You must prophesy again

Revelation 10 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” ⁵ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, ⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

Today’s text ends saying:  Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.  And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”   John is not the first one who was to eat the written word and this was not the only time that the word would be sweet in the mouth, or the first time someone was to speak that word. Ezekiel 3:1-4 says:  Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”  So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.  And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.  Psalm 19:7-11 says:  The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;  The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments 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. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.    Why is it that the words of God became bitter in the stomach of John?  Perhaps it is that the word of God is not meant to be processed naturally. The psalmist says: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;  The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.   The word affects the soul and the heart. Like God Himself the His word is spiritual and so must be processed and discerned spiritually.

We too should partake of; should eat God’s word every day. But we too must be certain that we process it and discern it properly, by the spirit, so that it affects our heart, soul and spirit. If we only take in God’s word and process it naturally with our own minds, it may become bitter within us. We need the revelation of the Spirit, who Jesus said would guide us and teach us. Jesus taught us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.”   He was not speaking of white, wheat or rye. In John 6:35;48;51 Jesus says: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst… I am the bread of life… I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh."   John 1:1-5;14 says:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.   Jesus is the word. We need daily to partake of the revelation of who He is each day; who He is for that day. The manna that was given to the Israelites in the wilderness is a symbol or representation of our need to seek the fresh revelation and provision of God every day. The manna from the previous day would not be good for the new day. So too, what we have seek God, to know Christ each day. His revelation for yesterday might not be enough for today. We need the sweetness of His word, discerned and processed by the spirit so that our heart, our soul and our mind will be ready for what we face today.  

Also, like John and like Ezekiel and the psalmist, the sweet word we take in daily is not to remain in us. We are to prophesy, we are to declare, we are to share with others the goodness and the sweetness of His word. The fresh revelation of who Jesus is may be for what we are going to face that day. It may also though be for what others are facing, have faced or will face in the future.  The word of God, like God Himself, is not limited to finite time. It is eternal. The word we share; the fresh revelation of Christ may be a healing balm to the past experience of someone else. It may be the very overcoming power of Christ that they need today or it could be a seed of hope and faith that will bear fruit in their life in the future. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, before He was crucified for us and before He was raised from the grave in victory, He said:  "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19)  Jesus body was broken and given to us, that by eating and remembering Him, by understanding the fullness of what He did for us, that He is our daily provision, we would not be broken, but we would be whole.  

John was told: You must prophesy again. Today, from the freshness of the daily provision of God’s word and the revelation of Christ, I prophesy, I speak and declare that Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is enough for you today. He is enough to heal every hurt from the past. He is enough to sustain you and give you victory today and Jesus Christ; His fresh revelation, will be enough tomorrow and forever.   Amen.