A Study Of The Book Of Revelation
Lesson No. 14: Chapter 11

Date: October 29^th, November 5^th and December 3^rd, 2003, Wednesday Evening Adult Bible Class
Speaker: John Phillis
Note: Much of the information for this Study of Revelation was taken from the book “Revelation Through First Century Glasses” by W. B. West. Other sources: “The Living Word, Study of Revelation, Parts I & II” by Dr. Frank Pack; “Revelation” by Jim McGuiggan; “Commentary on Revelation” by Homer Hailey; “Commentary on Revelation” by Burton Coffman; “The Book of Revelation – Spiritual Sword Lectureship, October 18 – 22, 1998”; “Commentary on Revelation” by Howard Winters; “Revelation for Christians Today” by Lonnie Woodruff; “Unlocking Revelation” by J. Stafford North.

Objective in Studying this Chapter:

1) To examine the remaining visions in the interlude between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets, and to see what happens when the seventh trumpet sounds

2) To offer an explanation concerning the significance of these visions, and to summarize what we have seen in the first half of the book of Revelation

A Brief Introduction

This is a bit of an interlude between the “woes”—between the sounding of the trumpets. The fifth and sixth trumpets have been sounded. These were the first and second “woes.” Now, this is an interlude until the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the third “woe,” which we’re going to see later here in chapter 11.

As we saw in chapter 10, John has another vision, this one from an earthly perspective, perhaps, where he sees a strong angel come down. The angel is obviously very large, with one foot on the sea and one foot on the earth. The angel is holding a “little book.” At the end of chapter 10, we were talking about John’s instruction that he was given to eat that little book. The little book represented the Will, the Word, of God. The suggestion about the book being “little” was that it was not, maybe, the entirety of God’s Will, but a portion of it.

John is instructed to eat the little book. He is told that it’s going to be a bittersweet experience for him, that it would be sweet to his taste, sweet in his mouth, but it will be bitter in his stomach when it is swallowed. We had mentioned the fact that several times in the Scriptures, the Word of God, the Statutes of God, are suggested to be sweet. Let’s see again, Psalm, chapter 19, verse 10, and we’ll see one of these references here. First of all, we need to go back up to verse 7 to see the context here, and that is, the writer is speaking about the Law of the Lord. He says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The Testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The Statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 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,” [Psalm 19:7-10]. Here is a specific reference to God’s Word, God’s Statues, being sweet. Then, Psalm 119, verse 103: “How sweet are Your Words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Think about this occasion, this instruction that John is given, to eat, to ingest, this little book. The implication here in eating it is to take it in—the word is “masticate [to chew up].” That simply means to “take it in,” to understand it, to absorb it, to assimilate it. Obviously, eating it, taking it in that way, is representing the fact that it is consumed.

What I was going to point out to you is that there is Old Testament precedence, if you will, of this same thing being done. In Ezekiel, chapter 2 and verse 9, we see that the prophet has a similar instruction and experience: “Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.” Hey, does that sound familiar!?! “Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe. [Ezekiel 3] “Moreover He said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 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,” [Ezekiel 2:9-3:3]. So, here is another reference to the sweetness of God’s Word. But specifically, in these Old Testament verses, the prophet Ezekiel had the same instruction as John was given by the angel. The obvious implication of what Ezekiel is told to do here is, to take it in and, then, to give it back out again, to go teach the children of Israel. Naturally, that is what John is going to do, as well.

Someone would suggest and wonder, “Well, are the contents of this little book what we are going to see here in chapter 11?” Some others have suggested that this is what John is going to reveal regarding the sounding of the seventh trumpet, that these are the things that are contained in this little book. Once again, it’s not God’s entire revelation, it’s not God’s entire Will for man, but it is a portion of it. Regardless, it is true that the Word of God is, at the same time, sweet in its promises—it is sweet to us as we consider the complete revelation of God, what he has done for us to save us—but, there is also a bitter aspect to it, as well. The bitterness has to do with sin, and with evil, and with rebellion, and with the fact that we live in a world that is evil, a world that evil is introduced into. We are living in that world, and we are susceptible to those evils, as well. So, there IS this bittersweet nature to the Word of God.