December 2, 2018 Our Entire Life Is To Fight Against the Devil

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My soul has no rest in this world. All day long I have been beaten and trodden on, and my body has no rest. My body, which has been ripped apart, stomped and smothered on, has no place of peace. This tent of my body, the tent that is made of the dust of the ground, is fading away, and truly – my soul has no place to rest. My soul only finds comfort in the tearful and comforting prayers of the saints whom I sincerely love. These prayers make my soul persevere.

The gods of this world, who had stoned Stephen to death, are today continuing to throw stones at the name of Semuon. I look towards the Lord, who knows all these things and yet remains silent. “Persevere a little longer. Be at peace. I will receive you most warmly. Yet your name must be destroyed on this earth. When your body is worn out and returns to the dust, your soul will come back to my embrace. You must persevere. Endure. Put that bit back in your mouth and endure once again.” This is what the Lord says to me, and the Lord’s comfort comes to my soul.

“O Lord! I am swallowing the blood that I have vomited out of my mouth. I am walking on the uphill road to the Golgotha that has been apportioned for me. I see the cross where I must go to die. It has now come before my eyes. I now understand why You, O Lord, have given me the commandment, ‘to see but not speak’ (Se-Mu-On), and why You have given it to me as my name. The name that was given to me on this earth is decaying, yet it has not yet died. It hurts my heart to see that this name still lives. The name that was given to me on this earth must die, and the name that You have given me, Semuon, must live and it must give glory to You. Please give me the strength to do this one final thing.

The law courts of this world have in the past recognized your servant, so make his identity clear to all. But they have now placed my name in those courts, and they are condemning it with lies. The law courts of Pontius Pilate had condemned Our Lord. Although Your servant is suffering only a fraction of the humiliation that You, O Lord, had suffered, I know that You saw me walk bravely into those courts. The place of rest for my soul, now, is only the love of the Lord.

O Lord! Please sanctify my soul! My flesh is already rotting away and smelling like a corpse. But my soul is full of the aroma of the Lord. The women carried in their hands the scented oil of the Lord when they sought for His tomb. And this scented oil is now filled within my soul. They have tried to seize the name of ‘Berea’ and they have caused havoc to the church. But to the name of Berea, we have now added the raised flag of ‘Return to the Word’. All flesh will die, and all their names will be disgraced, but the souls of those Bereans who ‘Return to the Word’ will shine.

All that I know is Jesus and the truth. The one who does not know the Lord does not know his own soul. Those who know the Lord, know their own soul, and they also love their own soul. The soul of Semuon has, up until now, run the race of this marathon, yet he has a few hundred meters left to run. Until the very end, please make me the one that wins the race. Until the very end, please make me run the race of a true martyr. I now hear louder and louder the farewell greetings of all the Bereans.”

Coming Soon

Outline translated by Daniel Hong and John Kim
Letter translated by John Kim
Interpretations by John Kim
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee