10 Then in the vision I saw another powerful messenger coming down from heaven wrapped in a cloud and with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun and his feet were like pillars of fire, 2 and he was holding a small opened scroll. He set his right foot down on the ocean and his left foot down on the land 3 and shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders spoke out in their own voices. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write down what they said but I heard a voice from heaven that said, “Keep what the seven thunders have said secret, and don’t write it down.”

5 Then the messenger that I’d seen straddling the ocean and the land raised his right hand 6 and made an oath by the one living through all the ages and who created heaven and everything in it and the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it, saying, “There won’t be any more delay, 7 but at the time when the seventh messenger will speak and blow his trumpet, then the hidden purposes of God will come to be, just like he told his slaves the prophets long ago.”[ref]

8 Then the one whom I had heard speak from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go and get the open scroll from the hand of the messenger who is straddling the ocean and the land.” 9 So I went to the messenger and asked him to give me the little scroll, and he answered, “Take it and eat it. At first it’ll taste sweet like honey, but afterwards it’ll be uncomfortable in your stomach.” 10 So I took that little scroll from the messenger’s hand and ate it, and it tasted sweet like honey,[ref] but my stomach hurt afterwards 11 and they told me, “You have to speak out God’s message about many nations and people groups and language groups and kings.”