Christ is the Mighty Angel of Revelation 10 and the Author of the Little Book
Eli of Kittim
Rev. 10 opens with a “mighty angel” who is robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. A close study of these images shows a strong affiliation with Christ. Let’s unpack these motifs one by one.
First, Rev. 10:1 introduces a “mighty angel” who is “clothed with a cloud.” There are many references to Christ being robed in a cloud in both the Old and New Testaments. For example, compare the following phrases: “I saw … a son of man, coming with the clouds” (Dan. 7:13); “they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds” (Mk 13:26); “I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man” (Rev. 14:14). So, it’s clear that the “clothed-with-a-cloud” theme is closely associated with Christ!
Second, with regard to the “mighty angel” in Rev. 10:1, we are told there’s “a rainbow on his head.” In Rev. 4:2-3, the rainbow is associated with God himself because the throne of God, on which he sat, had a rainbow encircling it. This typically symbolizes the covenant between God and the earth, as depicted in Gen. 9:13! The rainbow is also symbolically associated with Christ who is both God and mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 9:15).
Third, the description continues to hint that the mighty angel is Christ by saying that “his face was like the sun.” In the New Testament, Christ's face is explicitly described as being like the sun in two distinct contexts. In Matt. 17:2, the text states: "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” And in Rev. 1:16, John sees a vision of the glorified Christ. Describing the majestic figure, he notes: "His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
Fourth, Rev. 10:1 adds another image, namely, that “his feet were like pillars of fire.” Christ himself is revealed within scripture through the use of this same striking image. John the Seer in his visions beheld an apocalyptic semblance of Christ in which “his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace” (Rev. 1:15; 2:18). Then, in Rev. 1:17-18 this figure reveals himself as Christ, “the First and the Last,” who holds “the keys of death and Hades.” This is reminiscent of Ezek. 1:7, in which there’s a figure gleaming “like burnished bronze.” In Ezek. 1:28 this figure is later identified as the image of the glory of the Lord. Compare Col. 1:15, where we are told that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” Thus, the imagery of Revelation 10:1 strongly suggests that this figure is Christ!
Finally, the mention of a “mighty angel" should not throw us off, so that we are unable to figure out his identity. There are several places where Christ is alluded to as an angel. For example, 1 Thess. 4:16 mentions Christ the Lord descending "with the voice of an archangel.” Moreover, in Gal. 4:14, Paul mentions Christ Jesus as an Angel of God! This mirrors the Old Testament Angel of the Lord who speaks as God and performs divine acts, leading many scholars to identify this as pre-incarnate Christ (a Christophany). This is confirmed by some manuscripts of Jude 1:5 which explicitly state that “Jesus rescued His people out of the land of Egypt” (Ἰησοῦς λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας). Let’s not forget that “The angel of the Lord appeared to … [Moses] in a blazing fire” (Exod. 3:2-3). Note also the similar cloud/fire imagery of Rev. 10:1 with that of Exod. 13:21, in which the “Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day … and in a pillar of fire by night.” In addition, Dan. 7:9 reminds us that God’s “throne was ablaze with flames.” Hence, all these clues strongly suggest that the "mighty angel" in Rev. 10 shares descriptions similar to Christ (such as the rainbow around his head, robed in a cloud, face like the sun, feet like pillars of fire), reminiscent of the Old Testament "Angel of the Lord" (pre-incarnate Jesus). These descriptions therefore emphasize divine glory (like the Son of Man in Rev. 1:14-16), while depicting Christ's divine identity.
In fact, Rev. 10:3 reveals that this is a giant and mighty angel who stands over land and sea (Rev. 10:2, 5) and who “gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.” This, too, is reminiscent of Christ and echoes 1 Thess. 4:16 in which we are told that “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel.” And "the roar of a lion" in Rev. 10:3 evokes the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah" in Rev. 5:5 who “judges and wages war” (Rev. 19:11) and who tramples the winepress of God (Rev. 14:19; cf. Isa. 63:3). This literary connection is showing yet another parallel between the mighty angel and Christ!
The mighty angel of Rev. 10 also makes an oath which, once again, suggests that he is Christ because only God makes oaths; angels do not swear oaths. In Rev. 10:5-7, this mighty angel raises his hand to heaven and swears by God that “there will be no more time.” The Greek text says “χρόνος οὐκέτι ἔσται,” meaning “time will be no more” or “time will no longer exist”, marking the transition from earthly time to eternity.
But the key theme of this pericope is that this “mighty angel” “was holding a little book, which lay open in his hand” (Rev. 10:2). A similar scene is found in Ezek. chs. 2 & 3 where the prophet eats a scroll written with "lamentations, mourning, and woe," finding it sweet as honey in his mouth but bitter in his stomach, mirroring John's experience in Revelation 10. According to Rev. 10:11, the Little Book is a book of prophecy! So, if the mighty angel in Rev. 10 is Christ, then Christ would be the author of the little book, as revealed to John. In fact, the image of Christ holding a book in Rev. 10:2 directly parallels the scene in which Christ is worthy to hold a book in Rev. 5:7 in order to reveal God's plans. So, in essence, Christ appears to be the author of the Little Book of Revelation, which represents a key prophecy for the end times!