1I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2He had in his hand a little open book. He set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land. 3He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. When he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices. 4When the seven thunders sounded, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from the sky saying, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders said, and don’t write them.”
5The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky 6and swore by him 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 will no longer be delay, 7but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants the prophets.
8The voice which I heard from heaven, again speaking with me, said, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.”
9I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book.
He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”
10I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. 11They told me, “You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
The book in the angel’s hand was eaten by John, being sweet as honey, while making his stomach bitter. John tells us the voice he hears he had heard before. It is not clear which voice he refers to, such as one of the elders, angels, or God Himself.
The command to take the little scroll (or book) describes it as open, as before. Nothing is said of its contents. John responds to the command by going to the angel and asking for it. The angel responds by giving John the scroll and instructing him to eat it. His warning to John is similar to Ezekiel’s experience when he ate a little scroll, though it did not make his stomach bitter like John’s. John’s experience was what the angel said would happen. We are not told directly what was on the scroll. However, John’s bitter stomach and the command to prophesy indicate it contained the judgments to follow.