The Power behind the Drama

Ezekiel 21:1–22:31; Revelation 10:1–11; Job 35:1–8

The concerns that make up our mini-narratives can sometimes distract us from the great drama in which we have been cast. When a mighty angel appears with a scroll in John’s revelation, the apostle’s part in God’s great redemptive drama suddenly becomes very clear. He swaps his role of scribe for that of actor, speaking God’s very words:

“And I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, ‘Take and eat it up, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.’ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it up, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, ‘It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings’ ” (Rev. 10:9–11).

John’s new task parallels the prophet Ezekiel’s call to speak God’s words. The prophet eats a scroll to internalize and speak the words of Yahweh, which turn sweet in his mouth (Ezek. 2:8–36; Ps. 119:103; Jer. 15:16). The words of God are also sweet for John, but the bitterness that follows reveals that a two-fold judgment is coming. God’s words are sweet and comforting for the believers, but they also bring judgment. John has seen what lies behind the curtain, and he is charged with making this drama known to all—even to those who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the Author.

 

John was charged with bringing the things he had learned to the people and nations of the earth. Today we are all cast in this drama of God’s redemptive work. Our individual narratives should be informed by His greater drama—they should be seamlessly intertwined so that we display His creative and redemptive work. We should, together with John, profess this truth to all those we encounter.

How are you testifying about the God who brings both comfort and judgment?

Rebecca Van Noord