Taking Heed to the Prophetic Word in the Bible until the Morning Star Rises within us

If we as believers in Christ take heed to the word of prophecy – the prophetic word in the Bible – then the day will dawn within us, and the morning star will rise in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

After seeing the many negative things in the church in Thyatira – the apostate church, the Roman Catholic Church – it is so wonderful to see that even in this church the Lord is calling for and gaining overcomers, those who will receive the morning star (Rev. 2:28).

The morning star appears in the darkest hour of the night, after midnight and prior to dawn, indicating that Christ will appear as the bright morning star in the darkest time, prior to the close of this age, to His overcoming believers.

Most people enjoy the shining of the sun during the day, while some wake up earlier to catch the sunrise; however, those who watch and wait during the night, they get to see the morning star.

Today we are in the darkest hour, and the situation is getting worse – both in the world and among the believers in the church. Therefore, we need to be those who eagerly await for the Lord’s return, those who are getting ready for His second coming, so that we may gain Him as the morning star and He would rapture us before the great tribulation comes.

As the bright morning star, Christ will appear privately to His overcomers, those who are watching, preparing, and waiting for Him; if we today watch and wait for the Lord’s return, being in His word prayerfully and unceasingly praying, He will secretly give Himself to us as the morning star.

To those who love Him and who watch and wait for Him, the Lord will give the priority to taste the freshness of His presence at His return after a long absence. We all need to be encouraged and look to the Lord again and again, earnestly seeking His presence and being watchful so that we may be able to stand before Him in the secret part of His coming.

May we be those found worthy in His eyes, those prepared and watchful and ready when He returns secretly as the morning star.

Taking Heed to the Prophetic Word in the Bible until the Morning Star Rises within us

In 2 Pet. 1:19 we see the key to having the morning star rising in our hearts: we need to take heed to the word of prophecy so that the day will dawn within us, and the morning star would rise in our hearts.

As we prayerfully consider all the matters related to the seven churches in Rev. 2-3, we need to open to the Lord and let His word shine in our hearts until the morning star rises within us. We shouldn’t take the things in the Bible as teachings or doctrines but rather take heed to the prophetic word in the way of life.

To take heed to the prophetic word is to pay attention to the living Word and enter into the Word until the morning star rises within us and something from the heavens shines over us.

What does it mean to take heed to the word of God? It is not only to read the word but to enter into the word in a prayerful way, opening our entire being to the Lord until something of light arises within us.

The Greek term for “Morning Star” in 2 Pet. 1:19 is, “phosphorus”, a substance that bears light in the darkness. Christ is the real morning star, the real phosphorus, shining in today’s darkness, and He wants to shine within us, to be the divine “phosphorus” in our heart.

Therefore, we need to come to the word of God, read the Bible, and open our entire being to God in His word; we need to open our mouth, our eyes, our mind, our spirit, and our heart, digging into God’s word and prayerfully opening to the Lord until Christ as the morning star rises up within us and shines over us.

Many times we are in darkness when we come to the word of God, but as we study the prophetic word in the Bible and pray-read the word of God, lingering before the Lord until He shines on us, a lamp begins to shine within us.

There’s much light in God’s word, and the Lord as the morning star wants to rise within us to shine over us as we exercise our spirit over God’s word. His word is not only a lamp unto our feet but, as we take heed to the prophetic word, the Lord as the morning star rises within our hearts until the dawning of the day.

How pleasant it is for the Lord as the morning star to rise within our heart and shine in us and over us! When we have the morning star rising within our heart by taking heed to the prophetic word in the Bible, we are no longer in darkness but enjoy the light of life, even though those around us may still be in darkness.

We need to return to the Lord in a genuine way and come back to the word of God in the way of taking heed to the prophetic word, having the right attitude when we read the Bible. If we take heed to the prophetic word in the Bible, Christ as the morning star will rise within our heart and this light will illuminate and shine in this dark age to direct us how we should live and where we should go.

On the one hand the Lord will come from outside of us in His parousia, His secret presence, but on the other hand He will rise up from within us as the bright morning star as we take heed to the prophetic word.

Lord Jesus, we want to take heed to the prophetic word, the living word in the Bible, until Christ as the morning star rises within us and something from the heavens shines over us! Save us Lord from merely reading the Bible without opening our being to You. We want to learn to open our mouth, our eyes, our mind, our spirit, and our heart to You as we read the Bible until Christ as the morning star rises up in us and shines over us! Amen, Lord, may the morning star rise within us every day and shine in us and over us!

Being in the Local Churches and Coming to the Lord in His Word to have the Morning Star

In the beginning of the New Testament we see the star leading the magi to the place where the Lord Jesus was – this star was outside of religion, in a place prophesied by the Lord and chosen by God (see Matt. 2:1-6). At the end of the New Testament, however, the star is within the church, and it is the reward to the overcomer in the church.

Today if we want to see the morning star we don’t have to look to the sky – as the Gentile wise men did, but we need to come to the local church, the place where the Lord as the morning star shines.

Today Christ as the morning star is in the local churches and walking among the local churches. For us to see the morning star we need to get outside of religion, be freed from the degradation of the church, and be in the local churches, taking heed to the prophetic word so that Christ as the morning star would rise in our hearts.

If we are in religion and for religion, if we are still drugged by the religious practices and teachings, we cannot see the morning star; but if we are in the genuine local church, we will see the star. In religion what we have is darkness, but in the local churches we have the opportunity to see the bright star.

On the one hand, the morning star it refers to a future day when the Lord Jesus will come back as the sun of righteousness, and before His visible presence is made known, He will be the morning star to those who watch for Him.

On the other hand, the morning star refers to our experience today; if we today give heed to the prophetic word in the Bible, we will enjoy the morning star rising in our hearts, and we will have a spiritual day dawning within us.

As we enjoy the Lord’s dawning as the morning star within us day by day, we may remain in this condition until the actual time comes when the Lord Jesus appears as the morning star and there is the dawning of the day with Him as the Sun of Righteousness (see Mal. 4:2).

We live in an age of darkness, but we can be people of light with the morning star rising in our heart with the dawning of a spiritual day until the time the Lord appears as the morning star to the watchful ones and then dawns as the Sun of righteousness.

May we be those who stay away from religion and remain in the local churches, coming to the Lord in His word to take heed to the prophetic word so that we may have the morning star rising in our heart day by day.

Lord Jesus, keep us away from religion and in the local churches, enjoying You and taking heed to the prophetic word in the Bible until the morning star rises up in our heart. Thank You, Lord, You are the morning star in and among the local churches, shining on Your saints in this dark age. We say Amen to Your word, Lord, and we want to take heed to the prophetic word by opening our entire being to You until the morning star rises within us and the Sun of righteousness shines within us.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by brother Minoru C. for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4189-41922 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Returning to the Orthodoxy of the Church (2016 fall ITERO), msg. 5 (week 5), The Church in Thyatira.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # And we have the prophetic word / Made more firm, to which you do well / To give heed as to a lamp / Shining in a dark place, / Until the day dawns / And the morning star / Rises in your hearts. (Scripture song)
  # Bless me with Thy shining light / And deal with every part. / That I would unreserved be / A channel of Thine heart. / Bless Thee, Lord, forevermore; / Come in these days between / ’Til I one day I am as Thou art / And Morning Star be seen. (New Song on Experiencing Christ)
  # Now to enjoy Thee I come to Thy Word, / On Thee to feed till my hunger is o’er. / Now in my spirit I turn unto Thee, / Of Thee to drink till I’m thirsty no more. / Feeding and drinking, Lord Jesus, of Thee, / Feeding by reading, and drinking by prayer; / Reading and praying, I eat and I drink, / Praying and reading-Lord, Thou art my fare. (Hymns #811)