Revelation 10: Sweet in the Mouth, Bitter in the Stomach
Revelation 10: Sweet in the Mouth, Bitter in the Stomach
1. Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
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.
◇ After the sixth trumpet sounded and the plague that killed a third of humanity had ended, a mighty and magnificent angel descended from heaven. Above his head was a rainbow, his face shone like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire, and he held a little scroll in his hand. His right foot was planted on the sea and his left foot on the land.
When the angel spoke, seven thunders voiced their message. John was about to record what he heard, but a voice commanded him not to write it down but to seal it up. The words of the seven thunders remained a sealed mystery, not to be fulfilled on earth.
Then a voice from heaven instructed John to take the little scroll from the angel's hand and eat it. It would be sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. When John ate it, it was indeed sweet in his mouth but turned bitter in his stomach.
Both the angel's appearance and the eating of the scroll are symbolic. They are filled with symbols conveying a message for Christians suffering under persecution.
What comes to mind when you think of a rainbow? Doesn't it remind you of God's promise never again to judge the world with water? Don't the pillars of fire remind you of God as the guide and leader for the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, unable to find their way?
God seals the seven thunders so their message will not be fulfilled. He is postponing the judgment and punishment.
Through the angel's symbolic appearance and God's postponement of judgment, we can see God's desire for salvation. From the beginning until now, God has preferred salvation over judgment. He is the One who desires to walk among us and journey alongside us.
The scroll containing God's Word was sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach. This depicts Christians who hear and obey the Word. When we live out God's Word in our lives, it may not always be sweet. It can be bitter. While God's Word ultimately brings us joy, the process of that joy becoming true joy may involve the bitter process of suffering. We must endure well to experience the joy God has prepared for us.
♧ Good and merciful God, help us understand and live out Your Word that is sweet yet bitter in our lives. Holy Spirit, make us strong and bold. Amen.