The Small Scroll

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like fiery pillars, and he had a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, and cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, " seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!"

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will no longer be an interval of time, but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he will blow his trumpet, then God's hidden plan will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets."

Now the voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, " 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 and eat it; it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."

Then I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. And I was told, " you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. Revelation 10:1-11

The angel was probably angel Michael or Gabriel, as both of these have commanding authority. The fact that he has one foot on land and one on the sea indicated authority over both land and sea.

The little scroll may not have been 'little', except for the giant angel. As John was writing everything down he was about to write down what the seven thunders spoke. The thunders indicate, to me, authority of prophesy, yet the things prophesied about were to be sealed, for the right time and for those who would understand. Daniel had a similar experience.

The angel lifted his right hand to heaven and swore an oath, there would be no more delay at the sound of the seventh angel's trumpet. We all live with the delay of the fulfilment of prophesy but here this angel is saying, "no more delay!" The seventh angel speaks of the coming of the Lordship of Christ.

John is commanded to take the scroll and eat it, as Ezekiel had been. It would be sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach. The word of God preached about Christ was sweet but bitterly rejected by the Jews, for example. 

John is then commanded to prophesy again about people, languages, nations and kings. This indicates the whole experience is about prophesying the word. Prophesy is powerful and creative, it releases God's power to bring a thing to pass. It is not enough to know a thing, prophesy does a work not done unless spoken out.