The Bittersweet Scroll
True Story: God's Vision for His Church • Sermon • Submitted
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· 16 viewsGod's enemies oppose His people. But God has given His people His Word to proclaim it to the nations.
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ME: Intro - Bittersweet
ME: Intro - Bittersweet
To start this morning, take a moment to think of a bittersweet experience.
For me, a recent bittersweet experience took place on October 10th of this year.
It was the day my Dad, Clarence married, his now wife, Kelly.
The reason I say there was some bitterness is because the only reason dad was able to get married is because my mom died in 2014.
The last time my dad had a wife, it was my mom.
This was no secret, that the wedding reminded of the fact that dad’s first wife had passed.
Despite this bitterness, the wedding was so sweet in many ways.
Dad getting married did not change the reality that mom died.
And Kelly, or Mama K as I call her now, is a beloved partner for dad.
I greatly enjoy her as a person,
I am grateful for the godly influence she is on dad,
And I celebrate the growing and joining together of our families.
Their marriage is so sweet.
And overall, despite some of the bitter realities their wedding brought up,
I am so thankful for the sweetness that has come from their wedding,
And praise God for their marriage.
My assumption is that you feel similar about the bittersweet experience you thought of.
This morning I begin with this focus on bittersweet experiences,
Because we are in Revelation 10,
Looking at the Story of the Bittersweet Scroll.
The Mighty Messenger (vs. 1-4)
The Momentary Mystery (vs. 5-7)
The Mixed Message (vs. 8-11)
*The sweetness of God’s Word teaches that the bitterness of God’s judgment removes the sting of death.
That makes His sweetness overpower and outlast the bitterness.
Revelation 10 shows that God’s message is bittersweet.
And we are commanded to proclaim this bittersweet message to the nations.
Last week we saw the sixth trumpet unleashed heightened levels of spiritual warfare,
Where the Apostle John communicated a vision filled with angelic and demonic activity.
The angelic appearances continue in this mornings passage.
But instead of going right into the seventh trumpet.
The structure reflects the seal judgments,
Where chapter 7 served as an interlude between the sixth and seventh seal.
Now, after the sixth trumpet,
Chs. 10-11:14 represent an interlude before the seventh trumpet.
Almost like God understands after the first sixth trumpets,
We need a break to catch our breath before He continues to reveal what’s next.
This interlude shows two different scenes concerning God’s people and our witness.
Ch. 10 shows the Apostle John receiving prophetic messages with a commission to proclaim the messages.
Lord willing, next week, we will look at the history of two witnesses in the first half of ch. 11.
These two scenes prepare us as readers for the seventh trumpet,
The victory of Christ,
By emphasizing God’s call for the church to proclaim His Word.
Our chapter this morning seems to parallel part of our Fear Less study,
Specifically Dan 10:5-6;
I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
The man clothed in linen from Daniel is parallel to the mighty angel in Revelation 10.
This mighty angel and the little scroll are the focal points of this chapter.
The mighty angel comes down from heaven and is glorious in appearance.
He has a little scroll in his hand,
Holding a universal message.
He has this roaring voice,
Like that of a lion.
In response to his roaring voice, our passage reveals thunder speaking.
However, we are not suppose to know what this thunder says,
Because John is commanded not to write it down.
So, whatever is to come, God has determined to have it remain hidden.
This angel then, swears by God, that the end has come,
And God will conclude and fulfill what is prophesied by the seventh trumpet.
Where the old creation will end,
And what is to come has not been fully revealed.
But this mystery is only momentary.
There is a time coming when God will fully reveal this mystery,
And all that has been prophesied will be fulfilled.
Our passage then shows John being told to go and take the little scroll from the mighty angel.
This little scroll has prophetic messages for John.
The fact that it is described as little could suggest that it is a portion of God’s Word.
Some suggest that it could be Rev. 12-22:5,
Which is possible.
It could also be the entire book of Revelation.
Or it could represent general messages given to John to prophesy.
Either way, John is told to eat this little scroll.
He is told it will taste sweet like honey in his mouth,
But it will sit bitterly in his stomach.
While this scroll represents only an undetermined portion of God’s Word,
We know that all of God’s Word is sweet like honey,
But we have been studying in recent weeks that it also speaks about great destruction on those who do not accept His gift of grace.
So, John is told to eat this scroll because like every believer, he has a unique witness.
He is commanded to prophesy against this rebellion to all people, nations, languages, and kings.
But John also serves as an example for believers.
At the time John received this vision,
Christians were suffering persecution,
And Revelation speaks of imminent persecution awaiting Christians.
Something that is very relevant in our context,
Where Christianity is no longer influential,
And will become increasingly resisted in the generations to come.
Like John, believers must be a witness for Christ, even in the face of persecution.
This idea of being a witness is a prominent theme throughout Revelation.
The vision itself gives a testimony that is intended to strengthen the witness of the reader in the face of persecution.
We must take the message of Revelation to heart.
Remember back in Rev. 1:3, John said;
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
So, we must also live by the words of Revelation,
And be ready to communicate the message of this prophecy to many peoples and nations and languages and kings.
WE: The Mighty Messenger (vs. 1-4)
WE: The Mighty Messenger (vs. 1-4)
This seems to be the purpose of this interlude from God’s judgments.
To interrupt the horrific judgments with a glorious and powerful message.
God delivers this message by the hand of His Mighty Messenger,
Whom we are introduced to in Rev. 10:1-4;
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. 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, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 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.”
As mentioned moments ago,
This chapter begins with a mighty angel with a vivid description coming down from heaven.
We have been seeing God use His angels frequently throughout Revelation,
And He continues to do so through the remainder of Revelation.
In fact, angels are mentioned more than 60 times throughout Revelation.
So, now would be as good a time as any to have a brief teaching on angels.
What is an angel?
The term angel is a word in English that is transliterated from the Greek Word for messenger, Angelos.
An angelos in Greek is someone who is bringing a message from God.
This is their primary function.
But we have seen throughout Revelation and Daniel that they do more than just bring messages.
On the broadest level they are supernatural beings that are created by God to serve Him.
Angels are spirits, similar to our soul, but they do not have a body like we do.
They have no physical existence.
This means angels cannot be born, they do not have an age, nor do they ever die.
As creatures like us, it seems angels can fall into temptation.
The Bible speaks of fallen angels.
These are evil angels, what we could call demons, and their leader is Satan.
They are described as being punished in eternal fire,
Bound in darkness awaiting judgment,
And Rev. 12 shows them fighting against faithful angels and being defeated.
Two specific faithful angels mentioned in Scripture are Gabriel and Michael.
But these two are not the only faithful angels,
The Bible mentions many good angels that serve God.
Angels do not come onto the scene in the Bible until after God’s covenantal call of redemption to Abraham,
From that time on, we see a multitude of references to their ministry on earth.
From rebuking idolatry in Judges 2 to appearances on behalf of prophets in 1 and 2 Kings and Zechariah and Daniel.
Now, there are other references in the OT,
But references to their activity is heightened in the NT.
Matthew and Luke record their presence at the incarnation,
The birth of Christ in Bethlehem, which we are gearing up to celebrate.
Describes the appearance of an angel of the Lord to the shepherds who were terrified by its glorious appearance.
But the angel brought the message of the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world.
“Today is born for you in the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ, the Lord.”
This is followed by a chorus of angels praising God for the incarnation,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.”
They came to serve the Lord’s purposes while He was here on earth.
In Matthew 4:11, they ministered to Christ after His temptation.
In Luke 22:43, an angel strengthened Christ after His agonizing prayer for the Father to let this cup pass from Him.
Then we see them present at His tomb in Matthew 28 and John 20.
Their appearance was so terrifying, it says the guards at Jesus’ tomb shook and became like dead men.
And they are powerful, effortlessly rolling back the stone and plopping down on it.
Then from atop the stone, the angels asked the women the morning of His resurrection,
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here, He is risen!”
They were again present after His resurrection in Acts 1,
As Jesus is ascending to heaven,
His disciples are watching Him go up into the clouds,
Then as they are just standing there,
An angel is sent by God to tell the disciples to go back and wait in the upper room for the Holy Spirit just as Jesus told them.
From there, we see continued service and messages being brought to God’s people from angels throughout Acts.
Hebrews 1:14 says;
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
This means God’s angels are His servants ministering to us in ways we truly do not understand.
So we are comforted in knowing God uses His angelic servants for His purposes.
His purposes include fighting for us and protecting us in ways we do not even know.
As Matthew 18:10 teaches;
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Now, this is not implying the misconception that each person has a specific guardian angel,
As the Easton Bible Dictionary makes clear, this verse teaches that...
“God employs the ministry of angels to deliver his people from affliction and danger, and that the angels do not think it below their dignity to minister even to children and to the least among Christ’s disciples.”
God created these beings to ultimately glorify Him,
So, we should rejoice and praise God in response.
And in some ways, we can seek to imitate the obedience of God’s faithful angels.
As we see God employ angels throughout Revelation,
We see them delivering God’s message and ministering to God’s people,
God calls us to do the same thing,
To deliver His message and to minister to His people.
The Apostle Paul said to imitate him as he imitates Christ,
Likewise, we can learn from the obedience of angels, how better to be obedient to God.
The angels are being used by God for His will in heaven,
So, when we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven,
It is praying that we would be obedient to God on earth in ways that imitate the obedience of angels in heaven.
However, misapplication of angels can be dangerous.
We must be wise and exercise caution if we believe an angel may be appearing or delivering a message to us.
God has spoken to us through His Word.
His angels were used to communicate His Word to His prophets and servants.
And they played a role in preserving His Word.
The fact that we have His inerrant Word in our language today is His miraculous message to us.
Also, Romans 1 teaches how we exchange worship of God, the Creator,
To worship creating things,
This can include angels.
Satan and his demons take advantage of this human tendency to worship created things.
In fact, I believe demons are primarily responsible for false religions and cults.
Because these fallen angels masquerade as angels of light,
As we see Satan is described as doing in 2 Corinthians 11:14;
Drawing our hearts to false worship.
This is likely why there are repeated admonitions against worshipping angels.
We see one such example in Colossians 2:18.
No person nor any angel is to steal the glory, worship, and honor, that is reserved for God alone.
The Apostle John is rebuked near the end of Revelation,
Not once, but twice, for bowing down to worship an angel.
The angel tells John “No!” he is a servant of God, just like John.
Both created to worship God.
People are looking for these supernatural experiences,
So, Satan and his demons are all too willing to indulge this idolatrous desire in the human heart.
People then find themselves having a spiritual encounter with a fallen angel,
Because they are focused too much on angels,
And they are still guilty of exchanging worship of the Creator with created things.
Because, just like us, angels are created beings,
This includes fallen angels.
So, if give too much attention and affection on angels,
It would be misplaced.
One last thing to note about angels are how our culture depicts them.
If you do a Google Image search of angels you get pictures like cupid,
A chubby, almost infantile person in a diaper with a bow and arrow.
Or these soft skinned, long haired beauties.
None of these descriptions are found in the Bible.
Scripture, however, depicts military-aged warriors as the closest description of angels.
But human-like descriptions are rarely given for angels.
I would caution against trying to be too imaginative about what we think angels look like.
Even in Christian bookstores and decor, we find this misrepresentation of angels.
Perhaps now you are rethinking about some of the decorations around your house with angels on them.
If so, that is between you and God.
As I mentioned at the start of this discussion on angels,
Their representation is prominent throughout the book of Revelation.
Which makes sense because it is revealing parts of the unseen spiritual world,
Which includes angels.
Earlier in Revelation we saw myriads of myriads, thousands of thousands,
Gathered around the throne of God,
Delighting in worship of Him.
But then we have seen God gives them tasks that unleash His judgments on earth,
From the one that threw the censer with fire on earth,
To the seven blowing trumpets,
To later, the seven pouring out the bowl judgments.
Revelation 12 depicts the spiritual battle between good angels and Satan with his demons.
But the most common, and perhaps most important, function of angels are that of a messenger.
As we saw in Daniel and Rev. 1 for example,
They bring God’s Word to God’s prophets and servants,
Who would record God’s Word in the Bible.
And that is the task given to the mighty angel,
The mighty messenger in our passage this morning.
Look again, at the description of this mighty messenger, beginning right in vs. 1.
He is wearing a cloud like a robe,
A symbol of glory, majesty, and power.
Remember the Son of Man rode in on a cloud in Daniel 7.
He is wearing a rainbow like a crown.
This symbolizes God’s covenantal faithfulness referring back to Noah following the flood.
His face is beaming with brightness, like the sun.
This is likely similar to the way Moses’ face had a glow after his encounter with God’s presence.
Last, his legs are these powerful pillars made of fire.
This communicates stability and holiness,
But more importantly, it brings our minds back to how God led His people at night by a pillar of fire in Exodus.
While this mighty angel is in fact, and angel.
The description reflects the glory of God.
Look at how similar it is to Christ’s description back in Rev. 1:14-16;
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
We also see similarities to the description of the Lord in Ezek. 1:27-28;
And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
As mentioned earlier,
We must be cautious not to worship the mighty angel.
This description of the angel reinforces the authority and divine majesty of the source of the message.
The angel, as mighty as it is, is merely the messenger carrying a message that is even mightier and more authoritative.
Because the message comes from God.
This mighty messenger is an angel, not Christ.
Nowhere do we see Christ called an angel, so it would not make sense to refer to Him as an angel here.
But Christ is the source from where this messenger gains his might.
Not only is the mighty messenger similar to Christ,
But he is massive!
His right foot is on the sea,
His left foot is on land.
What is the reason for this detail?
I have no idea!
But I know part of the reason this messenger is considered mighty,
Is because he is so massive!
Which could explain why, in comparison, the scroll in his hand is described as little.
After his description, the mighty angel calls out with a voice like a lion in vs. 3.
In response, the seven thunders sounded.
This seems to be a direct allusion to Psalm 29, where the voice of the Lord is a thunderous storm;
A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
The OT would frequently illustrate the judgments of the Lord as His voice thundering against those who oppose Him.
Throughout Revelation, the same illustration is used.
Judgment is accompanied by thunder.
Once again, we see the number 7, a reference to completeness.
Perhaps then, we can interpret the seven thunders as the completeness of God’s judgment.
Other translations refer to the sound of the seven thunder as voices.
For example, vs. 4 in the CSB begins; “When the seven thunders spoke,”
So, it wasn’t as if John was about to right that the thunder rolls,
No, the thunder was saying something.
What the thunders say, however, we do not know.
Because as John was getting ready to write it down,
Something amazing happens.
John hears a voice from heaven telling him not to reveal what the thunders said.
He is told to seal up the words of the thunders.
This is not the first time John heard voices in Revelation.
Back in Rev. 4:1, a voice spoke to John like a trumpet,
Telling him to come up and he will show John what must take place.
Throughout the remainder of Revelation,
This voice leading and instructing John becomes more prominent.
The fact that it is coming from heaven likely means it is the voice of God.
But what was said, we do not know.
John was told to conceal it.
Why was he told to conceal it?
We do not know.
But we do know Daniel received a similar command in Dan. 12:4;
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
At this point, God wants what the seven thunders said to remain hidden,
As Deut. 29:29 says;
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
In this instance, the words of the seven thunders belong to the Lord,
Therefore, we do not need to know.
The fullness of what end of history holds is still concealed,
God has determined not to disclose everything to us.
And we seem have a hard time accepting that.
But if we are unwilling to accept the fact that God has determined to surprise us,
It shows that we need God to give us all the details or else we won’t trust Him.
And frankly, God does not operate that way.
So, we should not expect Him to.
As Grant Osborne notes;
“John is being told to affirm God’s sovereign control over the judgments proclaimed in the thunders and then is prohibited from revealing the contents to his readers. The major message is one of sovereignty. God is in control, and the saints do not need to know all the details.”
At this point, God has determined to keep parts of His will a mystery.
In the meantime, we trust in God’s sovereign plan and marvel at His mysterious ways.
He is God, we are not.
This is a lesson we would be wise to remember.
GOD: The Momentary Mystery (vs. 5-7)
GOD: The Momentary Mystery (vs. 5-7)
Despite the fact that part of God’s will is a mystery,
His Word promises to fully reveal His will in the days of the seventh trumpet.
God’s Word is certain,
We can count on it.
So, we take solace in the fact that it will not always be a mystery.
In Rev. 10:5-7, we see that it is only a Momentary Mystery;
And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 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, 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.
The mighty angel raises his right hand to heaven and swears to Him who lives forever,
Who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and filled it.
Who is this then that the angel is swearing by?
Clearly, this is God.
This is the act of taking an oath in the name of God,
Seen back in Deut. 32:40;
For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever,
This mighty angel then is making an oath in the name of God.
And unlike when we hear a person say, “I swear to God,”
This promise in the name of God, is not in vain.
The mighty angel is bound to what is said here.
As a messenger of God, this angel is merely confirming God’s intent to act according to His word.
It is unthinkable that the mighty angel’s oath here would be broken.
Because God is the guarantor of the oath.
Time and time again throughout the OT, God was seen making oaths,
And when God made an oath, it was certain to be kept.
So, when one was making an oath in the name of God,
It was essentially a theological statement about God’s rule over His people.
Because making an oath in God’s name is to submit one’s self to God for judgment if the oath were to be broken.
So, this mighty angel makes a twofold oath in God’s name.
First, that there would be no more delay.
If you remember the angel back in Dan. 12:6-7 was asked how long till the end?
The angel during Daniel’s time said there would be a delay of significant time.
The martyrs back in Rev. 6:10, also asked God ‘how long?’ in their lament.
Now, the angel John is seeing, says, there would be no more delay.
When the seventh trumpet sounds, the mystery of God will be revealed.
Because the sound of the seventh trumpet,
Calls forth the seven bowl judgments in ch. 16.
At that time, the pace of the judgment in Revelation quickens.
Leading up to the end of evil and the second coming of Christ.
The momentary mystery will be revealed.
God’s hidden plan that is sealed up here,
Will be fully seen.
When the end comes, all of God’s promises will be fulfilled.
God has announced this throughout His Word, written by the hands of His servants and prophets.
These are people committed to God who speak of events that have been communicated to them by God.
It is the human authors of the Bible, both the OT and NT.
They are not communicating their own messages or interpretations,
They are speaking on behalf of God, by the inspiration of God.
Through these human authors,
God has prophesied and predicted what will become a reality in the end.
His good and perfect and pleasing will for all people and all of creation,
Even the parts that have been hidden or only revealed in part,
Will be made known and will come to fruition.
The seventh trumpet signals the end of this present evil age.
And His Kingdom will come.
You can assuredly trust God will complete this work.
Though we may fail God,
God will never fail us.
This is the message of God’s Word.
Which is represented by the little scroll in our chapter this morning.
It is relevant to every generation of believer.
And the imagery in vs. 8-11 is striking.
John, representing Christians,
Interacts with the little scroll, representing God’s Word, in four ways.
He takes the Word, listens to the Word, feeds on the Word, then proclaims the Word.
But this little scroll is bittersweet,
It is transformative and life-changing,
But it can feel like a mixed message.
Let us look at this mixed message in Rev. 10:8-11;
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.” 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.” 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. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
There have not been many commands given directly to John throughout this vision of Revelation.
He has also been primarily an observer.
But here in vs. 8, not only does the voice speak to him,
But it commands him to go and take the scroll.
John was unlikely going to approach this mighty angel on his own,
He needed the command to go and take the little scroll.
Christ similarly took the scroll from the hand of the Father back in ch. 5.
It represents a delegation of authority.
It also tells us that this is a different scroll,
Because only the Lamb was worthy to take the scroll in ch. 5.
The little scroll here lies open,
Like John, God’s Word is open for us today,
It is called the Bible.
Just as John was expected to go and take the little scroll,
God expects us to go and take His Word,
And with it, we explore His truths and discover Him and His character.
We don’t even have to walk up to a mighty angel to get it,
The Bible is readily available for you in countless ways,
Smart Phone app, internet, bookstores, hotel rooms, libraries, and on and on.
All you have to do is pick one and feed on it.
That is what happens in our passage here.
John goes and takes the scroll as he was commanded to do.
Then, he is told to eat the scroll.
This command echoes the command given to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezek. 3.
Or one of Stephanie’s favorite passages, Jer. 15:16;
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.
This phrase, eating a scroll,
Symbolizes having the authority to speak on behalf of the one who wrote the scroll.
And it is something interesting that may perhaps be lost in translation,
Because the Greek word translated to ‘eat’ is more often used to speak about devouring something,
It is to have a great appetite for something and to consume it in response.
So, John is not expected to just take this little scroll and nibble on it,
No, the word communicates that John has this ferocious hunger for the little scroll,
And he is expected to devour the little scroll in its entirety.
This is such a powerful way for us to understand how we approach God’s Word.
Our spiritual diet is not as diverse as our physical diet,
We simply feed on God’s Word for nourishment.
And when we do, like John experienced,
It will be sweet to taste, but will make our stomachs bitter.
What exactly does this mean?
Well, the contents of this little scroll contains news of suffering as a result of God’s judgment.
This news will make John’s stomach bitter.
He will feel sick.
I think we can look at the judgments throughout Revelation,
See the suffering,
And resonate with the fact that it makes our stomachs feel bitter.
Yet, God’s Word is sweet like honey.
We see this stated in Psalm 19:10; 119:103;
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
God’s Word is a joyful delight.
Because reading God’s Word is like sitting down and having a meal with God.
It is to commune with God.
It is to see and hear of His goodness.
It reveals His will to us.
His Word is His presence, and it provides sweetness,
The Gospel message found in God’s Word is the sweetest message there is.
So, yes, God’s Word is an emotionally mixed message.
We see sadness and joy, the bitterness of judgment and the sweetness of the gospel.
This is what John experienced by being obedient to the command to eat the scroll.
The final command of this chapter is a call to prophesy.
John is told that he must prophesy.
This language indicates that the prophetic ministry of the Apostle John and the church is a necessity.
Prophesying can sometimes be misconstrued as predicting future events only.
But prophesying as a whole is divine communication to people.
So, when you share the Gospel and tell people about Jesus,
When you post a Bible verse on social media,
When you are talking with others about what the Bible says or teaches,
You are prophesying.
You are communicating God’s Word to people.
At times, as we see in Revelation for example,
There can be a future element to prophesying,
But it is not necessary.
To prophesy it to be obedient to the Great Commission.
There is a moral obligation to this,
We must prophesy, we must proclaim God’s Word, we must go and make disciples,
As Revelation says here, to many peoples and nations and languages and kings.
Just as we talked about moments ago,
This is bittersweet.
For those who believe, it communicates the sweetness of salvation.
But to those who do not,
It speaks of the bitterness of judgment.
This makes prophesying confrontational.
The Word being prophesied is what confronts,
We are told to speak the truth in love.
And Jesus tells us the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.
The truth of God’s Word confronts people with the reality of God’s judgment.
So, you are to speak the truth to your neighbor as you speak the truth to yourself.
Do you condemn yourself with the truth that you are a disgusting person because of your sin?
Probably not.
But it is true that you are a sinner.
As a sinner, you will experience the bitter judgment of God.
So, you want to know that truth so that you do not receive the bitter judgment of God.
The sweetness of God’s Word teaches that Jesus took the bitter pill of God’s judgment so that you do not have to.
So, it is pretty important that you know the sweetness of God’s Word as well.
That means, to love your neighbor as yourself,
Is to tell your neighbor both the bitterness and sweetness of God’s truth,
Just as you need to hear on a regular basis.
But my concern is that the longer you are a Christian,
The more tempted you will be to downplay your “little sins” like jealousy, or anger, or lust, or gossip.
At the same time,
You tell your neighbor how disgusting their sins are like drinking, or cussing, or being a democrat, or a homosexual.
You see, you are just as guilty for your sin as your unsaved neighbor is.
The only difference is the grace of Jesus Christ has made God’s truth take hold of your heart.
So, take inventory of how you are speaking truth to your neighbor.
Are you loving them?
Are you letting the truth confront?
Are you speaking the truth to your neighbor the same way you speak the truth to yourself?
In the midst of judgment, God announces the good news of His grace revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God calls us, like John here,
To proclaim His Word to many peoples and nations and languages and kings.
WE: Conc.
WE: Conc.
Chuck Swindoll shares insights on Rev. 10;
“Just like John, we have roles to play in God’s ultimate plan…each of us have been given a crucial mission to share the good news of salvation with the world (Matt. 28:19-20). Yet just like John, we must first internalize the message, allowing it to become a part of our own lives. It’s true that the gospel of Jesus Christ involved both bad news and good news—bad news about lost humans subject to divine judgment but good news about the righteous Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the complete penalty for us and saves us when we simply trust in Him. As ambassadors for Christ in this age, we must not only understand and accept the gospel ourselves, but we must also be able to communicate that message to others. Have you accepted God’s commission on your life?”
God’s Word is a sweet delight,
As this passage says, it tastes like honey in our mouth,
It fills us with joy.
Yet, His Word is bittersweet,
Because the sweetness of His truth includes judgment.
The parts of His Word that proclaim judgment speak of pain and anguish.
It is okay to weep over the judgment that will come,
In Matthew 23, Jesus wept over the destruction of Jerusalem.
The coming judgment causes grief,
It is bitter.
The message that our world will receive judgment and destruction should cause heartache and tears.
But the sweetness of God’s Word ends with God’s promise to wipe those tears from our eyes.
Because through His judgment death is no more.
As God says in Ezekiel 18:32, He has no pleasure in the death of anyone,
So, God goes on to say, turn, and live!
I think back on how bittersweet dad’s marriage to Kelly is for me,
And despite the presence of the bitterness,
The sweetness makes it worth it.
Because the place dad is now as a result of this bittersweet wedding,
Is far better than he was before it.
So, I rejoice and celebrate and embrace this bittersweet experience.
I am sure whatever your bittersweet experience is,
That you would likely agree.
Such is the case with the bittersweet scroll.
The sweetness of God’s Word and God’s presence overpowers the bitterness of His judgment.
Because His Word teaches that His judgment is necessary to free us from the sting of death.
Pray