Revelation 10:8
Revelation 10:8-10 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.
The eating up of this
little book
doth signify Christ’ s instruction unto his servant John what he should prophesy. As the Lord instructed his prophet Ezekiel what he should prophesy, by bidding him eat up the roll which was written within and without. \ Christ told John the double effect of his eating up this little book. First, it would be sweet as honey in his mouth; that is, in preaching of it. Secondly, it would be bitter in his belly
as soon as he had eaten it;
that is, it would occasion bitterness, sorrow, and persecution, after his testimony was witnessed by preaching and publishing thereof. And so it proved, \
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. And I took the little book out of the Angels hand, and eat it up, etc.
The preaching of the word is sweet, though persecution be bitter.