A Bittersweet Enacted Parable.
“Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” So, I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach.” – Revelation 10:8-10 (NLT)
John is instructed to take the small scroll from the angel and eat it, where it will be sweet to taste but sour to digest. This passage is a close parallel to Ezekiel 2-3. In Ezekiel 1 the prophet sees a vision of the throne room, which John parallels in his descriptions, especially his description of the four living creatures in Revelation 4. Ezekial is commission by God to speak to a stubborn and rebellious Israel. He is told to “open your mouth and eat what I give you” (Ezek. 2:8). What he is given is a scroll written on both sides with words of lament, mourning and woe. Ezekiel finds it sweet like honey, but when he speaks to Israel, it brings a bitter and angry spirit. John has a similar experience.
The revelation of God’s character is sweet to us, but preaching and sharing it causes bitterness as so many reject it.
Those who share the sweetness of the gospel find bitterness from those who consider it foolishness. And just as Ezekiel is asked to preach, John is given four groups to preach to: peoples, nations, languages and kings – in other words the whole world. (Don’t forget the number four is the number representing the whole world.)
The 4-fold phrasing is paralleled in Revelation 7:9 about the origin of the multitude before the throne, in Revelation 11:9 about those who gaze with delight on the slain witnesses, in Revelation 14:6 about those to whom the gospel is proclaimed, in Revelation 17:15 of those on whom the scarlet harlot sits. In contrast, Revelation 5:13 refers to all beings in the universe.
This little acted parable expresses John’s disappointment. He saw that this book would not bring the End. At the time of the end, this book would prophesy again by means of another people (Rev 10:11). In the context of Revelation 10:5-7, John’s experience is also a forecast of another disappointment at the close of Daniel’s time prophecies, a large group of people who thought the end would come and it does not. To have hopes of Jesus’ return raised and dashed would be a bitter experience for God’s faithful people at any time.
Many people believe that disappointment occurred in the year 1844. A massive movement brought on by Baptist preacher William Millar and others had thousands of Americans and many Europeans and South Americans, believing that Jesus would return on October 22 of that year. On that day they eagerly expected to see Jesus Himself coming in the clouds surrounded by all the holy angels. They looked forward to meeting all the dear friends who had been torn from them by death. They expected that all their trials and sufferings would be over. They would be caught up to meet their coming Lord and to inhabit bright golden mansions in the golden New Jerusalem. The study of Daniel’s time prophecies (the little book) proved to be a bitter-sweet experience.
Daniel’s 2300 year prophecy is still there and it still stretches to nowhere else but 1844. The only thing that changed is how we perceive “the time of the end” in relation to these prophecies.
As the 1260 years were coming to a close, there was a definite fulfilment of the prophecy. The books of Daniel and Revelation had been known as ‘closed books’ but at the beginning of the 19th century many were preaching the rediscovered doctrine of the second coming. There was a great awakening on this subject. It is still called the great advent awakening. The passing of the day became a great disappointment. They had misunderstood the prophecy – but now the little book was open!