A VOICE
I was thinking of the voice in these three passages. “I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet”. John turned back to see the voice. It is personified here. He knew what it meant to lie in the bosom of Jesus; he was a disciple whom Jesus loved. This stands open for us all. He knew the Lord’s voice, but such a voice as this he had never before heard. We must be aware of the way in which the Lord speaks in order that we may learn His view of the state of the assembly. We would desire to be with Him in what He is doing.
John brings himself before us as a brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation. In what a tender way he draws our attention to it. Paul also completed his time of witness in imprisonment.
This voice should awaken our interest and affect us. It led John to turn back and he saw the voice which spoke with him, and it gave him a view of Christ which he had never before had. We must be assured of the way in which the Lord sees the whole public state of the church and find our way therein whilst we seek in humility to walk in the light of the assembly. The view John gets embraces the whole history of the church and we in our generation are at the end of this dispensation. I believe that the Lord appeals to us to be with Him in His feelings, and His voice directs us to the preciousness of His Person. We know that at the end of this book He returns to the voice of testimony; He uses His personal name, “I Jesus”. How that calls upon each one of us to be His confidants in the midst of the public denial.
In Isaiah we find the faithful ones of Jehovah in the midst of breakdown such as that which we have contributed to. Thus here also we have a voice speaking from behind. It certainly seems that when we are with Him He will not hesitate to give us direction. He is unchanging in His own blessed feelings. He has remained faithful; He cannot deny Himself and remains true to His own work. We are the witness of this. Therefore we can be together in the bonds of love whilst in some measure we are formed in the divine nature and, as such, have experienced the sufferings and cares of the testimony. This passage shows that on the divine side there is no breakdown. He said to His people literally, “Thou shalt weep no more” and, as to their cry, “As he heareth it, he will answer thee”. If we go through opposition and pressure the sufferings will not cease, but we have the comfort of being together and of strengthening one another. Thank God for the bonds of love amongst us! Let us hold fast to this so that what Christ loves will be maintained until He come.
The word here is, “And when ye turn to the right hand or when ye turn to the left, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it”. Thank God we can walk as those who are governed by the personal voice of Jesus. It is wonderful that He knows the days in which we are found. He knows fully what these days bring; He says, “I am with you all the days”.
In Luke also we have guidance; “And there was a voice out of the cloud”. What a voice from heaven! It marks out Christ. Should it not be so in our assemblings, that a voice is to be heard there which distinguishes Christ? In every coming together we must think of His glory. The assembly belongs to Him and how highly He values those who walk in the light of it. So there is this voice from heaven, “This is my beloved Son: hear him”. Thus personal guidance comes to us. His voice will be heard when we are together, especially at the Supper. Let us be impressionable. Often we may have to turn back in order to hear this voice. It gives guidance to go on and to keep together till He come.
COLOGNE
11th August 1981
From the German in ‘Neues und Altes’
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