The Little Book: Receiving, Revealing, and Living the Word
What follows is my interpretation of these dreams. I do not expect others to accept my interpretation simply because I experienced them. Nevertheless, I believe the dreams contain scriptural symbolism.
The little book immediately reminded me of the little book mentioned in Revelation chapter 10. The Apostle John was instructed to eat the book, and I came to believe that John, in this prophetic picture, represented the end-time Bride receiving truths that God would reveal in the last days.
What follows is how I came to understand this experience through four stages: Confirming, Receiving, Revealing, and Fulfilling.
Confirming
It was a difficult period in my life. I was seeking God concerning where I should worship because I felt that the church I was then attending lacked the spiritual power to help me through the struggles I was facing.
In answer to my prayers, God sent a pastor to our home approximately two weeks later. He preached to me and invited me to attend his church.
After attending that church for about a month, I had the dream concerning the angel and the little book.
I came to believe that the dream served as a confirmation, reassuring me as a newcomer in the fellowship not to fear or regard its teachings as strange, but rather to search the Scriptures for myself.
The church believed the message associated with the ministry of Rev. William Branham, and I understood the dream as an encouragement to examine those teachings carefully in the light of Scripture.
Receiving
I felt compelled to read every available book by Brother Branham in our small church library.
Even in the dream, the angel pointed with his finger to the page, emphasizing that I should look, read, and understand.
As I studied these messages, I came to see what I believed were several important truths that had been revealed but were often ignored or avoided by many believers. I was particularly surprised to discover that even the subject of water baptism and the relationship between Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38 remained a matter of disagreement among many churches.
I also discovered that the messages continually pointed believers back to the apostolic faith. From my perspective, there appeared to be no compromise in Brother Branham’s preaching.
The Bible contains different literary genres, and all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Yet I came to realize that books dealing with prophecy and mystery, such as Daniel and Revelation, were often neglected or seldom preached in many mainstream churches.
The angel’s emphasis in the dream—to look, read, and understand—strongly motivated me to receive and examine the Message for myself in the light of Scripture.
John’s being instructed to eat the little book in Revelation chapter 10 is one of the most powerful symbols in biblical prophecy. To eat the book signifies more than simply reading God’s Word. It speaks of receiving God’s message so deeply that it becomes part of one’s inner life.
To eat the Book is to:
- Read it.
- Digest it.
- Live it out.
In this sense, I came to believe that I was “eating the Book.”
Eating the Book, as I came to understand it, refers to receiving, internalizing, and living out the Word of God until it becomes part of one’s thinking, character, and spiritual life. It is the difference between merely possessing knowledge and allowing truth to transform the heart.
Revealing
I must say that I came to learn many things, gained an understanding of mysteries, and saw many truths revealed to me after receiving the Message.
It was, in my experience, both sweet in the mouth and bitter in the stomach.
It was sweet because of the joy of discovery, the excitement of understanding Scripture more deeply, and the sense of drawing closer to the apostolic faith. Yet it was bitter because truth often comes with a cost. New convictions can bring misunderstanding, opposition, spiritual battles, and personal sacrifice.
This brought the words of Revelation 10 vividly to my mind:
“Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”
Revelation 10:9
John later testified:
“It was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
Revelation 10:10
Sweet in the Mouth
God’s Word is often described as sweet, delightful, and desirable. Receiving divine revelation can bring joy. Discovering truth can produce excitement and spiritual satisfaction. Understanding mysteries of Scripture can fill the believer with wonder and gratitude.
The Psalmist declared:
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103
To eat the Book, therefore, symbolizes more than simply reading it. It means receiving God’s message so deeply that it becomes part of one’s inner life.
Bitter in the Stomach
Yet once the message is received, digested, and lived out, the experience can become difficult.
The bitterness may involve opposition and persecution for believing or preaching the message, the burden of carrying a difficult truth, sorrow over unbelief or spiritual decline, and the personal cost of obedience and sacrifice.
The prophets frequently experienced such burdens. God’s message was glorious, yet carrying it could bring loneliness, rejection, and suffering.
This symbolism is not unique to Revelation. The prophet Ezekiel was also commanded to eat a scroll:
“Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.”
Ezekiel 3:3
Afterward, Ezekiel was sent to deliver a difficult message to Israel.
Thus, I see a pattern:
Revelation → Reception → Responsibility → Suffering
The message is sweet when received, but it can become bitter when its consequences are experienced.
The little Book was sweet in the mouth because the discovery of truth brought joy, understanding, and spiritual excitement. Yet it became bitter in the stomach because truth often carries a cost. To receive and hold firmly to a conviction may invite misunderstanding, opposition, and trials.
Revelation is sweet to receive, but it can be bitter to bear.
Fulfilling
After the receiving and the revealing came what I understand as the fulfilling.
In 2008, I had another dream that I believe was connected with the little Book.
In the dream, I heard a knock at the front door of my house. A voice impressed upon me not to open the door, but instead to go behind the house and see who was knocking.
As I looked, I saw a strange creature with the head of an animal and the body of a man.
The creature noticed me and began to move toward me. I also found myself moving toward it.
Suddenly, I took a little book from my back pocket and pointed it toward the creature. Immediately, a whirlwind descended from above, lifted the creature into the air, and carried it away. As it disappeared, it made a strange and ghostly sound as it was taken to a place unknown to me.
Looking back, I came to understand this dream as another reminder that the adversary resists spiritual growth and opposes believers in many ways. As the Word of God grows within a person, trials and opposition may sometimes increase rather than decrease.
Yet the Scriptures remind us that the testing of faith produces endurance and that God is faithful to preserve those who seek Him in sincerity and truth.
I also came to believe that when the Word of God is fully received, revealed, and established within a person, the power of the enemy is broken. Our Lord Jesus overcame the adversary through the Word, declaring:
“Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written…”
Luke 4:8
The lesson I drew from the dream was simple: before truth reaches the heart, the devil will fight to prevent it. Yet once the Word of God is received, believed, and established within a person, the enemy cannot stand before it. The Word defeats him every time.
Had I Been Eating the Book?
The whirlwind came and picked up the beast after I took the little Book from my pocket and showed it to the creature.
One brother, after hearing my dream, told me, “It means you have been eating the Book.”
But does the dream actually signify that I had been eating the Book?
I cannot say with certainty.
God is His own Interpreter.
Nevertheless, I could not ignore the connection. The little Book had already appeared in my earlier dream, and in this second dream it was now in my possession. When I showed it to the beast, the whirlwind came from above and carried the creature away.
Could this signify that the Word of God had become something I was not merely reading, but receiving, internalizing, and living out?
I leave the interpretation with God.
What I can say is that, over the years, the Word became increasingly precious to me. It was, in the language of Revelation 10, sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach. The truth brought joy and understanding, but it also brought opposition, trials, and a cost.
Personal Reflection
Immediately after eating the Book, John was told:
“Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
Revelation 10:11
This sequence is significant to me:
- Receive the message.
- Digest the message.
- Become part of the message.
- Proclaim the message.
One cannot faithfully speak God’s Word without first allowing it to work within oneself.
Since my dreams involved a little Book, it was natural for me to connect them with Revelation 10. From my interpretation, the symbolism can be understood in this way:
- The little Book being given — receiving truth or revelation.
- The angel emphasizing that I should look, read, and understand — the importance of study and discernment.
- Being allowed to keep the Book — stewardship of what has been entrusted to me.
- The little Book later appearing in my possession — truth becoming something personally received and carried.
- The conflict with the beast — spiritual opposition that can accompany deeply held convictions.
- The whirlwind carrying away the beast — the victory of God’s power over the opposing force.
A book that is eaten becomes part of the person who receives it. Perhaps that is why neither Ezekiel nor John was told merely to read the book. They were told to eat it.
My interpretation belongs to my personal testimony and spiritual reflection. Christians may understand Revelation 10 differently, and I respect that. Nevertheless, I believe the broader biblical principle remains clear: God’s Word is to be received, internalized, lived out, and faithfully proclaimed.
The little Book was sweet because revelation brings joy; it was bitter because truth often carries responsibility, opposition, and sacrifice.
It is sweet to receive the Word, but it may be bitter to bear the burden of the Word.
