Bitterly Sweet

“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”” (Revelation 10:9–11).

Perhaps you can remember eating something that tasted so good at the time but, before long, the goodness gave way to gastrointestinal distress (just a fancy way of saying “bellyache”).  I’ve been there.  Years and years ago, our family was invited to the home of some friends for dinner.  Enchiladas were on the menu and, as I recall, they were very tasty.  Later in the evening, I wasn’t feeling well and by bedtime I was violently ill.  No one else got sick so it's likely that the food wasn’t the source of my sickness but, to this day, I’ve had a difficult relationship with enchiladas.  Something that was good became bitter to me.

John had been chosen by God to be His messenger.  As a disciple of Jesus, he would have valued the word of God and the opportunity he had been given to share it.  So in that sense, the message of the “little book” was sweet to him (cf. Psalm 19:7-10; 119:97-104).  It was something that he would ingest eagerly.  But the practical consequences of what John was to share would not all be positive or “sweet.”  Many, especially the unrepentant among John’s fellow Jews, would not be eager to hear God’s word of judgment against them and they might react negatively toward him.  Even without the negative reaction, I’m guessing that John would not relish bearing bad news for his own people.  For all of these reasons, what was sweet to John would also become bitter for him.

God loves you!

Mike

Unrepentant

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts” (Revelation 9:20–21).

Chapter nine of Revelation describes the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets of the judgment of God.  The fifth trumpet heralds the opening of the bottomless pit or abyss and the unleashing of a demonic horde to wreak havoc on those who do not have the seal of heavenly protection.  These devilish beings are likened to locusts but they are much more terrifying.  Their leader bears a name that describes the goal of his army -- destruction.  The sixth trumpet continues the theme.  Another massive army, who had previously been held back (cf. Revelation 7:1), is also now released to bring further judgment to those who defy God.  Their description would also strike fear into the heart of even a seasoned warrior.

The two verses at the end of the chapter, listed above, are some of the saddest words in all of Revelation.  Surely anyone who experienced such judgments from God would repent and turn back to Him, right?  And yet, many remained stubbornly defiant and hardened to any heavenly attempts to get their attention.  The prophet Jeremiah dealt with the same kind of people in his day.  He writes of those whom God disciplined but still “refused to repent” (Jeremiah 5:1-3; cf. also 8:4-6).

Let’s all repent while we have the opportunity to do so.  Why?  Because the day may come when we become so hardened in our sin that we move beyond the reach of God’s restorative efforts.  At that point, no amount of God’s discipline or judgment makes any difference.  We end up dooming ourselves to destruction with no one to blame but ourselves.

God loves you!

Mike

Silence

“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

As chapter eight of Revelation begins, the interlude between the sixth and seventh seal is over.  As we stand on the brink of the judgment God has planned for Judah and Jerusalem, He has affirmed His protection and provision for those who are faithful to Him.  As the time for the execution of God’s wrath drew nigh, it called for a period of solemn reflection.  In chapter seven, the throne room was filled with loud voices of an innumerable throng, crying out in praise and worship to God.  Now, the voices fade away and an eerie silence prevails.  A hush falls over the crowd as the prospects of what was about to unfold weighs upon them.  As much as this judgment was deserved, we hear no rejoicing at what must take place.

There are times when full expression of our praise to God is appropriate.  As an example, I think of the time when Jesus was approaching Jerusalem for the final time prior to His crucifixion.  Luke reports that “... the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen” (Luke 19:37).  Some Pharisees in the crowd called on Jesus to rebuke them, but He refused, saying, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40).

But there are also times when silence is the only suitable response.  Often, such times are associated with God’s judgment (cf. Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 2:13).  When we begin to comprehend, even in a small way, the great power and holiness of God, we are left speechless.  I’m reminded of Job’s response when God finally had his attention.  Job had much to say throughout his trials, but in the midst of being confronted by God, he said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to you?  I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4).  There is a time for silence.

God loves you!

Mike