JOHN EATS THE LITTLE BOOK (VERSES 8-11)

“Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book.’

And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’”

John is Instructed to Eat the “Little Book” (verses 8-9)

It would seem that the same voice that had forbidden him to write down the utterances of the seven thunders (verse 4) now commands John to approach this angel and to “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel,” [verse 8]. The verb that is translated “go” really has the force of intensifying the command. Just as we might say, “GO and do this! GO and do that! GO accomplish this purpose!” There is a force there in what John is being told what to do. [Verse 8: “Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’”]

Once again, this is clearly symbolic; it’s clearly figurative since John would be utterly and completely dwarfed in size before the enormous figure of this “mighty angel” astride both the sea and the land. And what is being referred to as a “little book” in the hand of an angel of this size would, probably, hardly be able to be seen! And if it were able to be seen, John would have difficulty eating it all, wouldn’t he? Obviously, this is figurative—symbolic.

John did as he was directed, as he was commanded to do, asking that the angel give him the little book [“So I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book,’” verse 9].

The angel, then, has something to say to John. The angel tells John—commands John—to take the book and to eat it up [“And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it…,’” verse 9]. Literally, the Greek phrase means “to eat it down,” indicating that John was to eat it, consume it, swallow it, that it should go into his stomach. That’s the implication. Of course, our idiom is “eat it up”; but in the Greek language, it was “eat it down.” By this is meant that he is to take it fully, take it completely, understand it, to spiritually assimilate it. Some commentators see in this statement the significance that, God never forces His revelation upon anyone, even upon His messengers, even upon His prophets. The prophet, the messenger, must be willing to take that which is put before him.

John is told by this angel that in eating this little book, he will find it to be sweet in his mouth, but it will become bitter in his stomach [“And he said to me ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth,’” verse 9]. It will be bittersweet. There IS a mixture of sweet and bitter in what he will say. What could this possibly mean? Well, perhaps this: God’s Word, in a manner of speaking, is bittersweet. God’s promises and His judgments are not two different things; they are not exclusive; but God’s promises—His judgments [His Words of promise as compared to His judgment—being judged by His Word and found lacking]—are very sweet [Psalm 19:9-10: “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb,” and Psalm 119:103: “How sweet are Your Words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”]. There the Psalmist speaks of the sweetness of God’s Word, of God’s promises, or His righteous judgments.

But God’s judgment is bitter—bitter to those who will be judged by His Word and found to be lacking. So, we see here that this is a Message from God. It is a part of God’s purpose, and, apparently, it contains God’s promises—His judgments [the sweet], as well as God’s judgment, His judgment of the wicked who do not love and obey His Word [the bitter].

John Eats the “Little Book” (verses 10-11)

John takes the little book and he eats it. As the angel had said, it was sweet in his mouth, but became bitter in his stomach [verse 10: “Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.”]. John is to take in God’s sweet promises and bitter judgments. He is to consume God’s Word; he is to assimilate it, AND, in effect, he is to master it. He needs to be able to understand it, but he also needs to be able to put it into practice, to demonstrate it, to show it, if you will, before others.

In verse 11, we see that John’s work is not finished. “And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’” There is yet remaining one more trumpet to be sounded. We’ll see, beginning in chapter 12 and following, that John will have many more things to write, many more things to prophesy, concerning “peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”