The Rainbow Angel.
“And I saw another mighty angel descending from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and the rainbow was over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book opened: and he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land. And shouted with a loud voice, as a lion roareth: and when he shouted, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up those things, which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land, raised his hand to heaven, and swore by him who liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things in it, and the earth, and the things in it, and the sea, and the things in it, that the time should not yet be; but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he will sound, the secret of God will be finished, as he hath announced to his servants the prophets. And the voice, which I heard from heaven, spoke with me again, and said, Go, take the little book, which is opened in the hand of the angel, who standeth on the sea and on the land. And I went away to the angel, and said to him, Give me the little book. And he said to me, Take, and eat it up; and it will make thy stomach bitter, but in thy mouth, it will be sweet as honey. And I took the little book from the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it my stomach was bitter. And he said to me, Thou must prophesy again concerning many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”—Rev. 10:1-11.
This angel, like those in corresponding passages, must symbolize a body of men, whose importance is indicated by the might and splendor of the symbol.
His descent from heaven, the cloud, the rainbow, the sun-like face, and the fire-like feet of the Mighty Messenger, attest the heaven-inspired [pg 109] origin of his utterances. His “eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace,” would not be given to one who came to announce other than heaven-inspired truths.
The open book in the hand of the angel, fixes the chronology of the fulfilment of this vision at an epoch when the Scriptures cease to be a closed and sealed book, and the people are permitted to have free access to them.
His position—one foot resting on the sea, and one on the land—attests the universality of the movement which is to date from that epoch.
His lion voice, must symbolize the manner in which would be announced the great truths, at which the whole world would be startled.
The singleness of his cry, is also symbolic of the simplicity of the truth, which is never symbolized by discordant multitudinous sounds.
The responsive thunders, unlike the single voice of the angel, are multitudinous and discordant; and consequently symbolize errors. Their following so immediately on the shout of the angel, shows the proximity of their promulgation to the utterance of the truths to which they are responsive.
John's readiness to write what the seven thunders uttered, shows that what they uttered was professedly in harmony with the truths previously announced, and that men [pg 110] would be liable to be deceived, by their promulgation.