Revelation's Little Book | series post #1

Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue Door (Photo credit: upyernoz)

Rev. 10:1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. <>>>> MCK notes:  Yochanan/John has just witnessed angel's blowing the trumpets of judgment upon the nations.  These angels, these messengers, parallel in a certain way Moshe and Aaron before Pharaoh.  Just as Moshe and Aaron announced the judgments that would come upon Egypt before they came, so these trumpeting angels are messengers announcing the judgments that come upon the nations before they occur.  However, to this point the hearts of the nations are seen to be as hard as the heart of Pharaoh.  Just like the Nazis of Germany, the hearts of the nations at the time of the judgments that Yochanan/John witnesses are full of hatred toward the God of Israel and will not repent.  When Yochanan sees "another angel", he has just heard this testimony:

Rev. 9:20The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk.  And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.*

By "another" angel, Yochanan/John indicates that he recognizes that the angel that he now sees is of a different order than those who have been trumpeting the announcement of the judgments.  In that this angel  is most likely the same who brought the revelation of the presence of Yehoshua HaMashiach himself in the first chapter, who is also the angel to whom Yehoshua entrusted the overall revelation to Yochanan and to all to whom it is given through Yochanan, as is given in Revelation chapter 22 verse 16, there is a great "hint" of the Holy Scripture that is being given here.  The secret reason of these judgments will be given here.  This same hint is given in the fact that this is an interlude in the series of judgments taking place.  In the narrative of the judgments upon Egypt there is also an interlude pattern woven into the narrative.  The heart of that interlude pattern comes just before the final judgment, the judgment upon the firstborn of Egypt. 


Here this interlude comes just before the seventh trumpeting angel sounds.  When that angel does trumpet its announcement it is the final warning of judgment.  After that there are no more warnings, only the seven vials or bowls which represent the wrath of G-d poured out in full measure.  These seven vials or bowls are seven aspects of the last judgment.  This last judgment upon the nations corresponds to the last judgment upon Egypt, that upon the firstborn.  In both cases there was no more warning.  Once the judgment had been announced it came irrevocably.  However, before it came there was an interlude when the narrative of judgment in Egypt came away from the outside world and became private, with Israel only.  So here too, through the little book, the the narrative concerning the judgments becomes private.  It becomes known only to those who will be redeemed.  We have already seen those as being represented in the figure of the 144,000 formed from the 12 tribes of Israel.  Just as the safety of the Passover Lamb was revealed at this point privately to Israel, as an interlude in the narrative of the judgments, in the record of the redemption from Egypt, so there is a safety for the 144,000 in this last judgment, who are sealed in their minds with the seal Mashiach, of the prophecy of G-d and of the Name of G-d, Revelation 3:12.


We will see therefore that the secret of the final redemption of Israel from out of the nations, which allows for the return of Yehoshua, will be revealed in this chapter.  For background, read, Psalms 118:26 and Matthew 23:39.

As the Angel of The Name was associated in the Exodus with the the cloud of the Shekinah, so here this angel is associated with the heavenly cloud.  The rainbow appears as an halo.  The promise of the covenant of G-d was first made with Noah.  With Noah it was a promise of a promise.  It was only a promise that G-d's judgment upon the world would be mitigated.  The salvation of Noah and his family with the animals in the ark was itself a measured judgment, a mitigation of judgment.  The rainbow would signify a covenant of G-d that the salvation of Noah would not be in vain.  In the final judgment at the end of days there would not wash away all life from the earth.  There would be something saved, something redeemed.  The judgment would be mitigated.  This was the significance of the rainbow.
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* These are six sins against the seven aspects of the universal commandment given to all nations to obey their Creator.  See, Seven Laws With Seven Thunders.  The seventh sin, the sin of failing to practice justice will soon also be indicated when it is shown that instead of taking the responsibility to practice justice, as required explicitly of  all families saved with Noah from the Flood, the nations agree together to submit openly and formally to the rule of Lucifer and an actor, who acts the role of the Messiah, as it is written:

John 5:43I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

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