1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
A quick Summary: – of the first 7 verses! I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire …. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land… and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded… Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down…. The angel said, ‘seal up the scroll’…(and then he) swore by God…’no more delay when the 7th trumpet sounded….the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets’. The command given that John was not to write, what was on now a sealed scroll, was definite and obeyed! On the other hand we are given a strong hint as to what is written on the scroll as the angel says ‘the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.‘ We have a record of what the prophets wrote in the Old Testament! Perhaps it would be wise to read what those prophets wrote! To help you Wikipedia helps us by giving a list which you can, if you wish, look in your Bible and read for yourself! Wikipedia says “primarily in the Old Testament books of Daniel (chapters 7, 8, 9, 11-12), Ezekiel (chapters 38-39), Isaiah (chapters 13, 24-27, 65-66), Joel (chapters 2-3), and Zechariah (chapters 12-14).”
But then John, forbidden to write what was in the scroll, is told to eat it! He was told that it would taste sweet but make him sick when swallowed – nauseated and possibly vomitous! The meaning of this is possibly what is written is possibly keenly awaited but not simply easy to live through! He was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” We have another twelve chapters to read!
2 Peter 1: 19-21 -(And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Help me, please, to live faithfully to You, until You call me home.