Go Prophesy!
(Rev 10:8~11)
Revelation demonstrates that we are changed not by the seven-seal woes or the seven- trumpet woes but by the Word, which shows us the authority of the little Scroll. God gives us authority so that we can prophesy. The first syllable of the Chinese word of prophecy 豫 means not only in advance but also entrust. Thus, through prophecy, God enables us not only to foresee but he also entrusts us with the Word that enables us to foresee. To whom and how would God trust his Word?
1. He entrusts the Word to the obedient. Prophecy starts from obedience. John thoroughly obeyed Gods command to take and eat the scroll with his absolute trust in the Lord. We tend to be reluctant to obey our shepherds, especially they are younger or less educated than us. Yet John the old man went and took the scroll from a young angel. Thus we need to drop our fixed idea and obey God when He entrusts us with the Word by going to our young angel instead of saying 'What does that young guy know about it?' A wise man takes the scroll as his own. John learned how to obey on the island of Patmos. Leadership comes to us when we have no one to hate. Unfortunately, people are busy brooding on and hating those whove beaten them. More income doesnt make us happier. What matters the most is whether we are ready to obey God in our own Patmos by going to our young angel and kneeling before him with faith.
2. He wants us to eat the scroll before we prophesy. Those who should prophesy need to eat the scroll as did John the Baptist and Ezekiel. We need to chew on the cud of the word about woes, mourning, and lamenting till it tastes sweet. Digging into it only for researching or teaching others without taking it as a life-book makes us misuse it as a killing sword. As God commanded us, we need to open our mouth, eat, and chew the Word till it becomes part of our spiritual body. Ezekiel chewed the cud of the Word about woes and lamentation till it tasted sweet. Thus by meditating on the Word, we understand who we really are, where we are from, and where we are going. The Word is two edged. To those who are to be judged by God, it tastes bitter. But to those who will be saved by God, it tastes as sweet as honey. The Word tastes sweet in our mouth, but tastes bitter when we apply it. It tastes bitter when we refrain from sitting in the seat of worldly people, receiving bribery, and resorting to our old habit or addiction. Yet we can overcome this bitterness by remembering the verse we hear in our church 'It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'
3. He wants us to prophesy, taking it as our mission. Prophesying is not only the ministry of John but also for us as Gods children. John didnt prophesy before lots of people or a king. What he did was obey God and receive the Word on Patmos his island of exile. Thats how he became a prophet. We also need to share our story of being caught in our Patmos of our spouse and children, yet living out our life of exile by chewing the cud of the Word. My daughter applied to a college of music after graduating from her prestigious music middle and high school years. Meanwhile she began to understand the Word while meditating on Deuteronomy and faced woes in Revelation until she met the Lord as Nathaniel in John. However, she continued to fail in her entrance exam. When she took the re-exam, she lowered her expectation. On the second day of her practical test, she made a fatal mistake, when Psalm 25 sounded like a trumpet to her. She repented and swore that she would do the ministry of God. She passed the exam miraculously and led QT sessios during her undergraduate and graduate course, married a trainee pastor, and has served our church as a trainee pastor herself. Our prophecy is sharing how we have been guided by QT. What matters the most is our meditation. When we inquire of God after facing a problem without QT, we wont hear anything from him as in Ezekiel 20, 'I will not let you inquire of me.' QT training from childhood enables us to listen to the Word when facing a problem. Referring to the Word by ourselves is more important than any other program in our life. I dont say this because Im perfect. We are to face bitter incidents throughout our life, a hellish situation without the Word. Meditation lets us understand this. We need to taste the true peace that Jesus gives us and prophesy. We can revive others by shaking them up out of sleep. We need to shake them hard enough and rub their sore part intensively enough for them to revive. This is how to prophesy through QT.
'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.' (Rev 10:11)
