Then I saw another powerful angel coming down from heaven. He was robed with a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet were like fiery pillars. He held an open scroll in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. He called out with a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he called out, the seven thunders raised their voices. When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don’t write it down.” Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore by the one who lives forever and always, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, and said, “The time is up. In the days when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious purpose will be accomplished, fulfilling the good news he gave to his servants the prophets.” Then the voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will make you sick to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.” So I took the scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. And it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it made my stomach churn. I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” (Revelation 10:1-11, CEB)
Honestly, what does this mean? And when we take it out of context it can be taken a bunch of different ways.
But the person here is told to go and take the scroll from the angel (which means messenger in Greek) and to eat it. It will be sweet and tasty in your mouth but will turn your stomach. And after eating it you are told to prophesy again.
We need to keep telling our story, even when people don’t want to hear it, when people won’t hear it. We need to tell what God has done for all of us.
God’s love for the world needs to be told, even when we don’t want to, even when we can’t, we still need to.
Know you are never alone and even when your stomach turns, God is there.
Loving People. Loving God.