In John's mystical vision, six of seven seals have been opened, and six of seven trumpets have sounded. Yet with each passing chapter another can of worms gets opened, and another drama plays out, delaying what readers and listeners might assume would be the end of the book, and God's ultimate vision for the universe.
In this interlude, John sees a great angel descending, but instead of blowing a trumpet, the angel shouts, and "seven thunders" sound, giving John a message. The number seven in Revelation comes up many times as a number of completeness. John is told to keep this message secret until the end.
But John won't remain silent for long. The angel gives him a scroll, and a voice tells him to eat it. It is sweet to his mouth but bitter to his stomach. This is a direct reference to Ezekiel ch 2-3, which describes God's commissioning of the prophet. Although it may feel like an honor at first, a "sweet" deal, to be given God's word to share with others, their reaction, and the implications of what God has to say, can often leave us with "bitter" discomfort. If you'll pardon the pun, the prophets were the original "doomscrollers."
Yet, the more I think about the modern phenomenon of "doomscrolling"--the constant, unrelenting intake of grim news and worst-case analysis, the paralyzing fear that comes from instantly knowing everytime something goes wrong in the world and feeling responsible for it, yet having precious little control over it--the more I think that prophetic writing can be a tool to help us out of it.
Prophets tell a truth from God that sees beyond the immediate struggles of the current moment. God sees a conflict of values in our lives that goes back to the beginning of humankind. There is no new kind of selfishness, bigotry or greed under the sun. The prophets, whose writings predate even the Biblical creation story as we now know it, have always had the word that cuts to our heart.
Yet God's prophets also see a possibility in humankind, a vision from God, that seems utterly impossible to reach without God's help. In fact, without God's help, we wouldn't even be able to imagine it. Just a reminder, as Revelation gets even weirder and more disturbing, that vision is where we're headed, and the journey will absolutely be worth it. So let's break free of doomscrolling for a while, and rest in God's vision.
My poetic interpretation of REVELATION 10
10. A mighty angel down from heaven comes
And in his hand he holds an open scroll.
His legs, pillars of fire, his face the sun,
He shouts the words that now shall not be told.
One foot in earth, one on the sea, he stands
Poised with a seventh trumpet, soon to blow
“In coming days, what none now understands
The mysteries of God, all life will know.”
“But first, take you the open scroll, to eat
And swallow whole, once more to prophesy
Of lands and kings–and though its taste be sweet
With bitter stomach, you will make your cry.”
Still, sweet or bitter, truth as truth must be,
And those who speak it fully shall be free.
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