Revelation 10:1

PART THIRD.

THE ANGELOPHANIC APOCALYPSE, Revelation 10:1 to Revelation 22:7.

1. THE ANGELOPHANY. Descent of the World-Angel, Revelation 10:1-2.

1. And Of the three “woe trumpets,” the first two are given in the last chapter, and the third (being the seventh of the seven trumpets) now remains to be given. But as this is the great historic trumpet, it must be preceded by a grand prelude a presentation of a World-Angel on the scenes, announcing the wonderful contents of the trumpet, (chap. 10,) and a miniature set of symbols, shadowing in summary its events, Revelation 11:1-13. Then (Revelation 11:14-19) the trumpet sounds, and premonitions are given by heavenly voices of the glorious results to take place under that sounding. The seventh trumpet begins with the first overthrow of antichrist by Christ, Revelation 12:1, and continues through a series of such overthrows until the final judgment at Revelation 20:11. The entire contents of the seventh trumpet are, comprehensively, the world-wide contest between Christ and antichrist, in which the latter is successively overthrown. The symbols under which the opposing sides in the war are presented may be seen in the following

CONTRASTS OF THE WAR.

CHRISTIC. ANTICHRISTIC. 1. The man child, Christ, Revelation 12:5. The dragon, Satan, Revelation 12:3. 2. The Lamb, Revelation 5:6 The beast, Revelation 13:1. 3. The twenty-four elders, Revelation 4:4. The two-horned Lamb. 4. Jerusalem, the Church, the capital of Christ, Revelation 20:4. Babylon, Rome, the antichurch, the antichristic capital, Revelation 18:2. 5. Bride, the Lamb’s wife, Revelation 21:9. Antichrist’s harlot, Revelation 15:1 6. Souls of saints enthroned, Revelation 20:4. Souls of saints beneath altar, Revelation 6:4. 7. New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:1. Lake of fire, Revelation 20:15. These antithetic objects, carefully noted, serve to fix, reciprocally, each other’s meaning, and verify the truth of the exegesis. The hostile presentation of antichrist and his group are Revelation 12:13. The three overthrows of antichrist are Revelation 14:1 to Revelation 20:3.

Another mighty angel In addition to the strong or mighty (for the Greek word is the same in both passages) angel who heralded the second commission, Revelation 5:2. Though this angel suggests Gabriel, as that does Michael, yet it might be rather considered as a purely symbolical personality, representing the divine providence over the world ”God in history” overruling wrong and finally bringing out the triumph of right.

But there seem to be grave reasons for supposing this angel to be, not a symbol, but a personal representative, of the third Person in the adorable Trinity. In favour of this view we submit the following points:

1 . The three apocalypses are then dispensed by the three Personalities of the Trinity. We have thereby a Christophany and a virtual Pneumatophany, dominated by a central Theophany. 2. The description of the person of the angel exalts him to the representatively divine. The splendour of his appearance is described in terms far superior to those employed of any beings but the other two divine Personalities. He resembles the first in his sunlike face and his feet of burning brass. His tread upon earth and sea indicates his world-wide domain. His voice of seven thunders is counterpart to the “seven lamps” of Revelation 4:5, “which are the seven spirits.” 3. His office is that of the revealing Spirit. It is divine world-wide, world-enduring prediction. He is the commissioner of our New Testament seer, giving him the volume of the future to be amalgamated into his personal being, constituting him the prophet. He pronounces the sentence (Revelation 10:11) declaring John’s universal commission. Come down Literally, descending out from heaven. The heaven is the upper sky over-arching the plane of mystical vision, as the earth and sea are below it. See note on Revelation 4:11. His face was as the sun; his head is wreathed with a rainbow; his chest is clad with a cloud; and from beneath its skirts his legs and feet are seen to descend as pillars of fire. Thus the grandest phenomena of nature combine to represent his majesty.