And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many people and nations and tongues and kings. Revelation 10:11
During a Gospel series at the Gospel Hall in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, a good number of years ago, a former Canadian drug dealer delivered a message that told of how God reached and saved his soul. That message from Peter Orasuk was recorded and widely distributed, and considered by many as the most powerful testimony they had ever heard. One of the places where the message was posted for availability – in addition to many of the Gospel Hall audio sites – is a website known as SermonAudio.com. The last time I checked, more than 32,700 people had downloaded Peter Orasuk’s testimony. And many of the people who posted comments remarked that they had shared the message with many of their friends and acquaintances. There is no way that Peter could have known when he delivered that message to 150 or so people in Ballymena that it would be so widely distributed and heard by many thousands of people. Although Peter’s voice is silent on earth now, his words continue to sound forth and stir hearts much like the apostle John’s words as he recorded that which God revealed to him.
The apostle was an old man, living in exile on the island of Patmos when he received the Revelation. How was a man of his advanced years, in frail health, and living in isolation, going to speak to many peoples and nations and tongues and kings? Looking back on it now, we can understand it. The Holy Spirit was moving John to record those things that were revealed to him. The Holy Spirit preserved that which John wrote, and it became a unique part of the canon of Scripture as godly men assembled the writings of the apostles. And so, everyone who has held a Bible since that time has held the prophecy that John was told he would deliver to people and nations and tongues and kings. John did not need to understand how all of that would happen; all he had to do was speak as the Lord directed him, and the angel’s words would come true in time. It has taken time, some two thousand years, for the Word of God to be delivered throughout the world. Very few people on the planet do not have access to the Bible, despite the devil’s efforts to stifle it, aided by his Communist, Muslim, and religious minions. John is prophesying today to countless numbers because he obeyed. How many will our obedience reach?
You and I are not called upon today to write Scripture. But we are called upon to live the Gospel before the world in lives of service, love, and testimony. Some are called upon to preach, and they never know the impact of the words they sound forth. Some are called upon to write, and they never know the impact of the hymns they produce, the poems, the books, the Gospel tracts, because God can use the printed page to His glory long after the ink is dry. How is God calling you to speak?
If we will obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can reach far beyond what we can imagine today. -Jim MacIntosh