John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. And I saw another angel , etc.] This is to be understood not of one of the ministering spirits so called; for though wings are sometimes ascribed to angels, and Gabriel is said to fly swiftly; and though they desire to look into the mysteries of the everlasting Gospel, yet the preaching of that is not committed to any of them; but a minister of the Gospel is intended, who is the angel of the church, for in this book pastors of churches are so called, ( Revelation 1:20); and not a single minister of the Gospel is meant, but a set of Gospel ministers; and some think that those are designed who appeared in the eighth and ninth centuries, both in the eastern and western empire, against the worshipping of images; since this angel calls upon the inhabitants of the earth to fear God, give glory to him, and worship him, and not images; but there was little of the everlasting Gospel preached in those times. Others are of opinion that those who preceded, and led on to the Reformation, are pointed at by this angel, such as Wickliff in England, Franciscus Petrarcha in Italy, John Huss and Jerom of Prague in Bohemia, with others; but these also had not the everlasting Gospel in its clearness and purity, nor did they preach it to all the inhabitants of the earth; rather I think a set of Gospel preachers are intended, who will appear at the beginning of the spiritual reign of Christ, and will be a means of ushering it in; and these are the watchmen of Zion, who will give the Lord no rest till he has made Jerusalem the praise of the whole earth; and who will then see eye to eye in Gospel mysteries, and will publish good tidings of peace and salvation, and proclaim Zion's King reigning, ( Isaiah 62:6,7 52:7,8); this angel is called another, being distinct from the voice heard ( Revelation 14:2), though he is the first with respect to the following angels, as appears from ( Revelation 14:9); the place where John saw this angel, and the position he was in, follow: fly in the midst of heaven : the church, the great congregation, the several congregations of the saints; in the midst of which these ministers will preach righteousness, salvation, loving kindness, and truth, as Christ has done before them; and from hence the word of the Lord will go forth to all parts of the world: they will preach the Gospel openly and publicly, with great freedom, boldness, and intrepidity, in the view of all men, not fearing the faces of any; and the Gospel ministered by them will have a swift, sudden, and universal spread; they themselves will run to and fro, and the Gospel will run and be glorified, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and multitudes will flock to Christ, who in that day will be alone exalted; for these ministers will come forth publicly: having the everlasting Gospel ; the Gospel in its fulness and purity; the Gospel of the grace of God, of free justification by the righteousness of Christ, of peace and pardon by his blood, and of complete salvation by him; called everlasting, because the substance of it was settled from all eternity, in the council and covenant of peace; it was ordained before the world was, and was hid in God from the beginning; and the revelation of it was of old; it was made to our first parents immediately after the fall, and was spoken of by all God's holy prophets which have been since the world began; it was preached before unto Abraham, and in the times of Isaiah, and by other prophets, and so is no new upstart doctrine: besides, the matter of it is everlasting; it treats of everlasting things; of the eternal election of persons to salvation; of God's everlasting love to them; of an everlasting covenant he made with Christ on their account; of blessings, promises, and grace given to them in him, before the world began; and of his being set up so early as a Mediator, and of his going forth in a way of grace from everlasting; as well as it reveals an everlasting righteousness, and brings life and immortality, or eternal life to light, or shows the way to everlasting life and happiness; to which may be added, that it will abide for ever, it will always remain, and that inexpugnable, maugre all the opposition of hell and earth; it will continue till all the elect of God are gathered in, notwithstanding the violence of persecutors, or the craft of seducers; nor will it be antiquated and made void by another Gospel succeeding it, for there will be no other: now this the ministers of those times will have; not in their heads only, by knowledge, but in their hearts, by experience, and will have it in their mouths, and speak it out freely and openly, and will have a commission from Christ to preach it, and gifts qualifying them for it: to preach to them that dwell on the earth ; that are in the apostate church, carnal, unregenerate, and earthly persons. The Complutensian edition reads, that sit on the earth; as persons abject, mean, and distressed, to whom the Gospel is acceptable: and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people ; whether Jews, Turks, or Pagans; for the Gospel, as before observed, will now have an universal spread all the world over.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-13 - The progress of the Reformation appears to be here set forth. The fou proclamations are plain in their meaning; that all Christians may be encouraged, in the time of trial, to be faithful to their Lord. The gospel is the great means whereby men are brought to fear God, and to give glory to him. The preaching of the everlasting gospel shakes the foundations of antichrist in the world, and hastens its downfall. If an persist in being subject to the beast, and in promoting his cause, the must expect to be for ever miserable in soul and body. The believer is to venture or suffer any thing in obeying the commandments of God, an professing the faith of Jesus. May God bestow this patience upon us Observe the description of those that are and shall be blessed: such a die in the Lord; die in the cause of Christ, in a state of union with Christ; such as are found in Christ when death comes. They rest from all sin, temptation, sorrow, and persecution; for there the wicke cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest. Their works follo them: do not go before as their title, or purchase, but follow them a proofs of their having lived and died in the Lord: the remembrance of them will be pleasant, and the reward far above all their services an sufferings. This is made sure by the testimony of the Spirit witnessing with their spirits, and the written word.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ειδον 1492 5627 V-2AAI-1S αλλον 243 A-ASM αγγελον 32 N-ASM πετωμενον 4072 5740 V-PNP-ASM εν 1722 PREP μεσουρανηματι 3321 N-DSN εχοντα 2192 5723 V-PAP-ASM ευαγγελιον 2098 N-ASN αιωνιον 166 A-ASN ευαγγελισαι 2097 5658 V-AAN τους 3588 T-APM κατοικουντας 2730 5723 V-PAP-APM επι 1909 PREP της 3588 T-GSF γης 1093 N-GSF και 2532 CONJ παν 3956 A-ASN εθνος 1484 N-ASN και 2532 CONJ φυλην 5443 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ γλωσσαν 1100 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ λαον 2992 N-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. In the midst of heaven ( en mesouranhmati). Rev., in mid-heaven. See on ch. viii. 13.The everlasting Gospel (eujaggelion aijwnion). No article. Hence Rev., an eternal Gospel. Milligan thinks this is to be understood in the same sense as prophesying (ch. x. 11). Aijwnion includes more than mere duration in time. It is applied to that of which time is not a measure. As applied to the Gospel it marks its likeness to Him whose being is not bounded by time.
To preach unto ( euaggelisai epi). Rev., proclaim, which is better, because more general and wider in meaning. Epi which is omitted from the Rec. Tex. is over, throughout the extent of. Compare Matt. xxiv. 14. That dwell (katoikountav). Read kaqhmenouv that sit. So Rev., in margin. Compare Matt. iv. 16; Luke i. 79.
