This morning we continue on in our journey of Revelation. So far in this journey we have covered quite the territory. We have seen John visited by Jesus on the prison island of Patmos and commanded to write down all Jesus has to say about the 7 churches here on Earth. Next, John is taken up to Heaven to continue His witness. We saw the throne room of Heaven, and then we saw the beginning of the Great Tribulation as the scroll is presented with its seven seals. We studied the opening of the seven seals which then led into the seven trumpets. We looked at the 6th trumpet in the last lesson which brings us up to today, chapter 10. Recall that in God’s perfect order, Revelation mirrors this order with it’s perfect organization. Within that order we find that between the 6th and 7th judgments (seals, trumpets, bowls) that there is an interlude chapter, or a “catch-up” chapter. Here God catches us up on the important details of the previous 6 judgments. Today we will be in the second interlude chapter of the book, the one between the 6th and 7th trumpet.
Let’s take a look at what God has for us today in chapter 10:
“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is 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 told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
10:1 – “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.”
This is just what it says it is, “another angel.” Some argue that this is Jesus, but there are several reasons this cannot be Jesus. Christ does not appear as an angel in Revelation. The angel is referred to as “another” meaning ‘of the same kind’ and references the other strong (mighty) angel back in 5:2. Later in 10:6 we see the angel swear by God and Jesus is God and would therefore not need to swear an oath to Himself.
The angel is sent by Jesus to Earth and John gives us a very vivid description. He is clothed in a cloud which means the glory of Christ. He has a rainbow over his head which harkens back to God’s covenant that He will never destroy the Earth by water again. (Gen 9:13-16) His face were as the sun means that He has been witness to the glory of Christ just as Moses’ face shone upon being in the presence of God. (Ex 34:29) His feet were as pillars of fire is a symbol of the coming judgement in the 7th trumpet.
10:2-3 – “He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.”
The little scroll is the scroll that previously had the seven seals on it. It started out in God’s hand (5:1) and was then given to Jesus as only He could open the seals. (5:7) Jesus has given the scroll now to the angel we see before us. Notice the scroll is open. Jesus has removed the seven seals of judgement and the scroll is now free to be opened and read. This is quite the large angel as He has one foot on the sea and one foot on the land. Remember that this scroll is basically the title deed to the Earth and the Earth belongs to Jesus. The angel is claiming the land and the sea for Jesus as he holds this title deed in His hand. He ushers forth an address in a loud voice like a roaring lion and he gets a response which is 7 thunders. As we will see in the next verses, these were not simple unintelligible peals of thunder but contained a very clear message from Jesus. This was communication between the angel on the Earth and Jesus who continues to orchestrate all events from Heaven.
10:4-7 – “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
Up to this point John had been a loyal scribe, writing down all that he had seen and heard just as Jesus had instructed him. (1:11, 4:1) But, here as John is witnessing this exchange between the angel and the Lord He is told to not write it down. This message is to be sealed, meaning we have no idea what was said here. No one does and ever will until God reveals it in His time. Here we see the angel raise His right hand to Heaven and swear to God that there would be no more delay and that the 7th trumpet would be blown very soon.
10:8-9 – “Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is 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 told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”
What we see here seems absolutely bizarre. From Heaven, Jesus tells John to go get the scroll from the Angel and eat it. What, eat the scroll? That’s crazy right? But what if I were to tell you that there is not just one but two different instances of this in the Old Testament? Yep, two. Let's look at verses from Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16
“And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.” Ezekiel 3:1-3
So you see once again, what seems truly bizarre in the book of Revelation does not originate here, but in the OT. We can consistently get thrown off the trail if we don’t remember that even though Revelation falls into the New Testament, it is a book of prophesy. So what does it mean for John to “eat” the word of God? Well, it literally means that God’s Word is just like food to us. We are not to simply read it like a good spy thriller or an action adventure novel. It is not just topical, external entertainment, it is the powerful living and Holy Words of God. It can and will affect our lives like no other book that has ever existed. It is a miracle that we can hold in our hands and if you dedicate yourself to it, it will change your life. So, in this inference you are to not just read it, but consume it.
Joshua is told by God in Joshua 1:7-8 about how he is to appraoch God's Words, “Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” We’re also told in Psalm 1:2, “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Twice here we’re told that we should be meditating on God’s Word day and night. Folks, that means constantly. You should have your face in the Bible so much that it never leaves your mind. It becomes the essence of who you are. Your old nature will die, and it will be replaced with a new nature, one built on the law of the Lord. This is the scene that we are seeing here. John is eating the Word of God and it is becoming part of him just as the food we eat becomes a part of us.
So what’s the deal with the sweet and the bitter? Well, if you are a child of God, meaning that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you know that you literally have a bright future indeed. Because Jesus died on that cross and was raised three days later, you have an eternal home in Heaven in the presence of God. Folks, I don’t know about you but that makes me want to skip around the block playing Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. That is indeed, in every essence of the words, “good news!” As we read this message over and over in God’s Word, it sits like honey on the tongue. The good news of God’s Word is sweet to our souls. In fact, listen to these verses that mirror the sentiment:
“Gracious (God’s) words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24, (parentheses mine)
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalms 119:103)
So, we see the sweet but what about the bitter? Can God’s Words be bitter? Absolutely, and it depends on the heart. Many folks begin a study of God’s Word but when they find out how applicable it is to their life and that it commands them to personally repent of the sin that’s present in their life, it becomes a bitter thing. The genuine heart will hear the message, but the hard heart will resist it. I have seen so many people earnestly start a study of God’s Word with good intent only to quickly fall away. Why? The words of judgement and correction found within the Bible can be bitter to the stomach in their correction and rebuke.
Another way they can be bitter is right here before us in Revelation. It troubles my soul to see unbelievers undergo the awful judgements of the Great Tribulation. As a believer the last thing I want to see is people condemned, judged, and sent to Hell. All believers should feel a tremendous burden for the lost of this world. You hold in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the ability to snatch someone from the fires of Hell. “Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” Jude 1:23. This entire study of Revelation for me has been just this, sweet yet bitter. I read of the glory and power of Jesus and of Him claiming His rightful inheritance, but yet I also must endure seeing people judged harshly for their hard hearts against God. All they must do to believe is hear and to hear someone must tell them. Folks that someone is me and you. Our instructions are clear, go and tell:
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 14:15
10:10-11 – “And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
John takes the scroll and eats it and it tastes like sweet honey on His tongue. But as it hits his stomach, it turns bitter and causes discomfort. He was probably looking for some Tums. To think of the judgement upon the wicked and the unbelieving just turned his stomach sour. Next, the angel tells him to combat this bitterness in his belly he must prophesy. To prophesy here means to teach or to tell. People need to hear the Word of God and be warned that judgement is coming. And who needs to hear? All peoples, all nations, all languages, and all kingdoms. Folks, this is not John’s charge today, it is ours, you and me. Our job is to tell the people God has placed in our lives about Jesus Christ. There is judgement coming. For those in our day it will likely not be the great tribulation unless Jesus returns, but their judgement will be even worse. For those that reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and die in our time, they will experience an eternity separated from God. An eternity of darkness, torment, and anguish. God is peace, goodness and joy and being separated entirely from Him will be just the opposite. No one deserves this. Each person has a decision to make about Jesus, but in order to make that decision, they first need to hear the good news about Him.
Tell someone that God has placed in your life today about Jesus. It might be a hard conversation to have, but you could be snatching their very soul out of the fire.
God Bless ~ Dan
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