Sweet in Thy Mouth—Bitter in Thy Belly

Sweet  in  Thy  Mouth — Bitter  in  Thy  Belly

from  Mystery of God

Uranda   April 11, 1953  Class

Tonight I would like to meditate with you for a little time on certain portions of that blueprint with the specifications which we speak of as the Book of Revelation. The introduction to this particular subject of meditation is contained in the Tenth Chapter. I would like to read the entire chapter to you so that you may feel the vibrational pattern of the context:

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud:

and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun,

and his feet as pillars of fire:

And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea,

and his left foot on the earth,

And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried,

seven thunders uttered their voices.

And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write:

and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,

Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven,

and the things that therein are, and the earth,

and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein,

that there should be time no longer:

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,

the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

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.

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 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.

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again

before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

This concluding verse makes the statement that the author of the Book of Revelation was to prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and kings. Obviously, since this outworking was near the end of the life manifestation of the one who penned the words, the promise was for another time, another incarnation in his service on earth. But our particular point tonight is contained in the seventh Verse.

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

Here we have a definite assurance that the time would come on earth when God would no longer be a mystery to the children of men, when the things of Heaven would no longer be a mystery on earth. The unification of Heaven and earth within the range of the consciousness of man is necessary to the fulfilment of this promise. We are here to share in that outworking by which this promise may be fulfilled. It is only as you let the mystery of God be finished in you that you can be a means by which the mystery of God may be finished in the world. In relationship to this pattern of outworking, we have here a remarkable picture of the process of incarnation, for each and every one here came into the world to fulfill a certain task, came into the world to share this divine fulfilment.

“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.”

This is the book of the individual life, the individual purpose, according to the Divine Design.

“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 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 willingness to come into the world, the willingness to follow out the pattern of the Divine Design, is signified here. And the action necessary to that was pictured as being sweet as honey in the mouth. The actual outworking of the experience in life on earth could not be anticipated as being altogether pleasant, and so in the belly—that is in the process of digestion, outworking or fulfilment—the book is bitter in the belly. God does not give any assurance that when we come into the world to serve all things will be pleasing, that there will be no difficulties, no obstacles. We have all experienced in one way or another something of what it means to have this book of individual life expression prove to be bitter in one's belly. But knowing that it will be so, or would be so, did not stop us from eating the book, receiving it into ourselves, accepting the Divine Commission, coming into the world to accomplish something according to the Divine Design.

Once we begin to see this portrayal in relationship to ourselves, our purpose on earth, we can profitably take a moment to consider the passage which outlines the world condition at the time that is here designated. Remember that the statement is: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished.” Here is a description of the world situation, the nature of the world condition at the time specified.

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are became the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Now there is the essence of the message or revelation of the Seventh Angel. You are here sharing in a Ministry which recognizes the Master’s meaning when He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and that we should seek that Kingdom first and let it manifest. And here is the statement that the time is come, the time of the sounding of the Voice of the Seventh Angel, when the kingdoms of this world are to become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever—the process of outworking in the lives of human beings when the Kingdom of our Lord in Heaven shall be extended into the earth to include the world and all the kingdoms of this world, that it may be known that they are the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

© Emissaries of Divine Light