– Revelation 16:15
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
This verse reminds us that the Lord will come secretly as a thief. It is not only mentioned here, but also in Matthew 25:6, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). From these verses we understand that the Lord will come in secret, meanwhile, He will send some people to spread the gospel. If we are not awake and prepared, surely we cannot recognize or follow the Lord when He comes. To watch and wait for the second coming of Jesus, the most important thing is whether we can recognize His voice. After we recognize the Lord’s voice, we can follow Him and sit at the same table with Him.
Regardless of whether they are the words of God become flesh, or the utterances of the Spirit of God, they are all words spoken by God to mankind from up high. Such are the tone and characteristics of God’s words. The authority and identity of God are clearly manifested. It can also be said to be the unique means by which the Creator speaks. God’s utterances each time He becomes flesh surely cover many areas. They primarily relate to God’s requirements and admonitions of man, the words of God’s administrative decrees and commandments, His words of judgment and chastisement, and His revelation of corrupt mankind. There are also words of prophecies and God’s promises to mankind and so on. These words are all the expression of the truth, the way, and the life. They are all the revelation of the substance of God’s life. They represent God’s disposition and all that God has and is. We are able to see from the words expressed by God that God’s words are the truth, and they have authority, and power. Thus, if we wish to determine whether the words we heard are the voice of God, we can compare what we heard and the words of the Lord Jesus, and see whether they are the words expressed by one Spirit, and whether they are the work done by one God. Thus, we can recognize God’s voice.