Chapter Twenty-Four/A Sweet-and-Bitter Message - The Opened Scroll

 While John is waiting for the blowing of this seventh trumpet and the bringing to a finish of the sacred secret of God, he is given a further assignment: "And the voice that I heard out of heaven is speaking again with me and saying: 'Go, take the opened scroll that is in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and the earth.' And I went away to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me: 'Take it and eat it up, and it will make your belly bitter, but in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.' And I took the little scroll out of his hand of the angel and ate it up, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; but bitter. And they say to me; you must prophesy again with regard to peoples and nations and tongues and many kings.' " - REVELATION 10:8-11.

John's experience is rather similar to that of the prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of Babylonia. He too was commanded to eat a scroll that tasted sweet in his mouth. But it filled his stomach, it made him responsible to tell the bitter things for the rebellious house of Israel. (Ezekiel2:8-3:15) The opened scroll that the glorified Jesus Christ gives to John is likewise a divine message. John is to preach regarding "peoples and nations and tongues and many kings." To feed upon this scroll is sweet for him because it is from a divine source. (Compare Psalm 119:103; Jeremiah 15:15, 16) But he finds it bitter to digest because-it foretells unsavory things for rebellious humans. - PSALM 145:20.

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