Correct. Keep up the good work!
And
the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying,
"Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the
angel
who stands on the sea and on the land." 9And I went to the angel,
telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it, and eat it;
and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as
honey." 10And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate
it, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach
was made bitter. 11And they said to me, "You
must prophesy* again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and
kings." Revelation 10:8-11 (NAS)
* from the Greek word #4395 "propheteuo," meaning
to foretell events, or speak under inspiration (not
all prophesy involves foretelling the future).
The days of the 7th angel:
As a reminder, we are still in the place in the
Revelation which is after the 6th angel sounded the
trumpet...and before the 7th angel sounds his
trumpet. It is in this time or nearing the
time (the days of the 7th angel) when the mystery of
God is finished...as God had preached:
In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God's secret
plan will be finished. This plan is the Good News God told to his servants, the
prophets. Revelation 10:7 (ERV)
Immediately after this, John sees the little
book. Perhaps the little book represents the
Gospel itself (given its appearance in the vision
in this particular time). The text itself is
not specific as to what the little book represented
or the purpose of eating it.
Regardless of the message or meaning of the
little book, when it was eaten (or perhaps taken
internally or read) it made the stomach bitter, but
in the mouth it was as sweet as honey.
Proverbs 5:3-4 talks about evil things being sweet
to the taste, but in the end bitter as wormwood and
sharp as a two-edged sword. The scriptures
also talk about God's words as sweet to the
taste...and also as a two-edged sword.
However, as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 1:18,
the word of the cross (the message that Jesus died
on the cross for our sins) is "foolishness"
to those who are perishing, but to us that are being
saved "it is the power of God." Perhaps
the sweetness and the bitterness of the little book
is referring to the Gospel (the message of the
cross) and its affect on the hearer depending on
whether the message is accepted or rejected?
How
sweet
are
Thy (God's) words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than
honey to my mouth! 104From Thy precepts I
get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
105Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a
light to my path. 106I have sworn, and I
will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous
ordinances. Psalm 119:103-106 (NAS)
For the word of God is living and active and sharper
than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the
division of soul and spirit, of both joint and
marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NAS)
Let the praises of God be in their mouth, and a
two-edged sword in their hand, 7 To
execute vengeance on the nations, and punishment on
the peoples..." Psalm 149:6-7 (NAS)
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