JMA Missions Mid-Month July 2026
The Great Commission in the New Testament
The Mighty Book of Revelation, part 5
Welcome back to our ongoing series. This is #5 on the Great Commission in the book of Revelation.
A helpful key to understanding this book is to remember it is three types of literature at the same time, and that it was written to regular, normal people with an expectation that they could understand it as is.
It is a prophecy (ch1:3), and as such functions as a fore-teller and a forth-teller. It is an epistle, a letter to seven churches. It has the typical opening and greeting, and the closing benediction. Finally, it is written in apocalyptic style, which is symbolism, hyperbole, and over-the-top language. The revelation of the meaning might not be totally straightforward, but it is consistent, and a great number of the apocalyptic instances are actually references to Old Testament sources from which the meaning becomes pretty clear. For example, there are easily 20 references to Exodus in Revelation (the blood of the Lamb, the song of Moses, a burning mountain, plagues, etc.)
This month, we are in chapter 10, which I am calling the Great Commission of Revelation. I have five reasons why this chapter is the Great Commission, and this month is reason #1.
Reason #1. Because of the Identity of the Mighty Angel, v1-3
Revelation 10:1-3, 1"I saw still another 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. 2He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices."
Who is this mighty angel? Here are 5 things we can know from the descriptive language.
1. "Coming down from heaven" is not definitive on its own, because pretty much all angels do that! However, when we add, "clothed with a cloud", this becomes much more distinct.
This reminds me of Acts 1:9-11, 9"Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." And there are many other references to Jesus and a cloud.
2. "A rainbow was on his head" there are four references in the Bible to a rainbow. The og reference in Genesis 9; the throne scene in Revelation 4; here in ch10; and finally Ezekiel ch1.
Ezekiel 1:27-28, 27"Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. (You just wait! We're coming to this part!) 28Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking."
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3. "His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of brass", we saw this description of Jesus in ch1.
Revelation 1:14-16, 14"His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."
Now, the fire references in Ezekiel are bearing witness!
4. v3a, "And cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars."
Revelation 5:5, "But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." In the Book of Revelation, there is only One Lion!
5. v3b, "When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices."
This is a picture of a prophetic calling out, or what we referred to earlier as forth-telling. The lion-like roar of the 'angel' called forth the other voices of thunder. Amos 3:8, "A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" In this case, we are not allowed to know what the seven thunders said, but the prophetic unction continues to the end of the chapter, and takes us directly to the Great Commission, Revelation 10:11, "And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
Listen, y’all, we've just scratched the surface on this chapter! We'll spend the rest of the year unpacking this thing. Get out your highlighters and your notebooks, and get ready to apply the Book of Revelation to your life like never before!
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