Revelation Chapter 10 verse 7 to 11
7 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.
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.
11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Eating the book is a metaphor for taking in and understanding God's Holy Word.
People needed the Word of God because it had been hidden and almost wiped out during the Dark Ages and therefore God raised up men to fight the enemy.
They were starving for the Word of God. So they took the book and diligently pursued it, as eagerly as a hungry man would eat a meal.
- The "eating" of Scripture is a study of its words, which leads to an acceptance of their message in daily life.
- Christ later bade His followers to "eat" His "flesh and blood," which He explained to be His words and teachings (John 6:48–63).
So far, we have covered the first 490 years of the 2300-day-for-a-year prophecy. There remains 1810 years from 34 A.D. As we count down 1810 years, we reach the year 1844, which marks the sanctuary's "cleansing" (Daniel 8:14).
One of the most important religious awakenings in history took place in 1844. A Baptist preacher named William Miller was the first person to do it. He and other people in different places started to teach a message that was based on Daniel's prophecies. Miller's sermons were mostly about the 2300-day-for-a-year promise, which he first thought would end around 1843. The truth and simplicity of his words awakened many people. The fulfillment of a day-for-a-year prophecy, which predicted the fall of the Ottoman Empire, transformed even the thinking of non-believers.
At that time, most people who studied the Bible thought that the temple was the earth. He taught and believed that Christ would come to earth at the end of this time period to cleanse it by getting rid of sin and taking His faithful followers to heaven with Him. After a few minor setbacks and recalculations, they set the final date for October 22, 1844. Thousands of people were eagerly anticipating their Lord's arrival.
There was no clearing of fields and no gathering of crops. A lot of people who had heard and believed this wonderful message were looking forward to the promise. Early morning turned into evening and then darkness at midnight, but Christ did not return. They experienced a bitter disappointment.
Therefore, the words of prophecy were fulfilled: “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 10:10).
John's vision experience bears a striking resemblance to the experiences of the Advent believers between 1840 and 1844. When these believers first heard the message of the imminent second coming, it was to them “sweet as honey.” But when Christ did not come as they expected, their experience was indeed bitter. History calls it “the bitter disappointment.”
Recommended Video from Third Party (View Terms of Use Page) - The Great Disappointment