This end times deception study will focus on the Little Book of Revelation in Revelation 10.
The Apostle John is told to eat the Little Book, which would be sweet in his mouth, and then bitter in his stomach.
Pastor John MacArthur says that the Little Book caused John’s stomach to be bitter, because he became nauseated by the vision of the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments in store for the sinner.
Like most Pastors, he says that all of the events of Revelation 4 and beyond, will occur during an end times Great Tribulation period.
If you’ve read the Bible studies on this website, you know that the book of Revelation symbolically describes the history of Christ’s Church, from when it was written, until the Lord returns.
So let’s look at the context to see when the historical appearance of the Little Book occurred.
After 100 A.D., the O.T. Hebrew and N.T Greek manuscripts were collected in Antioch, Syria, where Christians formed one Bible.
Many hand-written copies were made in Antioch and were spread to the churches.
Satan countered by having philosophers in Alexandria, Egypt, such as a man named Origen, change the Syrian texts to fit their beliefs.
God had a people group called the Vaudois (who lived in the Alps) translate the Bible into Latin. The Old Latin Bible became known as the Vulgate (common) Bible, and it spread through the Roman empire and all the way to England before 200 AD. The Vaudois missionaries risked death to share the Gospel.
Satan responded by having the Roman Catholic Church commission Jerome to write their own version, the Latin Vulgate in 405 AD.. Jerome followed Origen’s teachings, so the same corruptions occurred in this Bible.
The Catholic Church only allowed priests to read it and forbid lay people to read it.
The Seven Churches of Revelation are seven church eras that spanned from the 1st century until Jesus returns.
During the church era of Thyatira, which existed from 538-1514 A.D., the Papal Church systematically gathered copies of God’s true Word and burned them, and killed millions of heretics who possessed them.
This era is called the Dark Ages and one reason was that the light of the Word of God and Jesus church was being dimmed, as evil prevailed.
The Catholic Church persecuted people groups such as the Vaudois, the Waldenses and the Albigenses, who were used by God to preserve His Holy Word, preach the pure Gospel of Christ, and testify against the Antichrist Papal Church.
In 1229 at the Synod of Toulouse, the Catholic church forbid reading or owning a Vaudois Bible.
In 1234, at the Council of Tarragona, they declared that no Bible was permitted in one’s native language, and that all of them must be burned.
When God caused the Turks to cross the Euphrates to capture the fortress of Constantinople (1/3rd of Rome) during the 6th Trumpet of Revelation, some of the priests escaped and took with them the original Hebrew and Greek Bible manuscripts.
God had Wycliffe write the Bible in English, in 1371 A.D.
In 1408, at the 3rd Synod of Oxford, the Catholic Church proclaimed that it is a heresy to have an ‘unauthorized’ (preserved) English Bible.
The supposedly Christian Catholic Church was actually forbidding and burning the Word of God. Without it, the true church was in darkness, and the only teaching was from the Papal Church, who were not preaching the pure Word of God.
There was a famine for the word of God.
The Satan-empowered Catholic Church had burned so many copies of scripture and killed so many Christians, that in 1514 A.D., at the Fifth Lateran Council, the Papal Church proclaimed Christ’s Church to be dead.
You can see the battle between Jesus and Satan over the Word of God, and that’s the context of the Little Book of Revelation 10.
God responded by having William Tyndale print the Bible in English. The first complete edition of his New Testament was published in 1526 After his death in 1536 Tyndale’s works were revised and reprinted numerous times.
The Papal Church hated him for his Bible translation and captured him to kill him. As he was being burned to death at the stake, he cried out “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
God responded by having King Henry VIII of England authorize the Great Bible in 1540, which was read aloud in church services of the Church of England. That may not seem like much now, but back then, it was unheard of.
Then in 1560, the Geneva Bible started to be printed. This was the primary Bible of 16th century Protestantism. This version of the Holy Bible is significant because, for the very first time, a mechanically printed, mass-produced Bible was made available directly to the general public.
The Geneva Bible was printed in Roman type, and it was printed in more convenient and affordable sizes than earlier versions. Having it printed, instead of written, would have made it a Little Book.
All of this coincided with the advent of the printing press, and much to the dismay of the Papal Church, the word of God was spread around the world.
It allowed the Word of God to be read by millions, and it fueled the Protestant Reformation, where millions were saved. It led to the Great Awakening, where worldwide missions saved millions.
Now think back to when the Apostle John write the book of Revelation. The word of God was on large hand-written scrolls.
Now visualize him seeing the entire canon, all of the O.T., along with the Gospels, the Epistles, etc. all in one ‘little book‘. 🙂
At the Council of Trent, the Papal Church declared that preserved Bibles are on the “Index of Forbidden Books.” (Rule III) The writings of William Wycliffe, Jan Hus, John Calvin and other reformers were condemned.
Then in 1604, King James commissioned a team of scholars to create the King James Version (KJV), commonly known as the Authorized Version (AV) for the Church of England, which was completed in 1611.
Much to the dismay of the Papal Church, Jesus’ Church of Sardis (which started in 1514 A.D.) devoured the Word of God, and spread the Gospel worldwide, causing millions to be saved by the pure Gospel of Jesus.
Revelation 10:9-10 “So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth. Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.”
“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalms 119:103
“Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16
The act of eating the book symbolizes the absorbing and assimilating God’s Holy Word.
In order for God to raise up men during the Dark Ages, to fight against the enemy, they needed the Word of God, as it had been suppressed and nearly eliminated.
They were starving for the Word of God. So they took the book and diligently pursued it, and with as much eagerness as a hungry man would eat a meal. Luther did this by candlelight, and then he became a shining light in a dark world.
The Bible (God’s holy Word) is alive. When we eat the Bible it gives us the strength to live victorious lives before the Lord. Studying the Bible is more important to our life than our daily bread.
The Word of God brought joy and rejoicing to their hearts, as they read the pure Gospel of Christ Jesus.
The Little Book represents the Word of God.
Revelation 10:11 “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
Jesus is not saying the John would have to prophesy again, but in the context of the seven church eras of Revelation, it meant the next church era of Sardis, which indeed did prophecy before all the world.
Though the word of God had been hidden, and a mass of corrupt traditions had taken its place, yet the time would come when those pure truths would be made known again to all lands.
It was bitter because it brought the Reformers at once into conflict with all the power of the Papacy and the priesthood; exposed them to persecution; aroused against them a host of enemies among the princes and rulers of the earth.
The Papal Church responded by persecuting Jesus Church with the Inquisition, which was Satan’s excuse to murder millions of Christians and destroy their Bibles.
The Apostle John saw the Antichrist Catholic Church was drunk with their blood, which caused him to be filled with sorrow, grief and pain.
Sadly, we as the church era of Laodecia do not value the Word of God enough to study it diligently, so we rely on Pastors to teach us.
Prior to the written English Bible, they were starved and exposed to the deceptions of the Papal Church.
Today’s church is starved because it does not diligently study the Bible, so it is exposed to the deceptions of the Papal Church.
Personal reading and studying makes us strong. We are miserable, wretched, naked, poor and blind, because we have not the Word of God.
Prior to the written English Bible, they did not understand that the Roman Catholic Church is the Antichrist Beast.
Today, because Christians don’t make an effort to understand the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, they do not understand that the Papal Church is the Antichrist Beast, who seeks to destroy us.
You can’t prophecy and testify about God’s truth and identify false prophets without the Word of God.
The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 continues the story of how God had His Two Witnesses delineate who was the true church of Christ, and who was the false church of the Antichrist; who was the bride of Christ and who was the whore of Babylon.
The Seven Churches of Revelation study shows you how Christ used his church to overcome Satan’s church.
Here’s a link to a one-page summary of the Seven Church eras, the Little Book and the Two Witnesses of Revelation. Summary PDF
the little book of revelations is not what you think. it is a story. The Carpenters Tale… how do i know this because i carry the little scroll… 6 gifts given from heaven and one is the meaning of life..
The truth is the truth no matter what your mind says . look from your heart and you shall see..
“A kingdoms heart remains locked for one to find the hidden treasures of paradise. From a rising sun to a forgotten land. No man bears more gifts than a man giving his life for one so loved..”
It is here now… Faith is about taking what you believe and know no matter what. The knowing…
Just believe…
Scott, I would love to see your verse by verse explanation of Revelation 10; to prove out your explanation the little book.
David, I understand. I have a wife, three children 27, 24 and 20 years old and a dog which I feel as if it was my fourth child to care under very difficult conditions, so difficult that the words of Jesus about Himself apply also for my situation : ” Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head ” ( Matthew, 8:20 ).
What surprises me is that even after so many disasters which hit lately USA, people there don’t give their help to other people who need it. I am particularly referring to the case of Greg and Susie where people offered only $315 in three or more weeks ! I wished I could help but I need help from others. This is really a sad story bro !
Well Andreas, I think that because there have been so many disasters in the USA, that people have already given to support others in Houston, Florida, fires in the northwest, etc.; so they don’t have the money for other causes right now. The other challenge is that Lyme Disease is relatively unknown, as media and doctors don’t talk about it a lot; so people can’t really identify with it, or understand the need for money for treatment.
David, instead of replying to the words of truth posted by me previously today, you preferred the method of papacy : you eliminated it !
Andreas, I’ve told you before that I’m a busy guy, managing many websites, and many comments. I am just now getting logged into to read emails, after meeting with a few brothers in Messiah this morning, and working out at the gym.
Instead of being patient, you go on the attack. Sad story bro!
Brother David,
in my comment of 16th of this month on your study ” The names of the Father and the Son ” in your site ” The Falling Away “, I showed why the name of ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in Greek ( JESUS in English ) is the correct name of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ, but the most important thing for our salvation is to repent from our ways which are mostly based on opinions of our minds and let the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which He shed on the Cross to clean us from our sins and enable us to live a new reborn by the Holy Spirit Life. Amen !
The servant of God,
Andreas
Andreas, the point of ”The names of the Father and the Son” study is that the King James and other Bible replaced the Father’s personal, covenant name, YHUH; and replaced it with the titles of god and lord.
And that Messiah was called by His Hebrew name by His parents and disciples, not by a Greek translation of His name. So I prefer to use His Hebrew name. Others use the Greek name. I think it’s important to know what’s been hidden by the enemy.
” And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men ” (Luke, 2:52) …
David, although I feel unappreciated by you, today I will share with you some more things from the knowledge which God gave to me. The number of the Antichrist is 666 because number 6 is the number of man who was created on the sixth day of Creation. Three times the number 6 ; three (3) is the number of Trinitarian God. So the Antichrist is : the man who shall ” sit as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God ” ( 2 Thessalonians, 2:4 ).
As I explained in one of my previous comments, the name of the Antichrist ιn greek which gives the number 666 is ΒΕΝΕΔΙΚΤΟΣ ( BENEDICT).
The word ΣΤΑΥΡΟΣ in greek ( CROSS ) gives the number 777. Seven ( 7 ) is the number of perfection. Three times the number 7 ; three ( 3) is the number of Trinitarian God. So Cross is : the means by which our Lord Jesus made a perfect work for God. The work of our salvation.
The name of our Lord ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in greek ( JESUS ) gives the number 888, because on the eighth ( 8) day all Jewish boys (sons) are circumcised. Three (3) times the number 8 ; three (3) is the number of Trinitarian God. So Jesus is : the Son of God !
There is magic in greek language ! That’s why God used it for His New Testament.
David, opposing Pope and the Catholic Church doesn’t mean that somebody is a real christian. Protestant Church and it’s branches ( America is full of them ) are part of the Christian Religion which is the Beast of Antichrist.
Well Andreas, that’s the whole point of my The Falling Away of 2 Thessalonians 2 study series; that Protestant Churches are following the teachings of Rome. http://christianitybeliefs.org/the-falling-away/
David, God is my witness that my book says the Truth, by telling to prophet Hosea 2800 years ago that He was going to be transformed into the dreadful Beast of Antichrist. This is a mystery of God now revealed in the end times.
David, it would be strange if the Bible was not mentioned among ” the things which will take place after this ” ( Revelation, 1:19 ) in the Revelation. So your interpretation is logical ; the Bible first in hand- written, then in printed and finally in electronic form fits in the prophecy of the little book of Revelation 10. On the other hand nobody who will read my little book, at first hand-written, then printed and finally in electronic form, can say that it is an ordinary book. The fact is that the interpretation of prophecies given in my book which is obviously true cannot be found in any other book. For example the interpretation that the Beast of Revelation 13 which looks like three wild animals : leopard, bear and lion is the Christian Religion and these three wild animals represent it’s three main dogmas which are catholic, orthodox and anglican or that the mark of the Beast which is related to the right hand and the foreheads of the followers of the Beast is the sign of the cross. You have read my book. Do I say lies or do I say the truth ?
David,
although I was deeply hurt by your comment of peddling my book, my sincere desire for truth, led me in serious consideration of your interpretation , that the little book of Revelation 10 is the Bible, in comparison to my interpretation that the little book of Revelation 10 is my book. My conclusion is that we are both right. The Word of God always applies for more than one historical period. For example the prophecies in the book of Daniel apply for both the people of Israel, as well as for the spiritual people of God, the Christians. Your interpretation is correct for the era of typography and mine is correct for the era of electronics.
David,
you are not replying to my comments. My only crime is that I am telling you the truth. I don’t need recognition. I know who I am and what my book is. God gave me enough evidence that I fulfill His prophecy. You may believe it or you may not believe it, although you should believe it because the content of my book and some of my comments in your site are testimony that what I am telling about me and my book is true.
All christians say that they want truth but when the truth comes to them they don’t recognize it and they don’t accept it. Jesus Christ who is the Truth was not recognized by the Jews who are still waiting for the Messiah to come and they rejected Him and crucified Him on the cross. His only crime was that He was telling them the truth, which was different from what they were taught.
The Bible says :
” He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him ” ( John, 1:11 ).
I hope to receive a reply from you this time.
Andreas, proclaiming that your book is the Little Book of Revelation 10 is wrong. The Little Book of Revelation 10 represents printed Bibles in English and other languages, which John would have called a Little Book compared with the long scrolls he was used to. They were desperately needed as the Catholic Church had banned and burned the Scriptures, and killed those who had them. They were the sweet words of our Messiah, but they were bitter because these printed Bibles caused the Papal Church to intensify their war against the followers of Messiah. http://revelationtimelinedecoded.com/the-little-book-of-revelation-10/
Have you even bothered to read my Revelation Timeline Decoded study series? http://revelationtimelinedecoded.com
Why didn’t I bother replying to previous posts? Because you continually make statements that are insulting. When you said “David, there is difficulty for a teacher to become a student if he is of the world. On the contrary there is no such difficulty for someone who is from God.”, you are implying that I am of the world, and not from God; as you think that you know truth and that I don’t.
You got your reply. I have no plans to post your future comments and reply to them. Go peddle your book somewhere else.
David, instead of accepting the truth, now you are hiding it ! I think you must change your sign by deleting Truth instead of Lies !
Do you think that I’m hiding truth because I hadn’t gotten around to approving your comments. I work for a living. I don’t sit around waiting to approve comments, especially from someone who has done nothing but make points about what they think that I am wrong about.
I get a lot of comments, as I manage quite a few websites.
The 70th Week Of Daniel Deception http://70thweekofdaniel.com
The Olivet Discourse Deception http://theolivetdiscourse.com
The Falling Away of 2 Thessalonians 2 http://christianitybeliefs.org/the-falling-away/
Islam In Bible Prophecy http://christianitybeliefs.org/islam-in-bible-prophecy/
Revelation Timeline Decoded http://revelationtimelinedecoded.com