1. Why can Jehovah’s speaking to his prophet be likened to a lion’s roaring?

HAVE you ever heard a lion roar? Its roar is said to be louder than the sound of a jackhammer. What would you do if you heard a lion roar nearby in the stillness of the night? Probably react without delay. Amos, one of the 12 prophets whose writings we are considering, used this analogy: “There is a lion that has roared! Who will not be afraid? The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has spoken! Who will not prophesy?” (Amos 3:3-8) If you heard Jehovah himself speak, would you not react as Amos did? He immediately took action and prophesied against the ten-tribe nation of Israel.

3. How can you be involved in a work similar to that of the prophets whose writings we are studying?

³ Are you really involved in a work like that of the prophets? You may not have heard the lion roar in the sense that you have been directly inspired by Jehovah. You have, though, heard from his Word, the Bible, the urgent message about the impending day of Jehovah. As we noted in Chapter 1 of this book, the words “prophet” and “prophetic” have a variety of meanings. Although you may not be a prophet in the sense that Amos or the other ancient prophets were, you can still speak out about the future. How? You can declare the prophetic messages that you have studied in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, including those of the 12 prophets. Now is the time for doing just that.