God’s Sweet and Sour Words

Revelation 10:8-11 

8 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.”  9 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.”
10 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. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

The interlude between the first six trumpets and the final seventh trumpet’s sounding forth God’s judgement now looks at the little book which the large angel had been holding. The voice from heaven (whether another angel or the Lord) commanded John in his vision visit to get the book.  He asked for it and was told that he would have to not only take what was given, but eat the book with all its words inside, words which would taste as sweet as sugary honey, bit afterwards upset his stomach badly.  God’s word and judgement is like that; there are many sweet things about grace and mercy and love, yet the hatred and judgement on sin are also in the prophecies of scripture.  John took and ate all those words.  He was then told that from those he would prophesy further about all the world, from the lowliest citizen to the highest earthly ruler.  God’s words of judgement (Psalm 9:7-10) would come down equally upon all who did not repent of all that offends Him (Revelation 9:20-21) and trust in His forgiveness and mercy in the Son of God, the Lamb who alone takes away sin (John 1:29).  These are both sweet and sour words.