Revelation 10:8 - Meaning and Application

Here we have a strict command given to the apostle. First, he is told to go and take the little book from the hands of the mighty angel mentioned earlier. This command did not come from the angel himself, who was standing on the earth, but from the same voice from heaven that had told him in verse 4 not to write what he heard from the seven thunders. Then the angel himself tells him to eat the book. That means the apostle must take the prophecy deeply into himself before he can speak it, so that he is inwardly shaped by what he is about to publish.

Next, we are told what this little book would taste like to him. At first, in his mouth, it would be sweet. People naturally take delight in looking ahead to future events and hearing them foretold, and all good people are glad to receive a word from God, whatever it may be. But after the book was more fully digested, its contents would be bitter. The visions included fearful things, such as heavy persecution of God’s people and great destruction on the earth, so knowing them ahead of time would bring pain rather than pleasure. In this way, it was like Ezekiel’s prophecy to him (Ezekiel 3:3).

Then the apostle does what he was told to do (Revelation 10:10). He takes the little book from the angel’s hand and eats it, and he finds its taste just as he was told. God’s servants should first take His messages into their own hearts and be properly moved by them themselves. They also must deliver every message they are given, whether people like it or not. What is least pleasant may be the most useful, and God’s messengers must not leave out any part of God’s counsel.

Finally, the apostle is shown that this book of prophecy was not given just to satisfy his own curiosity, or only to give him pleasure or sorrow. It was given so that he would pass it on to the world. His prophetic calling seems to be renewed here, and he is told to get ready for another mission, to carry God’s important message to all people, including the greatest rulers in the world, and to have it written and read in many languages. That is what has happened. We have these prophecies in our own language, and we are all bound to pay attention to them, to study their meaning humbly, and to believe firmly that everything will happen at the right time. When the prophecies are fulfilled, their truth and meaning will become clear, and we will worship the all-knowing, powerful, and faithful God.