Our Text …
8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
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As we have studied the Tribulation, this sweet/bitter nexus is rather apparent.
Fact … the Church will not have to endure this terrible time!
Very sweet!
But lost loved ones will have to endure all the coming horror!
Very bitter!
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As usual, Revelation draws its analogy about eating a book from the Old Testament.
Ezekiel 2:9 through Ezekiel 3:3
Ezekiel 2:9-10 … And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1-3 … Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
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Did Paul have bitter times, or was the Christian life always sweet to him? You decide …
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 … In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
2 Timothy 3:12 … Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
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If we preach the whole Counsel of God (Acts 20:27) … preach Heaven and Hell …
Here again is the sweet/bitter paradox!
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Here it is also in Acts 28:24 … And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
Belief … sweet!
Unbelief … bitter!
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Watch the class, to get it all …
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
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