1And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven , clothed with a cloud : and a rainbow was upon his head , and his face was as it were the sun , and his feet as pillars of fire : 2And he had in his hand a little book open : and he set his right foot upon the sea , and his left foot on the earth , 3And cried with a loud voice , as when a lion roareth : and when he had cried , seven thunders uttered their voices . 4And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices , I was about to write : and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me , Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered , and write them not .
The Seven Thunders and the Sealed Message
5And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven , 6And 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 : 7But 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 .
The Prophetic Commission
8And 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 . 9And 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 . 10And 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 . 11And he said unto me , Thou must prophesy again before many peoples , and nations , and tongues , and kings .