Revelation 10:8-11
Chapter 10
8
And the voice I had heard from heaven spoke again, saying to me, “Go near the angel who stands on the sea and on the land, and take the small book open in his hand.”
9
So, I approached the angel and asked him for the small book; he said to me, “Take it and eat; although it be sweet as honey in your mouth, it will be bitter to your stomach.”
10
I took the small book from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach.
11
Then I was told, “You must again proclaim God’s words about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Commentaries
The Little Book.
A mighty angel appears, his dazzling features making him seem like a heavenly figure very close to the Lord. The content of the oath refers to the complete certainty that the “Mystery” or universal plan of salvation will be fully realized. God sustains, guides, and drives this fulfillment. However, we should not focus on temporary calculations but rather on the certainty of its completion and the inescapable assurance of final victory. All the greatness of this mysterious angel is concentrated in the “little book” (as described in the Greek text). Essentially, God’s plan has been gradually unfolding throughout history. In this process, John, as a prophet, assumes his significance. The symbolic gesture of the angel offering him the book to devour is now revealed. John swallows the book, vividly illustrating the process of internalizing the Word. It is necessary to absorb and incorporate it so that the prophet can live by the power of God’s Word. The taste it gives is bittersweet; on one side, it brings the joy of proclaiming God’s message; on the other, the bitterness of intentionally rejecting the spoken word (cf. Am 3:3-8; Jr 20:9).