the seven thunders is very sublime also, as if making responses to their Creator. Some have considered those thunders as figurative of kingdoms, and some have supposed by them is meant, ministers of the Gospel, sometimes called Boanerges, or sons or thunder, I do not presume to determine upon it. One thing, however, is remarkable, that John, when those thunders answered Christ's voice, thought himself called upon to write, as if, while thunders echoed to the Lord, well might his servants. But, as all that was now doing, was only preparatory to what John would be taught, he was commanded to wait, until better informed what to write of, when the Lord Jesus came to teach him.