Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 190

July 12:   Revelation 10:10;   248/260(I);   ‘The Little Book’

Revelation 10:10 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.

The second half of the tribulation is about to begin.  The second three and one half years is often called the great tribulation.  The antichrist will soon reveal himself for who he really is, a pawn of satan.  In chapter 10 a mighty angel comes from heaven with a ‘little book’ in his hands.  That little book is the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit has put this short chapter in Revelation to show that even during the second half of the tribulation, Jesus Christ is still in control.  This mighty angel is a reminder that the power of evil is nothing compared to the power of the Lord.  The little book is fascinating and reveals the heart of God, even as He will be unleashing His wrath on those who have rejected Him.  Notice when John ‘ate’ the little book it was sweet.  It tasted sweet because the Word of God is the most wonderful treasure, as it teaches us about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To our ‘natural man’ side, the Word of God is sweet because it is about to reveal to us the horrible fate that awaits those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our natural man reasons that those who reject Jesus are getting what they deserve.  But notice after John ate the little book it became bitter inside of him.  This represents our new man, our Born Again nature with God’s love and compassion in us.  Jesus has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and as Christians neither do we.  Because of the mercy of God, it is still not too late for those who have rejected the Lord to this point, to be saved.  Time is running out, the devil through the antichrist will be trying to force the lost to take his mark.  God’s love is still trying to save them.