In Revelation 10, John sees a “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,” (Revelation 10:1-4).
The first question many of us may have after reading this is what is the identity of this angel? Some have interpreted (and I believe misinterpreted) this angel to be Jesus Christ himself based on the description of the angel’s physical appearance. When we read the first verse of the chapter we’re immediately told this is “another mighty angel”, meaning it’s of the same type as other mighty angels.
John Walvoord notes the use of this language to refer to another of the same type of angel. “In the opening verses of chapter 10 a personage is introduced, described as ‘another mighty angel.’ The word another (Gr., allon) ordinarily means ‘another of the same kind,’ that is, an angel similar to other angels which have been previously introduced…The angel of 10:1 is declared to be “another mighty angel” and apparently refers to “the strong angel” of 5:2 who is clearly an angel and not Christ the Lamb, (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 114).
Dr. Constable in his commentary makes the same case, “A few commentators have identified this ‘strong angel’ as Jesus Christ.[596] But the evidence for his being simply ‘another’ (Gr. allon, another of the same kind) strong angel seems more convincing (cf. vv. 5-6)”.
The Identity of the “Mighty Angel” – Is it Jesus?
Often times Daniel 10 is also referenced to bolster this interpretation. Based on the angel’s physical description in Daniel 10, some link this to the appearance of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 and the mighty angel in Revelation 10 as one and the same entity. Although Daniel says the angel is “one having the likeness of the sons of men” I do not believe this to be an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Let’s first take a look at the physical appearances between Christ in Revelation 1 and the angel in Daniel 10.
| Daniel | Revelation |
|---|---|
| Waist was girded with gold of Uphaz (Daniel 10:5) | Girded about the chest with a golden band (Revelation 1:13) |
| Eyes like torches of fire (Daniel 10:6) | Eyes like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14) |
| Arms and feet like burnished bronze (Daniel 10:6) | His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace (Revelation 1:15) |
| His words like the voice of a multitude (Daniel 10:6) | His voice as the sound of many waters (Revelation 1:15) |
On first read, the descriptions seem to point us to the same being – Jesus. However when we continue reading we soon find reasons to doubt the interpretation that the angel that appeared to Daniel is the pre-incarnate Christ. In Daniel 10:11-12, this “man” tells Daniel the reason for his appearance, “Then he said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words'”, (Daniel 10:11-12).
He was sent to Daniel as an answer to Daniel’s prayers but we get a bit more crucial information, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come,” (Daniel 10:13-14).
This is a “small” but yet significant fact that I believe is overlooked or simply missed. The problem here is that the angel tells Daniel it took him 21 days to get to him because he had to fight off “the Prince of Persia” who “withstood” him. It was such a problem for this angel that Michael had to come to his aid in order to eventually get to Daniel.
Then in verses 20-21 he tells Daniel he will have to fight the Prince of Persia again as well as the Prince of Greece to get out. “Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince),’” (Daniel 10:20-21).
Now that we’ve gone through these verses I believe the issues that arise when we believe this to be the pre-incarnate Christ is well evident. We know that Jesus is God in the flesh.
In the Old Testament Jesus did make pre-incarnate appearances often referred to as the “Angel of the Lord”, but what we need to understand is that Jesus has always been and will always be God – the 2nd person of the trinity. Walvoord delves further into the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ in the Old Testament but argues against the interpretation of the mighty angel being Christ.
In the Old Testament, Christ appeared frequently as the Angel of Jehovah, the first instance being in Genesis 16:7, where the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar. In the book of Revelation itself, Christ is presented in several symbols, the most frequent of which is the Lamb slain as in chapters 4 through 6. William Kelly identifies the angel as the Lord Jesus Christ in that he is ‘clothed with a cloud’ which Kelly holds is ‘the well-known badge of Jehovah’s presence.’ Though this is a plausible interpretation, the evidence seems to support the idea that here is a holy angel to whom has been given great power and authority. J. B. Smith believes it is an error to understand the angel here to be Christ, (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 114).
We know that God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (everywhere at once), and omniscient (all knowing). The angel that appears before Daniel clearly voices his limitations in these aspects. He needed to travel to get to Daniel, something that God would not need to do as he’s everywhere at once.
He needed to fight off the “Prince of Persia” and eventually needed Michael’s assistance to continue to Daniel, something God would not need to do as he’s all powerful.
Due to these reasons, the angel Daniel talked to in Daniel 10 is not Jesus but instead an angel. Therefore Daniel 10 and Revelation 1 are not speaking of the same person. Revelation 1 is truly about Christ but Daniel 10 is about an angel. If this is the case, that also means a connection with Daniel 10 can’t be made to make the case that the mighty angel is Christ.
Characteristics of the Mighty Angel
In verse 1 we’re told of the physical characteristics of this angel – that it’s clothed with a cloud, has a rainbow on its head, its face is like the sun, and it’s legs are like that of a pillar of fire (Revelation 10:1). We see again an example of the difficulty of interpreting supernatural realities based on our natural paradigm.
Constable interprets these physical characteristics this way, “John saw him descending from (‘out of’) “heaven” as a messenger of God (cf. 20:1), and robed in (“clothed with”) “a cloud”—signifying his celestial origin and connection with judgment (cf. 1:7; 14:14, 15, 16; Matt. 24:30; 26:24; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27). His crown was a “rainbow,” the symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy (cf. 4:3). His countenance was radiant (“face was like the sun”), reflecting the glory and majesty of God. His “feet” (and legs) were fiery “pillars,” reminiscent of the pillar of fire in the wilderness, a manifestation of God’s holiness, mercy, and judgment”.
In verses 2 we’re told this angel has a little book already opened and that he stands on both the land and the sea. Some see this action as symbolism for the authority the angel has over the earth. Walvoord elaborates on this idea stating, “John sees him in a most dramatic pose, with his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth, implying a position of power and authority over the entire earth”, (The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 114).
Likewise Constable reiterates the same view, “The angel stood astride “the earth (land)” and “the sea,” symbolizing his authority over the whole world (vv. 5, 8; 7:2; cf. Exod. 20:4, 11; Deut. 11:24; Ps. 68:22; 69:34). The implication is that his message involves the whole world”.
In Part 2 of this study on Revelation 10, I’ll take a look at the little book held by the mighty angel and what we’re to make of the scene described to us in verses 8-11. As strange as this is on the first read, the language and actions being described to us here aren’t as foreign to the bible or the believer’s life as we may think.
If you enjoyed this study, you can find similar studies on the book of Revelation here including the 7 Churches of Revelation, the 24 Elders, the 4 living creatures, 4 Horseman, etc.