Revelation 10:8-11

Bitter Sorrow, Sweet Salvation

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on January 27, 2019 at Beacon Church

The scene in this vision is colossal. A giant angel descends from heaven with a scroll in his left hand, a rainbow crown, a face like the sun, plants his feet on sea and land, calls out with a roar, causing thunders to echo, raises his right hand to heaven and swears by God Himself, “…in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets,” (Rev. 10:7 ESV). He tells the future in light of ancient Scripture. How are we supposed to make sense of this? You’ll see that the writer, the Apostle John, takes that scroll and eats it in verse 10, and that eating the scroll introduces more prophecies in Revelation. So he didn’t eat a literal scroll—it’s a literary way of introducing prophecy. And if the scroll is a symbol, so is the hand that held it, and so is the angel the hand belongs to. Last week I explained why the rainbow on the angel’s head represents the covenant of grace in the Gospel, and the details of the cloud, of his face, his legs, and his voice all point to the fact that as a character in this vision, he personifies the Word of Christ—what we now know as the writings of the Bible. The angel-symbol practically crackles with power—it roars, thunders, and shakes as the emblem of Holy Scripture stands towering over the whole Earth—it dwarfs everything else. Everything except Christ. The visceral potency of this angel is Christ’s to command.

Power and authority like this cannot—must not—be ignored: you can’t ignore the Word of Jesus Christ. You must not ignore the Good News He tells you in His Word, and you dare not ignore the warnings in His Word. It’s eternal suicide to reject His promise of life, of forgiveness for your sins, His invitation of love and acceptance and a place in God’s family, but to turn your back on His warnings is literally to make a choice that prefers damnation and death over liberty and life. But amazingly, that’s what the next chapters show people choosing: people who hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ turning their backs on Him and even persecuting those who do believe in Jesus. And the really shocking part is that as these prophecies reveal these enemies of Christ, they turn out to be the official Church--its leaders and its people.

These verses, this vision, in the middle of the book of Revelation, like a message within a message; this little scroll revealed inside the scroll with seven seals (i.e. the whole rest of Revelation), contains a special set of prophecies unmasking a Christianity in rebellion against Christ. That is the theme of chapters 10-14, which in this sermon series I’ve called, “The War Against the Saints”. I think most Christians should get upset while reading these chapters in Revelation. It’s supposed to be hard to swallow. The forecast calls for strong emotions. Jesus was sending his last prophet to warn the Church to stay faithful to Christ the Lord. The people in the least danger of becoming unfaithful to Jesus are the ones most likely to think John’s pleading with them. So how should you respond to this vision? You need to obey Jesus; you need to submit to His Word; you need to hope in His justice, and you need to pay attention to His prophet.

You need to obey Jesus

“Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land,’" (Rev. 10:8 ESV). The "voice from heaven" can only be the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1 says the whole prophecy was a message from Jesus. The main pieces of the whole vision—the seven seals of the scroll opened by the Lamb—were predicted on the authority of Jesus. But in the vision, the Lamb never speaks. When Jesus speaks directly in the vision, John hears His voice from heaven. This point is simple, but important: It is therefore the voice of Jesus Himself telling John what to do. He commanded John to “Go”, to “take” the “little scroll”—the word “little scroll” distinguishes this from the scroll the Lamb received from the right hand of God—and this helps us clear up the confusion that comes from trying to figure out a) if the scroll with seven seals was in God’s right hand, b) and the Lamb took it from God (5:7), then, c) why does an angel have it now, and d) why is it in his left hand? Answer: It’s not the same scroll, but a message within a message—from Jesus, by the angel, to John, for the entire so-called Christian Church (as we’ll see).

The picture is taken from Ezekiel 2 in order to help us understand this scene in light of that passage. In that scene Ezekiel saw “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (1:29) in a “human appearance” (1:26)—a vision of Christ—who told him, “…You son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house [of Israel]; open your mouth and eat what I give you. And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll was in it” (Eze 2:8-9). Just like Ezekiel, and like John, we need to obey that voice from heaven, the One whose glory overwhelmed Ezekiel—like those prophets obeyed what He said, so must we.

You need to submit to His Word

“So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll,” (Rev. 10:9 ESV). Can you imagine, even in a vision, walking up to a colossal angel that looks like that, and telling him what to do? Not me! And if this angel is “a personification of the Word of Christ”, then does this mean John had a higher authority than the Bible? No. First notice that John told the angel to give him the scroll, for the sole reason that Christ told him to go and take the scroll—meaning Jesus has authority over the Bible. Second, even when John goes and does what Christ told him to do, the angel then tells John what to do. Keeping in mind what the angel personifies, we might call this the "Go take/Get told Principle”. And isn't this what we experience when we read the Bible? Regardless of why we first started reading the Bible, when we begin to understand it we come to realize that from cover to cover, it resonates, it speaks with authority: His authority. If Jesus is your Lord, then His Word, the Bible, is His authority over you. But then, what does the angel tell John to do? “And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey,’” (Rev. 10:9 ESV).

In obedience to the Word of Christ, John was ordered to consume and digest the whole scroll. The word for “eat” here means “eat it up”, consume the whole thing. No nibbling allowed. Devour it. I’ll say more about that in a minute. But then the angel tells John it’s going to make his stomach bitter, but taste sweet at first. What’s supposed to strike you about this is that it’s very different from what we read in Ezekiel. That prophet saw the scroll was full of words “of lamentation and woe” (Eze 2:10; 3:1) and then  was told to eat it all up. But then he sounds surprised when he writes, “I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey”. He didn’t expect words of lamentation and woe to taste sweet. Ezekiel expected to find only sorrow when his people were judged for rebelling against God, but in the end God’s justice was sweeter than the alternative. Why? Because a world where God is righteous is infinitely more desirable than a world where sin goes unpunished. John knows if he eats this little scroll he’s going to have to prophesy like Ezekiel did—a message of “lamentation and woe”; that it’s going to be painful for him to see what’s going to happen to the Church in the future. He was warned. And still he obeyed, because in submitting to the Scripture, John was submitting to the authority of the Saviour he knew is merciful and loving—and righteous. These aren’t just any dry, cold words: they are the words of Christ!

·         The sweet taste of God’s Word echo other passages of Scripture: "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way."  (Psa 119:103-104 ESV)

·         And, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

You need to hope in His Gospel

“And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter,” (Rev. 10:10 ESV). So John did as he was told: a) first by the command of the voice from heaven—by Jesus; b) second by the angel, personifying the Word of Christ. This means that when John took and ate the scroll, he submitted to the Word of Christ, and through the Word, to Christ Himself. Sure enough, John writes that he tasted the sweetness of His Saviour’s words, but then he confesses the bitter sorrow it caused him, as he digested the implications of the message he was given in that scroll. Did he make the wrong choice? Did he later regret accepting a message that would cause him pain to deliver? Did he become bitter? You tell me: after he saw the whole Revelation and then began to write it down, he introduced himself like this in chapter 1: “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 1:9). That doesn’t sound like he became bitter! It sounds like “patient endurance” because of “the testimony of Jesus”—because of the Good News Jesus had made known, like in the Gospel John wrote, where he calls himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, where his testimony is that,

“…Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name,”  (Jn. 20:30-31 ESV).

And at the end of Revelation, when Jesus says, “Surely I am coming soon,” John immediately responds, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20). John was given a taste of the sorrow and pain that would come from preaching this prophecy. But it was his confidence in the goodness and righteousness of His Lord that enabled him to trust, and obey, and hope.

So he ate it up. No editing, or selecting the parts people would want to hear. Scholars debate exactly what message that “little scroll” contained (although it’s only a literary symbol for the next section of prophecy). Some say just to the middle of chapter 11. Others to the end of chapter 15, or 15-22, etc.[i] I take this scroll to be an introduction to the prophecies of Rev 11-14. Here’s why: because Ezekiel’s scroll introduces the whole section of prophecies against Jerusalem and the Jewish people, from Ezekiel 4-24 (ch.25 begins a section of prophecy against other nations). And several details in Ezekiel’s prophecies against the Jews parallel John’s prophecies against corrupt Christianity in chapters 11-14, giving us a good idea exactly how much of the next predictions were “in” this little scroll, how much are a special warning to the Church, like Ezekiel’s was to the Jews:

1. 1. Ezekiel has a temple vision (8); John has a temple vision (11)

   2. Ezekiel prophesies about three witnesses (14:12-20); John sees two witnesses (11)

   3. Ezekiel prophesies about God's bride, bearing Him children (16:20); John saw heavenly woman bearing a son (12)

   4. Ezekiel saw the Bride become a Prostitute (16:15); John saw a Bride replaced by a Prostitute (14:8, c.f. ch.17)

   5. Ezekiel saw an eagle carry the king into exile (17:3-4); John saw the Church carried into exile on eagle's wings (12)

   6. Ezekiel saw the judgement of Jerusalem and captivity in Babylon (e.g. 4, 12); John saw the Church become “Babylon” (14:8, c.f. ch.17)

   7. Ezekiel (13) and John both saw false prophets lead the people astray (13)

   8. Ezekiel saw Jerusalem symbolized as a woman drunk and disgraced by sexual immorality (23:28-35); John saw the corrupt Church symbolized as a drunk, disgraced harlot (c.f. 14:8).

No wonder John felt the bitterness and weight of the future Jesus showed to him. But this grief for the fates of so many people motived this prophet not to lie, but to speak the truth: Jesus was sending his last prophet with an urgent, painfully graphic warning for the Church to stay faithful to Him. We see this sense of urgency in verse 11.

You need to pay attention to His prophet

“And I was told, ‘You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings,’" (Rev. 10:11 ESV). The words “I was told” are actually “they told me” in Greek. John might be writing it this way because he was conscious of the great, double-charge placed upon him by the authority of the angel and the voice from Heaven.

Let me try to illustrate this: I have a dull axe, and a new, sharp and heavier axe—which one do you think splits wood more effectively? (the wood splits almost at will, like people choosing sides!)

A heavy deposit of prophecies from the Old and New Testaments was pressing down on the narrow edge of this message, this call, this prophecy, a warning to future generations to repent of their nominal religion and either be for Christ or against Him: if against, you must accept your judgement. But if you are for Christ, you must be all for Christ. Next he was told, “you must again…” This is picking up on the ancient prophecies from verse 7, it is in a way announcing something "again"--something already written in Scripture: "just as he announced to his servants the prophets". John is to take this hundred pound, razor sharp axe head, made heavy by the weight of all the prophets predicted about the apostasy of the Last Days, and with a new, sharp edge, swing it against a new generation. He is being sent as a final prophet to make future believers aware of the old warnings and predictions of prophets like Ezekiel, but especially of Daniel, regarding the Antichrist and “the war against the saints”—the subject of chas. 11-14. The horrifying truth he predicts in these next chapters is that the greatest enemy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ appeared not somewhere outside the Church, but came from inside the Church. John is about to prophesy to show how the people of Christ will betray the love of Christ, just like the people of Jerusalem betrayed their loving God in Ezekiel's time.

When we read the things John goes on to predict, we are supposed to be shaken by the warning that people who learn about the love of Jesus can so easily prostitute themselves to other lovers. And then to examine ourselves! As the Word of Christ swung by this obedient prophet strikes us with its edge, do we side with Jesus, or with His enemies? We are going to need to pay careful attention to what this prophet writes in these next pages. The corruption of the Church will be wide spread: John is about to prophesy “against peoples, nations, languages and kings”—one might say against a “universal” apostasy. Doesn’t it seem to  you that there is a strong current of “normal” Christianity that pulls and pressures you to go along with it and keep Jesus in the church service and out of your everyday life? But how should you respond to John’s prophesying as we come to these next chapters announced by the “little scroll”? You need to obey Jesus; you need to submit to His Word; you need to hope in His justice; you need to pay attention to His prophet.

Even in the middle of Israel’s disobedience, even while living through their punishment from God, He sent Ezekiel with a promise of sweet grace if only they would turn back to the Lord:

19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,  20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.  21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD."  (Ezek. 11:19-21 ESV)

Jesus is not just a powerful Sovereign; He is a powerful Saviour. So now, choose life. Serve Him. Ask Him to forgive you, and to give you a new heart, to give you His Spirit. Amen.