The Angel and the Little Scroll

by Michael C. Garrett

Now the overarching theme of the Book of Revelation is giving insight into the events of the ‘end-time.’ Also known as – the ‘Day of the Lord.’ And if you notice in Revelation chapter 1, verse 10 – I’m embarrassed to say that a lot of Protestants attempt to use this verse to justify Sunday worship. And they are just so far off the mark. It’s sort-of sad. But he says here in chapter 1, verse 10 – “I was in the Spirit …” or rather, he was having a vision. Jesus Christ was allowing him to see things far off into the future. Now, the King James English says, “on [or in] the Lord’s Day.” And so you’ll hear Protestants say,  they’ll call Sunday, “the Lord’s Day.” And they attempt to use this very verse as proof of Sunday worship being valid. But that easily can just be translated, “the Day of the Lord.” The Lord’s Day is also the “Day of the Lord.” And that is that ‘end-time’ period – chaotic events throughout the world and in our country – that leads up to the point where Jesus Christ begins to exert tremendous pressure on the people of this world. In an attempt to show them how wrong their ways have been, and it is a prelude to His actual return along with God the Father and the setting up of the Kingdom of God – the government of God! Now, we’ve talked about that a lot! However, this Book – the Book of Revelation – is talking about events that would happen leading up to the ‘Day of the Lord.’

In Revelation chapter 10 – and we have also spoke of this subject before. And, even during the Fall, we’ve covered a lot of subjects from the Book of Revelation! We read in chapter 10, the apostle John said, “I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the Sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.” And I’m not so sure that that isn’t Jesus Christ – I can’t tell you for sure. That might be a reference directly to Jesus!? He goes on to say, Verse 2 – “He had a little book open in his hand.” Remember, back in old times, book’s, weren’t created the way we create books now. They were on a scroll. And they stored them by rolling them up. He had a scroll in his hand.

Now, not too many ministers have tried to talk about the subject of ‘the little book.’ I know of one formerly red-headed guy out in Edmond, Oklahoma who believes that he has written ‘the little book.’ Well, this ‘little book’ isn’t written by some human being, this ‘little book’ is written by God! Well, between me and you, I think he’s half nuts, but anyway, it’s just my opinion. I don’t think he’s very stable. And his theology is just wacky!

“…And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3) and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.” – now, I am presuming that these ‘seven thunders’ he is referring to are the voices of seven angels. And in the Book of Revelation quite often we hear about these seven angels. The seven trumpets. And we’ll read about that a little more in the future. Verse 4 – “Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.’”

So, they were giving him information, but, they said, ‘Don’t write this down!’ Sort-of like it’s not to be known yet.

He goes on to say, Verse 5 – “The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6) and swore by Him [referring to Jesus Christ] who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, …”

Now, that’s a reference to the end of man’s rule upon the earth. Remember all this information in the Book of Revelation is talking about ‘end-time events.’ Situations leading up to the end-time.

Then, Verse 7 – “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, …” – and when the seventh angel blows his trumpet – we’ve read about that many times during the Feast of Trumpets. It says, “when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” – and we’ve talked about that as the resurrection of the saints. The blowing of the seventh trump. And we read more about that in other places. And we’ve talked about that many times.

Verse 8 – “Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book …’” – now, we’re gonna hear that phrase three times in the next few verses. “…which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’ 9) So I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book.’ And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but [when you first munch on it] it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’” - remember back in Ezekiel he was told to eat the scroll and, in his mouth, it was sweet!? Well, here we’re told – ‘once you see what happens, it causes your stomach to be very upset!’ So, the information in this book, it’s precious because it comes directly from Jesus Christ, and the person who is eating it or consuming it thinks, “Well, that’s wonderful, I’m hearing the Words of Jesus Christ,” but once they digest the information in the book, it makes them sick. It makes them sick because it represents untold human misery in the end-times!

Verse 10 – “Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it [as it digests], my stomach became bitter. 11) And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’” - he was to prophesy the events which are contained in this ‘little book.’ It’s the story about the end-times, it’s  the story about the Day of the Lord. It’s the story about the prophetic meaning of the Day of Atonement. And, it’s remarkable, again, how we see these elusions back in Ezekiel and we see the same thing in the Book of Revelation. “You must prophesy” or as in my margin, “preach” to whomever he is speaking, they have previously up to this point, done a lot of preaching, proclaiming prophecy. But now they are told, ‘you have yet another assignment.’

Now, you can read in the Book of Ezekiel chapters 2 & 3 and places, where the same topic is brought up and it means the same thing as it does here in the Book of Revelation.

Well, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, the Apostle John, they were all prophets. And they were told to speak the Word of God to the people – remember, ‘You tell ‘em, some will hear and some will refuse.’