Posted on by Chris Hardin

Revelation 10

Revelation chapter 10:1-6

10 I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was on his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; 2 and he had in his hand a little scroll, which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. 4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.” 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will no longer be a delay, 

Let’s break this down…

10 I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was on his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; 

 

  1. We previously noted that in Revelation 8:3 that ‘another’ angel came and stood at the altar, and we noted that the word for ‘another’ here was ‘allos’, meaning ‘another of the same type.

Well, here again, in chapter 10 the word denoting ‘another strong angel’ is again ‘allos’, not ‘heteros’. This is another angel of the same type.

  1. If this were Christ, John would have fallen down and worshipped Him. John tried to do that with another angel in Revelation 19:9-10 but was told to stand back up.

9 Then he *said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

John didn’t do this with the ‘strong angel’ at the beginning of this chapter, so he clearly knew that angel wasn’t Christ.

 

JVM says this angel wears a uniform as special envoy of Christ– clothed with a cloud (not coming with clouds of glory as Christ will do in Revelation 1:7

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.)

Daniel 7:13

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a son of man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.


And a rainbow on his head…

‘This is his cap to go with the uniform and is a reminder of God’s covenant with man during all these judgements that God will not send a flood again.’ Contrast that with the bow (covenant) of the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:1.   A rainbow was on His head – He is always mindful of His covenant.

 

… and his face was like the sun…

Okay, but his face was like the sun. Doesn’t that prove it is Jesus? Because look at the description of Jesus in Rev. 1:16?

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

Oh, really? Look at Moses in Exodus 34:29-35.

29 And it came about, when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

 

…feet like pillars of fire…

Again, part of his uniform as a special envoy of Jesus.

Two ways to make way for holiness – innocent blood and holy fire. The burning bush, the blood sacrifices. Perhaps his feet are ablaze because earth is too polluted otherwise to set foot on, which he does in the next verse.

 

Continuing…

Revelation 10:2   and he had in his hand a little scroll, which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; 

The ‘little scroll’ – possibly the same scroll that Jesus opened in chapter 5. ‘Biblios’. ‘Little book’. Not the same term. The title deed to the earth? Scripture doesn’t shed any more light on it.

 

‘Right foot on the sea, left foot on the land’…

Like an explorer claiming authority over both the land and sea. A posture of authority. ‘Sea’ often is symbolic of masses of people, but in this case, I think it was the literal sea on earth.

 

 

Revelation 10:3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. 4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.”

Some say that as Christ is the Lion of Judah, surely this is more evidence that this angel is actually Jesus. There are too many other things that refute it though for me to buy this idea.

*Many authors and scholars (such as Todd Hampson) say this angel is Jesus. JVM gives a list of respected scholars in his notes that think likewise.

But in typical JVM style, he says something like ‘if you want to say it is Jesus, you’d be in good company. But if you want to be right, stick with me.’ !

 

The seven thunders are likely the voice of God. Psalm 29 alludes to this….

3 The voice of the Lord is on the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

7 The voice of the Lord divides flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”


Interestingly, seven times the ‘voice of the Lord’ is mentioned in this Psalm. Seven, remember, is the number of completion.

 

John is told to “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.”

Where else have we heard this command?

 

Daniel 12:4

4 But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

            From Matthew Poole’s Commentary…

            Shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: by these words the angel doth not forbid all knowledge of the things here foretold, for

            whatsoever is written is written for our learning; but the meaning is,

            1. That Daniel must take notice of the special favour of God to him to make so great         discoveries of the Divine secrets.

            2. That they were intrusted with him to see the force and fruit of his humiliation and f       ervent prayer.

            3. That he should support, and lay up these things for the support of the godly in their       future deep afflictions.

            4. That God would never utterly forsake his people, though their sins justly provoked his heavy hand upon them.

            5. That these things be kept from the profane, who would make an evil’ use of them.

            6. The book was commanded to be sealed, because it would be long ere the words would be all fulfilled, whereas those that were shortly to be fulfilled were forbidden to be          sealed: see 2 Chronicles 21:12 Isaiah 8:16 Revelation 22:10. Many shall run to and fro;     they shall diligently inquire and search these prophecies concerning the fates of the church, and shall see and admire both the prescience and providence of God concerning           things to come; they shall know signs of the times, and wait upon God in the way of his judgments: see Psalm 77:5-7 Isaiah 26:8 1 Peter 1:10-12. The miserable Jews pervert     this scripture, and forbid the people by dire threatenings to calculate times, namely, lest           they find thereby that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah. Thus are they wilfully and       judicially blinded, Acts 28:26 Romans 11:8. And knowledge shall be increased; he means chiefly in gospel times, which came by the preaching of Christ and searching the         Scriptures about it.

And yet in Revelation 22:10, John is told…


10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 

*So what was special about the seven thunders that only they had to be omitted? Missler jokes that until we know what they said, the Bible isn’t complete.

Revelation 10:5-6

5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, 

6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will no longer be a delay, 

 

  1. To further settle the controversy on whether this is Jesus Himself or an angel – this angel swears by another than himself, namely Jesus, (who created all things Colossians 1:13-16 13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, bothin the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.) The angel did not swear by himself.

If this were Jesus, He would swear by Himself (As He did in the Genesis covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15, Hebrews 6)

Hebrews 6:13

13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear an oath by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 

Christ does not appear in Revelation as an angel at any time. – JVM

 

… there will no longer be a delay..

*This recalls Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; 

You recall that the Greek root of that phrase is ‘en taxei’ from which we get ‘tachometer’. The implication is of rapid execution, that once the events of Revelation start, they will proceed quickly, at a rapid pace.

 

 

Revelation 10:7

7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets. (NASB)

7 When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.” (NLT)

 

JVM notes:

‘All the preceding takes place when the seventh angel is preparing to blow his trumpet. The fact that there is something that we don’t know about because it has been sealed means that God has a whole lot to tell us yet. When we get into His presence, we will find out.’

1 Corinthians 13:12

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.

 

This verse foreshadows Revelation 11:15, when the seventh trumpet actually does sound…

15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“We give You thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

———————————————————————————————————————David Guzik commentary….

  1. The mystery of God would be finished: What mystery? One important aspect of this mystery is that it has been declared to His servants the prophets.
  2. In Biblical vocabulary, a mystery isn’t something no one knows. A mystery is something no one could know unless it was revealed to him. If you could know it by intuition or personal investigation, it isn’t a mystery, because mysteries must be revealed. Therefore, something can be known and still be a mystery in the Biblical sense.
  3. The mystery of God: It’s hard to say what this precise mystery of God is, because the phrase – or its equivalent – is used for a many different aspects of God’s plan.
  • The ultimate conversion of the Jewish people is called a mystery (Romans 11:25).
  • God’s purpose for the church is called a mystery (Ephesians 3:3-11).
  • The bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles is called a mystery (Romans 11:25).
  • The living presence of Jesus in the believer is called the mystery of God (Colossians 1:27-2:3).
  • The gospel itself is called the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3).

– Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:11)

–  Mystery of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11)

 –  Mystery of Israel’s blindness (Romans 11:25)

  • The ultimate conversion of the Jewish people is called a mystery (Romans 11:25).
  • The bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles is called a mystery (Romans 11:25).

 – Mystery of the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51)

 – Mystery of His will (Ephesians 1:9)

 – Mystery of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32)

– Mystery of iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

– Mystery of God and Christ (Colossians 2:2)

– Mystery of the Faith (1 Timothy 3:9)

– Mystery of Godliness (1 Timothy 3:16)

– Mystery of the Seven Stars and Golden Lampstands (Rev. 1:20)

– Mystery of Babylon the Great (Rev 17:5)

-Mystery of The Harlot (Revelation 17:7)

 

  1. The mystery of God: In this context, the mystery of God probably refers to the unfolding of His resolution of all things, the finishing of His plan of the ages.
  2. “The mystery of God which is declared as subject to fulfillment is unfolded therefore in the Old Testament in the many passages which speak of the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.” (Walvoord)
  3. Possibly, the mystery also regards the great question “Why does God allow Satan and man to rebel and go their own way?” The idea may be that this question, this unanswered mystery, is coming to an end under rule of Jesus. God is beginning the end, the resolution of all things, the gathering together (resolution, summing up) of all things in one in Jesus (Ephesians 1:10).

iii. God freely acknowledges that life today is full of mysteries; but it will not always be so. A day will come when all questions of this age will be answered.

 

about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Some take this to mean that he will be one of the two witnesses during the Tribulation. Others say it has to do with his ministry once he returned from Patmos after Domitian died, and the fact the Revelation would be translated into many languages all around the world.

Seven Thunders – frustrating that he was told not to write down what they’d said. Why even mention it then? Missler says because of this not all of the Bible has been revealed to us.

David Guzik commentary…

  1. The mighty angel.
  2. (1) A mighty angel comes down from heaven.

I saw still another (allos (usage here – ‘of the same kind’ vs. heteros ‘of a different kind’)) mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

  1. I saw still another mighty angel: Revelation 9 left off with the sounding of the sixth of seven trumpets, which ushered in the end of all things. Now, instead of the seventh trumpet, we have another interlude until Revelation 11:15.
  2. These interludes serve a dramatic purpose, but also show mercy in allowing more opportunity for repentance. It is as if God brought things to the brink, then pulled back a little to grant mankind more time to repent.
  3. Another mighty angel coming down from heaven: Many have identified this mighty angel, this messenger, as Jesus because some of the imagery also applies to Him. Revelation 1:15-16also describes Jesus with His countenance… like the sun shining in its strength.
  4. Yet angels are never clearly identified with Jesus in the Book of Revelation or in the New Testament, though He is clearly associated with the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. A better identification is with the angel known as Michael because there are also similarities to this mighty angel and to Michael as he is described in Daniel 12:1 and 12:6-7.
  5. Whoever his exact identity, “clearly this angel has come from the very presence of God” (Barclay), and he has great might and authority.
  6. A rainbow was on his head: Not only is the rainbow a reminder of God’s promise to man, but it is also a natural result when the sun shines through a cloud.
  7. (2-3) The angel cries out, and seven thunders utter their voices.

He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

  1. He had a little book open in his hand: Is this little book the same as the scroll no one except Jesus could open in Revelation 5:1-7? If one takes the mighty angel to be Jesus, then it very well could be. But John used different words to describe the scroll of Revelation 5:1 and the little book written of here. It is probably best to see them as different, yet probably closely related. The little book is perhaps a short version of the disposition of all things, the portion that John himself will see and write about.
  2. “The contents of the little book are nowhere revealed in Revelation, but they seem to represent in this vision the written authority given to the angel to fulfill his mission.” (Walvoord)
  3. Clarke on the little book: “Meaning probably some design of God long concealed, but now about to be made manifest. But who knows what it means?”
  4. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land: The angel’s stance projects his authority over both land and sea. His authority is either direct (if the mighty angel is Jesus), or indirect (if this is indeed an angelic being as a messenger of God)..
  5. His stance “indicates complete authority over the entire earthly situation.” (Walvoord)
  6. He has his feet on both land and sea “to show that he had the command of each, and that his power was universal, all things being under his feet.” (Clarke)
  7. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices: This relates the same idea of the thunderous voice of God as described in Psalm 29, seven times repeating the phrase the voice of the Lord.
  8. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”(Psalm 29:3-9)
  9. (4) John is commanded not to write what the thunders said.

Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

  1. I was about to write… do not write them: Of course, this irritates many commentators and sets speculation running wild. What did they say that John must not tell us?
  2. Do not write them: If John was not permitted to tell us what they said, why should he even record the incident? One result of it should be to let us know there are secrets in the prophetic scenario, mysteries that should keep our exposition and prediction humble.
  3. “This illustrates the principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time.” (Walvoord)
  4. “Let us not proceed as though all has been revealed.” (L. Morris)
  5. (5-7) No more delay.

The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

  1. Raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever: The mighty angel gave a solemn oath declaring that the end is irrevocably set in motion, that there should be delay no longer. There was absolutely no turning back.

 

  1. Possibly, the mystery also regards the great question “Why does God allow Satan and man to rebel and go their own way?” The idea may be that this question, this unanswered mystery, is coming to an end under rule of Jesus. God is beginning the end, the resolution of all things, the gathering together (resolution, summing up) of all things in one in Jesus (Ephesians 1:10).

iii. God freely acknowledges that life today is full of mysteries; but it will not always be so. A day will come when all questions of this age will be answered.

  1. John is commissioned to preach.
  2. (8-9) Curious instructions.

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.” 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.”

  1. Take and eat it: John was commanded to take the little book from the mighty angel and actually eat it.
  2. Take and eat it: Because John was invited to take the little book, some take this to say that God never forces His revelation on anyone, and we always must be willing to take what He has offered. That may often be the case, but it was not the case with Paul on the road to Damascus.
  3. (10-11) A book both sweet and bitter.

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

  1. I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it: In Ezekiel 3:1-3, the prophet was also commanded to eat a scroll, the revelation of God to Israel. “This figure of eating the book is familiar, and suggests the feeding of the soul on the Word of God.” (Morgan)
  2. John could only proclaim the Word of God if he had taken it in; “Such an action symbolized the reception of the Word of God into the innermost being as a necessary prerequisite to proclaim it with confidence.” (Johnson)
  3. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter: This little book was initially sweet to the taste, but becomes bitter in John’s stomach. “Every revelation of God’s purposes… is ‘bitter-sweet,’ disclosing judgment as well as mercy.” (Swete)
  4. “When he came to think upon it, it was either so mysterious that he could not comprehend it, or the matter of it was so sad that it gave him great trouble.” (Poole)
  5. Any effective communicator of God’s Word has experienced both the sweetness and bitterness that is associated with His Word.

iii. Those who believe the church is raptured after the great tribulation argue that the scroll is bitter because the lot of the faithful is bitter in the last days. Mounce is an example of this approach: “The sweet scroll which turns bitter is a message for the church. Before the final triumph believers are going to pass through a formidable ordeal.”

  1. You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings: Whatever the content of the scroll, it is connected to John’s command to prophesy to all men. This is not a message just focused to the church.
  2. John’s prophecy spoke of the fate of the entire world, not just one nation, empire or emperor, such as the Roman Empire.

©2019 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission

———————————————————————————————————————

Revelation 10:8-11

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” 9 And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. And he *said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11 And they *said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” (NASB)

 

This echoes Ezekiel chapter 3…(NLT)

3 The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4 Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. 5 I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. 6 No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! 7 But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. 8 But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. 9 I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

10 Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me. (May the glory of the Lord be praised in his place!)[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels beneath them.

14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

16 After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

20 “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

22 Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.” 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go to your house and shut yourself in. 25 There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. 27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.

 

* Note that in both cases, eating the scroll led to a feeling of bitterness and turmoil (see 3:14).

Why?

We, you and I, have a solemn duty. Ever since Acts 1:8 was commanded by Jesus Himself.

Pertinent passage, that has many potential sermons in its text…

1 Timothy 4:13-16 (NKJV)

13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

 

*Are we making progress in our walk? It is ‘a walk’ after all. Where are we going? What is the point?

 

Of the bitterness experienced by both John and Ezekiel when they ate the scrolls…

*When we think of our loved ones in outer darkness, forever, with no hope of reconciliation, it is a bitter thought.

A meme I saw this week said…

‘Sometimes the best evangelism is simply telling people you’re a Christian and then not being a complete jerk.’

Take seriously your holy charge of Acts 1:8. How we go about it will be different for each of us, since we all have different gifts and talents. So take time to not only meditate on His Word, but what it is He wants from you specifically in these last days. Prayerfully think about it. Digest His Word like a ruminant thoroughly digests grass.

But like we just read in Ezekiel 3:7…

‘…For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn.’

Most will reject what we have to share, but like Ezekiel was told in 3:19

19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

Minimize the bitterness of regret you will one day experience. If you act on the direction of the Holy Spirit NOW, then your portion of bitterness will be all the less on that day. Your portion of regret over failure to share the truth will be less.