The Angel and the Small Scroll

1And I saw another strong messenger coming down out of the heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow upon the head, and his face as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, 2and he had in his hand a little scroll opened, and he did place his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the land, 3and he cried with a great voice, as a lion doth roar, and when he cried, speak out did the seven thunders their voices; 4and when the seven thunders spake their voices, I was about to write, and I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, ‘Seal the things that the seven thunders spake,’ and, ‘Thou mayest not write these things.’ 5And the messenger whom I saw standing upon the sea, and upon the land, did lift up his hand to the heaven, 6and did swear in Him who doth live to the ages of the ages, who did create the heaven and the things in it, and the land and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it—that time shall not be yet, 7but in the days of the voice of the seventh messenger, when he may be about to sound, and the secret of God may be finished, as He did declare to His own servants, to the prophets.

8And the voice that I heard out of the heaven is again speaking with me, and saying, ‘Go, take the little scroll that is open in the hand of the messenger who hath been standing upon the sea, and upon the land:’ 9and I went away unto the messenger, saying to him, ‘Give me the little scroll;’ and he saith to me, ‘Take, and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet—as honey.’ 10And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the messenger, and did eat it up, and it was in my mouth as honey—sweet, and when I did eat it—my belly was made bitter; 11and he saith to me, ‘It behoveth thee again to prophesy about peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings—many.’