The “Little Book” is sweet in the mouth but bitter to digest

Revelation 10

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• The sun, fire, cloud and rainbow.
• Seven Thunders are sealed up and not meant to be revealed.
• No more delay in bringing the Day of the Lord.
• The “Little Book” is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach.

The sun, fire, cloud and rainbow. “I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,” Revelation 10:1-2

The “little book” refers to more prophecy the Apostle John would receive after seeing the visions of the events within the Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets. The angel delivering the “little book” is described in the verse above.

The angel has a face like the sun and feet like fire. Sunshine is a good thing, but fire being set on the earth and seas is not a good thing. That fits into the prophecy of this book of Revelation relating to the sun and the catastrophe which comes to this planet.

I envision the right foot of fire being set on the sea, which would make the seas very hot. Then I envision the left foot of fire being set on the earth, which would make the earth very hot. That is definitely what is making all the news nowadays concerning global warming. Do they realize that global warming is the Fourth Plague as quoted in this verse, “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” Revelation 16:8-9.

There is good news for those of us who live for the testimony of Jesus Christ and everyone who wants to come to God through Jesus, the angel is clothed with a cloud and a rainbow on his head. That signifies hope, as a rainbow in the cloud is a reminder of the covenant God made with us through Jesus Christ. That covenant is this, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Genesis 9:12-14

Seven Thunders are sealed up and not meant to be revealed. “…and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” Revelation 10:3-4

When the angel cried out like a lion’s roar, then the seven thunders uttered their voices. To me, that is like those living for the Gospel of Christ crying out on this earth then the wrath of God sends out His judgment onto the earth. However, the angel did not want the Apostle John to include those seven thunders into the book of the Revelation. John was told to seal them up and do not write them.

We will never know with certainty what those seven thunders are because the Holy Spirit has sealed them up. That is reassuring for me because it lets me know that some things are not meant to be known. I won’t have to waste my time in fruitless debates, unresolvable contemplation, nor internet searches trying to find the answer. If I don’t know, so what, I don’t have to know.

No more delay in bringing the Day of the Lord. “The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven “and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,” Revelation 10:5-6

The angel swears to us by God the Creator that there will be no more delay in carrying out wrath on the earth against the global government of the beast. The wrath of God comes against those who live by the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and say. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through the masses of people in every city around the world.  It replaces the human conscience. People are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they say and do.

As people no longer function through the human conscience, the traits of psychopathy flood the world as people become egocentric to empower and exalt themselves above God. They feel no remorse and no need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ. They oppose, ridicule, and manipulate the presence of the Holy Spirit as they detest the life of Holiness. The world fills with anti-social activity, with no empathy for others within their superficial charm.

This heaven and earth, and all the oceans, will be destroyed, and God is going to create a new heaven and earth where we will live eternally in the New Jerusalem.

“…but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” Revelation 10:7

The day we are all waiting for, which is spoken about through the Holy Bible, is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came once two thousand years ago, and He is coming again when the Seventh Trumpet sounds (Seventh Angel), as quoted below,

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 

Revelation 11:15

The “Little Book” is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach. “Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” Revelation 10:8 The Apostle John was given the command to take the “Little Book,” which contains what he would write in the book of the Revelation from this point forward. Likewise, the Holy Spirit tells us to take the book of the Revelation.

“So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Revelation 10:9 The Apostle John wanted the “Little Book”, and he was given the advisory that it would be bitter in the stomach but as sweet as honey in the mouth. The Holy Spirit gives us that same advisory as we begin reading the book of the Revelation.

The book of the Revelation is intriguing to read but when it’s ingested, we know the bitterness. It’s sweet to read because it reveals what we are witnessing in the world today and lets us know God is in control. Through it all, we will have an eternal home in the New Jerusalem as we hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ. At the same time, as it is digested in our understanding, it makes us feel queasy with a bitter aftertaste knowing the chaos, turbulence, and persecution lurking in the world. It’s the uneasiness of knowing our belief in God is mocked, and that the acknowledgement of the need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ is persecuted, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life is ridiculed.

“Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.” Revelation 10:10 Any follower of Jesus Christ has that testimony after reading the Revelation. We are excited to share what we learn in the “Little Book”, but it is a bitter message.

“And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” Revelation 10:11 The “Little Book” given to the Apostle John was to complete the vision of his prophecy as written in the Revelation. Today, there is someone in every city around the world who knows something about what is written in the book of the Revelation. The “Little Book” is written about many people, nations, tongues, and kings. It is a book written about the global government of the beast (United Nations) and everyone who participates in the anti-Christian global culture.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the mission to prophesy according to the word of God. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” Revelation 19:10, which means if we want to share where the world is within prophecy all we need to do is share where Jesus Christ is within the world. While we enjoy reading the Holy Bible, the message to today’s world is a bitter one. The masses of the world have rejected Jesus Christ, and their world is coming to a crashing halt. People in every city around the world has chosen to live by the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and say. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through them and by what they say and do they despise Christianity. They are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they say and do.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1