MONDAY
This week we are continuing to explore the interludes within the three sets of seven judgments. Between the sixth and seventh trumpet we read the curious story of an angel giving John a little scroll to eat!
I only preached on the woman and the dragon interlude, but I wanted to be sure to cover all of them, so I will be brief on the first two today and tomorrow.
Revelation 10:1-3 (ESV)
The Angel and the Little Scroll
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. 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.
Many have thought this glorious angel to be Christ himself. This is unlikely as John refers to him as an angel. The shining face, the rainbow, and the cloud all likely signify that this angel comes directly from the presence of God and bears witness to the message of Christ. The little scroll is likely not the scroll from chapter 5 (the full story of redemption). This little scroll is likely the prophetic judgment that John is yet to declare, either in the rest of the book or just a general reference to his prophetic ministry. The angel has his feet on both the land and the sea, representing his power over all of creation.
Revelation 10:4-7
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.
It’s unclear why the message of the thunders is to be kept hidden. This could signify that certain devastating judgments have been withdrawn. More likely, however, this signifies that God has not revealed all that will happen in the future judgment. God does not disclose everything that will happen.
The judgment that has been prophesied about from the beginning of the story (Gen. 3:15!) are being revealed. The time has come.
Revelation 10:8-11
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.”
John is told to eat the scroll! This is peculiar, to say the least. Eating a scroll harkens back to Ezekiel 2-3. There Ezekiel is commissioned to prophecy against the people of Israel. He is told to warn of divine judgments to the stubborn people of Israel through his prophetic words. The scroll tasted sweet in John’s mouth, as it did with Ezekiel (Ez. 3:3), and as all the words of the Lord are (Ps. 19:10; 119:103). Yet his stomach is made bitter by them. This is likely John’s way of pointing to Ezekiel’s prophecy being full of “lamentation, mourning and woe.” The prophecy John is to declare is one of judgment, which the rest of Revelation indicates. Hearing the word of the Lord is always sweet. Hearing from God and knowing the message of salvation for the people of God is indeed sweet. However, that message of the gospel is also a message of repentance in the face of future judgment. This part of the message of woe and judgment is one that can give us a bitter knot in the stomach—sadness for those who will not repent.
This has two important applications:
- Although we are told some important things about the end times that give us hope, we aren’t told everything. We must approach the end with humility, surrendered to the ultimate will of the Father. I often think about how many religious people who had been waiting for the Messiah for their entire life, and previous generations for that matter, missed Jesus as the Messiah because they were so pridefully committed to their position. That happened a lot at Jesus’ first appearing. I would hate to be a “Pharisee” who does the same at Jesus’ second appearing because it didn’t fit my interpretation of the end. Much of it remains a mystery and that’s okay.
- The Word of God in prophecy is sweet to the taste. It is awesome to hear from God. The word often comes with a message of redemption and salvation that is sweet as well. However, that redemption also comes with a call to those who are not following the way of the Lamb. It is a call to repent. This aspect can feel bitter in the stomach. Yet, we must still faithfully prophecy the truth of God to our churches and to our communities. We must warn of the judgment to come and tell of the glorious gospel that delivers us from the judgment of God.
Additional Content
This section starts at about 8:23
Reflection
Be sure you are holding your understanding of the end times with an open hand. These visions in Revelation are written to give us hope and encouragement, but they do not answer all of the questions. Today, pray a prayer of admitting that you do not have all the details. Surrender to the will of the Father. Confess that you may be wrong about some things. Commit yourself to knowing and loving him, remaining faithful to him regardless of what comes in the end.