Revelation 10:8-11 – Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies 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 asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
“Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies 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 asked him to give me the little scroll.” Again the unidentified, but likely divine voice, speaks to him. He is told to “take” the scroll from the mighty angel that is straddling the sea and land. John immediately goes to the angel to do as he was commanded to do. He was told to do so, not asked. John has learned to be instantly obedient to God. However, when John approaches the angel, who surely was very imposing, he did not impudently snatch the scroll from the angel, but he asked for it. Good move John! I think I would also have went the “polite” route and asked this huge angel rather than just “take” the scroll from this angel. We are also ordained to carry on the work of Christ in leading sinners to God. If we, being ordained, are brash, loud, offensive and no love seems to be in our message, then we can too often chase people further away rather than draw them to the God who loves them.
“He said to me, “Take it…”” The angel told John to take it. Family, when God tells us to do something, we must do what God has said. God said for John to take it. God sent John on a mission to do what God has already prepared to happen. John was polite. He is a good example to us. God has given us a message for the world. We are to give the full and complete message to the world. The world would like us to just share about God’s love and to leave God’s righteousness out of it. Every preacher knows that he is likely to get more pats on the back from sharing God’s love and mercy than for sharing a tough message from the Word about discipline and responsibility. All disciples of Christ must share the complete Word of God, the sweet and the comforting, and the warnings. A problem arises when a preacher only preaches one side or another. When a preacher becomes sycophant to men rather than a loyal servant to God, he errs. But also the preacher who only preaches fire and brimstone errs when the hope and love God offered to us is not preached with equal vigor. Family, we are to share the full word of God. Ezekiel was instructed by God “listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you.” Ezekiel was to consume the full message and then he would be ready to take God’s message to His people. Ezekiel was told to take “all” of the message, or the full and complete message, to God’s people (Ezekiel 3:10-11). So we must also take the full message of God, the full Gospel of God, to the world. Like John was told to “take” the scroll, we are to take in God’s Word. Let’s not expect that we can doze on our couches and that God will just pour His Word and wisdom into us. No, we must be proactive in studying the scriptures. As we pray for insight and wisdom when reading the Word of God, God is faithful and will answer that prayer (James 1:5). Praise God!
“…and eat it.” Devour it. Ravenously consume it. Ingest it. Like birds fly down and quickly consume bread crumbs thrown to them, or a worm on the ground. Pounce upon it as something that must be consumed to sustain life. Interestingly, this same word is used of the dragon who wants to consume the child born of the woman described in Revelation 12. John is told to ravenously consume it. The Word of God is compared to bread (Matthew 4:4), to milk (1 Peter 2:2), to meat (1 Corinthians 3:1-2) and to honey (Psalm 119:103). Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel were likewise told to eat the Word of God (Jeremiah 15:16, Ezekiel 2:3-3:4). We must understand that they are life to us and we do better to feed much on the Word of God and less on physical food. Only after we consume the Word of God are we prepared to share it with the world. We cannot give to the world what we don’t have.
“It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.” When we consume the Word of God it is sweet to us. It inspires, it fulfills, it encourages and it, by the power of the Holy Spirit, remakes us to becoming increasingly like the Lord. So sweet. But there is always the other side of the coin. We who know Jesus as Lord and Savior love the promises of our salvation and eternal life with Christ. That is so sweet to us. However, there is a bitter truth that is the other side of the coin. Those who refuse Christ will not know the beauty and wonder of God’s salvation and they will not know eternal life with Christ. Their future turns our stomachs bitter. John is delivering to all the world a message of hope and salvation and the glorious wonder of Jesus Christ. To followers of Christ we sing out to the Lord praises hoping for His soon return. For those who reject Jesus as the only way to heaven and peace with God (John 14:6) this message from God is a very bitter pill to swallow. To the believer, the message is sweet for us, but then we consider what it means to the unbeliever, and the message has a very bitter side. We lament for the souls of all who will end up in the Lake of Fire. It need not be so. God does not want it to be so.
“Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”” John was told to bring the message, as instructed by the Lord, to all nations and all people. Likewise the Lord Jesus told us bring the Gospel to all in the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Israel was told that were called to be witnessed to the world of Almighty God (Isaiah 43:10). All who belong to the Lord have the responsibility of sharing His Word and His love with the world. Our motivation is love for God and love for each other. The Word of God should always be shared with this in mind.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.