John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice , etc.] This was not the uncreated angel, Jesus Christ; for he is after spoken of as the lion of the tribe of Judah, and as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, but a created one; though who he was, whether Gabriel, as some say, because his name signifies the strong or mighty One of God, is not material to be known; angels are said to be mighty, and to excel in strength: this is called so here, chiefly with respect to his voice, which he, by reason of his great strength, exerted so loudly, as to be heard by all the creatures in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth however, this was not John the Baptist, but if a minister of the Gospel, rather some one since, making the following proclamation: who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof ? suggesting, that if there was any such person, that he was desired to come, and do it; and it seems, that he must not only be one of power and ability, but of dignity and authority, a person of greatness and worth, from whence his ability arises; as he ought to be that can engage his heart to draw nigh to God, and take a book out of his right hand, this mysterious book of the Revelation, as it was indeed while sealed; and open and explain it to others, unseal it or exhibit it, as it afterwards was in the following scenes and visions, and gave a view of all that is contained in it; and not only so, but fulfil and accomplish all the prophecies in it; and who can, or is worthy to do all this, but he that sits at the right hand of God, and who is God as well as man? and this proclamation was made to stir up an earnest desire in John, and all the saints he represents, to know what was in this book; and to show the impotence of all creatures to make any discovery of it; and to illustrate, and set off with a greater foil, the glory, excellency, ability, and worth of Jesus Christ. There seems to be an allusion to the president of the temple calling to the priests under him, to attend to the several parts of service assigned them, saying unto them, hkz ym , whosoever is worthy, let him do so and so f147 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - The apostle saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, a roll of parchments in the form usual in those times, and sealed with seve seals. This represented the secret purposes of God about to be revealed. The designs and methods of Divine Providence, toward the church and the world, are stated, fixed, and made a matter of record The counsels of God are altogether hidden from the eye an understanding of the creature. The several parts are not unsealed an opened at once, but after each other, till the whole mystery of God' counsel and conduct is finished in the world. The creatures cannot ope it, nor read it; the Lord only can do so. Those who see most of God are most desirous to see more; and those who have seen his glory desire to know his will. But even good men may be too eager and hast to look into the mysteries of the Divine conduct. Such desires, if no soon answered, turn to grief and sorrow. If John wept much because he could not look into the book of God's decrees, what reason have many to shed floods of tears for their ignorance of the gospel of Christ! of that on which everlasting salvation depends! We need not weep that we cannot foresee future events respecting ourselves in this world; the eager expectation of future prospects, or the foresight of futur calamities, would alike unfit us for present duties and conflicts, or render our prosperous days distressing. Yet we may desire to learn from the promises and prophecies of Scripture, what will be the fina event to believers and to the church; and the Incarnate Son ha prevailed, that we should learn all that we need to know. Christ stand as Mediator between God and both ministers and people. He is called Lion, but he appears as a Lamb slain. He appears with the marks of his sufferings, to show that he pleads for us in heaven, in virtue of his satisfaction. He appears as a Lamb, having seven horns and seven eyes perfect power to execute all the will of God, and perfect wisdom to understand it, and to do it in the most effectual manner. The Fathe put the book of his eternal counsels into the hand of Christ, an Christ readily and gladly took it into his hand; for he delights to make known the will of his Father; and the Holy Spirit is given by his to reveal the truth and will of God.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ειδον 1492 5627 V-2AAI-1S αγγελον 32 N-ASM ισχυρον 2478 A-ASM κηρυσσοντα 2784 5723 V-PAP-ASM φωνη 5456 N-DSF μεγαλη 3173 A-DSF τις 5101 I-NSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S αξιος 514 A-NSM ανοιξαι 455 5658 V-AAN το 3588 T-ASN βιβλιον 975 N-ASN και 2532 CONJ λυσαι 3089 5658 V-AAN τας 3588 T-APF σφραγιδας 4973 N-APF αυτου 846 P-GSN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. Strong. Either as being of higher rank, or with reference to the great voice.Worthy (axiov). As in John i. 27. Morally entitled.
