Revelation_10
ScriptureRevelation 10:10
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. Observation-What does it say? In this part of his revelation, John sees an angel carrying a “little scroll.” The little scroll is representative of the prophecy John must give to the people. On one hand, John knows the sweetness of God’s good news. However, included in the good news is the reality of the future of those who refuse to accept God’s free gift of grace. In the Matthew Henry commentary, he writes, “Most men feel pleasure in looking into future events, and all good men like to receive a word from God. But when this book of prophecy was thoroughly digested by the apostle, the contents would be bitter; there were things so awful and terrible, such grievous persecutions of the people of God, such desolations in the earth, that the foresight and foreknowledge of them would be painful to his mind.” When we draw our focus to the sweetness of the teaching of Jesus, it helps us to have a perspective on the bitterness we experience in this life. Understanding-What does it mean? As a police officer, I’m sort of in the business of bad news. I tell people they are getting tickets, that they are going to jail, or that they accidentally gave away their life savings to a very tricky person and they probably won’t get it back. My least favorite bad news to give is when I have to let someone know their family member won’t be coming back home. For whatever reason, it’s never gotten easier for me and always takes me a few hours to get back to normal. The sense of permanent loss is always hard to take, even though I usually don’t know the people involved. The sense of permanent loss is what seems to scare everyone. Very rarely have I come in contact with a family who have their hope set in the next life. It’s also this fear of the permanent that scares us away from sharing the gospel with others. We fear how they will react to the news that their life is sinful and results in the permanent separation from God. It gives us the same sourness in our stomach that John experienced. We don’t need to have fear like the rest of the world though. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” (1 Thesalonians 4:13-14) This also reason for us to heed the call of the great commission. To go despite our fear. Throughout scripture, God gives us assurance he will be there for us. “But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah 43:1-2&4)
Life Application
Jesus, help me to be bold. Help me to hold so dear to the assurance of my faith that I fear nothing. Set me on a path to encounter people who need to hear the goodness of your love, even though it means they will also hear of the permanency of their sin. I love you and want to honor you with my whole life.
-Tyler Galloway