Identifying Jesus in the Scriptures
Jesus has revealed himself in the scriptures and sometimes we still need to press in to see him. Recently, we reviewed the topic of the “bow”. Today I would like to review some insights regarding the bow in the book of Revelation. We read the “bow” in the Old Testament referred to a rainbow and has often been associated with God. He set a “bow” in the sky to remind us of the covenant he made with us, for instance.
* Bow Can Also Be A Rainbow *
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:2 KJV
As it was mentioned earlier the word “bow” is also used in the Book of Revelation as we just read. At first glance one might understand this to be a weapon instead of a distinctive description that correlates to the Lord.
The word “bow” in this instance may not be a weapon but a rainbow instead. The rider on the white horse is Jesus and he would not be carrying a bow to do battles but he would be wearing a crown and a rainbow over his head. He did conquer the world and the kingdom of darkness.
* The Mighty Angel *
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: Revelation 10:1 KJV
In this verse it states John saw another “mighty” angel descend from heaven and other characteristics that describe Jesus, including a rainbow upon his head. These other characteristics include his face as the sun, clothed with a cloud and feet as pillars of fire. We have read this before as a description of the Lord in the Old Testament when he led the Israelites through the desert.
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: Exodus 13:21 KJV
These descriptions in the scripture above were also mentioned by John in the very first chapter of Revelation and sprinkled in other chapters to describe Jesus as well.
Isn’t it interesting that God has always been referred to as “mighty”? I believe there is a link and reason why these scriptures use the word mighty.
The word “angel” in Greek also means a messenger of God, one sent, an angel, a pastor. We cannot rule out Jesus as the one who is described here because he can also be considered a messenger since he was sent by God.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJV
The word “mighty” in Hebrew is “ghib-bore.” This scripture in Isaiah was describing Jesus. Jesus is our mighty Lord. So why couldn’t he be described in a hidden message from a vision as the “mighty” angel, as a mighty messenger of God? We may have never thought of Jesus referred to as an angel but it fits this description. All the other descriptions in the previous two scriptures describe Jesus as well. We hope you can see how much these descriptions point to our Lord Jesus.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Psalm 24:8 KJV
To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. Psalm 68:33 KJV
This is food for thought! Pray and meditate about this and let the Holy Spirit give you insight. If your Spirit bears witness then let us not fight it. The mysteries of God are hidden for us not from us. He enjoys when we discover him in the Word. You can also find a deeper study of Revelation Chapter 6 here.
