The Angel and the Little Scroll
10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he cried out, seven thunders sounded their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders sounded their voices, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up those things which the seven thunders said, and do not write them.”
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth lifted up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in them, and the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be no more delay. 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as He has declared to His servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the earth.”
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little scroll.” He said to me, “Take it and eat it. ‘It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
The Spirit of Prophecy
The most basic level of prophecy is known as the spirit of prophecy. As we worship God in spirit and in truth, the spirit of prophecy will manifest in our midst, and any believer can yield to this spirit of prophecy, speaking the word of the Lord. The Lord wants to raise up a prophetic people (Num. 11:29), and the Holy Spirit is a prophetic Spirit (Acts 2:14–18). Therefore the spirit of prophecy causes both men and women, sons and daughters, “servants and handmaidens” to prophesy. It provides people with the unction they need in order to speak as the oracles of the Lord, to use the biblical term. We prophesy according to the proportion of our faith (Rom. 12:6). Our testimony is expressed prophetically (Rev. 19:10). If believers act in faith when the spirit of prophecy is present, they all can prophesy. This does not make each one of them a prophet. Their utterances will be limited to the “testimony of Jesus.” They will be speaking forth words of truth, valuable words of truth that are based on the revealed Word of truth in the Bible. {eoa}
Charisma Magazine Bible Reading Guide
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