The Difficult Path

2005-11-14 11:04:00

The next verses read:

⁵ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
⁶ And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: Revelation 10:5-6

Spirit and matter, heaven and earth have joined in the disciple and as a being one with the soul lifts his hand as a symbol of commitment to the direction of Spirit as he sees it.

He commits himself to the idea "that there should be time no longer." This sounds strange until we realize it is a mistranslation. It should read that he makes a commitment that "time should no longer be delayed." Instead of stating that there will be no more time it is merely saying that the disciple is resolved to have no more delay.

No more delay about what? Next we read:

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:7

The seventh seal (chakra) is opened but now the disciple is having an awakening to the power and revelation from that center revealing the will of God. The disciple commits to following that will without delay and this will finish his quest for the mystery of God. He is now on the path toward oneness with God and such oneness is the greatest mystery declared by the prophets.

Next we read:

⁸ And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
⁹ And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. Revelation 10:8-10

In a state of oneness with God and Spirit the inner voice speaks to him and tells him to take the book. In other words, he is to accept the revelation of oneness to which he is awakened and accept the mission that he has with the sons and daughters of men. Without the usual delay he now accepts the voice immediately. The revelation and mission is sweet "in his mouth."

He finds it sweet to teach and talk about his revelations and plans but in his "belly" it was bitter.

When the disciple fully digests all that he must endure to accomplish the portion of the will of God he sees he discovers he must go through many trials, tribulations and endurance. He finds that shall not be so sweet as talking about lofty philosophy but will be a bitter pill to swallow, as was the crucifixion with Jesus.

At the beginning the disciple cheerfully says "here I am Lord," and at the consummation he is likely to say, "If it be possible remove this cup."

After the realization of the bitter pill to be endured he is told:

Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 10:11

The disciple learns that not only will the bitter cup not be removed, but his work and trials are far from over. This mission he perceives is just the beginning of his work on a higher level than before. He will yet teach "many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."

The bitter pill is a reminder that none of his future labors will be easy. His mission is the beginning of a struggle toward success that would frighten most seekers, but he must take courage, take the book out of the angel's hand and move onward. In the end the reward and the joy will far outweigh any distress he endures. He senses this and moves onward no matter how great the risk.

Next we read:

¹ And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
² But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Revelation 10:11-12

If you have any ideas on this fairly obscure scripture feel free to express.

Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends. Czech Proverb