Revelation and Job

[Jamie123]

Reveletion 10

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8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Job 21

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12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,
13 though he cannot bear to let it go and lets it linger in his mouth,
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the venom of serpents within him.

The latter, is Zophaz, arguing - rightly or wrongly - that Job's fall from riches to poverty and disease must be the result of his own wickedness and hubris. The former appears during the "intermission" between the 6th and 7th trumpets. Was the writer of Revelation alluding to the story of Job? If so, any thoughts about the connection?

[Just_A_Guy]

Well, it seems like in both cases they are describing heartburn and using it metaphorically.  I don’t know that Revelation had to have been intentionally borrowing from Job . .   

[Jamie123]

15 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:

Well, it seems like in both cases they are describing heartburn and using it metaphorically.  I don’t know that Revelation had to have been intentionally borrowing from Job . .   

The footnote in Revelation actually points to Ezikiel 3:3 - "He said to me, 'Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.' Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth." - so that's clearly where the idea of "eating a book" came from. But nothing there about it turning sour.

I'm not all that familiar with Ezekiel - I've only ever read it cover-to-cover once in my life. "So little time, so much to know!"

[zil2]

Revelation 10 link, for convenience.

That is an interesting connection. I suspect that this may have been a common metaphor in the culture(s) in question.  And it seems used in two very different ways here - John is not spending time savoring evil, and then experiencing the painful consequences that always come from evil....  He is obeying the Lord, and (as far as I can determine) taking into himself the word of God (the things he must prophesy per verse 11). You wouldn't think that would be bitter, especially for the translated John, but I suppose the amount of rejection and wickedness he would have to experience and witness would be bitter, while testifying of the Lord would be sweet...

D&C 77

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14 Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things.

Jeremiah 15:16 may also interest you - another instance of "eating" the Lord's words, though no bitterness here.  It might be interesting to find all the instances wherein a prophet "eats" the word of God in some form.

PS: That D&C 77 bit makes me wonder just how involved the translated John is in the current efforts to gather Israel, and how openly (to our current prophet).