CONNECTED TO THE PROPHETS OF OLD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the voice that I had heard from Heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’“  I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.

Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Revelation 10:8-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Revelation, chapter 10 opens, we find an angel coming down from Heaven and standing on the earth with one foot in the sea and one on land. In yesterday’s message, we read the following, the very last statement from the angel as he addressed the world:

“But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

This proclamation was nothing less than a connection point between what God had told the Old Testament prophets would come and what would come in regard to His judgment on the earth, a coming fulfillment of prophecy that we get to read about in the Book of Revelation.

Hold that thought on the Old Testament prophets because we’re going to come back to it but before we do that, we need to look at the remaining verses of Revelation 10 and something John did that was commanded from Heaven. Look again at these words here:

Then the voice that I had heard from Heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’“  I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.

Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Vv. 8-11

We learned earlier in this chapter that the angel standing on the earth was holding a “little scroll” that was lying open in his hand. This was the scroll that the voice from Heaven told John to take and eat, and He was obedient to that demand.

Now, the scriptures don’t tell us about what was on the scroll but it’s largely believed that it was a miniature version of the scroll Jesus had, the one that He was breaking the seals...and at this juncture, we know there was still a seventh seal still left intact.

This wasn’t the case with this small scroll that John ate, a scroll that was sweet as honey when in his mouth but turned his stomach sour once it went down. This was symbolic of God’s total judgment plan for the world and with this tiny scroll open, that full plan is what is believed went down into John. It tasted good at first because everything God does is good and perfect to include His judgment but once consumed, the bitterness of the judgment experience for those it falls upon is represented by John’s upset stomach.

Before we close out this particular message, we need to go back to the Old Testament and the prophet Ezekiel. Here’s what we find in chapter 3 and his encounter with God:

And He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”

And He said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” Vv. 1-11

Here, we find God giving Ezekiel a scroll to eat, just as what happened to John in our passage for today. And like the scroll John ate, the scroll given to Ezekiel “tasted as sweet as honey” in his mouth as both had literally consumed the Word of God to deliver to the audience God intended.

For Ezekiel, this was a message to the “hardened and obstinate” Israelite people who were suffering through their 70 year exile to Babylon, God’s punishment for their blatant disrespect, disregard. and rebellion toward Him. Note that the prophet was to do as God commanded and deliver His message whether the Israelites listened to him or not.

John was to deliver God’s message as well. At the very end of Revelation, chapter 10, we read that he was to take God’s prophesy about His judgment plan for the world and all mankind and speak it to “many peoples, nations, languages and kings”.

Today, the words John wrote down continue to do just that, words of coming punishment that were connected to the prophets of old.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.