Revelation 10 Devotional

Sweet and Bitter Words

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he begins to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.””Revelation 10:7 (BSB)

In Revelation 10 a mighty angel plants one foot on the sea and one on the land and swears by the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea (10:2, 5-6). His message is that the waiting is over. When the seventh trumpet sounds, God's hidden purpose will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets (10:7). What God has promised, he will finish.

Then John is told to take the little scroll the angel holds and eat it. It tastes sweet as honey in his mouth but turns bitter in his stomach (10:9-10). Then he is sent to prophesy once more to many peoples and nations (10:11). The chapter does not explain the bitterness, but the word God gives can be both at once: sweet because it is his, and hard because of what it reveals and what it costs to carry. Those who belong to God are not handed only the pleasant parts. They are given the whole word, and the God who finishes what he promises gives strength to carry it.

To think about: Is there a part of God's word you find hard to take in, and how might you receive it as coming from a God who keeps every promise?