the tiny book that Is sweet to the taste and bitter to the stomach
(Rev. 10:2-11) "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven....And he had in his hand a little book....But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets...take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel...Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey....And I took the little book out of the angels hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter."
(Psalm 19:9-10) "...the judgements of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
(Jer. 15:15-16) "O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and revenge me of my persecutors...
for thy sake I have suffered rebuke...Thy words were found, and
I did eat them: and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart..."
(Ezekiel 2:3) "And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me...."
(Ezekiel 2:7-10) "And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious....Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without;
and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."
(Ezekiel 3:1-3) "...Son of man,
eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man,
cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
(Ezekiel 3:25) "But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall
put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them."
So, it can be seen that the Word of the LORD given to the prophets was sweet to the taste as they took in all that it said. But it's message can and will be bitter to its results for it speaks of judgement and woes to come. And the response of those being preached to will not be received and they will turn on the prophets.
And so was the message of the little book. But, that message John was told not to speak. (Rev. 10:4) It was for John only to know it. Which I suspect will be revealed when that day comes.
Quantrill
