Revelation Chapter 10

“I will begin to unfold the symbols in each verse of Revelation chapter 10 revealing why I believe that the mighty angel (aggelos ἄγγελος, messenger) in chapter 10 is Moses.”

The first thing one needs to understand is the word *angel in Greek is aggelos #G32 ἄγγελος

It means: A messenger, envoy, one who is sent, a messenger from God, and is used in numerous places throughout the New Testament without speaking of a celestial angelic being. There are celestial messengers and terrestrial messengers.

Rev 10:1 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:

~Clothed with a CLOUD:

Exo_19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick CLOUD, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And MOSES told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Exo_24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a CLOUD covered the mount.

Lev_16:2 And the LORD said unto MOSES, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the CLOUD upon the mercy seat.

1Co_10:2 And were all baptized unto MOSES in the CLOUD and in the sea;

~A RAINBOW was upon his head: (The Promise to Mankind/Sign of the Covenant)

Gen_9:13 I do set my BOW in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

Gen_9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the BOW shall be seen in the cloud:

Gen_9:16 And the BOW shall be in the CLOUD; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

~His FACE was as it were the SUN: (The Glory of God)

Exo 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his FACE SHONE while he talked with him.

Exo 34:30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his FACE SHOWN and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Mat 17:2-3 And was transfigured before them: and his face did SHINE as the SUN, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them MOSES and Elias talking with him.

~His FEET were as PILLARS of FIRE:

Exo_13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a PILLAR OF FIRE, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Exo_13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the PILLAR OF FIRE by night, from before the people.

Neh_9:12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a PILLAR OF FIRE to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

Rev 10:2 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,

~He had in his hand a little BOOK: (The Book of Moses, the book of the Law)

Deu_31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a *BOOK, until they were finished,

Jos_23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the *BOOK of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

Mar_12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the *BOOK of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Rev 10:3 And *cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

~He CRIED with a a loud voice: A LION is the symbol for God’s judgment.

Exo_17:4 And Moses CRIED unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

Num_12:13 And Moses CRIED unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

1Ki 13:26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the LION, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

Rev 10:4 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.

~Seven THUNDERS spoke:

Exo_9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent THUNDER and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

Exo_9:29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the THUNDER shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S.

Exo_9:33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the THUNDERS and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the *sea and upon the earth *lifted up his hand to heaven,

~Verses 5 & 6.. He lifted up his hand to heaven and swore, (Standing with one foot on the sea and the other on the earth/land) & lifted up his hand to heaven: (the parting of the Red Sea) “that there be time no longer”, meaning to hold back judgment.

Deu 32:40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

Deu 32:41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

Deu 32:42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.

Deu 32:43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. 

Deu 32:44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.

Deu 32:45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:

Deu 32:46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth *for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

Exo 14:21 And MOSES stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the SEA to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea DRY LAND, and the waters were divided.

Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to *his servants the PROPHETS.

~His servants the prophets: ( the bible almost always mentions Moses and the Prophets together)

Luk_16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have MOSES and the PROPHETS; let them hear them.

Luk_16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not MOSES and the PROPHETS, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Luk_24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of MOSES, and in the PROPHETS, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Act_26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the PROPHETS and MOSES did say should come:

Rev 22:8-9 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the ANGEL (messenger) which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the PROPHETS, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Rev 10:8-11 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little BOOK which is open in the hand of the *angel (messenger) which standeth upon the SEA and upon the EARTH/LAND. And I went unto the *angel (messenger), and said unto him, Give me the little BOOK. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little BOOK out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must PROPHESY AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

~John was being told he was going to have to “prophesy again” before MANY peoples, and nations and tongues and kings. He was going to have to eat God’s word and it would taste sweet on his tongue but fear of the judgment that it implied would turn his stomach bitter.

Then at the very beginning of Chapter 11 the first two verses are about John being given a measuring rod for the examining and weighing/judging of the temple of God (Naos in Greek and it refers to the Body of Christ)

Rev 11:1-2 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The Prophets are sent out! The Two Witnesses.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

~Notice in Chapter 10 The mighty messenger is CLOTHED in a CLOUD, in Chapter 12 the woman is CLOTHED with the SUN.

~ Then lastly I would like to draw attention to this verse in Rev 15:3.

Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of MOSES the servant of God, and the song of the LAMB, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

“I pray you study to show yourself approved of God, and not just take my word for it. God Bless you and happy studying!”

Footnote: None described as Angels in the book of Revelation are Jesus. The only character that is described as like “unto the Son of man” is Jesus. Rev 1:13 & Rev 14:14