This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network |
The Mighty Angel with the Little Book” — that’s the subtitle in my Bible in Revelation, chapter 10. It’s catchy enough to be a movie title but it’s not fictitious. It’s prophecy.
John saw what he described as an “extremely powerful angel coming out of heaven, robed in a cloud. There was a halo over his head like a rainbow; his face shined bright like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire” (Revelation 10:1, TPT).
The angel had one foot on the sea and one foot on land.
We can only imagine the sight of such a powerful (and intimidating) angelic creature. But I’m grateful God has given us a glimpse of these things through His Word. Unlike the porcelain cherubs people collect and set out in their home as “cute” — the angels of God are mighty. In fact, David described them as those “who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His Word” (Psalm 103:20).
These are not miniature beings with wings flitting about with bows and arrows. The angels of God are powerful and radiant.
As John watched this mighty Angel descend, he noticed he had a tiny book in his hand. A voice from Heaven instructed him to take the book and eat it. I can’t help but picture the vast difference between this angel and a book that must have been the size of a cracker in his hand for John to be able to take and “eat” it. After he took the scroll, the angel said, “It will be sour in your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth.” So John “took the little scroll from the hand of the mighty angel and ate it. Indeed, it was sweet as honey to taste, but after [he] had eaten it, [his] stomach turned bitter” (Revelation 10:9-10, TPT).
Taste. And Tell.
This description of the tiny book seems contradictory — something that tastes sweet and then turns bitter. But without being too descriptive, I imagine you’ve eaten something delicious to the taste that unfortunately, was later thrown up unexpectedly. I have. And although this imagery isn’t pretty, it’s quite accurate.
I have tasted God’s Word. It has been sweet to my soul — bringing comfort, joy, healing, and peace. But it couldn’t stay there. To hold it in would’ve been tormenting. It had to come out — I had to tell others. Jeremiah described it this way: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts… But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 15:16, 20:9b).
Jeremiah couldn’t hold back what God had put in his heart. Neither could John. The angel said to him, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings” (Revelation 10:11).
In other words, John had to tell forth God’s message and proclaim His truth. Jeremiah and John couldn’t hold back, but truth is, neither can you and I.
It’s time to be bold.
In these last days, the Bible says God will pour out His Spirit on His sons and daughters and they will prophesy (Acts 2:17). This means those who are sensitive to God can’t be any more quiet than the prophets and apostles of former times. But the good news is, God has made it easy for us — as we daily consume His Word, it will naturally come out!
So keep eating.
Keep partaking.
Enjoy the sweetness of every bite.
And don’t hold it in.
