Revelation 10
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Revelation 10:8-11 NIV
Just like John, we are all encouraged, and even required, to “eat” the Word of God. Eating the Word of God is symbolic for receiving it with faith and allowing God to use it to change us from the inside out. We have all heard the saying “you are what you eat.” Spiritually speaking, we remain connected to God, His power and His strength according to how much and how often we are “eating” His Word. Both physical and spiritual nutrition are important, because we always become what we eat. We must take greater care, though, in what we feed our souls, because so much more is at stake. When we are facing a challenging or particularly scary situation in our lives, we can choose to eat fear and worry and negativity, or we can choose to eat the promises of God found in His Word. Although the circumstances are identical, they will have drastically different outcomes depending on what we choose to feed ourselves. By choosing the former, we will be stressed, anxious and perhaps even hysterical. By choosing the latter, we will put our faith in Philippians 4:6-7, and will be blessed with God’s supernatural peace. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Nearly every verse in the Bible can be applied to our lives in this way. No matter what area of our lives needs help, God’s Word is always our first and best solution. For us as believers, the majority of His Word is sweet to us and we can truly understand what David meant when he wrote: “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!” (Psalms 34:8, NLT). Why, then, does the Word of God upset John’s stomach after he eats it? (See verse 10). If we look back at Ezekiel 3:1-4 and 17-27, we see that he was also told to eat a scroll. Like John, the scroll tasted sweet, but then he was immediately instructed to tell the Israelites of their impending judgement. The Word of God that came to John was initially sweet because he was excited to know that God would reveal the future to him. But it soured his stomach when he understood that it was also a word of harsh judgement for all non-believers. God’s overarching message in the Bible is a bittersweet revelation. His one and only Son died with the weight of our sins, but was resurrected, just as we will be. His perfect love is ever-present around us. He will rescue us from this evil age in the end times. All of this is comforting, encouraging and gives us hope! But, the unimaginable judgement and horror that lies ahead for those who choose not to believe in Jesus is extremely difficult to even think about. The Bible makes it clear that God loves all people equally, and that everyone who decides to believe in Jesus has the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven. No one is excluded, no matter what he/she has done in the past. However, for those who choose not to follow Jesus, there is a devastating punishment awaiting them. John eagerly received the Word of God, but when he saw the judgement that was to follow, it brought sorrow to his heart. It should evoke similar feelings for us as we learn about the horrific punishment that will fall upon the Earth sometime in the future. God will not enjoy it either. The “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10) was created for Satan and his demons, not for people. “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It is sweet for us to know the book of Revelation and what God intends to do for us as followers of Christ, but when we find out that judgement is coming to the Christ-rejecting world around us, we cannot rejoice in that. What message should we be sending to non-believers, then? First and foremost, we must introduce them to the concept that God is alive and that He loves them right where they are at, no matter what. We need to SHOW them the love of Jesus by demonstrating what love looks like (as a guideline, think of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). We also need to teach them about His forgiveness, and what Jesus has already done for them, all because He loves them more than they can imagine. Although we cannot neglect discussions about judgement and hell, we must remember that we are not called to be the judge for non-believers. The more we feed ourselves from God’s Word by believing in His plans and promises, the better equipped we will be to help others learn how to properly feed themselves as well. Jesus has made the Bible the storehouse of nourishing, living soul food for all who choose to follow Him. It is overflowing with promises and life-changing words, and He invites us all to come eat our fill for free! “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you…” (Isaiah 55:1-3). So…what are you going to eat today?