1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
John sees an angel come down from heaven to stand on the earth. John has seen everything that has happened from his vantage point in heaven, now he is on the earth. John begins to describe this angel. The angel is robed in a cloud, which may mean robed in God's presence
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking
Ezekial 1:28
The angel has a rainbow around his head, which is similar to the rainbow that is around the heavenly throne.
3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne
Revelation 4:3
His face was like the sun, as John had described the face of Christ.
6 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
Revelation 1:16
His legs were like fiery pillars. This may be compared to the fiery pillar that led the Israelites out of Egypt, or this may be another description of Christ that John had given when he first saw him.
21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
Exodus 13:21
15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters
Revelation 1:15
The angel had his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. This not only indicates the size of the angel, but that he was in control of both the land and the sea.
In the angels hand is a little scroll.
Though the description of the angel is similar to John's description of Christ, we may think that this angel is Jesus. Since John does not bow down and worship the angel, we can infer that the angel is not Christ, but perhaps Gabriel.
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
Daniel 12:7
The angel shouts like the roar of a lion, the seven thunders reply. Possibly they give a detailed description of the judgements to come. John is told not to write it down. It could be that what John heard was so horrific that if we knew about it, we would have no hope.
The angel raises his hands to heaven and swears by God that there will be no more delay in God's judgment. The seventh trumpet is about to be sounded, and God's judgment will come to fruition.
John is told to take the scroll from the angel. The angel tells John to eat it, but it will be sweet in his mouth, but turn his stomach sour. Possibly what was written on the scroll was something both pleasant and unpleasant. The scroll is God's word, which would be pleasant to John, but the judgment revealed for the peoples would turn his stomach.
John is told that he must once again prophesy to the peoples, nations, languages and kings.
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