Revelation 10:5-6; Sware to Him that Liveth Forever and Ever

Revelation 10:5-6 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 

The author resumes his identification of the angel. He leaves the impression that the angel who descended from heaven must be distinguished from Jesus. By mentioning again the angel’s stance on the sea and on the land, John wishes to stress the power and authority of this particular servant of God.

Raising one’s right hand at the taking of an oath is customary today in courts of law and at inaugurations. It indicates appealing to God as the highest power in heaven and on earth; often the appeal is concluded with the phrase, “So help me God.”

Scripture provides references to people and God lifting their hands to heaven as they swear an oath.

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 312). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

This statement is proof that the angel is not Christ, it is said that the angel “aware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created the heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.”

The angel will swear in the Name of the Creator God, our Lord Jesus Himself. Our Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven before His eventual return to earth.

There is a link between the preceding verse (v. 5) and this one in the three-fold division of the created world. Verse 5 gives the sequence sea, land, and heaven; here the order is reversed: heaven, earth, and sea.

The angel swears by the one who lives forever and ever. When he swears by the living God, he testifies that the spoken words are absolutely sure and reliable. Further, whereas a law can be changed or repealed, an unconditional oath cannot be altered but remains in effect. As the angel swears by God who lives forever and ever, he calls on his eternity by applying it to the oath. The phrase forever and ever occurs more often in Revelation (1:6, 18; 4:9, 10; 15:7) than in any other New Testament book.

Next, the angel swore because God is the creator of the world and watches over everything that heaven, earth, and sea contain. That is, he appeals to God’s providential care over all his creatures (Exod. 20:11; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 146:6; Acts 4:24) and relates the entire world with all its fullness to the oath which he swears.

The oath reveals a time limit, for the angel says, “There will no longer be a delay.” A literal translation is, “Time will be no more,” which means that a period of waiting is past, so that without any further delays God’s judgments will begin to take place.

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 312–313). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.