November 6, 2020
Sweet and Sour
Revelation 10
Roger Haynes
Central Truth
God's Word is food for your soul to be refreshed and encouraged. But it can also be a bitter reminder of the consequences of not taking God seriously when He warns us of the judgment that is to come if we fail to live out the truth that we proclaim.
Key Verse | Revelation 10:9
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."
Revelation 10
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. 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.”
Dive Deeper | Revelation 10
Revelation 10 is a short pause in the description of the events that are occurring during the end times. In this chapter it appears that God reveals to John by way of "a little scroll" the rest of the judgments that are to come.
The description of how the events were revealed to John, so vividly described and symbolic, are inspiring to me. An angel comes down from heaven and raises a hand to swear an oath before God that judgment is coming soon. The "strong angel" sent from the Lord to deliver the "little scroll" to John has a rainbow for a crown and pillars of fire for legs. The description of these features remind me of Old Testament stories like God's promise to Noah after the flood (rainbow) and the pillar of fire that led the Israelites in the desert.
John is told to "eat" the scroll (maybe this means to read); and when he does, he says it was as "sweet as honey," but his "stomach was made bitter." I think it made him sick. The future events revealed in this little scroll are for John to prophesy to those who have not yet believed as a warning that judgment awaits. Any time we get to read God's Word it is sweet, but John was sick for those who have still refused to come to repentance because, as the next chapters of Revelation will reveal, this is going to be a difficult time for those unbelievers. The description of the tribulation period in Revelation 6-9 are bad, but it is about to get worse.
If you do not have a relationship with God through trusting in Jesus for salvation, the verses of Scripture that speak about reconciliation and forgiveness will be the sweetest words you have ever read (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9). But the warnings of the consequences of rejecting God's offer of forgiveness are bitter indeed. Stay locked in as we read about what was written on the little scroll in the coming chapters.
Discussion Questions
1. What is your favorite tasty bite of Scripture that you delight in when you consume it?
2. Where are you placing your faith? In the things of this world or in eternal things?
3. If you have not yet trusted in Christ, do you know how to be saved? It's not complicated. Read through the verses listed in the last paragraph of the devotional above and pray. Ask God to forgive you for your former life of rebellion against His will, and thank Him for sending His son Jesus to die for you. Commit to follow Him the rest of your life, trusting that faith in Jesus, who died for you and rose to life again as payment for your sins, is sufficient for your salvation. Rejoice in your new life in Christ!