**The Angel and the Little Scroll**

The heavens trembled with the echoes of the sixth trumpet’s judgment, and the earth below groaned under the weight of divine wrath. The seas roared, the skies darkened, and the nations shuddered, for the Lord’s mighty hand was stretched out over the world. Yet amidst the thunder of judgment, a new vision unfolded before John, the exiled prophet on the isle of Patmos.

Lifting his eyes, he beheld another mighty angel descending from heaven, wrapped in a cloud of glory. A radiant halo crowned his head, and his face shone like the sun, fierce and unapproachable in its brilliance. His legs stood like pillars of fire, unshakable and aflame with divine authority. In his hand, he held a small scroll, unsealed and open, as though its contents were meant to be proclaimed without delay.

The angel planted his right foot upon the sea and his left upon the earth, a posture of dominion over all creation. Then, with a voice like the roar of a lion, he cried out—a shout so mighty that it echoed like thunder, rolling across the heavens and shaking the foundations of the world. At his cry, seven peals of thunder responded, their voices deep and resonant, speaking words that John could discern but was forbidden to record.

As the last echoes of the thunder faded, the angel raised his hand toward heaven and swore an oath by Him who lives forever and ever, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them. “There will be no more delay!” he declared. “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”

John stood transfixed, his heart pounding within him. Then the same voice that had spoken to him before—the voice of the Lord—commanded him, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the earth.”

Obediently, John approached the towering figure, his steps unsteady beneath the weight of the moment. “Give me the little scroll,” he said.

The angel looked down upon him, his fiery gaze piercing yet not unkind. “Take it and eat it,” he instructed. “It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth, it will be as sweet as honey.”

John reached out and took the scroll from the angel’s hand. As he brought it to his lips, the taste was indeed sweet, like the finest honey, filling his mouth with delight. But as he swallowed, the sweetness turned to bitterness, and a fire burned in his belly, a sorrow so deep it seemed to consume him from within.

Then the angel spoke once more, his voice solemn. “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

And John knew that the word of the Lord was both a promise and a burden—sweet in its fulfillment of divine truth, yet bitter in the trials it foretold. The scroll contained the final mysteries of God’s plan, and though the path ahead would be fraught with suffering, the end was sure: the Lord would reign forever, and His justice would prevail.

With renewed resolve, John bowed his head, ready to proclaim what had been revealed, for the time was near, and the kingdom of God was at hand.