And the voice from heaven again spoke to me, saying: “Go, take the scroll which is opened in the hand of the angel”…And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. He said to me: “Take and eat it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet like honey.” I took the little scroll…and ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my mouth and my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me: “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” Revelation 10: 8-11

This interval between the sixth and seventh trumpets continues to be John writing from a retrospective view (for us; but actually future to him). As such, probation is still open, and particularly during the time that the book of Daniel is studied and understood like never before.

Such a study, an increase of knowledge, began in the 1800’s by God’s people. Based on the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel 8: 14, they erroneously concluded that Jesus would return in 1844. When He didn’t, their sweet expectation of His return, turned into a great, bitter disappointment.

This caused many to fall away from the movement, but a few remained and studied more. They then discovered that their prophesied date had been correct. But instead of Jesus’ return, 1844 had to do with Jesus moving from the heavenly sanctuary’s Holy Place into the Most Holy Place, whereupon the cleansing of the sanctuary began. The cleansing, of course, means judgment of the dead and living. This version of the sanctuary’s message is to be prophesied again to the world until probation closes.

There is also another lesson to be taken from this sweet/bitterness of the book of Daniel. And that is that the Christian can actually expect the sweet/bitter experiences with any of God’s preached Word.  As the prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart”  (15: 16). Then the bitterness:  “I have become a laughing stock all day long. Everyone mocks me…The word of the Lord has resulted in reproach and derision all day long” ( 20: 7, 8). Another example is Ezekiel, who took and ate a scroll from God’s hand. The words were sweet (2: 8, 9-3: 3). However, bitterness ensued (3: 5-11).

The takeaway from all this is that no matter the opposition of bitterness that Satan causes, God’s sweet Word is to be preached again and again.