Prophecy- An Exhaustive Study
By D.M.M. 7/12/03
This treatise is a summarization of an exhaustive study done using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV). The following words and each of their occurrences in the Bible were exhaustively analyzed: “prophecies”, “prophecy”, “prophesied”, “prophesieth”, “prophesy”, “prophesying”, “prophesyings”, “prophet”, “prophet’s”, and “prophets”.
The words were put on a grid similar to the one displayed in the Apostleship Section. The grid was filled out longhand, primarily while commuting to work, so the grid is not easily reproducible. There were 452 word occurrences in this Prophecy Section as opposed to 82 occurrences studied in the Apostleship Section.
The following are points of note with references to the listing number from my original longhand grid:
A. “PROPHECIES”
1.) “Face to Face”- Critical to Understand this Term, I Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” It has not escaped my attention that this verse has popped up as the first verse in this study. Indeed, if you are to understand prophecy for our age, you must wrestle with this verse. So, there’s no sense proceeding through this study without first understanding this passage of Scripture. I always perceive the word “understanding” as grasping the premises that are standing under a matter. So really we have to dig to understand not just the meaning of the verse but also the other elemental teachings of God and His Word upon which this verse is built.
This is a very important and pivotal verse in the bible. If you want to understand God’s grace you must study and accept the truth of God’s Word through this verse. I believe that the verse is very clear though, and those who mishandle this verse do so out of lack of diligence.
One way to dig for premises lying under this Scripture is to use the rule of first reference and go back in time to that first prophet Abel. You might say, “Abel’s obviously not a prophet, so why consider him?”. Well the Scripture which “cannot be broken” (John 10:35) says that Abel is a prophet (Luke 11:51). Not only that, but like the rest of God’s Word, “he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). What’s coming out here is that prophecy is merely speaking from God and is not limited to those who have a reputation of being a prophet. Do you doubt this? Consider Caiaphas in John 11:51, Enoch in Jude 14, Abraham in Genesis 20:7, Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10 & Hosea 12:13, the psalmist Asaph in Matthew 13:35, David in Matthew 27:35 & Acts 2:30, Miriam in Exodus 15:20, and even King Saul in I Samuel 19:20-24. (Also see Item#28 in the Word of Knowledge Section
Another way to dig for premises lying under a Scripture is to carefully consider the context of a verse. The entire book of I Corinthians is seeking to correct the Corinthians’ disorder in certain things (II Corinthians 2:3). Chapters 12 through 14 of the book of I Corinthians obviously deal with the spiritual abilities, particularly prophecy. The first thing Paul explains when beginning his Spirit led dissertation on the spiritual abilities is that we do not follow a mute idol (I Corinthians 12:2). He is careful to explain and recognize that the spiritual abilities are from the Lord Jesus and through the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 1:4-7, & 12:1-7). Paul’s position is to carefully seek order in the Corinthian gathering, and he does this without speaking against God’s Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 14:39). So the general context of Chapters 12 – 14 is an appeal to order, citing that God is not a mute idol. Paul actually gives a conclusion statement to Chapters 12 through 14. The section’s last verse concludes: “Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (I Corinthians 14:39). Disorderly misuse of the spiritual ability of tongues was the Corinthians’ error, but any such disorder is being addressed, since Paul encourages, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way”. So Paul’s position is summarized containing three elements mentioned in his conclusion, I Corinthians 14:39 & 40: “Be eager to prophesy (or practice any of the greater gifts per I Corinthians 12:30), …do not forbid to speak in tongues (Don’t speak against the Holy Spirit- Matthew 12:32, I Thessalonians 5:19&20)…everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way”. A fourth element, love, is found in I Corinthians 13:1-7. This is not just Paul’s position, this is the Lord’s position (II Timothy 3:16), and it should be our position.
So, before we even approach I Corinthians 13:8, we see three major elements of God’s being. First, he is not a mute idol. Since creation his Word has always been going forth to his creation, even through the most unlikely people. Secondly, he is orderly and requests “all thing be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40). Thirdly, “God is love”, including His Holy Spirit (I John 4:8, Romans 5:5, & I Corinthians 13:1-7). Paul’s position is the position we all should take regarding spiritual abilities. Paul’s position, then, contains these four points: the Spirit’s gifts/ abilities are given and done in a Spirit of love and order; but never allow your tongue to speak against God’s Holy Spirit; and “eagerly desire the greatest gifts” (I Corinthians 12:30).
I Corinthians 13:8, and its surrounding passage, simply states that until “face to face “ (vs. 12) comes “we know in part and we prophecy in part”. So how does a straightforward set of Scripture verses become so twisted? Curtain call! “Enter the flesh of man”! Some people have taken the I Corinthians passage to mean that “face to face” has already come and so prophecy and any revelation from God, except from Scripture or preaching directly from Scripture, has been abolished.
A few of those who hold this view have actually gone back to the original Greek, and have mishandled the Greek for the same reasons that they mishandled the English. I agree with the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”! However, if it is broken, then we should fix it; particularly when the “Holy Spirit of Truth” is urging some of us to take the steps to fix it. Watchman Nee, Christ’s obedient servant who died in a communist Chinese prison in 1972, wrote this: “It was all right to be a Martin Luther in the sixteenth century, but it would be insufficient just to be a Martin Luther in 1950. … God is ever pressing onward, and every instrumentality fulfills its function for the Church. The flow of the Spirit in the Church is ever going forward.”[1] I believe that, if I substituted the word “grace” for the word “instrumentality” in the above quote, Brother Nee would heartily approve.
Those who hold to the misconception that prophecy is abolished must maintain that “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:12) has already come. (They also must prove that Scripture revelation is different from other revelation- a topic which I’m not going to wrestle with herein.) They are teaching that the Holy Spirit’s manifestations in I Corinthians 12 have been abolished or faded away (“katargeo” in the Greek). These teachers also conclude that since I Corinthians 13 deals with prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, then these are symbolic of the entire list of Holy Spirit manifestations contained in I Corinthians 12. Therefore, they’ve concluded (and have actually said) that the manifestation of God’s Holy Spirit, as listed in I Corinthians 12:1-11, is abolished ("abolished" is their wording, not mine).
This misconception and twisting of the Scripture proceeds from verse 8 through 12 of Chapter 13, as follows:
a.) Vs 8- Love never fails.
Prophecies shall katargeo (fade away).
Tongues shall cease (or be stilled).
Knowledge shall katargeo.
b.) Vs 9&10- We know and prophesy in part, but when perfection (completion) comes, the imperfect (partial) will katargeo.
c.) Vs 11- Children speak, understand, and think as children. Mature people no longer speak, understand, and think as children.
d.) Vs 12- Now we see dimly, but then face to face. The misconceived premise concluded that the “face to face” is not the Lord Jesus’ face at his coming, but rather the completion of Scripture. Also, the adulthood of verse 11, becomes Christian maturity in this life exemplified in II Timothy 3:17 and Ephesians 4:15, rather than a “face to face” full knowing when Christ comes again.
There are obvious problems with this teaching; which is why I said those mishandling this passage do so out of lack of diligence. Some of these problems are as follows:
a) Their entire teaching teeters on their claim that “face to face” is the completion of Scripture. Regarding this, the following points are noted:
1.) When a person’s supposed yearning for Bible knowledge allows them to conclude that “face to face” has already come, then that person has fallen into an antichrist type error. From this error two main, antichrist-type temptations are presented: first, that Christ needn’t come in the flesh (I John 4:1-3; II John 7); second, that acts of love and faith aren’t needed (I John 4:1-5:5).
2.) From a sequencing perspective, vs. 12 shows “now” as being before “katargeo” and “face to face” as being after “katargeo”. Therefore, the meaning of the word “katargeo” is not necessary in determining this sequencing, since “katargeo” can not occur until “face to face” occurs. So, the entire false teaching stands or falls based on what the term “face to face” means.
3.) Some have cited that this “face to face” must be completion of the Bible since the “perfect” (thing) in vs. 10 is an object (according to its Greek declension); and they claim the only object that would fit would be the Bible, being a book. Since I've studied a few languages, and knowing that gender specifications by noun and adjective declensions aren't always what they seem, especially in the neuter, I consulted a Greek PHD who speaks fluent Greek and he says such an interpretation would be very sophomoric; and that “perfect” could and probably does refer to the perfect state at Christ’s coming. Here’s what Alfred Marshall (D.Litt), in his Preface to his Greek Interlinear New Testament had to say: “In Greek, gender belongs to the word and not necessarily to what is indicated by the word; whereas of course in English we keep the ideas of masculine, feminine, and neuter to men, women, and inanimate things respectively. (English, by the way, is the only great modern language to do so.) Allowance must be made for this in translating: sometimes it is possible to transfer the idea from one language to another, but not always.”[2] Knowing that nouns, pronouns, and adjectives all have similar Greek declensions in the neuter, most Bible scholars could page around a Greek Interlinear New Testament and find many uses of the word “thing” which are obviously situations rather than inanimate objects. If you don’t believe me, merely turn to Strong’s Concordance and look at the words “thing” and “things”. Only five percent or so have Strong’s numbers listed. Not having a Strong’s number means the word “thing” is not written, but is implied from the declension of the noun, pronoun, or adjective used. But the word “thing”, being neuter, (as opposed to masculine or feminine) is being used to refer to items such as thoughts and circumstances in Matthew 1:20, and virtues in Colossians 3:14. My quick perusal of Strong’s Concordance shows only one in ten uses of the word “thing” refers to an inanimate object. Now, if we turn our attention to the word ”perfect”, Strong’s number 5046, we see the Greek word “teleios”. This word and it’s derivatives never refer to inanimate objects, but rather perfection in mental and moral attributes. As an example the exact same word is used in I Corinthians 13:10 and in Romans 12:2. Romans 12:2 discusses the “perfect will of God”. The reader can verify this by the following other occurrences: Matthew 5:48, Matthew 19:21, Romans 12:2, I Corinthians 2:6, Philippians 3:12, and all other occurrences. The clear point here is that a relatively simple passage is being grossly mishandled. The past losses to Christendom due to these mishandlings seems immeasurable. Let us not mishandle these precious teachings, and incur future losses.
4.) If a person mistakenly (or by passion) claims that the “perfect”, being the Bible, in verse 10 is indeed the personal “face to face” confrontation with the person of Christ, who fully knows us (vs. 12), then Bible knowledge is said to be the Lord Jesus. This would be an antichrist type error, since it denies the Lord’s coming in the flesh (I John 4:1-3). This teaching oozes of Gnosticism[3], since Bible knowledge (Gnosis) is being substituted for Christ’s coming in the flesh. The fear of such a claim being made is not an unfounded fear. It has already actually been taught, with one teacher boldly stating, “If Christ never returns, the Bible would be enough for us”. Thankfully, that speaker did assert that he firmly believed in Christ’s return. However, the teaching is still a nudge toward Gnosticism and away from the truth of Scripture.
b) Since it’s been shown by the Scripture, which the Lord Jesus said “cannot be broken”, that “katargeo” has not yet occurred; then we must conclude that the gifts (spirituals) of I Corinthians 12 still exist.
c) Not only does the Scripture maintain the existence of the Holy Spirit manifestation of gifts, but these manifestations are currently in practice in the local assemblies of believers. These two facts, that both the Scripture and the believers’ practice verify the existence of the gifts, form irrefutable evidence of the Spirit’s manifested presence in Christ’s Church. How many times have you heard someone say “The Lord has lead me to say this.”; or, “The Lord has put this on my heart.”? If the Lord leads someone to say something, and they say it, that’s prophecy; because prophecy is merely speaking from God. The Scripture says, “Be eager to prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:39).
d) One reason citing the disappearance of prophecy is the notion that modern day prophecy would add to Scripture, which cannot be added to according to Revelation 22:18. This reason is erroneous since there were obviously New Testament prophets whose prophecies were never added to Scripture. (There were also Old Testament prophets whose prophecies were never added to Scripture. Please see I Kings 18:4 & 13). (Also see Item#20.)
e) The “perfect” of verse 10 cannot be the Bible’s completion, since the New Testament was not compiled into a single text until approximately 150 AD. Also, practical circulation could not be done until the invention of moveable type (1450 AD). This false notion conflicts with the fact that the Lord will never leave or forsake His people (Hebrews 13:5).
f) Another false reasoning that I Corinthians 12 gifts are abolished is mistakenly surmised through the verse: “Knowledge, it shall vanish away” (I Corinthians 13:8). The mistaken reasoning surmises that since knowledge itself cannot vanish away, then the knowledge spoken of must be the “word of knowledge” cited in I Corinthians 12:8. However, knowledge itself does vanish away and quite quickly. Most people know good Christian people with Alzheimer’s disease or an elderly Christian with common dementia. Their knowledge, even of Bible teaching, has gone. So knowledge can vanish; point proven. In the great continuum of eternity, who can say which knowledge will be retained? I Corinthians 13:12 says: “then shall I know even as I am known”. This, as noted previously, speaks of a person, Christ, knowing me; but it also promises to me a purified form of knowledge. This knowledge is of the type that only the all-knowing God has. Ironically, with this knowledge a “word of knowledge” doesn’t seem necessary, since we’ll have Christ “face to face”. Isaiah 11:6-11 promises that all creation will permeate with this knowledge in Christ’s millennial reign, and the passage says that this knowledge will be the principle ingredient for peace and harmony on the Earth, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will pray near the hole of the cobra, and the young chid will put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”. But be warned by the errors of the Gnostics of the apostle John’s time: this knowledge doesn’t come until “face to face” occurs. “Now we see through a glass darkly”.
So, we see why the thorough and careful study of this verse and it’s underlying premises is very important. God is not a mute idol. But Satan would have you, God’s child, to be mute: to not speak when God urges you, to not go when God sends you, to not act when God nudges you. Satan wants you to deny any relationship which God has with you, even your salvation if he could trick you into that. But Satan’s tricks are revealed by Scripture. He’s the “father of lies” (John 8:44). God’s indwelling of believers, however, is clearly evident in Christ’s Church by the historical manifested workings of the “promised Holy Spirit” (Acts2:39), and the guarantee of the Scripture (Ephesians 4:7, and many other verses). “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing,…The Spirit and the gifts are ours, Through Him who with us sideth”- Martin Luther.
“PROPHECY”
2.) Prophecy Ceases when “Face to Face” Occurs, Daniel 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and for your holy city to finish transgressions, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy”. This verse and its surrounding passages are recognized by many as the great time clock of prophecy. It says, among other things, that vision and prophecy will be sealed up at the end of the seventy groups of seven given to Daniel’s people. Most Bible scholars refer to the last group of seven to be seven years of tribulation, which happen after the Church of Jesus Christ has been taken to be with the Lord. So this verse is saying that vision and prophecy are not sealed up until the end of the Great Tribulation, which obviously doesn’t contain Christ’s millennial reign. The point being brought out is that “seal up” is not referring to fulfillment of prophecy, else Christ’s millennial reign would be contained. Therefore, the sealing refers to a ceasing of prophecy and visions when Christ comes (face to face). This, then, fully agrees with what’s been said concerning I Corinthians 13:8 in Item # 1 above.
11.) Manifested by the Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 12:10 “…to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit” This verse clearly shows that prophecy has to be for today. God is not a mute idol today any more than he was in Adam, Moses, or Paul’s time. Verse 7 says, “now to each one manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good”. The Church still needs prophecy for its “common good”, both for the local gathering and for Christ’s entire body on earth. The current need for prophecy is evident, because correction and edification are the principal results of prophecy. Please note that this verse is intimately related with Chapters 12 through 14 of I Corinthians, including Item #1 above.
13.) Prophecy Fulfilled- a New Testament Example, I Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you”. This passage refers to Timothy’s gift (charismatos) given by prophecy, and as such is listed herein as an example of New Testament prophecy being fulfilled. Since there are few examples of this, this verse is important.
16.) The Last Two Prophets- Pure Gold, Revelation 11:3-12 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.…” From the various end times Scriptures, and from common logic, many have concluded, and I agree, that these are the last two prophets to prophesy on the earth, or in heaven. The timing will be the tribulation. The restrainer, the Holy Spirit, will have been “taken out of the way” (II Thessalonians 2:7). The prophecy in the Church age will have already been spoken. The day of grace will have ended at the rapture of Christ’s Church. Future prophecy will not be needed since the Church will have Christ “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:12).
Another important concept is brought out regarding “tabernacle teaching”. This regards the lamp stand of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31) as a type of Christ who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Those who study the tabernacle conclude, and I agree, that the tabernacle (Exodus 25) is a type of God’s presence (Hebrews, Chapters 8-10). Therefore, all the furnishings of the tabernacle have meaning; and the furniture (the laver, the two altars, the lamp stand, the ark, and the table of showbread) are types of Christ. There are many books on this subject. Some may be obtained from Christian Book Distributors, PO Box 7000, Peabody, MA, 01961-7000; www.cbd.com ; 1-800-247-4784.
Well, if Christ is the Lampstand, why are these two prophets being called lamp stands? Let’s look at John the Baptist: “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world” (John 1:8&9). Now if we go back to the tabernacle, we see gold, which speaks of Godliness, and pure gold, which speaks of God himself. The lamp stand was to be made of pure gold (Exodus 25:31). However, look at the wick trimmers and trays of Exodus 25:38, “Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold”. John the Baptist was a “pure gold” wick trimmer. A prophet can be either a “pure gold” wick trimmer or a “pure gold” lampstand. They are “pure gold” in that they are a direct extension of the right hand of God, himself. A teacher is a “pure gold” wick trimmer (if he teaches correctly- Teaching Section Item#1h). If the message entails correction or edification in matters already taught in Scripture, well that’s wick trimming. Of course, when a person is standing practically alone, speaking under persecution, as led by God, then that person is a lampstand. If you were wise, you would say, then what about those “pure gold” trays? Who are they? Well, Matthew 10:41 tells us the answer: “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward”. The concept of “pure gold” service being a direct extension of God’s right hand is not limited to prophecy (See Evangelism Section Item#97). When you’re following God’s lead in any of the true workings of God’s Holy Spirit, you’re “pure gold”; because you are a direct extension of God’s right hand of power. It’s good to be “gold”; but it’s better to be “pure gold”. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31)!
20.) Adding to Scripture- A Succinct and Often Misunderstood Warning, Revelation 22:18, & 19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” These verses contain a stern warning to anyone who would add to John’s scroll or to the prophecy of this scroll. Many people use this passage to verify that the book of the Revelation is the end of Scripture, and then they extend this notion to all prophecy. There are some half-correct impressions that have to be sorted out here. First. Let me say that I agree that the Scripture ended with the scroll of the Revelation. However, I believe this because of the canonizing of Scripture which occurred over hundreds of years, culminating with the general acceptance of Athanasius’ canon of 367 AD. Without going into the canonizing of Scripture, we need to realize that it’s important to accept that the Holy Spirit was at work in the canonizing of Scripture, as well as believe that the Holy Spirit was working in the souls of the writers of Scripture. (II Peter 3:16, II Timothy 3:16). The points leading up to the correct conclusion are as follows:
a.) The Greek word for scroll is “bibliou”. The warning of Revelation cites specifically which actions will spur God’s wrath. John writes, “If anyone adds” (vs. 18), “And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy…”(vs. 19). There were very few bound books in the first century, and John being exiled as a prisoner on the island of Patmos certainly didn’t possess one. What John was referring to was a single scroll containing his Revelation from Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1). He was warning present and future generations not to alter his scroll. Paul also referred to his own scrolls (“biblia”), in his last request to Timothy. Paul writes, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpas at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13). However, some people insist that this warning refers to adding to the words or prophecy of the entire Bible. So, they conclude that the Scripture and all prophecy is verified as being complete due to this passage in Revelation. However, Paul did not request that Timothy bring him a stack of Bibles to his cell in the Mammertine prison, but rather his own personal scrolls (and his notes, the parchments). So, the word “bibliou” refers to the one scroll of John, the revelator.
b.) The warning carefully, and specifically, uses the definite adjective “this” when referring to the scroll. John cites, “the prophecy of this book”, “the plagues described in this book”, “take words away from this book of prophecy”, “his share in the tree of life and the holy city described in this book”. Which scroll described “the plagues”, “the tree of life”, and “the holy city”. Only the book of the Revelation contains these descriptions, so the warning is against the altering of John’s one scroll entitled the Revelation.
c.) There are two bookends to the Bible. These are: the book of first things, Genesis; and the revelation of future things, the Revelation. I believe that the Bible was canonized under the power of God’s Holy Spirit, with these two books as first and last. This is the reason that I believe there is to be no more Scripture; because the Revelation “bookend” has already been put in place by God.
d.) Please note, then, that prophecy, as a Holy Spirit given grace to the Church exercised for edification and correction of Christ’s Church, has not been excluded or abolished from practice according to Revelation 22:18 & 19. (Also, see Item#1, 8th paragraph, #d.)
“PROPHESIED”
22.) The Spirit of God Causes Prophecy, I Samuel 10:10 “When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him (Saul); the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.” This verse, and others like it, is significant in that it brings out the cause of prophecy. That is that the “Spirit of God came upon him”. One could ask the question: “Do you have to know that the Spirit of God is upon you in order to prophecy?”. Saul did according to verse 6. However, Numbers 11:26 & 27 give the account of Eldad and Medad who prophesied, without being taught or told anything.
It’s interesting to note that God’s Old Testament position, as stated by Moses in Numbers 11:29, is the same as the Lord’s New Testament position. Moses says, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets”. Of course, in the New Testament, I Corinthians 14:39 encourages us to “be eager to prophesy”. So we need to understand prophecy, and you understand something through careful and exhaustive study until you take in the premises lying under a matter.
28.) Spiritual Ability of Prophecy Defined, II Chronicles 18:13 “But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says’ “. Micaiah gives a very good plain definition of prophecy. He says, “I can tell him (Ahab) only what my God says”. Plainly that is the spiritual ability of prophesy: speaking forth what God has given you to say. It’s not complicated, and people in Christian gatherings do it all the time, without any fanfare. I definitely do see that there are times, though, when we need to be able to say like Micaiah, “Hear the word of the Lord” (vs. 18). This is a very good example of the attitude that all preachers and prophets should have. It fully agrees with the New Testament teaching that “if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11). There’s another aspect of I Peter 4 that agrees with this verse. The aspect is concerning a lifestyle of “faithfully administering grace in its various forms” (I Peter 4:10). Micaiah isn’t remarking that he won’t speak falsehood; he’s remarking that he cannot speak falsehood. Serious Christians forget how to live an ungodly lifestyle. They no longer know any other way but the way of Christ. I believe that this is what Micaiah is stating in this passage.
34.) Professor Jeremiah’s Prophecy Class, Jeremiah 23:13 “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing; They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.” Knowing that the Lord does many things all at once. A large part of prophecy is edification. It’s well known that prophets can prophecy for their own generation while at the same time speaking to future generations. Through Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit is teaching a class on prophecy in general. If a person, for any reason, wants to study prophecy, he must attend the class offered by Professor Jeremiah. If you want to “test the spirits” (I John 4:1) regarding a prophecy, then Jeremiah is your lab technician and will conduct the test for you. Please see Prophecy According to Jeremiah for the points that Jeremiah makes regarding true and false prophecy.
35.) The Lord’s Historical Practicing of the Golden Rule, Jeremiah 25:13 “I will bring upon that land all the things that I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.” You’ve heard of the “golden rule”. “Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Well, this verse is typical of the role of the prophetic books in the “golden rule”. Babylon practiced violence against the nations, and so Babylon falls violently. What was done to them was what they did to others. Many other verses in the prophetic books show the same type of balanced justice happening to other people. Also see Joel 3:4-8, Jeremiah 51:49, and other such prophecies of violence against violent people. It’s interesting to look at the Iraqi dictator, Saadam Husein. His two extremely violent sons died an extremely violent death. “Do to others what you would have them do to you”. So, in the Law and the Prophets we see the fairness and also God’s historical practicing of the “golden rule”.
37.) The Test for True Prophecy, Jeremiah 28:6-9 “The prophet who prophesies…will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction come true”. This is very easy. A prophet of God will be speaking truth, and will be sent by God, or sometimes urged by the Lord if he’s already standing in the correct location. So, if what a person is saying isn’t true, we can not conclude that he’s sent by God or speaking for God. So, the test for a person truly speaking for God is simple, not complicated at all. Is the word that he’s speaking true, and if a prediction, has that prediction come true? The problem of accepting God’s prophetic Word was not in the difficulty of the Word, or manner of the prophet’s presentation, but rather in the hearts of the hearers. King Zedekiah was confronted with the obvious fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prediction that Babylon will attack Jerusalem, yet the King did not heed the prophet’s Word and save himself but merely tried to maintain his place in the Jerusalem pecking order (Jeremiah 37:19, 38:17-19). The recompense to Zedekiah was not just that many people were killed needlessly, but he was brought before Nebuchadnezzar where his sons were slaughtered before his eyes and then his eyes were put out. I’ve seen leaders like Zedekiah in my time, their place in the religious or social pecking order is their primary concern. They cannot and will not heed the Lord’s Word, and so they pay dearly for their worldly and fleshly errors. This happens even though they are warned by God to seek protection or to be corrected.
44.) Recompense of False Prophecy, Matthew 7:22&23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” This passage speaks of the ultimate recompense of false prophecy, everlasting punishment. But note the reason why these false prophets are rejected by the Lord. The Lord will “tell them plainly ‘I never knew you’ ”. Three points are noteworthy here.
a.) Each person must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to get to heaven. This relationship can only begin at Calvary through the sin question. “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
b.) The prophecy of today must be intimately related to the gospel, or in support of the Church in its testimony to the gospel. “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
c.) This verse is practically the same as the Lord’s complaint against the false Old Testament prophets when through Jeremiah he said, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries, and the delusions of their minds” (Jeremiah 14:14).
47.) Pre-Calvary Infilling by the Holy Spirit; “Always” and “Never” Must Be Left Up to Scripture, Luke 1:67 “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.’ ” Here we see John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesying. Many times I’ve heard that one big difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament was that the Old Testament saints could have the Holy Spirit alight on them but could never be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This verse, however, dispels that supposition. The permanent sealing, the dwelling, and the filling of the Holy Spirit are succinctly described in Scripture and we ought not to add or subtract from Scripture no matter how tempting the conclusion.
This adds to my previous conclusion regarding Scriptural study and general Church teaching. When a person surmises an “always” condition or a “never” condition from Scripture, but the “always” or “never” is not succinctly stated in Scripture, beware of an error in that teaching. The reasoning behind my conclusion is plain: you cannot put God in a box. Now, if God has already guaranteed an “always” or “never” condition through His Word, then that’s different. Since grace is God’s intercession from the throne, he has authority to do as he sees fit, keeping in mind that he will not contradict his own Word (I Peter 1:25). From my own experience, I’ve eventually seen many of these “always” and “never” surmisings fall into the category of seemingly nice, but not necessarily true, teachings.
50.) A Class in New Testament Prophecy, I Corinthians 14 As the book of Jeremiah is the teacher of prophecy in the Old Testament, I Corinthians Chapter 14 is the Scripture that intensely teaches prophecy in the New Testament. So, just as with Jeremiah, I have included a summary of I Corinthians 14 in the Appendix. The summary is called Speaking from God according to I Corinthians 14.
51.) The Partial Knowledge Aspect and Semantics of Prophecy, I Peter 1:10 Peter expounds on the partial knowledge aspect of prophecy. This really causes us to wonder how the Spirit of God works to cause revelations that would bring out God’s Word through the prophets. As an example, Isaiah, prophesying of the Lord’s passion said, “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11). I believe that Isaiah knew that he was speaking concerning the Messiah, but did not know the specifics, such as Christ’s means of death. In this regard, this passage in I Peter agrees with I Corinthians 13:9, “For we know in part and we prophecy in part”.
“PROPHESIETH”
54.) False Prophecy- Some Points, Ezekiel 12:22-28 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel’. Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel’ “ The following two important points are brought out here:
a.) False prophesy is referred to as “false visions or flattering divinations”. It’s important for Christians to understand that false religious practice (false prophesy, teachings, or clergy), since they are claimed to be from God, constitute divination/ necromancy in that they have no authority from God. The premise lying under this matter can be gleaned from two Scriptures. Revelation 21:8 says, “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their place in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone”. I Samuel 15:23 states, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination”. The false religious practices and all the items listed in Revelation 21:8 and I Samuel 15:23 have one thing in common. They all involve rejection of God’s authority (and therefore his protection). The “fearful and unbelieving” reject God’s salvation through the glorious gospel of Christ. The “abominable and murderers” are doing detestable things which God has not given man authority to perform. Who gave a whoremonger authority to have sexual relations outside of marriage? Who gave a sorcerer authority to conjure up supposedly religious practices and sayings? Any person bowing down to anyone other than God is practicing idolatry and is worshiping devils according to I Corinthians 10:20. Who gives a liar the authority to present a lie as if it is the truth? Certainly not “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17)! I believe all lies proceed from “the devil…the father of lies” (John 8:44). I conclude, then, that false prophecy and false religious practices are a serious sin and viewed by God as conjuring up an authority which is a false authority, and is therefore are akin to necromancy and sorcery.
b.) There was a false proverb in Ezekiel’s day: “The days go by and every vision comes to nothing” (vs. 22). The Israelites were claiming that Ezekiel “prophesies about the distant future”. Ezekiel’s prophecy was for them but Israel only accepted it as a far future prophecy. The Lord was not pleased and remarked, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: none of my Word will be delayed any longer”. The tendency of our old fleshly nature is to reject our own Christian edification and correction, even if it’s sent through one of God’s servants. This is because the flesh, even of believers, wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). We easily accept future prophesies regarding ourselves, or regarding the Church in general, or regarding the immediate correction of others. However, when God sends someone to you to correct your own immediate conduct, do you accept that correction as being from God? Well, this is very much the same conflict with the Spirit of prophecy as in Ezekiel’s day.
PROPHESY
62.) Prophets cannot speak falsehood. It’s not in their nature I Kings 22:8 “But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me’ “. This is a very good definition of the attitude that all preachers and prophets should have. It fully agrees with the New Testament teaching that “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11). There’s another aspect of I Peter 4 that agrees with this verse. The aspect is concerning a lifestyle of “faithfully administering grace in its various forms” (I Peter 4:10). Micaiah isn’t remarking that he won’t speak falsehood; he’s remarking that he cannot speak falsehood. Serious Christians forget how to live an ungodly lifestyle. They no longer know any other way but the way of Christ. I believe this is what Micaiah is stating in this passage.
64.) Singers and Musicians- Still a Type of Prophecy Today, I Chronicles 25:1 “David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals.” Here we see that prophecy as defined by Scripture is merely speaking from God, in all its various forms. In David’s time, musicians who truly sang from God were considered a type of prophet, putting the Word of God to music “accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals”. In Acts 2:30 Luke recognizes that David, himself, is a prophet, due to the content of his Psalms. (See Item#278, below.) (Also consider Asaph in Item#28b in the Word of Knowledge Section.)
66.) The Flesh Wars Against the Fiery Spirit of God in the Prophet, Isaiah 30:10 “These are the rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’, and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophecy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’ “. Our fleshly nature is never comfortable with the Word of God. Hebrews 12:19 reminds us of God’s “voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them”. Of those who did this begging, Isaiah cries out to their “obstinate children” (vs. 1). Isaiah laments that “They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’”. We can look back and see that it wasn’t Isaiah confronting them, but rather, the Lord confronting them for their own good. But, can we look back and see the fiery Lord confronting us through other Christians that the Lord has raised up to minister correction in our own lives and local assemblies?
68.) The Flesh Wars Against the Fiery Spirit of God- Two Different Natures, Jeremiah 11:21 This verse is contained in the Prophecy According to Jeremiah section of the SUMMARY OF PROPHECY. The men of Anathoth threatened Jeremiah saying, “Do not prophecy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands.” This is typical of many instances in which the flesh wars against the Spirit. In practice, the fiery Holy Spirit ought to war against the fallen nature of man. The two are completely different natures. So, don’t be discouraged if when you seek to serve God you face persecution and other resistance, since, by definition, resistance to the Holy Spirit is intrinsic to the fallen nature of man. (Don’t be surprised if you encounter strong resistance from other Christians’ flesh and your own flesh as well.) Also, see Jeremiah 32:2, when Jeremiah is imprisoned.
69.) False Prophecy- The Practice and the Results, Jeremiah 14:13-16 “But I said, ‘Ah, Sovereign Lord, the prophets will keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ‘ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword or famine. And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.’ ” This verse is very revealing. It gives insight regarding the origins and practice of false prophecy. The statements are fairly self-explanatory. However, a brief review of false prophesy shows the following:
a.) “Prophesying lies in my name”- These people were claiming that there false statements were from the true God, and using God’s name. Now, from their viewpoint, they probably thought that their statements were true.
b.) God had “not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them”. People were accepting these prophet’s teachings as being from God, but their statements did not originate from God, and God through Jeremiah is making this clear.
c.) How were these people duped into their practices of false prophecy?-
1.) “False visions”- They were having visions in their mind, possibly taught to them by family members who were shamans or Old Testament nuns (Ezekiel 13:17-19). If you’re gregarious about your Christianity as I am, then eventually you’ll run into people who have had visions. There’s only three sources of such visions: God, wicked spirits, and delusions of your own mind (as discussed below). There are many books warning people concerning Satanic practices, so I won’t spend time explaining demonic visions. But, if you seek spirituality anywhere except through Jesus Christ, you’ll eventually be tricked into directly serving Satan.
2.) “Divinations”- A divination is claiming some object, or occurrence as being from God when it actually was not. If a person is a shaman, or nun, or just claiming by title to be some sort of holy person, then they have to back up that claim with instances of Godly intervention. These are divinations. They’re not from God, but the supposedly holy people are claiming such in order to maintain their shaman status. Now, Christians are taught: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5&6). So, if a Christian receives a provision, or wisdom for a decision, or a healing, we acknowledge that these are from God, so that we can give God the glory. So, what’s the difference between shamanism and a Christian acknowledging God?! The difference is that the Christian is practicing what’s true, while a Shaman is practicing falsehood, and therefore idolatry which the Lord hates (I Peter 4:3). Realize that there is a Spirit of Truth (God’s Holy Spirit); but there is also the father of lies- Satan.
3.) “Idolatries”- What constitutes idolatries? The ten commandments, listed in Exodus 20, cite the following practices of idolatry: having other God’s, having graven images, bowing down or worshiping created beings or things. I Corinthians 10:20 states that demons are the cause of idolatry.
4.) “the delusions of their minds”- I’ve always felt it interesting how idolatry is listed among the manifestations of the flesh in Galatians 5:19. You would think that it was purely the work of Satan (I Corinthians 10:20). However, idolatry is not just from Satan. The mind has to be tricked. So, how is it tricked? There must first be a twisting or distortion of the truth in order to get a person to accept a “delusion of the mind”. I’d like to say that this is caused by being weak-minded, but that’s not always the case. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith”. Our protection against such tricks of Satan is an alert, self-controlled, Christian walk in the true faith of Christ. If a person is really concerned regarding the spiritual, but doesn’t accept the truth of Christ, then there’s only one other direction for that person- satanic lies and idolatry. This includes those who, while calling themselves Christians, never really believe the gospel, then end up praying to statues and carrying charms and practicing other such idolatries and necromancy. Never accepting that we can have a personal walk with God through the shed blood of Christ, they seek a relationship with God through supposedly religious practices which really constitute just more idolatry and divinations (and , yes, there are plenty of false visions as well).
d.) The satanically induced results of this false prophesy are all too familiar; the destruction of those who believed the false prophet, and the destruction of the false prophet.
Here are seven events which are involved in false prophecy:
a.) “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name.”
b.) “I have not sent them….”.
c.) “I have not…appointed them”.
d.) “I have not…spoken to them”.
e.) “They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries, and the delusions of their own minds.”
f.) “Those same prophets will perish by sword or famine.”
g.) “The people they will be prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword.”
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). Idolatry (and there’s still plenty of it in this world) begets serious judgment from a “jealous God punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:6). Sex outside of marriage begets unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and seriously hurting souls. Drugs, both legal and illegal, produce chemically induced alterations to the mind, and therefore the soul. Dishonesty, either theft or lying, opens up a not very easily closed path of confusion and inequity. There’s an old Christian saying, “Right teaching brings about right conduct; and wrong teaching brings about wrong conduct.” Even within the nominal Christian community, bad teaching regarding divorce, true Godly church leadership, and other errors have tremendous consequences among the people who take in this teaching.
The net result of Jerusalem’s false prophecy was violent calamity poured out on the people of Jerusalem. The result of false teaching today is shattered lives and deeply hurting souls, even of believers in Christ; and have we considered the souls that will never be reached for Christ because the Church is pinned down healing its own self-inflicted wounds, or because apostleship, prophecy, and evangelism are not properly defined and taught. This “Grace Study” is serious. I can’t even conceive how important a true understanding of God’s grace is among the believers. My only hope is that God knows and will work in the hearts and minds of believers according to his purpose.
70.) Public Prophecy, Jeremiah 19:14 “Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says, ‘Listen! I am going to bring upon this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them. Because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ‘ “ This verse accentuates the concept of public prophecy. Logical categorization will tell us that there’s public prophecy (as discussed in these verses), prophecy to the Church or small groups (Agabus in Acts 11:28), and prophecy to individuals (II Samuel 12:1, Nathan to David). Sometimes public prophecy is necessary. In Jeremiah’s case the Lord was about to bring disaster on Jerusalem, so a clear warning and explanation of God’s reason was needed. I don’t believe the prophets choose the time and place, though. As was the case with Paul, prophets are vessels merely pouring out God’s Holy Spirit, as God chooses and leads them.
71.) False Prophecy- Distorting the truth of the Living God, Jeremiah 23:16-40 Regarding false prophets, “They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.” “The Lord declares, ‘I am against those who prophesy false dreams…They tell them and lead my people astray.” “If a prophet, or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is the oracle of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household”. “But you must not mention ‘the oracle of the Lord’ again, because every man’s own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, Our God.”
74.) Prophets and Apostles are Sent by God, Jeremiah 26:12 “The Lord sent me to prophecy against this house and this city.” From this we see that both apostles and prophets are sent ones from God. The purpose of apostleship, though is to establish local Churches, while the purpose of prophecy is to speak from God a correction or warning, or any other item which needs to be spoken forth.
75.) The Reason for False Prophecy- Removing God’s Blessing, Jeremiah 27:10 “They prophesy lies to you, that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.” Did you ever consider why Satan moves false prophets to speak lies in the name of the Lord? Well, here’s the primary reason, to remove God’s blessing from the people. In this case, those Israelites who listened to the false prophets would be removed from their land.
82.) False Prophecy- Some Semantics, Ezekiel 13:2-16 Ezekiel lists what the false prophets of Israel were doing in his day, and this can easily be extended to all false prophesy/ teaching. When we peruse this list, we ought to contrast these practices with true prophecy. Ezekiel notes the following practices of the false prophets of Israel:
a.) “prophesy out of their own imagination”
b.) “follow their own spirit”
c.) “have seen nothing”
d.) “Their visions are false and their divinations a lie”.
e.) “the Lord has not sent them, yet they expect their words to be fulfilled”
f.) “Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares,’”
g.) “I am against you declares the sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations.”
h.) “they lead my people astray”
83.) Nuns and Clergy, Ezekiel 13:17-23 This section deals with Old Testament nuns, but really can be extended to the shortcomings of all practice of clergyism. Ezekiel notes that they do the following:
a.) “the daughters of your people…prophesy out of their own imagination”
b.) “women who sew magic charms”
c.) “make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people”
d.) “ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own”
e.) “you have profaned me before my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread”
f.) “By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died, and have spared those who should not live.”
g.) “I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds”
h.) “I will tear off your veils, and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power”.
i.) “you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief”
j.) “you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and to save their lives”.
I note that these practices can be extended to all who call themselves clergy. But, I’m not going to go through a list of grievances against others who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. However, I’ll relate to you a true story. My wife and I frequent Christian concerts given through a famous Christian Bible College. At one such event I noticed a sign posted. I believe the sign said: “All clergy please sign in at the front.”. I was really discouraged by that sign, as you can tell. God’s Word teaches: “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (Ephesians 4:7). So, there are still some practices and teaching, even in some of the finest bible colleges and seminaries in the world, that are contrary to God’s Word. I feel compelled by the Lord to give a warning. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10). So please do not quench the Holy Spirit’s fire by teaching contrary to Him. Please consider that the practice of the clergy, that one Christian sees clearer than another, is not taught by Christ, but rather by Dark Ages Christianity as fostered by Satan’s deception. We each have differing gifts, but only one Holy Spirit. “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged….Did the word of God originate with you?” (I Corinthians 14:31&36).
85.) In-your–face Prophecy and God’s Sovereignty in Judgment, Ezekiel 21:2,7, 14,&28 “Son of man…preach against the sanctuary…’This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked….my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from South to North’” (vs. 2-5). “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take” (vs. 19). From this passage we see two things. God uses the prophet to let the people know, up front, why judgment is coming. Secondly, in God’s long range plan He is willing to bring judgment upon all, even if the righteous have to suffer with the wicked. From the passage we can also glean that there is a time to be in a person’s face and confrontational.
97.) “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”, Joel 2:28-32 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” This is that great prophecy of Joel which Peter quotes at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). When a verse is quoted again elsewhere in Scripture, we can expect a wealth of understanding and insight to emerge, because we are able to see two different perspectives of the Lord’s teaching. Such is the case here. The major points with regard to prophecy are as follows:
a.) “In the last days”- Joel was speaking of a future age, which to him was rightfully considered “the last days”. These “last days include the Church age, as well as the millennial reign of Christ.
b.) “I will pour out my Spirit on all people”- To get an understanding of this pouring out, let’s view other Scripture to grasp the definition.
1.) The pouring out clearly began at Pentecost per Acts 2:17.
2.) The pouring out ends with the end of the Church age. II Thessalonians 2:7&8 describe the restrainer, God’s Holy Spirit, being “taken out of the way” just prior to the beginning of the tribulation period.
3.) The pouring out was not just at Pentecost, since Peter cites the same occurrence at Cornelius’ house in Acts 10:45-47. Peter then explains to the Jerusalem gathering that the pouring out at Cornelius’ house was the same that they had experienced at Pentecost (Acts 11:15). Peter explains further that this is indeed the baptism of the Holy Spirit which the Lord Jesus had promised (Acts 11:16).
4.) It’s important to realize the sense of the word “pour” as opposed to a similar word such as “sprinkle”. As an example, the fellowship offering of Leviticus 3:2 was to have the blood of the offering sprinkled at the altar; but concerning the sin offering of Leviticus 4:7, “the rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar”. So, our sins were abundantly covered over by the pouring out of Christ’s blood; and when the Father sees us, instead of seeing our sin he sees that blood of Christ which was lavishly poured out for us. In the same sense a lavish provision of the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, and is continuously poured out whenever a person believes in Christ and is immersed in God’s Holy Spirit, just as was the case at Cornelius’ house.
c.) “Your sons and daughters will prophesy”- Prophecy obviously was never limited to men in Scripture. However, note that prophecy by both men and women requires a proper submission to and recognition of God’s authority and holiness; and women are to address that holiness and authority by symbolically covering their head (I Corinthians 11:5). I would never deny Scripture by accepting a woman as speaking from God while she “dishonors her head”. Neither would I accept any man or woman as speaking from God if, while they were speaking, they were denying the efficacy of Scripture or some other point of Godliness. I could actually tell you stories of people speaking under the Spirit’s power who go dead flat while still speaking, because they denied the Lord right in the middle of their message. We can definitely quench the Holy Spirit’s fire (I Thessalonians 5:19). Also, please understand that this verse, and its use in Acts 2:17-21, clearly show that tongues is a form of prophecy. This agrees with Paul’s position pronounced in I Corinthians 14:13 & 27, when he stated “if anyone speaks in a tongue…someone must interpret”.
d.) “Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”- I knew a group of people who claimed that they didn’t believe that dreams and visions were for the Church in this age, supposedly because all revelation from God became obsolete with the completion of Scripture. But, surprisingly, when you listened to various people in that local gathering, approximately half of them had some story of a dream or vision from God which changed their life. So, I conclude that since the Bible teaches it and the Church practices it, then dreams and visions are still given by God today. “But test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). One clear point from this verse is that there’s a difference between a dream and a vision. A dream occurs to your subconscious during sleep, then may or may not be brought into remembrance by your conscious self, or God, later. A vision occurs to your conscious self. Why would older men dream dreams, rather than see visions? I think I understand why, but it is hard to explain. I believe that younger people have a greater ability to focus on the important things of their heart, simply because life is newer to them. You see the same type of occurrence regarding the passing of time. When I was seven years old one day seemed so long, I could hardly wait for the next day. But now, as I get older the days sometimes fly by. The only reasonable explanation for this is that the experiences of life are newer and more exciting to the mind and senses at a younger age. So, this has something to do with how God places his revelation into your life.
e.) “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. We might be inclined to say, “Well this is what happened at Calvary”. But no, while the sun was certainly darkened at Calvary, the moon turning to blood describes another event. This verse exactly coincides with the events of tribulation, more specifically sometime after the “abomination that causes desolation” but before the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds to begin his millennial reign from Jerusalem ( Mark 13:14-26). Revelation 6:12-17 describes this darkened sun and blood red moon at the opening of the “sixth seal”, and all the Revelation also agrees exactly with these events. Further study of Joel 2:28- 3:3 shows that he is prophesying concerning three great events: Pentecost and the Church age, the Great Tribulation, and the Millennial Reign of Christ.
f.) “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”- Upon believing (Romans 10:14), everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
99.) It’s God’s Nature to Speak to his Church, Amos 3:1-8 This passage helps to explain the Lord’s nature in prophesying. The Lord makes four main points:
a.) You are special: “the whole family I brought you up out of Egypt: you only have I chosen”.
b.) We have a relationship: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”.
c.) When things happen to you, I am behind it: “When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?”.
d.) “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants”.
e.) Judgment is coming; the prophets must speak; it’s in their very nature: “The lion has roared…the Sovereign Lord has spoken- who can but prophesy?”.
So, we see that the Lord walks together with His people through prophesy, as well as other manifesting of his grace. Some would say that we don’t need prophecy because we have the completed Scripture. However, for day to day prodding, as well as corrections, warnings, and edifications to his Church, prophecy is still needed and ongoing among the various local gatherings. He does this just as he always has. Let’s consider two instances.
First, is a true story of a young Christian, approximately 10 years old. He simply was at a church meeting in which a Bible lesson was taught. Upon completion of the lesson, the teacher asked some questions. The teacher was asking for any young person to raise his hand if he knew the answer. The young fellow next to me kept repeating, “Oh, I know the answer. I know the answer!” But, he didn’t raise his hand. So I said, “Raise your hand”. So, the teacher called upon him, but he didn’t stand up. So, I said, “Stand up.” So, he stood up, and after some coaxing the teacher extracted the correct answer from him. This is not prophecy, but the steps are similar.
Now, consider Peter at Pentecost. The question was asked for which Peter should have had an immediately response- “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ “ (Acts 2:11&12). However, Peter didn’t immediately get up to speak. But, was soon prompted to get up and speak because of what others said, “Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine’ “ (Acts 2:13). There is a connection here that I see, and perhaps I see it solely because I’ve learned to look for such promptings in my own life. You see, Joel’s prophecy concerning the Church’s beginning at Pentecost starts out with the Joel mentioning “new wine” in several places in his prophecy, just prior to Joel prophesying regarding the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. The coincidence is too much for me. It’s clear to me that the mention of the “new wine” by hagglers in the crowd is what nudged Peter to associate the proceedings with Joel’s prophecy, and then to stand up and raise his voice addressing the crowd, eventually leading thousands to the Lord that day. The point that I’m making is that the Lord needed to nudge Peter that day, and he used the “new wine” portion of Joel’s prophecy to do it. If you’re a serious servant of the Lord, you should look for the Lord at work in certain situations. Further, Amos 3:6&7 says, “When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?”… “Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to his servants”. I hope that you can see the Lord at work, when he raised up Peter and nudged him so that he would speak, just as the young lad had to be nudged in order to speak.
100.) The Call of Amos, Amos 7:12-16 “Then Amaziah said to Amos, ‘Get out you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore atBethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.’ Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was neither a prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock, and said to me, ‘Go prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then hear the Word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord says, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.’ “ This, of course, is the call of Amos to prophecy. Don’t be surprised if this becomes your call, or the call of someone that you know. Two main things are brought out here:
a.) Amos had no intention of becoming a prophet. He was a shepherd and a tender of sycamore trees. But the Lord called him from his pastoral life to speak from God for Israel’s, and our, correction and edification. One of the more heinous lies that Satan uses to discourage the correction and edification due to prophesy, is the claim that the prophet is deliberately trying to cause trouble. The claim is that since what the prophet is saying is disturbing (and will always be disturbing since the flesh continually wars against God’s fiery Spirit per Galatians 5:17), then the prophet is obviously being divisive, or mean spirited, or judgmental. Actually, the prophet is merely focusing on speaking forth what God has shown him to speak, and trying to faithfully communicate it. Amos was not affected by the King’s directive to cease prophesying because he was totally focused on obeying God and communicating his message. What would happen to Amos’ mortal body was a tertiary issue to Amos, as is the case for most of “the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). I really relate to Amos’ position. I was led by the Lord to seek to correct a few people on different occasions. I can tell you that their correction was the furthest thing from my mind until the Lord put the action into my mind. I’m a fairly good writer but not a persuasive speaker, and disdain such confrontations. But, in obedience to the Lord’s prod I spoke to certain people’s correction. I can say that on almost all occasions I was met with the accusation of scheming and troublemaking, even though, like Amos, I was merely seeking to obey God. (Also see Item#12f in the Word of Knowledge Section.)
b.) Secondly, it was the Lord who commanded Amos to: “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”. This is why we understand that prophesy is a charismata of God. It’s not the prophet’s doing but rather the Lord interceding into the lives of stubborn Israel, through the empowered prophet. Has the Lord’s heart changed? Does he no longer intercede for his own? The Lord certainly speaks to his Church, since we do not follow a “mute idol”. “We know in part and we prophesy in part” until “face to face” comes (I Corinthians 13:9-12).
In Amos 8:1&2, we see insight into how the Lord develops a prophecy into the mind of the prophet. “This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. ‘What do you see Amos?’ He asked. ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered. Then the Lord said to me, ‘The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer…’ “ The basket of ripe fruit was evidently put into Amos’ mind by the Lord, and then the Lord extracted the prophecy out of Amos, then revealing the details of his Word to the prophet. This is true for Amos, however, this needn’t be the Lord’s method of leading other prophets in their prophecy.
107.) “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”, Acts 2:17&18 Please see Item #97 above.
108.) Prophetesses, Acts 21:9 “Leaving the next day, we reached Ceasarea and stayed at the house of Phillip the Evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied”. This verse shows that New Testament prophesy is not limited to men. Neither was Old Testament prophesy since Miriam, Moses’ sister, is listed as a prophetess according to Exodus 15:20. There’s not much written concerning these four women’s prophecy, neither Miriam’s. However, we can assume that their work in the Lord was vital to the Lord’s people around them, as was Miriam’s. And why shouldn’t they prophesy. They had a father who taught them the ways of the Lord; and he had learned to recognize the Lord’s voice and the Lord’s specific directions in his life- Acts 8:29&39. Is recognizing the Lord’s voice a requirement for prophecy? Moses is stated as having abilities superior to any other prophet: “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”- Deuteronomy 34:10. So, recognizing the Lord’s will, even more than recognizing the Lord’s voice is a requirement for a prophet (a man who regularly speaks for God). However, Caiphas, and others, even Balaam’s donkey, also spoke for God on occasion, but cannot be construed as being prophets just because prophecy comes from their mouth. (See Word of Knowledge, Item#28.)
114.) The Last Two Prophets, Revelation 11:3 See Item #16 above.
118.) Provision and Prosperity Through Prophecy, Ezra 6:14 “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.” The Lord meets our needs for our provision and prosperity. We normally think of prophets warning against blights and famines, or pending judgments or military attacks, but being continually bathed in God’s Word definitely brings prosperity as we also obey Him.
122.) Contempt Toward Prophecies Quenches the Holy Spirit, I Thessalonians 5:20 “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” This very important verse connects despising prophecy with quenching the Holy Spirit. Of course the verse is contained in a larger encouragement from Paul for believers to live as “sons of the light”( vs. 5). Verses 19 and 21 go together as a sub-group among this large encouragement from Paul. The following points are made by Paul:
a.) “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”- I believe many Christians do this, and I believe I also do this on occasion. Recently I had an opportunity to share the gospel. I realized that the Holy Spirit was probably leading me, but I felt uncomfortable and didn’t follow the Spirit’s lead. After that the opportunity was gone. If I’ve learned anything concerning the Holy Spirit, it’s that He is a holy fire and our fleshly nature will never feel comfortable in His presence or doing His will. Let’s face it; that’s why our Lord Jesus said “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
b.) I resisted a nudge from the Holy Spirit, but this verse says that you can quench the Holy Spirit’s fire by despising prophecies. The NIV refers to this as, “treat prophecies with contempt”. The concept is that since God’s Spirit is a spirit, your attitude concerning His work in your life really does matter. Given then that prophecy is given for our edification and protection, it’s not wise to resist that work of the Spirit. This resistance can obviously be done by an individual or as a group of people having been approached by someone speaking from God.
c.) “Test everything, hold on to the good.”- This exact same concept is brought out in I John 4:1: “Try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world”. The concept is clearly to test, then hold onto the good, not to weasel out of the entire situation.
d.) Many have absorbed bad teaching in this regard. They claim that since prophecy is obsolete according to I Corinthians 13, no one can be speaking to them from God, and so they only have to obey Scripture. However, Scripture says, “Despise not prophesyings” (vs. 20). Well, such people are making a simple mistake until they’ve been shown the truth, then they begin to fall into the category of those who “treat prophecies with contempt”. More importantly they weasel out of the correction which God would have in their life; such people then remain in the practice of error.
e.) There are two main reasons why people would “treat prophecies with contempt”. The first reason is bad teaching, as some are teaching that there is no revelation from God except from the Bible, or the teaching of the Bible. The second reason is religious pecking order. Paul’s ministry was resisted by such pecking orders (I Corinthians 9:2&3). John’s work was also resisted by such pecking orders (III John 9-11).
124.) First Occurrence of the Word “Prophet”, Genesis 20:7 Here we see Abimilech being told by God concerning Abraham, “Return the man’s wife for he is a prophet”. The verse is important in our study for the following reasons:
a.) This is the first occurrence of the word prophet or it’s derivatives (prophecy, prophesy, prophetess, etc.) in the Scripture. The word “prophet” in it’s various forms all stem from the same Hebrew word “naba” in the Old Testament. Strong’s defines this word as, “Speak by inspiration”.
b.) While God has said Abraham is a prophet, we would probably define him as a Patriarch. Currently most bible scholars would only consider as prophets Scripture’s major and minor prophets, as well as other’s such as Nathan, or Elijah who were noted as prophets in Scripture. Bible schools are teaching that the age of the prophets began with Samuel and ended with John the Baptist. This is a good way to categorize the Lord’s basic dealings with Israel, however, it leaves Christ’s Church in a dysfunctional state. Edification and correction is not easily accomplished. (I’m writing this from experience. I’m currently viewing from the fringe another serious church split due to its leaders misunderstanding the grace of God.) The bottom-line from Scripture is that the Patriarch Abraham was also a prophet, because he spoke from God.
c.) If we follow the law of first reference, which cannot be merely ignored, then prophesy gets a good deal of its definition from this usage. We then must conclude that a prophet, by God’s own word to Abimilech, would include anyone who spoke from God, not just those living within the man-defined age of the prophets.
125.) Aaron the Prophet, Exodus 7:1 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” This verse, since it appears early in Scripture and in God’s relationship with man, becomes a good early description of prophecy. Aaron was to be the tongue for Moses and for God. So prophecy is merely speaking from or for God, many times as God’s ambassador to a group of people.
127.) False Prophecy- Working False Signs & Wonders From Day One, Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods (gods you have not known) and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. …” This passage is excellent in that it says that a prophet is to be discerned according to what is being said, not by signs and wonders. The passage also intimates why God would allow his people to be subjected to such lying signs and wonders: “The Lord your God is testing you”. It’s been said: “Satan tempts. The Lord tests”. I agree with that saying. The verse is also noteworthy in that it’s warning occurs so early in the Scripture.
128.) False Prophecy- By a False God or Not By God’s Command, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” This passage describes two types of false prophecy which the Lord deemed serious enough to warrant the death penalty. These are: “a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him”, and “a prophet who speaks in the name of other Gods”. Make no mistake these are serious offenses to God. When some people conclude that worshipping just any God will do, they obviously are not believing God’s Word in the Scripture.
130.) Moses Knew the Lord “Face to Face”, Deuteronomy 34:10 “Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Besides the obvious comparison of Moses to other prophets, three points can be gleaned from this small passage:
a.) Moses is referred to as a prophet, while many consider Samuel as the first prophet. So this adds to the definition that prophecy is merely speaking from God.
b.) The Lord had a “face to face” relationship with Moses. I always used to question this verse because in Exodus 33:23 the Lord said to Moses, “You will see my back but my face must not be seen”. Also, John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known”. So God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock and Moses saw the back of God. So how does the scripture claim that Moses knew God “face to face”. Well the answer is in another part of Exodus 33. Verses 7 to 11 explain that Moses would go aside to his “tent of meeting”, and there “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” There is a key to God’s revelation here, that is- the friendship factor. John 15:14 & 15 shows a progression in discipleship from servant to friend, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” I can say from experience that if you take the Lord seriously, he will show you his commands for your life and establish that friendship relationship with you. It will be similar to the Lord’s friendship relationship with Moses. Will His commands be apostleship? Possibly, you’ll be called to the missions field. Will His commands be prophecy? Possibly! Will His commands be some other great work for the Lord? The answer is between you and God, and you get the answer when you seriously take up your cross everyday and come follow Him. However, the study point to be concluded herein is that work for the Lord, particularly the greater gifts which are to be eagerly desired, are somewhat dependant upon our relationship with the Lord. I say somewhat because the Lord does still press people into his service as He did to the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.
c.) This makes me really yearn for the time when I shall know the Lord “face to face”. This passage is intimately connected with I Corinthians 13:8-13 which says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part…Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” I note that the “face to face” relationship of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10 and Exodus 33 was not a seeing, but a knowing and a speaking relationship (not dissimilar from our current New Testament position). I believe our future estate in Christ will be greater than that of Moses’ earthly relationship, because Moses could not claim that he could “know fully even as I am fully known”.
131.) Prophecy as Pure Edification, Judges 6:6-10 “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Israel, out of the land of slavery…’ I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” This is a very good example of prophecy as pure edification. “When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet.” The prophet told them exactly why the Lord was allowing their distress. Also, slightly after the prophet’s edifying message Gideon was called by the Lord to deliver Israel from their distress.
143.) Elijah at Mt. Carmel, I Kings 18:22-36 This is, of course the account of Elijah on Mount Carmel. There have been many commentaries and analyses which have dealt with this wonderful event. For the purpose of this study, the following items are noted:
a.) A question can be asked, “Is everything a prophet says to be considered prophecy?”. Obviously, not! The very word prophesy connotes speaking from God. Out of weariness Elijah falsely states that he is “the only one of the Lord’s prophets left” (I Kings 18:22, & again in I Kings 19:14). There were obviously other prophets left in Israel, such as: seven thousand “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal” (I Kings 19:18), an unnamed prophet used by God in I Kings 20:13, another unnamed prophet listed in I Kings 20:39, also Micaiah of I Kings 22:8. The point is that prophets have weak moments just as any human being, and while their prophecy must be true since it proceeds from God, other statements from the prophet can be false.
b.) “The Word of the Lord came to Elijah”. Several times this occurrence is chronicled in Elijah’s ministry. The Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically how, or even how often, this came about. However, we know from this account and James 3:17 & 18 that Elijah was a great man of prayer (as was the Lord Jesus). A peculiar event, that many cling to as an example of hearing the Lord’s voice, happened when Elijah fled to Mount Horeb. The Lord told Elijah to leave his cave and “stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord”. The Lord’s presence produced a great wind, and an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not present in any of these. However, a gentle whisper drew Elijah to stand at the mouth of the Cave, then he experienced the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s voice reached Him. Well, much has been said and written concerning that whisper. My experience shows me that there’s a difference between the voice that followed and the whisper. We should be listening for the voice of God in our lives, but in our befuddled fleshly states sometimes we must hear the whisper before we realize that the Lord is trying to speak to us. Another important concept that’s brought out here is the “logos” of God. The term “Word of God” always refers to the spoken Word of God. So, there’s the spoken Word and the written Scripture. Scripture, when the Holy Spirit uses it, is the “sword of the Spirit” and therefore is “logos” as well. However, the Lord never intended the Scripture to do away with the Word of God elsewhere in our lives. We do not follow a “mute idol” (I Corinthians 12:2).
c.) “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” (vs. 17). This is a classic example of the flesh warring against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). If you are called by God to do some of His work, then know that the flesh of the people around you, both saved and unsaved, will seek to resist God’s Spirit working in you. And, please accept that the first accusation thrown against you will be that you’re just trying to cause trouble. It’s interesting to note that Elijah’s ministry was one of correction and not so much foretelling future events as other prophets did. He is always seen as being told by the Lord to go and do things, mainly in order to confront the Baal worship of Israel. I believe Elijah’s ministry is similar to the needs of our age to confront, encourage, and edify the Lord’s Church; and if the Lord moves a person to speak out in that regard, that’s prophecy no less than in Elijah’s time. I’ve actually heard it said that confrontational correction and edification work by prophets, such as Elijah, is not really prophecy; that prophecy must include foretelling of future events. Most serious bible students would disagree and include the correctional aspects of prophecy because these are clearly itemized in I Corinthians 14. However, that mindset, that all the foretelling has already been done and captured in Scripture, is what makes many reject the existence of New Testament prophecy.
147.) The Persecution of God’s Prophets, I Kings 22:7-28 “The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.’ … But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me’. … ‘So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.’ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. ‘Which way did the spirit of the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?’ He asked. … The king of Israel then ordered, ‘Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ‘ ” This is the account of the prophet Micaiah, who prophesied before Kings Jehoshaphat and Ahab, only to be thrown in prison and given only bread and water. This verse is used herein as the focal point to review the issue of persecution of God’s prophets, and the parallel concept of the flesh warring against the Spirit of God.
Some of those prophets’ persecution was chronicled in the following passages:
a.) Jeremiah 20:1 tells the story of Jeremiah struck by Pashtur, then put in stocks as public punishment. Of course Jeremiah was also beaten and imprisoned in Jeremiah 37:15, and kept in a cistern in Jeremiah 38:6. Can you imagine God or the angels thoughts as they look down on Judah the remnant of God’s testimony on earth; and what they see is God’s principle spokesman on earth being publicly ridiculed in stocks, then beaten and imprisoned. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11&12).
b.) Luke 13:34&35 The Lord Jesus said this, “Surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who sent you, …Look your house is left to you desolate.” If not for God’s presence in the Church manifesting His intercession through grace and the grace gifts, that’s exactly where the Church would be- “desolate”; but it’s impossible for the Church to be without the Holy Spirit. It’s been difficult for others and myself to explain the meaning of the end time “abomination of desolation” cited in Matthew 24:15. However, Luke 13:34 helps to explain the meaning. “Desolation” means without the water of the Holy Spirit; because the Spirit filled Church will have been raptured. “Abomination” refers to the heinous act of the Antichrist claiming to be God while standing in Israel’s reconstructed temple.
c.) In Matthew 23:34&35, the parallel passage to Luke 13:34 above, the Lord Jesus spoke God’s mind regarding religious hypocrisy. He said, “I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah.” The point is that the Lord is holding that generation of religious hypocrites responsible for the blood of the prophets from A-Z. Let me just state that there are Godly Christians that because of their zeal and obedience are being abused in their local churches. I hear their stories all the time. My only explanation is that even the flesh of other Christians wars against the Spirit of God. We all need to carefully live everyday in harmony with the true grace of God (“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” –Galatians 5:16.); the grace which is manifested in the spiritual abilities as well as the local church hierarchy.
d.) Romans 11:3 tells of the plight of those spokesmen from God in Elijah’s day: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left and they are trying to kill me”. I Kings 18:4 enhances Elijah’s statement by adding that Jezebel and Ahab had a public policy of killing the Lord’s prophets. At this point we can start asking ourselves, “Why are the Lord’s prophets being persecuted?”. At Elijah’s time we can see idolatry, and the commerce that grew up around Jezebel’s (actually Israel’s) idolatry, as the motivating factors for persecuting the Lord’s prophets. But Galatians 5:19 says that idolatry is actually a manifestation of the flesh (sinful nature). “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” As can be seen, idolatry was not the only fleshly attribute which motivated the persecution of the prophets by Jezebel and Israel’s throne. Hatred and selfish ambitions were also key fleshly elements. But knowing these things, its recognizable that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” (Galatians 5:17). “The Spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely” (James 4:5). The flesh and God’s Spirit are at constant war with each other because of their very natures. The Spirit is glorious, holy, and life giving. The flesh is debasing, sinful, and constantly dying. That’s why Jesus could say, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘you must be born again’” (John 3:7). But we’ve seen groups of people united against God’s prophets, and the apostles, and one day most of Jerusalem was united against Jesus (at Calvary). Is this group warfare against God’s Spirit also of the flesh. Yes, and it’s better explained by the Lord Jesus’ discourse in item “e.)” below.
e.) Luke 11:37-53: In this passage the Lord Jesus voices his woes to the religious clerics (“the Pharisees”), the legalistic theologians (“experts at the law”), and that entire Judean generation. Mainly the Lord cites what they and their predecessors had done, but he also gives some insight as to why they persecuted the prophets. We can see that this group activity of resisting the Holy Spirit is also due to the flesh of the entire group, exhibiting practices which are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Also, though, I perceive that these group fleshly activities are akin to group animal activities such as the schooling of fish, the law of the pack, or herd instinct. These group animal instincts, which produce positive effects in animals, seem to produce atrocities, and many other minor sins, in human beings owing to their fallen nature. In other words, when men act like animals in a group, serious violence and hatred will soon come out. Consider how Paul “fought wild beasts in Ephesus” (I Corinthians 15:32, Acts 19:23 & 24). Many think it strange to teach that “the flesh”, also called “the sinful nature” by the NIV and other bible translations, refers to the animal nature of man. However, when looking at the Greek word for flesh “Sarkos”, you cannot escape the fact that it has its root meaning in the “substance of the body, whether of beasts or of men”[4]. We like to soften this concept and call the flesh the “sinful nature”, but the Scripture uses the word “sarkos” for a reason. Animal actions and our own bodies are not the way they were at the time of creation. This is due to the fall of Adam which effected all of creation. There is a time when “the wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 65:25). At that time we believer’s will put on imperishable bodies no longer subject to sin (I Corinthians 15:52-54). However until that time comes, the flesh, even of believers, still wars against the Spirit of God, whether in groups or individually.
f.) I Thessalonians 2:14 & 15 brings out why Satan and man’s flesh war against prophecy, evangelism, and other manifestations of God’s grace. “You (the Thessalonian church) suffered from your own countrymen the same thing those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved.” So, therein is an account of why the fleshly Jews and the fleshly, non-believing Thessalonians resist the gospel, the prophets, and the Lord Jesus: “to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they might be saved”. I believe we can clearly see that this account shows why the flesh wars against the Spirit of God; the flesh is used by Satan, “the prince of this world”, to rebel against God’s work (God’s principle work being salvation).
g.) Galatians 4:28 & 29 is known as the allegory of Sarah and Hagar. This verse also states why the prophets and Spirit led people are persecuted: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way (flesh) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now”. The fleshly man persecutes the Spirit led man. The two have different goals and different means of seeking their goals. Like a wolf in a pack or a fish in a school, the natural man seeks to pester or race against his supposed competitor in order to establish dominance, or to be first to arrive at the feeding spot. However, the Spiritual man isn’t after tangible things or even societal structure (pecking order) as his goal. So, the Spiritual man will endure affliction for the cause of the gospel, or sometimes just to avoid sin. The natural man sees such actions as weakness and continues to persecute the Spiritual man. Praise the Lord for Godly authority and his constraining Holy Spirit, else this persecution would be without limit.
So, the flesh still wars against the Spirit of God, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted” (II Timothy 3:12). The flesh and the Spirit have two completely different natures. It’s like molten steel and water. When they come together in sufficient quantities there will be a violent explosion. This happens often in steel mills. The molten steel like God’s Holy Spirit is extremely hot and gives place to nothing. The water, seemingly harmless, actually is explosive at high temperatures due to its hydrogen and oxygen content. The Spirit wars against the flesh in the same way. The Spirit is continually seeking God’s will, especially salvation, but sometimes an explosive violent reaction to God’s Spirit will erupt in persecution. This persecution of Spirit led people has been throughout history and continues today. If you are interested in supporting persecuted Christians, you can contact Voice of the Martyrs, PO Box 54, Caney, KS, 67333, [email protected]. Understand, though, that walking by the flesh explains why sin is occurring, but doesn’t excuse sin. “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 21). “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown in the lake of fire” Revelation 20:15).
157.) Not All Prophecy is Scripture, I Chronicles 29:29 “The records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer”. This small passage, along with a few more like it, are extremely important in our study of prophecy. The reason for their importance is that those who contend that prophecy is abolished also pretend that any new prophecy must add to Scripture. However, this passage clearly shows that there was much prophecy that was not chosen by God to be included in the Canon of Scripture.
Allow me to refer you to the “Introduction to First Chronicles” in my Nelson’s The Open Bible[5]. Samuel Schultz, recognized as having written the introductions to the Old Testament books in The Open Bible, described the situation in detail. He said, regarding the unknown author of I & II Chronicles: “His ‘scribism’ may account for the detailed acknowledgements of historical sources- the writings of such early prophets as Samuel, Nathan, Gad (1 Chr. 29:29), Ahijah, Iddo, Shemaiah (2 Chr. 9:29; 12:15), Jehu the son of Hanani (20:34), and such later ones as Isaiah (32:32) and Hozai (33:19, ASV). The chronicler’s major reference work was ‘The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel’ (16:11; 25:26, etc.), with ‘The commentary (Hebrew midrash) of the book of the kings’ (24:27). Though I and II Chronicles often follow I and II Kings closely, our books of Kings cannot be the source here intended. This major source must have been a larger court record, now lost, which also incorporated some prophetic court writings, as Jehu’s (2 Chr. 20:34) or Isaiah’s Chapters 36-39 (2 Chr. 32:32). From this source both Kings and Chronicles then drew (cf. Isa. 36-39 with 2 Ki. 18:13- 20:19 and 2 Chr. 32).” The point is that there are lost historical sources written by prophets and others.
This clearly shows that there was much prophetic writing and verbal prophecy which was never chosen by God for inclusion in the Canon of Scripture. Point proven!
172.) Treat Prophecy and, therefore, Prophets with Respect and Honor, II Chronicles 36:12 “He (King Zedekiah) did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.” This verse connotes the status that we are to accord to prophets and prophecy: humble ourselves before the Lord’s Word and his spokesman.. But look what Zedekiah and his predecessors and the nation of Judah did. “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar” (verses 15-17).
A similar situation is recorded in II King 2:23 in which Elisha, the prophet, is mistreated by some youths. Then “two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths”.
There’s a similar New Testament Scripture found in I Thessalonians 5:19&29, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Understand that there is both a difference and a parallel between the Church of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel. We don’t see the Lord dealing with his Church, his “ecclesia” (meaning “called out ones”), in a severe manner; but note the quenching of the Spirit’s fire. Judah’s Godly testimony as a nation was not completely snuffed, but it was radically dimmed for their seventy years captivity in Babylon. We Christians ought not to speak against, or treat in a light manner, any of the Holy Spirit’s fiery work, whether prophecy or any other work of God; lest the Lord take away our lamp stand (Revelation 2:5), as He took away from Judah “all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small”. If you recognize the Holy Spirit’s fire burning, have reverence for Him, since He is a person of God just as Jesus Christ is a person of God. Allow the Holy Spirit’s fire to burn. Do not quench that fire by your own fleshly actions, particularly by your words. Paul’s position on the Spirit’s fire was to never speak against the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in others. (See Item#1, paragraph 4&5.)
180.) The Lord Changes a Prophecy, Isaiah 38: 1-5 “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amos went to him and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ‘Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’ ‘ ‘ “ This is a curious verse in that the Lord changes a prophecy. This concept, that the Lord can change a prophecy, doesn’t set well with my fleshly logic; but I shouldn’t set a boundary on what God can do. The first prophecy, that Hezekiah would die, was true when Isaiah said it, because Elijah was speaking for God not merely foretelling the future. But then, the second prophecy changed the first due to Hezekiah’s repentance, which caused the Lord to send a different message to Hezekiah through Isaiah. A similar change occurred with Jonah and Ninevah’s repentance. Jeremiah 18:7&8 explains that repentance can change such prophecies of judgment: “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster that I had planned”. However, Item # 172, above, shows that there comes a point at which the executed judgment of God is the only feasible remedy. I also note that Isaiah, like Jonah, is sent to be a messenger for the Lord. And so, this is an important function of those who understand prophecy, that the Lord would have us to recognize his leading and be a spokesperson for Him in many situations, even traveling to a different location to give that message.
211.) Ezekiel’s Call, Ezekiel 2:3-5 “He said: ‘Son of man I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. ; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them.” The writers of the NIV Bible have referred to this section of Ezekiel as “Ezekiel’s Call”. In our age there are a few things that are similar to a Ezekiel’s call. These are:
a.) In order to get Ezekiel to speak God’s words to them, the Lord tells Ezekiel, “Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you….Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 2:8- 3:1). In this day and age, we, those who speak from God and teach His Word, carefully study the Scriptures and find the Scriptures like honey to their soul. Such people begin to learn and understand God’s ways and manner of thinking through the Scriptures.
b.) “Whether they listen or fail to listen- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them”. Sometimes God speaks knowing that people won’t listen. God cares about his character, His Word, and His people and sometimes his prophets are called upon to perform due diligence for the Lord, even though God knows His warnings will go unheeded. Rejection of the message is no reason to stop speaking. Later, Ezekiel is called upon to “prophesy to these bones”, in the valley of dry bones. If Lord leads you to speak to some person or a group, then do it, and don’t try to decide whether they will accept the message or not. (Consider Jonah at Nineveh.)
c.) “The house of Israel is not willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.” When a prophet speaks from the Lord, most people are hardened and obstinate, and won’t listen. Still a few do listen, and the Lord is glorified through the obedience of the prophet, and the faithfulness and righteousness of the Lord’s plan.
216.) Community Sin Affecting the Prophet, Hosea 4:5 “You stumble day and night and the prophets stumble with you.” This verse says that community sin can have its effect on the Lord’s prophets. I Thessalonians 5:20 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt”. Can a prophet be affected by the sin around him? The prophet can be affected, but not the prophecy, since prophecy is speaking from God. You don’t see many examples of this, because prophets are people who walk closely with the Lord. However, Moses’ prophet, Aaron, was affected by sin around him. Miriam, referred to as a prophetess, had some problems with grumbling. Moses, himself, became distraught and struck the rock. Jonah didn’t immediately obey the Lord’s command to go to Ninevah. Elijah fled from Jezebel, after dealing with those false prophets on Mount Carmel. So, we cannot expect prophets to always escape the sin around them.
217.) Prophets as Fools and Fanatics, Hosea 9:7&8 “Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.” This verse seems as if it was written for my day, but it was written regarding unrepentant Israel. How many times have we heard of faithful Christians called fanatics, because they spoke out against sin? We live in an age when prophecy is said to not even exist, except in a toned down version espoused by supposed clerics. This passage helps to explain what’s been said several times already: “Sin darkens our minds, and the flesh wars against the Spirit of God”. The people in Hosea’s day, which Bible scholars would term “the age of the prophets”, were rejecting prophets as fools and fanatics. We, in our day, only want to hear teaching that is in general agreement with the doctrine of our denominations, and to do otherwise is tantamount to heresy. This is not hypothetical. This is what I was explicitly told by a church leader, concerning both myself and saying anything not in general agreement with all in that gathering.
This is not the way of God though. Historically, prophets have not been of the majority opinion, else why would God need to speak through a prophet. My immediate opinion (which I didn’t voice at the time that I was resisted by the flesh of this churchman) was that this is the fulfillment of the Paul’s prophecy of II Timothy 4:3. II Timothy 4:3 warns, “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”. Many say this is what’s going on in Roman Catholicism, with their saints and Mary worship, but I see this tendency in all denominations. Esteeming your ancestors, especially your parents and grandparents is a Godly thing. However, copycatting their lifestyle instead of listening to the Master’s specific voice and leading in your day to day life, is disobedience to God. This religious swarming like bees lends itself to the fulfillment of II Timothy 4:3. We don’t live in the days of our ancestors, we need a Word from the Lord for today.
Don’t think that this darkness escapes non-denominational gatherings. That church leader, who sought to resist the Lord’s leading in me by fleshly means, was from a very fine, supposedly non-denominational gathering. Many gatherings don’t realize that by not specifically listening for the voice of the Master, they become just like the other groups from which they seek to be different. The Lord Jesus gave a very simple remedy for such lukewarm actions. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). This was written to the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Is the Lord standing outside the door of the periphery of your life? Does he actually have to knock in order to come in? At my house, close friends and relatives don’t have to knock. They just come in and say, “Hello, is anyone home?”. So, accommodation to either a fleshly or a worldly lifestyle, can distance us from the Master’s voice.
Let me dwell on this point further, because I think most mature Christians have seen this effect; and maybe they’ve not put it into words or understood the concept. Did you ever notice the Word of God reaching a person, either a believer or the unsaved, and the Word is so clear and strong that it’s appears as a shout to them? Well this is many times what prophecy does. The Word of God becomes like rolling thunder, it’s so strong and loud and it’s coming from every different direction in a person’s life. Most times, though, when a person shouts at us, we walk away rejecting their communication, concluding that that person must be a crude person. However, a wise person should question why that person shouted, and consider what he might have done to spur that person’s loud remarks. We must realize that our flesh and others’ flesh wars against the Spirit of God, and when the Spirit is strongly resisting our fleshly actions and directions, the Spirit is indeed going to disturb our life and it will feel uncomfortable. Successful prophecy disturbs the lifestyle of those it was meant to reach. Many Christians operate from the position that the Lord’s leading comes from the “warm fuzzies”, while others accept that the things of God must somehow be only achieved by hard work. But, “Praise the Lord”, many Christians have learned to listen to the Lord’s voice and leading in their life. So, the next time you perceive or hear of somehow being disturbed by a Christian’s statements, consider that the message could easily be the “rolling thunder” of true prophecy in that person’s life. Consider that “troubler of Israel”, Elijah, in Item#143, above. There are ways to easily discern the difference between true and false prophecy (See Item Nos. 37, 352, 447.)
218.) Prophecy- Semantics and definition, Hosea 12:10-13 “I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them….The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt”. There are two concepts which we should recognize for our study:
a.) The semantics of prophecy are simply given herein. The Lord speaks to the prophets and gives them visions. The prophet then somehow recognizes that this is from the Lord. Sometimes the prophecy is communicated to its recipient through parables. While these semantics are simply stated, these tasks are impossible if your not a prophet of God.
b.) Moses is stated herein as a prophet of God who brought Israel up from Egypt. He’s also described as a prophet in Deuteronomy 34:10, and Numbers 12:8. Understand, though, that Moses is not like other prophets. Numbers 12:8 states that the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.” To other prophets the Lord revealed himself to them in visions and dreams.
So, all of this adds to our definition and understanding of prophecy. The prophet, whether Moses or others, is one through whom the Lord speaks. The semantics of prophecy involve the Lord revealing his Word to them, many times through visions and dreams.
Incidentally, if you want to be a true “fire breather” for Jesus Christ, look at what the Scripture teaches regarding Moses. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). The following verse is a key to this grace study. The verse is repeated in its various forms at least seven times in the Scripture. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
221.) An Oracle to the Prophet, Habakkuk 1:1 “The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received”. We’ve heard of prophets receiving dreams and visions which they’ve communicated as the Word of the Lord. We’ve studied that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face. However, here is an example of an oracle, or spoken Word, to the prophet. This type of oracle, according to Deuteronomy 34:10, was less clear than the Word given to Moses.
I’ve never heard a voice from God, but I’ve heard credible stories of those who had. I had a friend, Bill, a pipe fitter in the steel mills. He was down twenty feet in a manhole, with pipes running every which way. He heard a voice say, “Turn sideways”. He turned sideways, and just as he did, the gas in the manhole exploded and blew him twenty feet to the top of the manhole and twenty more feet into the air. He landed unharmed but would have died caught in the pipes at the bottom of that fiery hole, if the voice had not told him to “Turn sideways”. Bill lived for many more years to tell that story. But would you believe that the local gathering that Bill attended faithfully for decades, to this day, denies that the Lord can speak to us in an audible voice. There are also famous Christians with stories of their voice of the Lord accounts. Such are Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Bill Hybels. My pipe fitter friend’s account would fall into what’s described in I Corinthians 12:8 as a “message of knowledge”. My plan through this grace study is to gather, and categorize, other stories of how God’s grace has and is being manifested in our day. A prophet must receive the Word from God, realize that it is from God, understand the message, and then communicate it to whom the Lord intended that Word. The point is to understand God’s grace so that we can more faithfully proclaim the power of God to His people, His Church. In doing so, the Church can be more effective in Christ’s ministry of saving souls and building His Church.
223.) Prophecy- Edification and Successful Correction, Haggai 1:1-12 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” This passage always fires me up, because “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it”, so we all have a ministry that we should be doing in conjunction with our everyday affairs. The world being as it is though, my ministries sometimes get cluttered up with needless worldly activities which stem from worldly concerns.
In terms of the grace study, this passage is an excellent example of prophecy as edification and successful correction. The successful elements are noted as follows:
a.) Haggai received the Word of the Lord. This was not some logical conclusion which he derived from Godly thought and perception.
b.) Haggai states God’s problem with Judah and the result of Judah’s folly. Briefly, Judah’s returning remnant had come to build the Lord’s house and were building their own houses first. The result was that they had purses with holes in them (Their blessings were being wasted.).The Word sounds like a warning but actually is directed toward edification and direction. The Lord lovingly warns “Give careful thought to your ways.” (I must admit, that if I and most others gave careful thought to our ways, we’d have much more successful lives.)
c.) The Lord then states the correction to the problem. “Bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored”. To us he says, “Get going with my work. Give it the proper priority. I am building my house, the Church”.
d.) After this, a beautiful thing happened. “Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him.” The beauty is that they accepted the Word of the prophet as being from God and were corrected. Two difficult elements were accomplished. They accepted the prophet’s word as being from God, and they were corrected by obeying the Word.
e.) This is, by no means, an easy thing to do. How many times have we heard of the death and persecution of the prophets, in the Scripture and also in our day. Hebrews 11 says, they “were tortured and refused to be released…faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and in holes in the ground.” What about Haggai? Did he know the danger that he was in? Probably! Yet; he was entirely focused on getting the Word of the Lord communicated. There can be much resistance from our own flesh as well as the flesh of others, and from Satan. Do you know that the Word of the Lord through his angel was resisted by Satan for 21 days before reaching Daniel? Also, we should consider how many times the Lord’s Word reaches those for whom it’s intended, but they disobey. I believe the Judean remnant obeyed because they were humble enough to recognize God’s Word for what it was. How many times did prideful Israel hear God’s Word and then try to dismiss it as false. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
224.) Prophecy- As Encouragement, Haggai 2:1-9 “ ‘Be strong all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ … ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty.” This passage is important because it’s an example of prophecy that encourages the people. As with Christ’s Church the Lord is telling the people to place your hope in the future product, not the present, fleeting circumstances. Of course, in the Church age, the Lord encourages us through that great resurrection chapter of Scripture, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58).
226.) No Prophecy During Christ’s Millennial Reign, Zechariah 13:5 “ This passage tells us that there’ll be no prophecy during the millennial reign of Christ. How do we know that this is during the millennial reign? There are several verses in this passage which suggest the millennial reign is what’s being discussed, but these verses might mistakenly be taken to refer to the Church Age or the Tribulation. However, the three following verses clearly place the removal of prophecy at the millennial reign of Christ:
a.) “On that day …they will look on me the one they have pierced” (Vs 12:10). Revelation 1:7 places this viewing of Christ at his coming to reign in power from Jerusalem, at the very beginning of His millennial reign.
b.) “On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem” (Vs 12:9). The destruction of the nations attacking Jerusalem doesn’t occur until Armageddon, again upon the Lord’s coming to reign from Jerusalem.
c.) “On that day I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land” (Vs 13:2). Impurity will have its place in “the land” now, during the Church Age, and also during the Tribulation, but not during the millennial reign, when Christ “shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27).
This all agrees perfectly with I Corinthians 13:9-12: “But where there are prophecies, they will cease;…For we know in part and we prophesy in part,…Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” Please see Item Nos. 1&2 above.
229.) Messianic Prophecy Fulfilled- One of Many, Matthew 1:22 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’- which means, ‘God with us.’ “ This passage is important because it helps describe the many messianic prophecies which are encountered. We should make sure that we’re taking in all that’s being taught through this passage. Please note the following concepts:
a.) The Word of God, through prophecy, does drive events in God’s plan, and is not just a statement of God’s will but is the main operative ingredient in God’s will. This verse doesn’t say, “Oh, and by the way, notice how prophecy is being fulfilled”. It says, “All this had taken place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet”. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is lively and active. Sharper than any two edged sword”. My Greek interlinear[6] actually renders the word “active” as “operative”.
b.) The prophets did accurately predict the coming of Christ. A faithful Jewish believer in those days would have known the circumstance of the Lord’s coming- “The virgin will be with child”, the place of the Lord’s birth- Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2, and the pending time of his birth- “The scepter will not depart from Judah…until Shiloh comes” (Genesis 49:10). Anna, the prophetess in Luke 2:38, “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem”. So, concerned believers were, indeed, looking for Christ at his birth. That is why Andrew would summon his brother Simon Peter by saying, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).
c.) “The Lord had said through the prophet”- The Lord speaks through the prophet. Nowadays we have the written Word, Scripture. However, we also still have prophecy because the New Testimony Scripture “which cannot be broken” (John 10:35) says, “In the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets” (I Corinthians 12:28). Further, “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
These Messianic prophecies, that were fulfilled by Christ in his earthly ministry, are too many to be contained in this Grace Study. However, most study bibles will have a section displaying the Messianic prophecies.
239.) Prophecy- Semantics and Typology, Matthew 12:39 “He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’ “ This passage is important not merely because it’s a great messianic prophecy, but it also gives us an understanding of how the Lord communicates to us through prophecy and types in the Old Testament. As was said before, when Scripture comments on Scripture, a wealth of insight and knowledge gained from that additional perspective will burst forth. I know that volumes could be written regarding the Lord Jesus’ response, when He considers Jonah as the only sign for that generation. Some of the major points are as follows:
a.) “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.”- The Lord is responding to an evidently insincere request from the scribes and Pharisees for a sign. So, the Lord points them back to the sign contained in Scripture, Jonah. The Lord is saying in effect, “Why haven’t you done your homework? There’s plenty of signs in Scripture”. Also, he’s looking ahead to when all of Jerusalem will abandon Him to the cross, and most will continue to reject Him even after his resurrection. (His resurrection is “the sign of Jonah”.) I’ve noticed that while the Old Testament is resplendent with typology (Hebrews 8:5), there’s only a few types in the New Testament. The New Testament types which I’ve noted are as follows: Christ’s washing of the apostles feet is a type of Christians helping each other to get rid of sin (John 13:10-14); water baptism is a type of Holy Spirit immersion (John 10:47& 11:16); the breaking of the bread and passing of the cup is a memorial of “the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Corinthians 11:26).
b.) This passage adds much credence and veracity to messianic prophecies. The Lord is saying in not so many words: “Look, the answer regarding the Messiah is already laid out in Scripture”. Consider that the Lord was giving them an answer that the sincere believers would not understand until after Christ died, and most would reject. You see Jonah walked through Ninevah as a man brought back from death, having spent three days in the belly of the great fish; and so the Lord Jesus would be seen by many after spending three days and three nights in the grave.
241.) Prophet- Generally Not Honored in his Own Town and Household, Matthew 13:57 “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’ “ This verse is important because of it’s simple teaching. A person speaking for God shouldn’t expect those immediately around him to accept his words as from the Lord. It was so for the Lord Jesus; and I’d have to conclude it was so for most prophets. In fact, Matthew 12:46-50 seems to say that the Lord’s family did not immediately respond to his gospel.
278.) Prophecy defined- King David as a Prophet, Acts 2:30&31 “But he (David) was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that God would place one of his descendents on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay.” Here we see the New Testament writer Luke referring to King David as a prophet. Luke gives his reasoning as the fact that David, in his psalms made true statements concerning Jesus the Messiah, who would be born 1000 years after David’s death. David, in his lifetime, was not known as a prophet. Luke refers to him as a prophet since it’s obvious that his statements could only come from God, thus verifying his prophecy. So this only adds to the “grace study” definition of prophecy, that prophecy is merely “speaking from God”. Also note that prophecy was never limited to those having a reputation as a prophet (reference Item #1, above). Per Item#64, singers were referred to as a type of prophet in David’s time. And, the quality and quantity of prophecy in David’s Psalms certainly add to that point.
281.) Prophecy- Correction and Edification, Old and New Testament Times, Acts 7:48 “As the prophet (Isaiah) says: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’ ”. In Isaiah 66:1&2 the prophet is admonishing Israel for idolatrous practices and saying that he never looked for a house or temple to be kept in, but was always concerned with affairs of the heart. Stephen, just prior to his stoning, uses Isaiah’s prophecy to explain to the religious leaders why God needed to send the Messiah. This passage is an example of prophecy as correction and edification. Isaiah originally wrote this seeking correction and edification for the people of Jerusalem and Judah in the days of Manasseh. Stephen sensed the same type of religious pride (and error) in the Sanhedrin, so Stephen sought their correction by quoting Isaiah to them. However, since the flesh always wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17), instead of being corrected they were outraged and killed Stephen by stoning. It’s interesting that the Sanhedrin’s outrage was ignited by Stephen’s claim that they were just like their fathers: always resisting the Holy Spirit, and persecuting every prophet. The interesting part is that they did to Stephen exactly what Stephen accused them of; that is resisting the Spirit, and killing God’s spokesman.
283.) False Prophecy- Seven Things, Acts 13:6-11 “They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was attendant to the pro-consul, Sergius Paulus. The pro-consul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabus and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the pro-consul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” This is the account of that false prophet called Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas the sorcerer. In this account Paul points out seven things which accompany false prophecy:
a.) He opposed Paul and the apostles seeking to turn the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from the faith.
b.) “You are a child of the Devil.”
c.) He was “an enemy of everything that was right”.
d.) “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery”.
e.) “Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord”?
f.) “The hand of the Lord is against you”.
g.) “When the proconsul saw what had happened (that Elymas was struck blind because of his falsehood), he believed.”
I’m not stating that all these things always accompany false prophecy, but they are things to watch for. Particularly, we can easily recognize people who are: seeking to turn others from the faith, continually perverting the right ways and truths of the Lord, and prophets who are struck with sickness and early death. The last item sounds cruel, but I’ve noted in life and from Scripture that sorcery and false religion go hand in hand with sickness and early death (Isaiah 66:3&4).
285.) Ongoing New Testament Prophecy- Agabus, Acts 21:10&11 “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the hands and feet of the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles’. ‘ ” This is an account of a person recognized as a New Testament prophet, Agabus. He’s also recognized in Acts 11:28. There are some who hold that since the Scripture refers to the Law and the Prophets, then prophecy is limited to Old Testament times. There are others that hold that prophecy ended with John the Baptist according to Matthew 11:13. However, the account of Agabus completely annihilates those theories. So, it’s worth looking at some basic facts concerning Agabus. These are:
a.) Agabus was a man recognized as a prophet. There were many who prophesied in the New Testament times, such as the apostles, particularly Paul and John the Revelator, but not many were known as prophets. Indeed, Peter quoted Joel 2 as stating that “I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17). However, there are some people with a specific recognition as a New Testament prophet. These were: Agabus and his group of prophets from Jerusalem (Acts 11:28, &21:10); Barnabus, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul (Acts 13:1); Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32); Phillip’s 4 daughters (Acts 21:9); John the Baptist (Matthew 11:9); Anna (Luke 2:36); the two witnesses of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:10).
b.) “The Holy Spirit says”- Agabus recognized the Holy Spirit’s word, and that the Spirit wanted Agabus to give the Word out. This is a part of prophecy: recognizing the logos of God and knowing whether He wants you to give it out. It’s not too different from situations encountered in lifestyle evangelism; or preachers who pass on to their audiences what God has placed on their hearts; that is, that the message and the timing are given by the Lord.
c.) In Acts 11:28 Agabus is shown coming down from Jerusalem with a group of other prophets. This seems like what we would term in our day and age a church conference. I wonder about such a meeting and who would speak. An operative Scripture for any such meeting is found in I Peter 4:11, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God”. The context of Peter’s passage is the manifold grace of God in the speaking or serving gifts. The point is that if God has led you to do something, then we should do it as an extension of God’s right hand. In the speaking graces, this is not limited to prophecy, but also includes teaching, evangelism, and even pasturing. (I’m including rebukes and corrections, and word of wisdom or word of knowledge statements as types of prophecy, for such oracle considerations.) Speaking “as the oracles of God” is not limited to specific words God has led a person to say. Those who teach from the Scripture should also recognize that they’re speaking the very words of God, and take that position according to I Peter 4:11. Were all such preachers, then, considered prophets? No! There were evangelists, teaching preachers such as Apollos, apostles, and brothers and sisters within local gatherings who were led to speak from the Lord. However, there were only a few recognized as prophets in New Testament times. Again, “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
286.) Prophecy- Applies to Many Generations, Acts 28:25 “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people and say, ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving…’. ‘ “ This passage is an example where God is speaking through the prophet directly to a future generation (the 1st century Jews). This is the same quote from Isaiah 6:9 which the Lord Jesus used in explaining why he taught in parables. Of course the prophet’s words applied to the men of Isaiah’s time as well. This is also another example of the flesh resisting the Spirit of God.
288.) New Testament Prophecy- An Example, Titus 1:12 “Even one of their own prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’. This is an example of people considered as prophets in the New Testament age. This prophecy is noteworthy since there are not many prophecies written down which were by people recognized as New Testament prophets within the Scripture. The prophecy is questionable since Paul is not citing whether the man is a true prophet, but only that he agrees with what the prophet said regarding the fleshly conduct of Cretans. Paul’s reference to the man as “Even one of their own prophets” leaves an unanswered question as to whether the man was a deceiving prophet from the Judaizers, or a true prophet from among the Cretans. I always took the passage as if the man was a true prophet from among the Cretans. However, the citing of this man as a prophet helps us to understand the Bible’s definition of prophecy as merely speaking from God.
289.) False Prophecy- It’s Motivation, II Peter 2:16 “With eyes full of adultery they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed- an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the ways of Baalam, son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.” This passage shows that , like Balaam, false prophets and false teachers are seduced by greed, adultery, and sin. Please note the money motive which seems to motivate false teachers as well (See Item# 26-d in the Teaching Section.).
292.) The False Prophet of the Tribulation- His Destruction, Revelation 20:10 “And the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Here we see that the Beast and the False Prophet of the Tribulation are thrown into the Lake of Fire. This really spells the end of all false prophets. Later in this passage, Revelation 20:15 says if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. Matthew 7:13 notes, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it”. How much more destruction to a person can there be, than to be eternally placed in the Lake of Fire?!
“PROPHETESS”
293.) Miriam the First Prophetess, Exodus 15:20 “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.’ “ This is the first incidence mentioned in Scripture regarding a prophetess of God. This passage reveals that Miriam was recognized by the Israelites as a prophetess. The prophetesses which I encountered in Scripture are: Miriam (Exodus 15:20); Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah (II Kings 22:14, & II Chronicles 34:22); an unnamed prophetess (Isaiah 8:3); Anna (Luke 2:36); and Phillip’s four unnamed daughters (Acts 21:9). As we consider these prophetesses we immediately see that they each were greatly used by God. Their Godly service must have been excellent in order to be recognized by their peers in this manner, not to mention the Lord’s trust and recognition in giving them the grace of prophecy. Also see Item#28c in the Word of Knowledge Section. I must say that there were many other women who were mentioned in Scripture as having prophesied. The promise of Joel 2:28, partially manifested at Pentecost says, “‘In the last days’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy’.”(Acts 2:17&18) This prophecy was not just for Pentecost, since the visions and dreams portions had not yet occurred at Pentecost.
294.) Deborah the Prophetess, Judges 4:4 “Deborah, the prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” The first thing that comes to my mind as I read the account of Deborah, is: “How did a woman come to be a judge in Israel?”. Deborah was aware of this controversy; because while trying to convince Barak to obey God and lead the attack, she said “the honor will not be yours for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman”. I believe that Deborah’s recognition as a judge was solely due to her Godly walk and her stature as a prophetess.
Consider the economy of the region and the times. “The Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan”. In America today there is much discussion over such sayings as “God bless America”. Many Christians accentuate the fact that America endures because of our Christian heritage. Well, this is the same type of relationship that God had with Israel, and really with all nations (although Israel is the “apple of his eye”). So, the reason why the Israelites recognized the worth and judgeship of Deborah was to receive prosperity and favor with God. However, a more direct way of looking at this is, “the Lord raised up judges to save them (Israel)”( Judges 2:16).
Also consider the type of prophecy which was accomplished by her. She was a prophetess and a judge before she was used to successfully defeat the Canaanite general, Sisera. Her prophecy to Barak was, “The Lord, the God of Israel commands: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men…I will lure Sisera …to the Kishon river and give him into your hands’”. When Barak balks, she immediately adjusts the prophecy and says, “because of the way that you’re going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman”. So, she was able to prophecy by foretelling future events very specifically, and she was in immediate contact with the Lord in order to adjust to Barak’s hesitance.
Also of note was the fact that Deborah was neither a virgin nor a widow as she served the Lord, but was “the wife of Lapidoth”.
295.) Huldah the Powerful Prophetess, II Kings 22:14-20 “Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah., who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. She said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Tell the men who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the King of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.” Huldah’s powerful words seem as if they are coming from God himself. Of course, true prophecy is indeed merely speaking from God. However, her prophecy exudes the fierceness of God’s power. Because of her straightforward prophecy and Josiah’s “responsive heart”, there was a reform in Jerusalem which lasted until Josiah’s death, approximately thirty-one years later.
299.) Anna a New Testament Prophetess, Luke 2:36&37 “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.” In the Scripture’s brief description of Anna, we see that she was eighty-four years old when the baby Jesus was presented in the temple. She was a widow, who fasted, worshiped, and prayed day and night never leaving the temple. She spoke of the child Jesus to “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem”. Here, and in John’s account of the calling of the first disciples, we see the beliefs and attitudes that were in Jerusalem when Christ came. Andrew told his brother, Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Phillip told Nathanael, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote” (John 1:45). At that time there were true believers among the Jews throughout the world who studied the Law and the Prophets and who anxiously yearned for the coming of the Messiah. Anna was one of them. She took her relationship with the Lord very seriously, above all else, and the Lord rewarded her with the glorious eternal riches of Godly service, even prophecy. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
“PROPHETS”
313.) Semantics of Prophecy-The Last Encounter Between Elijah and Elisha, II Kings 2:2-15 “Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.” There’s much to consider in this last encounter between Elijah and Elisha. There’s two main things that I note as follows:
a.) The Spirit of God is what empowered Elijah. We already know this because II Peter 1:21 says “Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. However, in this passage we see the empowering Spirit moving in the actual lives of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah touched the Jordan with his cloak and the waters parted. Later, having received a “double portion” of God’s Spirit, Elisha would touch the Jordan causing it to split apart just as it had for Elijah. Then Elisha would go on and work other miracles and have the full prophetic ministry for which he was anointed (I Kings 19:16). I note that Elisha and the company of prophets considered the miracle working spirit of Elijah to be Elijah’s spirit, not God’s Holy Spirit. Only a portion of the believing Jews throughout history recognized God’s Holy Spirit in action. Also, I can’t recall any Old Testament teacher that directly taught that He is a person of God. The direct teaching of a triune Godhead would not occur until the second person, the Son of God began his earthly ministry.
b.) The second thing that I recognized is the friendship of God in the life of Elijah, and later in Elisha. Did you ever wonder how these prophets were able to effect these casual miracles, such as the parting of the Jordan merely to keep Elijah’s body dry. Consider how Elisha, through the Lord, provided a miraculous supply of oil to pay the debt and provide for a prophet’s widow (II Kings 4:1-7). Consider how the Lord neutralized the poison in the stew when Elisha and the company of prophets were poisoned (II Kings 4:38-41). How is it that the Jerusalem Church was able to cite in their letter to the Gentiles (Acts 15:28), “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”. How could these Christians cite what the Holy Spirit wanted? Well, the answer to these questions is that these people knew the fellowship and friendship of God. The Lord Jesus taught, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14&15). God revealed Himself to Israel as the Lord God (Jehovah, Exodus 6:3), previously he was only known to the Patriarchs as God Almighty (El-Shaddai). God’s covenant relationship with Israel was: “Obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people” (Jeremiah 7:23). This is a servant-Lord relationship, which is great. However, the Lord takes His fellowship with us a step further, saying: “I no longer call you servants…Instead, I have called you friends”. I see this friendship relationship existent among his seriously committed servants in the Old Testament, such as Moses and Elijah, and even to the above unnamed prophet’s widow who received the above miraculous supply of oil. In New Testament times, not only can we see this relationship and experience it ourselves, but it’s directly taught by the Lord Jesus in John 15. This is part of that “personal relationship with God” promise which helped lure us into first believing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:3).
316.) “The Sons of the Prophets”, II Kings 4:38 “Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, ‘Put on a large pot and cook some stew for these men’ “ In and around the lives of Elijah and Elisha there dwelt a believing group of Israelites known as the “sons of the prophets” (KJV), or “company of prophets” in the NIV. These prophets met on regular basis at or near Gilgal (II kings 4:38, and 6:1). These unnamed prophets also had the power and duties of prophecy from the Lord (I Kings 20:35-43, II Kings 9:1-3).
320.) My Servants the Prophets, II Kings 9:7 “You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.” “My servants the prophets” is a concept which occurs at least fourteen times in Scripture, so this term is worthy of scrutiny. Below are some of the points which are brought out in these references:
a.) The Lord is jealously claiming these people as his faithful servants. His reward to these servants was and is great. “Great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). Also note Revelation 18:20&24. A better notion of the Scripture’s definition of being a servant to the Lord is connoted by the New Testament’s use of the Greek word “doulos” (Strong’s No. 1401)[7], meaning bond servant or slave. This was a favorite term of Paul to describe his own service for the Lord (Titus 1:1,etc.). “Doulos” is also used in Revelation 22:9 below.
b.) The whole house of Ahab was destroyed by the Lord in order to avenge the blood of the Lord’s “servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel” (II Kings 9:7). This illustrates the personal ownership that the Lord claimed, and claims, in the work and well being of his prophets, and other servants.
c.) II Kings 24:2. “The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him (the king of Judah). He sent them to destroy Judah in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.” The Lord warned Judah multiple times using multiple prophets. The prophet’s word is considered the same as the Lord’s Word. The theme that Judah was exhaustively warned by the Lord’s “servants the prophets” is a major theme of Jeremiah, as present in Jeremiah 25:5, 26:5, 29:19, 35:15, and 44:4. Also note that Judah was destroyed because of Manasseh’s murderous acts and the Lord’s decision, not just because of the Lord’s Word. God’s Word is a manifestation of God and a communication from God; it is not God.
d.) Jeremiah 7:25. The Lord also warned the nation of Israel, as well as Judah above, through his servants the prophets. This is also brought out in Daniel 9:6-10.
e.) Ezekiel 38:17. This is an illustration of end times prophecy by the Lord’s “servants the prophets”. This is also brought out in Revelation 10:7.
f.) Revelation 22:9 “I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and of all who keep the words of this book.” This verse says that true believers in Christ, as well as the prophets, and others faithful to the words of the Revelation, even the Tribulation believers, are fellow bond slaves with the angels. This verse complements the verses in I Corinthians 11:4-10 which say, “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head- it is just as though her head were shaved….For this reason and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.” The point is that during prayer and prophecy, the servant is before God and His angels at the throne of grace. In order to speak from God (prophecy), the throne of God is focused on what the prophet or prophetess is saying. During prayer we are also directly before God’s “throne of grace”. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4: 16). A man or woman who prays or prophesies before God’s majestic throne without practicing the symbolic headship as taught in Scripture (head coverings) is dishonoring themselves before God’s throne, and before the angels. Three days ago I was up on a ladder thirty feet in the air. I was trying to come down but the tie off rope was stuck. I would have to bounce the ladder off the tree with myself on it, thirty feet in the air, in order to get the rope off. You had better believe that I took my hat off as I made a quick prayer before the Lord’s throne.
321.) The Lord’s Judgment Upon False Prophets- Jehu Traps the Prophets of Baal, II Kings 10:18&19 “Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, ‘Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests. See that no man is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.’ But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.” This is the story of Jehu’s plot to trap and destroy the false prophets of Baal, and it worked very well. It all occurred in fulfillment of the Word which God gave to Elijah stating, “Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael” (I Kings 19:17). The violent destruction of false prophets is also prophesied by Jeremiah, particularly in Jeremiah 23:11-37 in which Jeremiah lists the recompense and judgments to befall false prophets. In Jeremiah’s day these false prophets were dealt with by the sword of Babylon. In this day false prophets come in many forms from the astrologer to the follower of voodoo and yoga, and every form of false divination in between. In my brief life I’ve seen such false teachers and necromancers suffer miserably in this life. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to look for it in order to perceive it. One such person had a religious statue in his side yard. When I approached him with the gospel, he mocked it by hanging a religious pamphlet on my doorknob. A couple years later he contracted cancer of the head, he’s just died recently. God’s way is to make such false prophets “eat bitter food and drink poison water” (Jeremiah 23:15). Actually these people are poisoning themselves; because Jesus said “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty” (John 6:35). Look around you. You’ll see such people entering into what’s been termed by others as “the downward spiral into depravity”. The physical result of drinking poisoned spiritual water is usually sickness and early death. The spiritual result is defined in Revelation 21:8, “The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death”.
322.) The Difference Between Prophets and Seers, II Kings 17:13&23 “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commandments and decrees… The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there”. This verse points out the obvious difference between prophets and seers. A seer (“chozeh” per Strong’s Hebrew No. 2374) sees the future or God’s will, while a prophet (“nabiy” per Strong’s Hebrew No. 5030) speaks from God.[8] While every Christian ought to look for and see God’s short term and overall will in their life, there’s no Scripture or Christian history suggesting the existence of New Testament seers. However, serious Christians can see God’s will and God’s grace being manifested all around them. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14&15).
326.) All Israel were Prophets, I Chronicles 16:22 “When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: ‘Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm’. “ This verse, along with Psalm 105:15, states that from God’s perspective all Israel were prophets. This is true in the overall scheme of God’s will, since he chose Israel (Ezekiel 20:5) as a peculiar people to show his power through them. I believe this is the same perspective that the Lord gives for his Church when he instructs us to endure persecution for his namesake: “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. I construe that verse as meaning that from the Lord’s perspective his Church serves as prophets among this unbelieving world, and will be persecuted just as the other prophets who went before us. This is also consistent with Moses’ perspective who said, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them” (Numbers 11:29).
327.) False Prophets Driven by False Spirits, II Chronicles 18:18-21 “Micaiah continued, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord, I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramath Gilead and going to his death there?’ ‘One suggested this and another that. Finally a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him’. ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets’, he said. ‘You will succeed in enticing him’, said the Lord. ‘Go and do it’.’ “ This is a peculiar verse in that the Lord allowed a lying spirit to direct the false prophets of the King of Israel in order to lure him to his death. This helps emphasize the teaching of I John 4:1, “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”. From these two verses we easily conclude that false prophets are driven by false spirits.
329.) Jehaziel’s prophecy and Generational Gifts, II Chronicles 20:14-22 “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, the son of Mettaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said, ‘Listen King Jehoshaphat, and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be dismayed or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours’ but God’s. …You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you. …After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.’ As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” This is a very important verse because a person, not known as a prophet prophesied and the prophecy came true over the course of the next few days. King Jehoshaphat, before the prophecy came true, encouraged Judah, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” So Jehoshaphat included Jehaziel (v14) as one of God’s prophets merely due to his prophecy, not by his reputation for foretelling the future.
Also, note that Jehaziel was a descendant of the psalmist Asaph, of David’s worship team. Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were not just David’s singers and musicians, but were considered as prophets according to I Chronicles 25:2&3. (Also, please see Matthew 13:35, and II Chronicles 29:30). Given this I feel it’s no accident that Jehoshaphat was confident, not only to march into Battle, but he also had singers going out ahead of his army. The point is that we see music and prophecy manifested by the Holy Spirit and working through Asaph’s descendant Jehaziel. Going further, are there gift enabling teachings that we can pass on to our descendants, just as Asaph did?
333.) Prophecy- Edification and Correction, Ezra 5:1 “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. … Then because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. So the elders of the Jews continued to profit under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.” In these passages we see the value of prophecy in edification and correction. Zerubbabel and the returning Jews were stymied in their attempt to rebuild the temple. Their enemies, using Satanically false accusations, had won a decision from the reigning authority, Artaxerxes; and had halted the rebuilding of the temple. They were corrected in their reasoning by two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, after which the Jews resumed the temple rebuilding. It then came out that God’s authorization through Cyrus had indeed previously been put in place. Therefore their cause was verified by the new authority, Darius the king.
So this is an excellent example of prophecy used in edification. This is one of the primary uses of New Testament prophecy as well. I Corinthians 14: 3&4 says, “Everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church”. When a group of believers somehow adopts incorrect teaching, which begets incorrect practices, there are only two ways to correct those teachings. The first way is for God to allow persecution to bring out the folly of the bad teaching (“The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son”.) The second way is for the Lord to raise up a man or woman to speak from Him on the issue (prophecy). Now, obviously the second way is the Lord’s preferred way (I Thessalonians 5:19&20).
340.) Israel’s Deep Sleep- Israel’s Eyes (the Prophets) are Sealed, Isaiah 29:10 “The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the Prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers).” This is a very interesting and descriptive passage because of the following points:
a.) The “eyes” of Jerusalem (Ariel) are referred to as the prophets. Prophecy is not just speaking forth from God, but also perceiving the Lord’s message thus making it possible to speak forth the message. This is why the Corinthians speaking in tongues without an interpreter had to be corrected by Paul (I Corinthians 14:28). Understand that tongues was always a form of prophecy (Acts 2:17). To prophesy in a manner that cannot be understood is against Paul’s instruction and therefore not the “apostle’s teaching”.
b.) The “heads” of Jerusalem are the seers. Seers don’t just see God’s will, but can consider and understand the deep ways of God.
c.) The entire passage prophecies the defeat of Jerusalem and its people, but it’s only temporary like a “deep sleep”, until “the Holy One of Israel” (vs. 23) comes. The “deep sleep” will last until “The Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise” (vs. 6), which is obviously the Second Coming of Christ (Mark 13:26). During this sleep no prophets are raised up in Israeluntil the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3. Isaiah’s prophecy concerns Israel and, therefore, obviously does not discount New Testament prophecy which will continue until we see the Lord “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:9-12).
346.) False vs. True Prophecy- Wind vs. Fiery Wind, Jeremiah 5:13 “the prophets are but wind and the word is not in them;...I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes”. God’s word in prophecy is likened to a fire. False prophecy is like a wind with no fire in it. Jeremiah’s prophecy is like a fire, and the people are consumed as wood in a fire.
I recently purchased a high efficiency wood burning stove. The fire can burn continuously for days but the wood is gradually consumed, and more wood is continuously added. So it is with Jeremiah’s prophecy. Generations of people have heard and been effected by his prophecy; still God’s word through Jeremiah hasn’t changed, and more generations of people are continuously exposed to Jeremiah’s prophecy and effected by that fiery Word of God that will last forever. So, even our generation is just more wood being consumed by Jeremiah’s fiery words of prophecy.
347.) “The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way”- Horrible Necromancy and Shamanism, Jeremiah 5:31 Jeremiah explains: “The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me” (vs. 11). “A horrible and a shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way” (vs. 31). The shocking thing that we can see is that the people love false prophecy (and false spiritual authorities- shamanism). “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14). What did the Lord mean when He referred to this state as a “horrible” thing? He means that false spiritual authority constitutes necromancy, which the Lord hates. Revelation 21:8 promises the lake of fire to all those who practice such. Deuteronomy 18:12 says, “Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord”.
350.) False Prophecy and Idolatry- Repeated Warning of Impending Judgment, Jeremiah 13:13 “This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the Lord.” This verse is important in that it is typical of the many verses warning the Lord’s people of impending judgment due to the false prophets and the people’s idolatry. The Lord is still dealing with His people in the same manner. If we continue to go after the world, he’ll turn us over to the world until we’re good and sick of it. The people of Judah and Jerusalem loved their “high places” of worship and their idols and their idolatrous prophets, so the Lord removed his special grace and protection from Judah. “All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away….I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen- your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution!” (Jeremiah 13:19-27). Since the Lord has always been the protector of His people against the onslaught of Satan in this world, we must stay under His protection by being faithful to Him. This sounds obvious, but many Christians are being carried off into the world even as I write this. They want Christ’s protection, but long for the “leeks and onions” of Egypt (Numbers 11:5). I see people testifying of Christ with their lips, but they have a television in every room of their house. They spend enormous amounts of time and effort and money (which is merely a measure of time and effort) on worldly pursuits. They waste their God given life watching TV for hours each day. They have to gossip over every detail of every person’s problem that they know, and they repeat this practically every day. They spend lavishly on clothing and vacations and new cars. Their position in their religion’s pecking order is their God. They’ll take a humble position but only supposedly in the Lord’s name, and with sufficient onlookers to cancel the Lord’s reward for such actions (Matthew 6:1). Fellow Christian, please take seriously the Lord’s urgings in I John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world….For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”. I’m not that old, but, as I get older, my little bit of lust for worldly things and stature is truly beginning to pale before my soul’s longing for the Master’s approval and fellowship in my life. “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57).
352.) True vs. False Prophets, Jeremiah 23:9-30 This is Jeremiah’s great discourse on true versus false prophets. This verse is contained in the Prophecy According to Jeremiah section of the Appendix.
365.) Idolatry, False Prophecy, Sin is not Exposed, God’s Judgment- The Repeating Cycle, Lamentations 2:14 “Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.” We can see herein a fairly clear cause and effect situation. God, who is holy is not willing to have an intimate relationship with his chosen people while they practice idolatry. “Come near to God and he will come near to you: (James 4:8). God emphasizes an important part of prophecy; prophecy exposes sin. The false prophets had no light from God and did not expose Judah’s sin. The effect was deep sin and God’s judgment in the form of violent death and captivity. We should pray that the Lord exposes sin in our lives before it does deep damage. Perhaps he’ll send someone to speak to us regarding such a correction. If so, that would be a form of New Testament prophecy, similar to Nathan prophesying to David.
369.) End Times Prophecy, a.k.a. Eschotology, Ezekiel 38:17&18 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused.” This is an example of end time prophecy, in this case the Lord is saying through Ezekiel that Gog will attack Israel in the last days. God wanted his people Israel to know that he will prevail over wickedness and Satan; and he wanted his people to know that those who are faithful will receive their promised eternal reward. So he revealed the end times to his people through his “servants the prophets”.
373.) Cultural Resistance to Prophecy and Holy Living- “You made the Nazirites to drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy”, Amos 2:11 & 12 In this passage the Lord is communicating to Israel why he will not turn from his wrath towards them. He gives four main reasons for his wrath, then adds on: “I raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men….But you made the Nazirites to drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy”. We know from Numbers 6 and the story of Sampson in Judges 13, that a Nazirite is a person separated unto God. The sign of a Nazirite is that they don’t drink wine or cut their hair.
But, look what Israel was doing, “You made the Nazirites to drink wine”. Israel had no royal decrees that Nazirites must drink wine. They made Nazirites give up their vows by social pressure. Of course this is akin to what is going on in our society. Social pressure, even among Christians, since it’s from the world, will always be to live up to the status quo. But God’s Word says, “Be ye holy for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16). Holiness, for us, means separated unto God, especially for his work.
Now consider the prophets of Israel. Were they commanded by anyone not to prophesy? I considered the prophets of Scripture, and I cannot find a single one commanded not to prophesy. I reviewed Jeremiah. I reviewed the other prophets, even Micaiah (of I Kings 22:7) whom King Ahab despised; and I found no specific commands not to prophesy. So how did Israel command the prophets not to prophesy? It was done collectively by the nation of Israel through their persecution of the prophets. (Persecution of the prophets is discussed in Item # 147 above.) Please notice that social pressure, and even supposed Christian teaching, today maintains that the prophet should not prophesy; or that prophecy does not even exist. In some cases people maintain that only the supposed clergy can speak for God. But thanks be to God for his eternal Word which states, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:1).
381.) Foundational, but not Abolished, Zechariah 8:9 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ ” This is an important passage in that it introduces the concept of the prophets as the foundation of the Lord’s house. Let’s analyze the above verse before going on. The prophets quoted in Zechariah 8:1-8 are the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. These prophets didn’t predate Zechariah’s prophecy by that many years, and they certainly weren’t alive when the foundation for Solomon’s temple was laid. So “the foundation” “for the house of the Lord Almighty” is not stone and mortar, but rather the Word of the Lord in its context and its surety. This Word of God contained all that happened up to this present point in Israel’s and the Church’s history. (“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures” I Corinthians 15:3&4.) The “house of the Lord Almighty”, then, is Israel, with the Church engrafted in through Christ (Romans 11:17&18).
The concept of God’s prophetic Word as foundational is further expanded to include the Church in Ephesians 2:20. Some have mistakenly said that since apostleship and prophecy are described as foundational to the Ephesian gathering, then apostleship and prophecy are obsolete for today. However, Zechariah had already begun the discussion; and from Zechariah we clearly see that foundational prophecy doesn’t abolish current gifts of prophecy, else Zechariah and his contemporaries, the post exilic prophets, would have been false prophets. The concept of foundational gifts/work doesn’t abolish further gifts/work. The opposite is true. It’s obvious that a foundation and a Chief Cornerstone doesn’t comprise a completed building.
The five principal gifts of Ephesians 4:11 are the principal means that Christ uses to complete His building, the Church.
a.) Apostleship is used to plant new Churches. Now, Paul and his group along with the Lord Jesus, plus whoever else helped start the Ephesian gathering, will always be recognized as founders and foundational to that Ephesian gathering. However, Paul and his group founded many churches, with many churches still being started today. And the work of the founders of these gatherings will always be considered as foundational to each gathering. So, the sending of people to evangelize and plant churches cannot be considered obsolete according to Ephesians 2:20.
b.) Prophecy is used to edify and correct the churches and the Church. If any of you are involved in the construction industry, you must have heard the term, “change orders”. Correction and edification to the workers in Christ’s Church are done through New Testament prophecy. Such correction can also be done by persecution, or trials, or such other less succinct methods of correction. However, believers, speaking correction from the Lord, is the preferred method taught in Scripture. Such speaking and preaching from the Lord is clearly New Testament prophecy, and is very, very much needed today.
c.) Evangelism is used to bring new believers into Christ’s Church. It’s been said that each generation must completely evangelize the next generation. The extent of that generational evangelism will determine the growth of Christ’s Church, at least in terms of numbers.
d.) The true gift of shepherding is the interior finishing of the Church. How are the furnishings in your home? Are they comfortable and warm, or dingy and not well kept?
e.) Teaching is for training of new workers, as well as the continued education of the existing management and staff.
This entire topic, of foundational and representational prophecy and apostleship, is further explained in the Apostleship Section, in Item Nos 44, 66, & 74.
385.) The Law and the Prophets, Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” This verse is important because it describes an end of an era. It is important to have at least a fundamental understanding of the Church’s relationship to the era and the teachings of the Law and the Prophets (Luke 24:25-27). A good place to start is studying the book of Hebrews, which I believe was written for the purpose of explaining the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Some important points regarding the Law and the Prophets which I gleaned are as follows:
a.) “Everything written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled” (Luke 18:31). All of the life of the Lord Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy, even his death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3&4). The Lord wanted his disciples in particular to understand this. This “sermon on the mount” discourse was directed particularly to his disciples (Matthew 5:1).
b.) When the Lord sought, after his resurrection, to teach his disciples about himself, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). So, this teaching of Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as was said, is fundamental to all discipleship teaching.
c.) The faithful Jews were carefully and anxiously awaiting the Messiah as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (John 1:45).
d.) Christ as the fulfillment of Moses and the Prophets was a primary part of the gospel message used by his apostles, especially when seeking to reach the Jews (Acts 3:17-24; 26:22; 28:23).
e.) Matthew 11:13 says, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. I used a bold font here since this is a very important verse for three reasons:
1.) Many people have misunderstood the meaning of this verse, stating that this verse clearly spells the end of prophecy. However, there were obviously New Testament prophets (Agabus, et al.) who prophesied after John the Baptist. So we really have to carefully look at this concept in order to fully understand this. This passage is merely citing an end to the era and the teaching known as “the Law and the Prophets”.
2.) With 20-20 hindsight we can see that this verse cites the beginning of the New Testament era. Matthew 5:12 cites, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it”. When you go to court you make motions, and the judge issues orders based on the motions of the plaintiff and defendant, and also based on the other governmental authorities. I worked in government for twenty years and from experience I say, “Without authority there is no government”. Many people make requests to the wrong authorities in government, and are then frustrated when that governmental entity doesn’t even respond to their request. The point is that you force governmental action by taking the proper steps: a complaint, an appeal, a motion, etc.. Well, when a person confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, they are forcing their salvation according to the authority and power of God’s Word through Romans 10:9 and many other salvation promises. This method of guaranteeing heaven through the blood and promises of Christ was not available to the Old Testament saints. You cannot “pour new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17). So this passage, and others like it, which mention the “Law and the prophets”, are not teaching the end of prophecy, but rather, are usually differentiating (directly or indirectly) between the Old and New Testament eras. Recognize though that the New Testament era never left God as one of the “mute idols” (I Corinthians 12:2). There was in the first century, and still is now, New Testament prophecy.
3.) There is also a point of definition brought out by this verse. We can readily see how the prophets prophesied until John. But how did the Law prophesy until John? Obviously the word “prophecy” means speaking from God, and is not limited to only those recognized as prophets. From this perspective we can see how the Law spoke from God during that entire covenant of Moses. Clearly we are not under the Law and the Prophets now. “The law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
389.) Some Semantics of Prophecy, Matthew 13:17 “Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Hebrews 11:13 states, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance”. These passages are important in understanding the gift of prophecy, since they show that a true prophet needn’t fully understand the implication of his message. His job is merely to know that it’s from God and to get the message out.
394.) False Prophets and False Signs, Matthew 24:24 “False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible.” Jeremiah 28:9 contains the litmus test for true or false prophecy: “The prophet who prophecies…will be truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true”. This is easy to understand. We have Scripture and the resulting occurrences with which we can discern the accuracy of any prophecy/ prediction. So why, in Matthew 11:13 and in Matthew 24:24, are people discerning prophecy as true because of supposed signs and wonders? The answer is the same as why it is impossible to deceive God’s elect. The true believer doesn’t need to be awed by signs and wonders in order to discern God’s will. We know that God’s will is totally centered around Calvary and the furtherance of God’s kingdom through the gospel. When a person truly receives Christ, that person also gets the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This anointing causes us to know the truth, and the anointing teaches us about all things (I John 2:20-27).
401.) Fellowship of Prophets in Persecution, Luke 6:22-26 “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how your fathers treated the prophets. …Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” This passage and it’s companion passage in Matthew 5:11&12, contain some important points concerning prophecy, as follows:
a.) First, considering the prophet’s great reward, understand that a prophet’s reward is in heaven, not on earth. Further, the connotation clearly is that prophets are not readily received as from God. Also, regarding such rewards, Matthew 10:41 cites a prophet’s reward for receiving a prophet as a prophet, while, Revelation 11:18 cites a special reward for the Lord’s “servants the prophets”.
b.) Matthew 5:12 relates, “In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Now, this is a peculiar verse in that it can be taken two ways. First we can conclude that the believers which are persecuted and the prophets (most of which are persecuted) will receive similar rewards (Revelation 16:6). But the part of this verse that continually gets my attention is, “The prophets who were before you”. There’s a sense of fellowship there, similar to that great cloud of witnesses looking down according to Hebrews 12:1. There were prophets who went before us. In our work of speaking from God aren’t we resisted in the same manner as those prophets who went before us? Aren’t those prophets, and the angels, and the Lord Jesus, looking down and seeing the plight that we’re in as we struggle to Get out the Lord’s message.
c.) “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). This verse poses a two part challenge for us. First, we have to look at our own ministry for Christ. Are we trying to please God or others in our religious periphery? Is our service from God? Does it have an impact? Secondly, we should discern the preachers around us. The Scripture prophesied of a time when men “will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (II Timothy 4:3). True prophecy is not anything like that, since a prophet is focused on communicating the Lord’s message that God has placed on his mind and tongue. A man truly speaking from God knows that the message, being from the Spirit, is going to war against the flesh of those hearing it. He endures such resistance knowing that his message is intended to edify and correct the hearers, and his main concern is serving God.
406.) Prophets- Grouped with the Patriarchs, Luke 13:28 Here we see the Lord Jesus warning the people of Judea That “You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of heaven”. This is typical of other references to the Old Testament prophets which are mishandled by some people. Since all the prophets is mentioned and they are included with the Patriarchs, then a person can mistakenly assume that prophecy was only meant for Old Testament times. Well, I see the passage as being directed at Judean people. So, when Christ said all the prophets, I conclude he meant all prophets, both Old and New Testament. The Judeans, however, didn’t understand the New Testament so they would have concluded that the Lord Jesus was referring to the previous prophets (and not even have included John the Baptist). Neither of the two conclusions subtracts from the point that the Lord is seeking to communicate, which is a warning. The problem arises when some try to read into this some meaning that’s not there; namely, that prophecy ended with the Old Testament. It’s obvious, since there are New Testament prophets included in Scripture, that this passage cannot mean that prophecy ended in Old Testament times.
426.) Silas Cited as a Prophet, Acts 15:32 “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.” This verse cites that Paul’s traveling companion, Silas, as well as Judas, were recognized as New Testament prophets. Please see Item # 285 above. Since prophecy is merely speaking for God in various situations, the phrase “said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers”, is merely restating the phrase citing them as prophets. This is what prophets do; they say things to encourage and strengthen the believers. Silas was also noted as having the gift of apostleship in I Thessalonians 2:6. The identity of this man Judas is an interesting mystery in that there’s not much in Scripture to identify him. Could he be the author of the Book of Jude, whom , it’s said by many, is the brother of James and the Lord Jesus (Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3)? Is this brother of James and the Lord Jesus also that apostle Judas, one of the twelve, cited to be “of James” in Luke 6:16? I must say that chronologically, and in terms of the logical development of a Christian leader, a “yes” to both questions would fit. Well, this is an interesting mystery; but since it doesn’t add much to the study of prophecy or apostleship, I’d better not delve further into that point. We can say, though, that there were two more men, Judas and Silas (a.k.a. Sylvanus) who were recognized as New Testament prophets. There ministry at least covered the period of the council at Jerusalem in 51 AD.
435.) Eagerly Desire the Greater Gifts, I Corinthians 12:27-31 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” This is a great and encouraging passage in the Scripture, ending with the exhortation, “eagerly desire the greater gifts”. What an exhortation, and what an example of the mind of Christ simply expressed. I recently heard the story of a Korean acquaintance who was called and sent by the Lord to an extremely dangerous ministry in North Korea. To do so he had to leave his wife and children in the U.S. He encountered resistance on every front including his family, but he knew his call was real. His wife had also resisted him, but just before his departure she confessed the wrong she had done him. She said the Lord Jesus had appeared to her in a dream. In the dream she was standing on a cliff, with the Lord bowed and kneeling on a cliff across the gap from her. The Lord said, “Don’t be worried. I’m providing for you and I’m praying for you.” She said she was convicted by the Holy Spirit to confess to her husband that she had held this back from him until the last, because she didn’t want him to go. I was reminded of Peter and the other apostles of Jesus Christ who suffered family separations in order to pick up their cross and follow him. From an earthly situation this looks like a sad situation, but look how closely that man and his wife are able to walk with the Lord. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts”. A fuller discussion of which are the greater gifts is found in the Apostleship Section, Item #56, but prophecy is definitely one of the greater gifts to be sought.
437.) Foundational Aspects, Ephesians 2:20 This verse brings out the foundational aspects of Old Testament prophecy. These aspects are discussed in Item #381 above, and also in Item # 66 in the Apostleship Section.
438.) Holy New Testament Prophets- Necessary for the Church, Ephesians 3:5 “The mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets”. This Scripture is somewhat of a nugget of Scripture. It’s a valuable find for two good reasons:
a.) This Scripture cites holy New Testament apostles and holy New Testament prophets , together, as being included and necessary in the New Testament gatherings. The proximity of this verse to Ephesians 2:20, helps explain that the prophets cited as foundational to the Ephesian gathering in Ephesians 2:20, at least included the New Testament prophets, not just the Old Testament prophets.
b.) This passage is the lead in to Paul’s prayer for the growth of individuals in the Ephesian gathering, per verses 14 through 20. The verse also leads directly to the urging by Paul for them to live a life worthy of Christ’s calling (vs. 4:1). As we know, this urging includes Christ’s grace manifested as those gifts necessary to encourage Christ’s Church to “grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:7-16). The Ephesians Chapter 4 list of such gifts not only encourages apostleship and prophecy, but also evangelism, shepherding, and teaching.
439.) Gifts- God’s Indwelling of the Church, Ephesians 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” This passage essentially lists prophecy as one of the “gifts to men” discussed in Ephesians 4:8 and Psalm 68:18. Psalm 68:18 explains why God gave such “gifts to men”: “That you, O Lord God, might dwell there”. So God indwells his Church through the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy being one of them.
How, then, does God indwell the Church through prophecy? Chiefly there are two ways:
a.) We don’t worship a mute idol. Prophets speak from God, and I believe most seriously minded Christians will be moved by the Lord to speak on his behalf at one time or another. We can easily see that the Lord corrects, strengthens, and edifies the Church through New Testament prophecy (I Corinthians 14:4). Since the Scripture is God’s written Word, bible teachers can also be said to speak from God or prophesy. Indeed, it’s already been shown that the Scripture defines prophecy as anyone at anytime speaking truly from God (Item# 64, & others above). But to claim that prophecy in our day, is limited to teaching or preaching directly from Scripture, is just plain not the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42).
b.) All the gifts are manifestations of God’s grace (charismata). So God is indeed working in and through the individual prophet (or evangelist, or shepherd, etc.).
So God indwells the Church by indwelling each believer. Further, he’s manifesting his power and presence through the Spirit’s gift to each Christian servant. (Also see Apostleship, Item#68.)
443.) Patience in the Face of Suffering, James 5:10 “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” This verse is important for two reasons:
a.) “The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord”- This is simply the definition of prophecy which has evolved from this study of prophecy, that men and women were prophesying by merely speaking from God.
b.) The prophets, even by the Lord’s own words in Matthew 23:35, were known to suffer persecution patiently. The prophets are openly recognized here as an example of Godly patience during suffering.
This passage contains the same concepts as II Timothy 4:5-8 wherein Paul charges Timothy: “Endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist (practice your gift), discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day- and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” In discussing the spiritual abilities, we should not forget that there will be rewards in heaven for our service and our faithfulness. We should fully realize that the practice of our God given gifts is in fact the exercising of our “riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18&19). This is one of the main facts that I’ve learned from this grace study. That is, that the riches of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God are practically one and the same. You can’t have one without the other. Serving the Lord by using the Holy Spirit’s gifts is so closely associated with the glorious riches of Christ that they become one and the same. If we’re serving and walking in the glory of God’s ministry (II Corinthians 3:9, and 4:7), then we are already in possession of the glorious riches of Christ. (Also see Item#46 of the Healings Section.) We’re already seated with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6), and we’re abiding in his glory even while still on earth. (Ephesians 3:16-19; Colossians 1:27, and 2:2&3). Another way of saying this is that, “The abundant life, promised in John 10:10 is, indeed, the Spirit driven life” (See also Item#14 in the Apostleship Section.).
447.) Test the Spirits, I John 4:1 “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” This is an important passage which makes some very specific points, as follows:
a.) The writer, John, seems to be speaking out against a false teaching of that day (Gnosticism) which denied that Christ actually came to earth in the flesh. Even so, the Scripture still has to be true. We can test the spirits by whether they are claiming Christ’s coming in the flesh or not. This is very similar in context to Revelation 19:10 which states that “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy”. A false spirit would never cause someone to teach the truth of Christ’s coming; and on the other hand, the Holy Spirit is always speaking of Christ (John 16:13-15).
b.) It’s important to note that John is discussing testing the spirits. John connotes that false prophets are lead to speak by false spirits. As shown above we know how to discern the spirits, well, then how shall we test a false prophet? Please see Prophecy According to Jeremiah for the points that Jeremiah makes regarding true and false prophecy. In Jeremiah 28:9 we see that prophecy can be tested very easily, according to whether it is true or not. As we have seen from Scripture all New Testament prophecy must be concerned with the testimony of Jesus. So, if a supposed prophet is speaking, but his message doesn’t concern the Lord Jesus’ kingdom agenda, then we easily see the falsehood of that prophet. (We could also conclude that the spirit behind that false prophet is not acknowledging Christ.)
It’s extremely interesting that this study of prophecy begins with the pivotal passage in I Corinthians 13:8 which states that prophecy must continue until Christ comes again; and the study ends on this verse, I John 4:1, saying that we are to “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God”. If I had to select two main points that we had to understand regarding prophecy, these are the two points that I’d list. However, I didn’t select or sequence these passages at all. The item entries are listed as was stated in the beginning of this prophecy study, that is, alphabetically by word (prophecies, prophecy, prophesied, etc.), then by sequence of occurrence in the Bible (Genesis first, Revelation last). Be careful, be circumspect, test the spirits to discern what is of God and what isn’t. “We know in part and we prophesy in part” (I Corinthians 13:9), but “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world”.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
Lest someone misconstrue, or even deliberately twist, the results of what’s being concluded from this study, the following summary points are noted:
1.) Prophecy is merely defined as speaking from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 28, 62, 64, 124, 125, 218, 278, 285, 295, 320, 322, 385, 389, 401, 439, 443; and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- 1st paragraph.)
2.) Prophecy never became obsolete with the death of John the Baptist, or the completion of Scripture. The Scripture does not teach such obsolescence. Neither does the history of Christ’s Church show such obsolescence. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 2, 11, 13, 99, 226, 285, 288, 381, 385, 406, 426, 437, 438; and “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 14:7-25; also Word of Knowledge Item#97.)
3.) The “charismata” of prophecy was never limited to only those commonly recognized as prophets. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 97, 124, 130, 218, 278, 326, 329, and 426.)
4.) Prophecy is a manifestation of God’s grace. (The above items show this: Nos. 11, 62, 66, 99, 100, 285, 293, 438, 439; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah"- 1st paragraph, and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 22.)
5.) Fleshly people, prophets own flesh, even Satan (Daniel 10:13), have historically resisted the Spirit of God manifested in prophecy (Galatians 5:17), particularly opposing their authority to speak from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 66, 68, 100, 143, 147, 217, 241, 281, 373, 401, 443; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 11:21, 20:2, &25:2; also “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 24 & 25, and 26-35.)
6.) Semantics. (The above items show this: Nos. 22, 51, 70, 74, 85, 97, 99, 100, 143, 211, 218, 221, 285, 286, 294, 340, 365, 401; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 1:5 & 19:14; “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 5, 24, 25, & 26-35.)
7.) We must recognize the authority of God being manifested in prophecy. We should not quench the Holy Spirit by despising prophecies. We should accept and recognize prophecy as coming from God’s servants. (The above items show this: Nos. 54, 66, 97, 122, 172, 216, 217, 229, 285, 320, 346, 389; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 7:25, 20:2, and 50:2.)
8.) Prophecy does not add to Scripture. (The above items show this: Nos. 20, and 157.)
9.) Any attempted change to the apostle’s doctrine, as canonized in the New Testament, must be met with skepticism, careful rebuttal, and a loving concern for future generations of Bible students, and the unsaved. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 56; and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 5.)
10.) Paul’s position regarding the Holy Spirit’s manifestation in men is repeated consistently and contains four elements:
a.) “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
b.) “Do not forbid” others to practice their Spirit initiated abilities (I Corinthians 14:39).
c.) “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (I Corinthians 14:40).
d.) Love should be the motivating factor in all Christian work (I Corinthians 13).
This is Paul’s position. I accept it as my position, because it is God’s position (II Timothy 3:16). (The above items show this: 1, 50, 97, 373; and also “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 1, 2, 6-9, and 39-40.)
11.) “Be eager to prophesy” is the teaching repeated by Paul and others in Scripture. Therefore this should be our attitude towards prophecy for ourselves and for others. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 16, 22, 50, 229, and 373).
12.) False prophecy- there were, and still are, many false prophets in the world. They reap havoc on those who listen to them. The Lord’s judgment on the false prophets and those who listen to them is certain and swift. (The above items show this: Nos. 44, 54, 69, 71, 75, 82, 128, 283, 289, 292, 321, 327, 347, 350, 352, 365; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 2:8, 14:14, 23:9-40, and 37:13.)
13.) Prophecy is given for the Church’s edification, strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. (The above items show this: Nos. 34, 118, 143, 223, 224, 281, 295, 333, 369; “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 2-4, and 26-35.)
14.) The test for true prophecy is simple and plain, and taught through the prophet Jeremiah centuries ago. A person truly speaking from God must prophesy truth. If what a person says is not true, then we cannot accept that person as speaking from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 37, 127, 229, 288, 394, 447; and “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 28:9.)
APPENDIX TO THE PROPHECY SECTION
Prophecy According to Jeremiah
Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14
END HOME
[1] Watchman Nee, The Flow of the Spirit (Anaheim, Ca: Living Stream Ministry, 1993) p. 1-2.
[2] Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p. xxxii.
[3] www.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism, “Gnosticism”
[4] W.E Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981) p. 107.
[5] Samuel Schultz, “Introduction to First Chronicles”, The Open Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers) p. 389.
[6]Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p. 647.
[7] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 24 of his Greek Dictionaryof the New Testament.
[8] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 38 & 75 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
By D.M.M. 7/12/03
This treatise is a summarization of an exhaustive study done using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV). The following words and each of their occurrences in the Bible were exhaustively analyzed: “prophecies”, “prophecy”, “prophesied”, “prophesieth”, “prophesy”, “prophesying”, “prophesyings”, “prophet”, “prophet’s”, and “prophets”.
The words were put on a grid similar to the one displayed in the Apostleship Section. The grid was filled out longhand, primarily while commuting to work, so the grid is not easily reproducible. There were 452 word occurrences in this Prophecy Section as opposed to 82 occurrences studied in the Apostleship Section.
The following are points of note with references to the listing number from my original longhand grid:
A. “PROPHECIES”
1.) “Face to Face”- Critical to Understand this Term, I Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” It has not escaped my attention that this verse has popped up as the first verse in this study. Indeed, if you are to understand prophecy for our age, you must wrestle with this verse. So, there’s no sense proceeding through this study without first understanding this passage of Scripture. I always perceive the word “understanding” as grasping the premises that are standing under a matter. So really we have to dig to understand not just the meaning of the verse but also the other elemental teachings of God and His Word upon which this verse is built.
This is a very important and pivotal verse in the bible. If you want to understand God’s grace you must study and accept the truth of God’s Word through this verse. I believe that the verse is very clear though, and those who mishandle this verse do so out of lack of diligence.
One way to dig for premises lying under this Scripture is to use the rule of first reference and go back in time to that first prophet Abel. You might say, “Abel’s obviously not a prophet, so why consider him?”. Well the Scripture which “cannot be broken” (John 10:35) says that Abel is a prophet (Luke 11:51). Not only that, but like the rest of God’s Word, “he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). What’s coming out here is that prophecy is merely speaking from God and is not limited to those who have a reputation of being a prophet. Do you doubt this? Consider Caiaphas in John 11:51, Enoch in Jude 14, Abraham in Genesis 20:7, Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10 & Hosea 12:13, the psalmist Asaph in Matthew 13:35, David in Matthew 27:35 & Acts 2:30, Miriam in Exodus 15:20, and even King Saul in I Samuel 19:20-24. (Also see Item#28 in the Word of Knowledge Section
Another way to dig for premises lying under a Scripture is to carefully consider the context of a verse. The entire book of I Corinthians is seeking to correct the Corinthians’ disorder in certain things (II Corinthians 2:3). Chapters 12 through 14 of the book of I Corinthians obviously deal with the spiritual abilities, particularly prophecy. The first thing Paul explains when beginning his Spirit led dissertation on the spiritual abilities is that we do not follow a mute idol (I Corinthians 12:2). He is careful to explain and recognize that the spiritual abilities are from the Lord Jesus and through the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 1:4-7, & 12:1-7). Paul’s position is to carefully seek order in the Corinthian gathering, and he does this without speaking against God’s Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 14:39). So the general context of Chapters 12 – 14 is an appeal to order, citing that God is not a mute idol. Paul actually gives a conclusion statement to Chapters 12 through 14. The section’s last verse concludes: “Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (I Corinthians 14:39). Disorderly misuse of the spiritual ability of tongues was the Corinthians’ error, but any such disorder is being addressed, since Paul encourages, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way”. So Paul’s position is summarized containing three elements mentioned in his conclusion, I Corinthians 14:39 & 40: “Be eager to prophesy (or practice any of the greater gifts per I Corinthians 12:30), …do not forbid to speak in tongues (Don’t speak against the Holy Spirit- Matthew 12:32, I Thessalonians 5:19&20)…everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way”. A fourth element, love, is found in I Corinthians 13:1-7. This is not just Paul’s position, this is the Lord’s position (II Timothy 3:16), and it should be our position.
So, before we even approach I Corinthians 13:8, we see three major elements of God’s being. First, he is not a mute idol. Since creation his Word has always been going forth to his creation, even through the most unlikely people. Secondly, he is orderly and requests “all thing be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40). Thirdly, “God is love”, including His Holy Spirit (I John 4:8, Romans 5:5, & I Corinthians 13:1-7). Paul’s position is the position we all should take regarding spiritual abilities. Paul’s position, then, contains these four points: the Spirit’s gifts/ abilities are given and done in a Spirit of love and order; but never allow your tongue to speak against God’s Holy Spirit; and “eagerly desire the greatest gifts” (I Corinthians 12:30).
I Corinthians 13:8, and its surrounding passage, simply states that until “face to face “ (vs. 12) comes “we know in part and we prophecy in part”. So how does a straightforward set of Scripture verses become so twisted? Curtain call! “Enter the flesh of man”! Some people have taken the I Corinthians passage to mean that “face to face” has already come and so prophecy and any revelation from God, except from Scripture or preaching directly from Scripture, has been abolished.
A few of those who hold this view have actually gone back to the original Greek, and have mishandled the Greek for the same reasons that they mishandled the English. I agree with the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”! However, if it is broken, then we should fix it; particularly when the “Holy Spirit of Truth” is urging some of us to take the steps to fix it. Watchman Nee, Christ’s obedient servant who died in a communist Chinese prison in 1972, wrote this: “It was all right to be a Martin Luther in the sixteenth century, but it would be insufficient just to be a Martin Luther in 1950. … God is ever pressing onward, and every instrumentality fulfills its function for the Church. The flow of the Spirit in the Church is ever going forward.”[1] I believe that, if I substituted the word “grace” for the word “instrumentality” in the above quote, Brother Nee would heartily approve.
Those who hold to the misconception that prophecy is abolished must maintain that “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:12) has already come. (They also must prove that Scripture revelation is different from other revelation- a topic which I’m not going to wrestle with herein.) They are teaching that the Holy Spirit’s manifestations in I Corinthians 12 have been abolished or faded away (“katargeo” in the Greek). These teachers also conclude that since I Corinthians 13 deals with prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, then these are symbolic of the entire list of Holy Spirit manifestations contained in I Corinthians 12. Therefore, they’ve concluded (and have actually said) that the manifestation of God’s Holy Spirit, as listed in I Corinthians 12:1-11, is abolished ("abolished" is their wording, not mine).
This misconception and twisting of the Scripture proceeds from verse 8 through 12 of Chapter 13, as follows:
a.) Vs 8- Love never fails.
Prophecies shall katargeo (fade away).
Tongues shall cease (or be stilled).
Knowledge shall katargeo.
b.) Vs 9&10- We know and prophesy in part, but when perfection (completion) comes, the imperfect (partial) will katargeo.
c.) Vs 11- Children speak, understand, and think as children. Mature people no longer speak, understand, and think as children.
d.) Vs 12- Now we see dimly, but then face to face. The misconceived premise concluded that the “face to face” is not the Lord Jesus’ face at his coming, but rather the completion of Scripture. Also, the adulthood of verse 11, becomes Christian maturity in this life exemplified in II Timothy 3:17 and Ephesians 4:15, rather than a “face to face” full knowing when Christ comes again.
There are obvious problems with this teaching; which is why I said those mishandling this passage do so out of lack of diligence. Some of these problems are as follows:
a) Their entire teaching teeters on their claim that “face to face” is the completion of Scripture. Regarding this, the following points are noted:
1.) When a person’s supposed yearning for Bible knowledge allows them to conclude that “face to face” has already come, then that person has fallen into an antichrist type error. From this error two main, antichrist-type temptations are presented: first, that Christ needn’t come in the flesh (I John 4:1-3; II John 7); second, that acts of love and faith aren’t needed (I John 4:1-5:5).
2.) From a sequencing perspective, vs. 12 shows “now” as being before “katargeo” and “face to face” as being after “katargeo”. Therefore, the meaning of the word “katargeo” is not necessary in determining this sequencing, since “katargeo” can not occur until “face to face” occurs. So, the entire false teaching stands or falls based on what the term “face to face” means.
3.) Some have cited that this “face to face” must be completion of the Bible since the “perfect” (thing) in vs. 10 is an object (according to its Greek declension); and they claim the only object that would fit would be the Bible, being a book. Since I've studied a few languages, and knowing that gender specifications by noun and adjective declensions aren't always what they seem, especially in the neuter, I consulted a Greek PHD who speaks fluent Greek and he says such an interpretation would be very sophomoric; and that “perfect” could and probably does refer to the perfect state at Christ’s coming. Here’s what Alfred Marshall (D.Litt), in his Preface to his Greek Interlinear New Testament had to say: “In Greek, gender belongs to the word and not necessarily to what is indicated by the word; whereas of course in English we keep the ideas of masculine, feminine, and neuter to men, women, and inanimate things respectively. (English, by the way, is the only great modern language to do so.) Allowance must be made for this in translating: sometimes it is possible to transfer the idea from one language to another, but not always.”[2] Knowing that nouns, pronouns, and adjectives all have similar Greek declensions in the neuter, most Bible scholars could page around a Greek Interlinear New Testament and find many uses of the word “thing” which are obviously situations rather than inanimate objects. If you don’t believe me, merely turn to Strong’s Concordance and look at the words “thing” and “things”. Only five percent or so have Strong’s numbers listed. Not having a Strong’s number means the word “thing” is not written, but is implied from the declension of the noun, pronoun, or adjective used. But the word “thing”, being neuter, (as opposed to masculine or feminine) is being used to refer to items such as thoughts and circumstances in Matthew 1:20, and virtues in Colossians 3:14. My quick perusal of Strong’s Concordance shows only one in ten uses of the word “thing” refers to an inanimate object. Now, if we turn our attention to the word ”perfect”, Strong’s number 5046, we see the Greek word “teleios”. This word and it’s derivatives never refer to inanimate objects, but rather perfection in mental and moral attributes. As an example the exact same word is used in I Corinthians 13:10 and in Romans 12:2. Romans 12:2 discusses the “perfect will of God”. The reader can verify this by the following other occurrences: Matthew 5:48, Matthew 19:21, Romans 12:2, I Corinthians 2:6, Philippians 3:12, and all other occurrences. The clear point here is that a relatively simple passage is being grossly mishandled. The past losses to Christendom due to these mishandlings seems immeasurable. Let us not mishandle these precious teachings, and incur future losses.
4.) If a person mistakenly (or by passion) claims that the “perfect”, being the Bible, in verse 10 is indeed the personal “face to face” confrontation with the person of Christ, who fully knows us (vs. 12), then Bible knowledge is said to be the Lord Jesus. This would be an antichrist type error, since it denies the Lord’s coming in the flesh (I John 4:1-3). This teaching oozes of Gnosticism[3], since Bible knowledge (Gnosis) is being substituted for Christ’s coming in the flesh. The fear of such a claim being made is not an unfounded fear. It has already actually been taught, with one teacher boldly stating, “If Christ never returns, the Bible would be enough for us”. Thankfully, that speaker did assert that he firmly believed in Christ’s return. However, the teaching is still a nudge toward Gnosticism and away from the truth of Scripture.
b) Since it’s been shown by the Scripture, which the Lord Jesus said “cannot be broken”, that “katargeo” has not yet occurred; then we must conclude that the gifts (spirituals) of I Corinthians 12 still exist.
c) Not only does the Scripture maintain the existence of the Holy Spirit manifestation of gifts, but these manifestations are currently in practice in the local assemblies of believers. These two facts, that both the Scripture and the believers’ practice verify the existence of the gifts, form irrefutable evidence of the Spirit’s manifested presence in Christ’s Church. How many times have you heard someone say “The Lord has lead me to say this.”; or, “The Lord has put this on my heart.”? If the Lord leads someone to say something, and they say it, that’s prophecy; because prophecy is merely speaking from God. The Scripture says, “Be eager to prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:39).
d) One reason citing the disappearance of prophecy is the notion that modern day prophecy would add to Scripture, which cannot be added to according to Revelation 22:18. This reason is erroneous since there were obviously New Testament prophets whose prophecies were never added to Scripture. (There were also Old Testament prophets whose prophecies were never added to Scripture. Please see I Kings 18:4 & 13). (Also see Item#20.)
e) The “perfect” of verse 10 cannot be the Bible’s completion, since the New Testament was not compiled into a single text until approximately 150 AD. Also, practical circulation could not be done until the invention of moveable type (1450 AD). This false notion conflicts with the fact that the Lord will never leave or forsake His people (Hebrews 13:5).
f) Another false reasoning that I Corinthians 12 gifts are abolished is mistakenly surmised through the verse: “Knowledge, it shall vanish away” (I Corinthians 13:8). The mistaken reasoning surmises that since knowledge itself cannot vanish away, then the knowledge spoken of must be the “word of knowledge” cited in I Corinthians 12:8. However, knowledge itself does vanish away and quite quickly. Most people know good Christian people with Alzheimer’s disease or an elderly Christian with common dementia. Their knowledge, even of Bible teaching, has gone. So knowledge can vanish; point proven. In the great continuum of eternity, who can say which knowledge will be retained? I Corinthians 13:12 says: “then shall I know even as I am known”. This, as noted previously, speaks of a person, Christ, knowing me; but it also promises to me a purified form of knowledge. This knowledge is of the type that only the all-knowing God has. Ironically, with this knowledge a “word of knowledge” doesn’t seem necessary, since we’ll have Christ “face to face”. Isaiah 11:6-11 promises that all creation will permeate with this knowledge in Christ’s millennial reign, and the passage says that this knowledge will be the principle ingredient for peace and harmony on the Earth, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will pray near the hole of the cobra, and the young chid will put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”. But be warned by the errors of the Gnostics of the apostle John’s time: this knowledge doesn’t come until “face to face” occurs. “Now we see through a glass darkly”.
So, we see why the thorough and careful study of this verse and it’s underlying premises is very important. God is not a mute idol. But Satan would have you, God’s child, to be mute: to not speak when God urges you, to not go when God sends you, to not act when God nudges you. Satan wants you to deny any relationship which God has with you, even your salvation if he could trick you into that. But Satan’s tricks are revealed by Scripture. He’s the “father of lies” (John 8:44). God’s indwelling of believers, however, is clearly evident in Christ’s Church by the historical manifested workings of the “promised Holy Spirit” (Acts2:39), and the guarantee of the Scripture (Ephesians 4:7, and many other verses). “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing,…The Spirit and the gifts are ours, Through Him who with us sideth”- Martin Luther.
“PROPHECY”
2.) Prophecy Ceases when “Face to Face” Occurs, Daniel 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and for your holy city to finish transgressions, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy”. This verse and its surrounding passages are recognized by many as the great time clock of prophecy. It says, among other things, that vision and prophecy will be sealed up at the end of the seventy groups of seven given to Daniel’s people. Most Bible scholars refer to the last group of seven to be seven years of tribulation, which happen after the Church of Jesus Christ has been taken to be with the Lord. So this verse is saying that vision and prophecy are not sealed up until the end of the Great Tribulation, which obviously doesn’t contain Christ’s millennial reign. The point being brought out is that “seal up” is not referring to fulfillment of prophecy, else Christ’s millennial reign would be contained. Therefore, the sealing refers to a ceasing of prophecy and visions when Christ comes (face to face). This, then, fully agrees with what’s been said concerning I Corinthians 13:8 in Item # 1 above.
11.) Manifested by the Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 12:10 “…to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit” This verse clearly shows that prophecy has to be for today. God is not a mute idol today any more than he was in Adam, Moses, or Paul’s time. Verse 7 says, “now to each one manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good”. The Church still needs prophecy for its “common good”, both for the local gathering and for Christ’s entire body on earth. The current need for prophecy is evident, because correction and edification are the principal results of prophecy. Please note that this verse is intimately related with Chapters 12 through 14 of I Corinthians, including Item #1 above.
13.) Prophecy Fulfilled- a New Testament Example, I Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you”. This passage refers to Timothy’s gift (charismatos) given by prophecy, and as such is listed herein as an example of New Testament prophecy being fulfilled. Since there are few examples of this, this verse is important.
16.) The Last Two Prophets- Pure Gold, Revelation 11:3-12 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.…” From the various end times Scriptures, and from common logic, many have concluded, and I agree, that these are the last two prophets to prophesy on the earth, or in heaven. The timing will be the tribulation. The restrainer, the Holy Spirit, will have been “taken out of the way” (II Thessalonians 2:7). The prophecy in the Church age will have already been spoken. The day of grace will have ended at the rapture of Christ’s Church. Future prophecy will not be needed since the Church will have Christ “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:12).
Another important concept is brought out regarding “tabernacle teaching”. This regards the lamp stand of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31) as a type of Christ who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Those who study the tabernacle conclude, and I agree, that the tabernacle (Exodus 25) is a type of God’s presence (Hebrews, Chapters 8-10). Therefore, all the furnishings of the tabernacle have meaning; and the furniture (the laver, the two altars, the lamp stand, the ark, and the table of showbread) are types of Christ. There are many books on this subject. Some may be obtained from Christian Book Distributors, PO Box 7000, Peabody, MA, 01961-7000; www.cbd.com ; 1-800-247-4784.
Well, if Christ is the Lampstand, why are these two prophets being called lamp stands? Let’s look at John the Baptist: “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world” (John 1:8&9). Now if we go back to the tabernacle, we see gold, which speaks of Godliness, and pure gold, which speaks of God himself. The lamp stand was to be made of pure gold (Exodus 25:31). However, look at the wick trimmers and trays of Exodus 25:38, “Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold”. John the Baptist was a “pure gold” wick trimmer. A prophet can be either a “pure gold” wick trimmer or a “pure gold” lampstand. They are “pure gold” in that they are a direct extension of the right hand of God, himself. A teacher is a “pure gold” wick trimmer (if he teaches correctly- Teaching Section Item#1h). If the message entails correction or edification in matters already taught in Scripture, well that’s wick trimming. Of course, when a person is standing practically alone, speaking under persecution, as led by God, then that person is a lampstand. If you were wise, you would say, then what about those “pure gold” trays? Who are they? Well, Matthew 10:41 tells us the answer: “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward”. The concept of “pure gold” service being a direct extension of God’s right hand is not limited to prophecy (See Evangelism Section Item#97). When you’re following God’s lead in any of the true workings of God’s Holy Spirit, you’re “pure gold”; because you are a direct extension of God’s right hand of power. It’s good to be “gold”; but it’s better to be “pure gold”. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31)!
20.) Adding to Scripture- A Succinct and Often Misunderstood Warning, Revelation 22:18, & 19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” These verses contain a stern warning to anyone who would add to John’s scroll or to the prophecy of this scroll. Many people use this passage to verify that the book of the Revelation is the end of Scripture, and then they extend this notion to all prophecy. There are some half-correct impressions that have to be sorted out here. First. Let me say that I agree that the Scripture ended with the scroll of the Revelation. However, I believe this because of the canonizing of Scripture which occurred over hundreds of years, culminating with the general acceptance of Athanasius’ canon of 367 AD. Without going into the canonizing of Scripture, we need to realize that it’s important to accept that the Holy Spirit was at work in the canonizing of Scripture, as well as believe that the Holy Spirit was working in the souls of the writers of Scripture. (II Peter 3:16, II Timothy 3:16). The points leading up to the correct conclusion are as follows:
a.) The Greek word for scroll is “bibliou”. The warning of Revelation cites specifically which actions will spur God’s wrath. John writes, “If anyone adds” (vs. 18), “And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy…”(vs. 19). There were very few bound books in the first century, and John being exiled as a prisoner on the island of Patmos certainly didn’t possess one. What John was referring to was a single scroll containing his Revelation from Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1). He was warning present and future generations not to alter his scroll. Paul also referred to his own scrolls (“biblia”), in his last request to Timothy. Paul writes, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpas at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13). However, some people insist that this warning refers to adding to the words or prophecy of the entire Bible. So, they conclude that the Scripture and all prophecy is verified as being complete due to this passage in Revelation. However, Paul did not request that Timothy bring him a stack of Bibles to his cell in the Mammertine prison, but rather his own personal scrolls (and his notes, the parchments). So, the word “bibliou” refers to the one scroll of John, the revelator.
b.) The warning carefully, and specifically, uses the definite adjective “this” when referring to the scroll. John cites, “the prophecy of this book”, “the plagues described in this book”, “take words away from this book of prophecy”, “his share in the tree of life and the holy city described in this book”. Which scroll described “the plagues”, “the tree of life”, and “the holy city”. Only the book of the Revelation contains these descriptions, so the warning is against the altering of John’s one scroll entitled the Revelation.
c.) There are two bookends to the Bible. These are: the book of first things, Genesis; and the revelation of future things, the Revelation. I believe that the Bible was canonized under the power of God’s Holy Spirit, with these two books as first and last. This is the reason that I believe there is to be no more Scripture; because the Revelation “bookend” has already been put in place by God.
d.) Please note, then, that prophecy, as a Holy Spirit given grace to the Church exercised for edification and correction of Christ’s Church, has not been excluded or abolished from practice according to Revelation 22:18 & 19. (Also, see Item#1, 8th paragraph, #d.)
“PROPHESIED”
22.) The Spirit of God Causes Prophecy, I Samuel 10:10 “When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him (Saul); the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.” This verse, and others like it, is significant in that it brings out the cause of prophecy. That is that the “Spirit of God came upon him”. One could ask the question: “Do you have to know that the Spirit of God is upon you in order to prophecy?”. Saul did according to verse 6. However, Numbers 11:26 & 27 give the account of Eldad and Medad who prophesied, without being taught or told anything.
It’s interesting to note that God’s Old Testament position, as stated by Moses in Numbers 11:29, is the same as the Lord’s New Testament position. Moses says, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets”. Of course, in the New Testament, I Corinthians 14:39 encourages us to “be eager to prophesy”. So we need to understand prophecy, and you understand something through careful and exhaustive study until you take in the premises lying under a matter.
28.) Spiritual Ability of Prophecy Defined, II Chronicles 18:13 “But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says’ “. Micaiah gives a very good plain definition of prophecy. He says, “I can tell him (Ahab) only what my God says”. Plainly that is the spiritual ability of prophesy: speaking forth what God has given you to say. It’s not complicated, and people in Christian gatherings do it all the time, without any fanfare. I definitely do see that there are times, though, when we need to be able to say like Micaiah, “Hear the word of the Lord” (vs. 18). This is a very good example of the attitude that all preachers and prophets should have. It fully agrees with the New Testament teaching that “if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11). There’s another aspect of I Peter 4 that agrees with this verse. The aspect is concerning a lifestyle of “faithfully administering grace in its various forms” (I Peter 4:10). Micaiah isn’t remarking that he won’t speak falsehood; he’s remarking that he cannot speak falsehood. Serious Christians forget how to live an ungodly lifestyle. They no longer know any other way but the way of Christ. I believe that this is what Micaiah is stating in this passage.
34.) Professor Jeremiah’s Prophecy Class, Jeremiah 23:13 “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing; They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.” Knowing that the Lord does many things all at once. A large part of prophecy is edification. It’s well known that prophets can prophecy for their own generation while at the same time speaking to future generations. Through Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit is teaching a class on prophecy in general. If a person, for any reason, wants to study prophecy, he must attend the class offered by Professor Jeremiah. If you want to “test the spirits” (I John 4:1) regarding a prophecy, then Jeremiah is your lab technician and will conduct the test for you. Please see Prophecy According to Jeremiah for the points that Jeremiah makes regarding true and false prophecy.
35.) The Lord’s Historical Practicing of the Golden Rule, Jeremiah 25:13 “I will bring upon that land all the things that I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.” You’ve heard of the “golden rule”. “Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Well, this verse is typical of the role of the prophetic books in the “golden rule”. Babylon practiced violence against the nations, and so Babylon falls violently. What was done to them was what they did to others. Many other verses in the prophetic books show the same type of balanced justice happening to other people. Also see Joel 3:4-8, Jeremiah 51:49, and other such prophecies of violence against violent people. It’s interesting to look at the Iraqi dictator, Saadam Husein. His two extremely violent sons died an extremely violent death. “Do to others what you would have them do to you”. So, in the Law and the Prophets we see the fairness and also God’s historical practicing of the “golden rule”.
37.) The Test for True Prophecy, Jeremiah 28:6-9 “The prophet who prophesies…will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction come true”. This is very easy. A prophet of God will be speaking truth, and will be sent by God, or sometimes urged by the Lord if he’s already standing in the correct location. So, if what a person is saying isn’t true, we can not conclude that he’s sent by God or speaking for God. So, the test for a person truly speaking for God is simple, not complicated at all. Is the word that he’s speaking true, and if a prediction, has that prediction come true? The problem of accepting God’s prophetic Word was not in the difficulty of the Word, or manner of the prophet’s presentation, but rather in the hearts of the hearers. King Zedekiah was confronted with the obvious fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prediction that Babylon will attack Jerusalem, yet the King did not heed the prophet’s Word and save himself but merely tried to maintain his place in the Jerusalem pecking order (Jeremiah 37:19, 38:17-19). The recompense to Zedekiah was not just that many people were killed needlessly, but he was brought before Nebuchadnezzar where his sons were slaughtered before his eyes and then his eyes were put out. I’ve seen leaders like Zedekiah in my time, their place in the religious or social pecking order is their primary concern. They cannot and will not heed the Lord’s Word, and so they pay dearly for their worldly and fleshly errors. This happens even though they are warned by God to seek protection or to be corrected.
44.) Recompense of False Prophecy, Matthew 7:22&23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” This passage speaks of the ultimate recompense of false prophecy, everlasting punishment. But note the reason why these false prophets are rejected by the Lord. The Lord will “tell them plainly ‘I never knew you’ ”. Three points are noteworthy here.
a.) Each person must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to get to heaven. This relationship can only begin at Calvary through the sin question. “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
b.) The prophecy of today must be intimately related to the gospel, or in support of the Church in its testimony to the gospel. “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
c.) This verse is practically the same as the Lord’s complaint against the false Old Testament prophets when through Jeremiah he said, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries, and the delusions of their minds” (Jeremiah 14:14).
47.) Pre-Calvary Infilling by the Holy Spirit; “Always” and “Never” Must Be Left Up to Scripture, Luke 1:67 “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.’ ” Here we see John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesying. Many times I’ve heard that one big difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament was that the Old Testament saints could have the Holy Spirit alight on them but could never be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This verse, however, dispels that supposition. The permanent sealing, the dwelling, and the filling of the Holy Spirit are succinctly described in Scripture and we ought not to add or subtract from Scripture no matter how tempting the conclusion.
This adds to my previous conclusion regarding Scriptural study and general Church teaching. When a person surmises an “always” condition or a “never” condition from Scripture, but the “always” or “never” is not succinctly stated in Scripture, beware of an error in that teaching. The reasoning behind my conclusion is plain: you cannot put God in a box. Now, if God has already guaranteed an “always” or “never” condition through His Word, then that’s different. Since grace is God’s intercession from the throne, he has authority to do as he sees fit, keeping in mind that he will not contradict his own Word (I Peter 1:25). From my own experience, I’ve eventually seen many of these “always” and “never” surmisings fall into the category of seemingly nice, but not necessarily true, teachings.
50.) A Class in New Testament Prophecy, I Corinthians 14 As the book of Jeremiah is the teacher of prophecy in the Old Testament, I Corinthians Chapter 14 is the Scripture that intensely teaches prophecy in the New Testament. So, just as with Jeremiah, I have included a summary of I Corinthians 14 in the Appendix. The summary is called Speaking from God according to I Corinthians 14.
51.) The Partial Knowledge Aspect and Semantics of Prophecy, I Peter 1:10 Peter expounds on the partial knowledge aspect of prophecy. This really causes us to wonder how the Spirit of God works to cause revelations that would bring out God’s Word through the prophets. As an example, Isaiah, prophesying of the Lord’s passion said, “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11). I believe that Isaiah knew that he was speaking concerning the Messiah, but did not know the specifics, such as Christ’s means of death. In this regard, this passage in I Peter agrees with I Corinthians 13:9, “For we know in part and we prophecy in part”.
“PROPHESIETH”
54.) False Prophecy- Some Points, Ezekiel 12:22-28 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel’. Say to them, ‘The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel’ “ The following two important points are brought out here:
a.) False prophesy is referred to as “false visions or flattering divinations”. It’s important for Christians to understand that false religious practice (false prophesy, teachings, or clergy), since they are claimed to be from God, constitute divination/ necromancy in that they have no authority from God. The premise lying under this matter can be gleaned from two Scriptures. Revelation 21:8 says, “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their place in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone”. I Samuel 15:23 states, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination”. The false religious practices and all the items listed in Revelation 21:8 and I Samuel 15:23 have one thing in common. They all involve rejection of God’s authority (and therefore his protection). The “fearful and unbelieving” reject God’s salvation through the glorious gospel of Christ. The “abominable and murderers” are doing detestable things which God has not given man authority to perform. Who gave a whoremonger authority to have sexual relations outside of marriage? Who gave a sorcerer authority to conjure up supposedly religious practices and sayings? Any person bowing down to anyone other than God is practicing idolatry and is worshiping devils according to I Corinthians 10:20. Who gives a liar the authority to present a lie as if it is the truth? Certainly not “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17)! I believe all lies proceed from “the devil…the father of lies” (John 8:44). I conclude, then, that false prophecy and false religious practices are a serious sin and viewed by God as conjuring up an authority which is a false authority, and is therefore are akin to necromancy and sorcery.
b.) There was a false proverb in Ezekiel’s day: “The days go by and every vision comes to nothing” (vs. 22). The Israelites were claiming that Ezekiel “prophesies about the distant future”. Ezekiel’s prophecy was for them but Israel only accepted it as a far future prophecy. The Lord was not pleased and remarked, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: none of my Word will be delayed any longer”. The tendency of our old fleshly nature is to reject our own Christian edification and correction, even if it’s sent through one of God’s servants. This is because the flesh, even of believers, wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). We easily accept future prophesies regarding ourselves, or regarding the Church in general, or regarding the immediate correction of others. However, when God sends someone to you to correct your own immediate conduct, do you accept that correction as being from God? Well, this is very much the same conflict with the Spirit of prophecy as in Ezekiel’s day.
PROPHESY
62.) Prophets cannot speak falsehood. It’s not in their nature I Kings 22:8 “But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me’ “. This is a very good definition of the attitude that all preachers and prophets should have. It fully agrees with the New Testament teaching that “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11). There’s another aspect of I Peter 4 that agrees with this verse. The aspect is concerning a lifestyle of “faithfully administering grace in its various forms” (I Peter 4:10). Micaiah isn’t remarking that he won’t speak falsehood; he’s remarking that he cannot speak falsehood. Serious Christians forget how to live an ungodly lifestyle. They no longer know any other way but the way of Christ. I believe this is what Micaiah is stating in this passage.
64.) Singers and Musicians- Still a Type of Prophecy Today, I Chronicles 25:1 “David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals.” Here we see that prophecy as defined by Scripture is merely speaking from God, in all its various forms. In David’s time, musicians who truly sang from God were considered a type of prophet, putting the Word of God to music “accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals”. In Acts 2:30 Luke recognizes that David, himself, is a prophet, due to the content of his Psalms. (See Item#278, below.) (Also consider Asaph in Item#28b in the Word of Knowledge Section.)
66.) The Flesh Wars Against the Fiery Spirit of God in the Prophet, Isaiah 30:10 “These are the rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’, and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophecy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’ “. Our fleshly nature is never comfortable with the Word of God. Hebrews 12:19 reminds us of God’s “voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them”. Of those who did this begging, Isaiah cries out to their “obstinate children” (vs. 1). Isaiah laments that “They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’”. We can look back and see that it wasn’t Isaiah confronting them, but rather, the Lord confronting them for their own good. But, can we look back and see the fiery Lord confronting us through other Christians that the Lord has raised up to minister correction in our own lives and local assemblies?
68.) The Flesh Wars Against the Fiery Spirit of God- Two Different Natures, Jeremiah 11:21 This verse is contained in the Prophecy According to Jeremiah section of the SUMMARY OF PROPHECY. The men of Anathoth threatened Jeremiah saying, “Do not prophecy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands.” This is typical of many instances in which the flesh wars against the Spirit. In practice, the fiery Holy Spirit ought to war against the fallen nature of man. The two are completely different natures. So, don’t be discouraged if when you seek to serve God you face persecution and other resistance, since, by definition, resistance to the Holy Spirit is intrinsic to the fallen nature of man. (Don’t be surprised if you encounter strong resistance from other Christians’ flesh and your own flesh as well.) Also, see Jeremiah 32:2, when Jeremiah is imprisoned.
69.) False Prophecy- The Practice and the Results, Jeremiah 14:13-16 “But I said, ‘Ah, Sovereign Lord, the prophets will keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ‘ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword or famine. And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.’ ” This verse is very revealing. It gives insight regarding the origins and practice of false prophecy. The statements are fairly self-explanatory. However, a brief review of false prophesy shows the following:
a.) “Prophesying lies in my name”- These people were claiming that there false statements were from the true God, and using God’s name. Now, from their viewpoint, they probably thought that their statements were true.
b.) God had “not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them”. People were accepting these prophet’s teachings as being from God, but their statements did not originate from God, and God through Jeremiah is making this clear.
c.) How were these people duped into their practices of false prophecy?-
1.) “False visions”- They were having visions in their mind, possibly taught to them by family members who were shamans or Old Testament nuns (Ezekiel 13:17-19). If you’re gregarious about your Christianity as I am, then eventually you’ll run into people who have had visions. There’s only three sources of such visions: God, wicked spirits, and delusions of your own mind (as discussed below). There are many books warning people concerning Satanic practices, so I won’t spend time explaining demonic visions. But, if you seek spirituality anywhere except through Jesus Christ, you’ll eventually be tricked into directly serving Satan.
2.) “Divinations”- A divination is claiming some object, or occurrence as being from God when it actually was not. If a person is a shaman, or nun, or just claiming by title to be some sort of holy person, then they have to back up that claim with instances of Godly intervention. These are divinations. They’re not from God, but the supposedly holy people are claiming such in order to maintain their shaman status. Now, Christians are taught: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5&6). So, if a Christian receives a provision, or wisdom for a decision, or a healing, we acknowledge that these are from God, so that we can give God the glory. So, what’s the difference between shamanism and a Christian acknowledging God?! The difference is that the Christian is practicing what’s true, while a Shaman is practicing falsehood, and therefore idolatry which the Lord hates (I Peter 4:3). Realize that there is a Spirit of Truth (God’s Holy Spirit); but there is also the father of lies- Satan.
3.) “Idolatries”- What constitutes idolatries? The ten commandments, listed in Exodus 20, cite the following practices of idolatry: having other God’s, having graven images, bowing down or worshiping created beings or things. I Corinthians 10:20 states that demons are the cause of idolatry.
4.) “the delusions of their minds”- I’ve always felt it interesting how idolatry is listed among the manifestations of the flesh in Galatians 5:19. You would think that it was purely the work of Satan (I Corinthians 10:20). However, idolatry is not just from Satan. The mind has to be tricked. So, how is it tricked? There must first be a twisting or distortion of the truth in order to get a person to accept a “delusion of the mind”. I’d like to say that this is caused by being weak-minded, but that’s not always the case. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith”. Our protection against such tricks of Satan is an alert, self-controlled, Christian walk in the true faith of Christ. If a person is really concerned regarding the spiritual, but doesn’t accept the truth of Christ, then there’s only one other direction for that person- satanic lies and idolatry. This includes those who, while calling themselves Christians, never really believe the gospel, then end up praying to statues and carrying charms and practicing other such idolatries and necromancy. Never accepting that we can have a personal walk with God through the shed blood of Christ, they seek a relationship with God through supposedly religious practices which really constitute just more idolatry and divinations (and , yes, there are plenty of false visions as well).
d.) The satanically induced results of this false prophesy are all too familiar; the destruction of those who believed the false prophet, and the destruction of the false prophet.
Here are seven events which are involved in false prophecy:
a.) “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name.”
b.) “I have not sent them….”.
c.) “I have not…appointed them”.
d.) “I have not…spoken to them”.
e.) “They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries, and the delusions of their own minds.”
f.) “Those same prophets will perish by sword or famine.”
g.) “The people they will be prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword.”
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). Idolatry (and there’s still plenty of it in this world) begets serious judgment from a “jealous God punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:6). Sex outside of marriage begets unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and seriously hurting souls. Drugs, both legal and illegal, produce chemically induced alterations to the mind, and therefore the soul. Dishonesty, either theft or lying, opens up a not very easily closed path of confusion and inequity. There’s an old Christian saying, “Right teaching brings about right conduct; and wrong teaching brings about wrong conduct.” Even within the nominal Christian community, bad teaching regarding divorce, true Godly church leadership, and other errors have tremendous consequences among the people who take in this teaching.
The net result of Jerusalem’s false prophecy was violent calamity poured out on the people of Jerusalem. The result of false teaching today is shattered lives and deeply hurting souls, even of believers in Christ; and have we considered the souls that will never be reached for Christ because the Church is pinned down healing its own self-inflicted wounds, or because apostleship, prophecy, and evangelism are not properly defined and taught. This “Grace Study” is serious. I can’t even conceive how important a true understanding of God’s grace is among the believers. My only hope is that God knows and will work in the hearts and minds of believers according to his purpose.
70.) Public Prophecy, Jeremiah 19:14 “Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says, ‘Listen! I am going to bring upon this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them. Because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ‘ “ This verse accentuates the concept of public prophecy. Logical categorization will tell us that there’s public prophecy (as discussed in these verses), prophecy to the Church or small groups (Agabus in Acts 11:28), and prophecy to individuals (II Samuel 12:1, Nathan to David). Sometimes public prophecy is necessary. In Jeremiah’s case the Lord was about to bring disaster on Jerusalem, so a clear warning and explanation of God’s reason was needed. I don’t believe the prophets choose the time and place, though. As was the case with Paul, prophets are vessels merely pouring out God’s Holy Spirit, as God chooses and leads them.
71.) False Prophecy- Distorting the truth of the Living God, Jeremiah 23:16-40 Regarding false prophets, “They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.” “The Lord declares, ‘I am against those who prophesy false dreams…They tell them and lead my people astray.” “If a prophet, or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is the oracle of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household”. “But you must not mention ‘the oracle of the Lord’ again, because every man’s own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, Our God.”
74.) Prophets and Apostles are Sent by God, Jeremiah 26:12 “The Lord sent me to prophecy against this house and this city.” From this we see that both apostles and prophets are sent ones from God. The purpose of apostleship, though is to establish local Churches, while the purpose of prophecy is to speak from God a correction or warning, or any other item which needs to be spoken forth.
75.) The Reason for False Prophecy- Removing God’s Blessing, Jeremiah 27:10 “They prophesy lies to you, that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.” Did you ever consider why Satan moves false prophets to speak lies in the name of the Lord? Well, here’s the primary reason, to remove God’s blessing from the people. In this case, those Israelites who listened to the false prophets would be removed from their land.
82.) False Prophecy- Some Semantics, Ezekiel 13:2-16 Ezekiel lists what the false prophets of Israel were doing in his day, and this can easily be extended to all false prophesy/ teaching. When we peruse this list, we ought to contrast these practices with true prophecy. Ezekiel notes the following practices of the false prophets of Israel:
a.) “prophesy out of their own imagination”
b.) “follow their own spirit”
c.) “have seen nothing”
d.) “Their visions are false and their divinations a lie”.
e.) “the Lord has not sent them, yet they expect their words to be fulfilled”
f.) “Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares,’”
g.) “I am against you declares the sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations.”
h.) “they lead my people astray”
83.) Nuns and Clergy, Ezekiel 13:17-23 This section deals with Old Testament nuns, but really can be extended to the shortcomings of all practice of clergyism. Ezekiel notes that they do the following:
a.) “the daughters of your people…prophesy out of their own imagination”
b.) “women who sew magic charms”
c.) “make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people”
d.) “ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own”
e.) “you have profaned me before my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread”
f.) “By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died, and have spared those who should not live.”
g.) “I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds”
h.) “I will tear off your veils, and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power”.
i.) “you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief”
j.) “you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and to save their lives”.
I note that these practices can be extended to all who call themselves clergy. But, I’m not going to go through a list of grievances against others who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. However, I’ll relate to you a true story. My wife and I frequent Christian concerts given through a famous Christian Bible College. At one such event I noticed a sign posted. I believe the sign said: “All clergy please sign in at the front.”. I was really discouraged by that sign, as you can tell. God’s Word teaches: “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (Ephesians 4:7). So, there are still some practices and teaching, even in some of the finest bible colleges and seminaries in the world, that are contrary to God’s Word. I feel compelled by the Lord to give a warning. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10). So please do not quench the Holy Spirit’s fire by teaching contrary to Him. Please consider that the practice of the clergy, that one Christian sees clearer than another, is not taught by Christ, but rather by Dark Ages Christianity as fostered by Satan’s deception. We each have differing gifts, but only one Holy Spirit. “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged….Did the word of God originate with you?” (I Corinthians 14:31&36).
85.) In-your–face Prophecy and God’s Sovereignty in Judgment, Ezekiel 21:2,7, 14,&28 “Son of man…preach against the sanctuary…’This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked….my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from South to North’” (vs. 2-5). “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take” (vs. 19). From this passage we see two things. God uses the prophet to let the people know, up front, why judgment is coming. Secondly, in God’s long range plan He is willing to bring judgment upon all, even if the righteous have to suffer with the wicked. From the passage we can also glean that there is a time to be in a person’s face and confrontational.
97.) “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”, Joel 2:28-32 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” This is that great prophecy of Joel which Peter quotes at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). When a verse is quoted again elsewhere in Scripture, we can expect a wealth of understanding and insight to emerge, because we are able to see two different perspectives of the Lord’s teaching. Such is the case here. The major points with regard to prophecy are as follows:
a.) “In the last days”- Joel was speaking of a future age, which to him was rightfully considered “the last days”. These “last days include the Church age, as well as the millennial reign of Christ.
b.) “I will pour out my Spirit on all people”- To get an understanding of this pouring out, let’s view other Scripture to grasp the definition.
1.) The pouring out clearly began at Pentecost per Acts 2:17.
2.) The pouring out ends with the end of the Church age. II Thessalonians 2:7&8 describe the restrainer, God’s Holy Spirit, being “taken out of the way” just prior to the beginning of the tribulation period.
3.) The pouring out was not just at Pentecost, since Peter cites the same occurrence at Cornelius’ house in Acts 10:45-47. Peter then explains to the Jerusalem gathering that the pouring out at Cornelius’ house was the same that they had experienced at Pentecost (Acts 11:15). Peter explains further that this is indeed the baptism of the Holy Spirit which the Lord Jesus had promised (Acts 11:16).
4.) It’s important to realize the sense of the word “pour” as opposed to a similar word such as “sprinkle”. As an example, the fellowship offering of Leviticus 3:2 was to have the blood of the offering sprinkled at the altar; but concerning the sin offering of Leviticus 4:7, “the rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar”. So, our sins were abundantly covered over by the pouring out of Christ’s blood; and when the Father sees us, instead of seeing our sin he sees that blood of Christ which was lavishly poured out for us. In the same sense a lavish provision of the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, and is continuously poured out whenever a person believes in Christ and is immersed in God’s Holy Spirit, just as was the case at Cornelius’ house.
c.) “Your sons and daughters will prophesy”- Prophecy obviously was never limited to men in Scripture. However, note that prophecy by both men and women requires a proper submission to and recognition of God’s authority and holiness; and women are to address that holiness and authority by symbolically covering their head (I Corinthians 11:5). I would never deny Scripture by accepting a woman as speaking from God while she “dishonors her head”. Neither would I accept any man or woman as speaking from God if, while they were speaking, they were denying the efficacy of Scripture or some other point of Godliness. I could actually tell you stories of people speaking under the Spirit’s power who go dead flat while still speaking, because they denied the Lord right in the middle of their message. We can definitely quench the Holy Spirit’s fire (I Thessalonians 5:19). Also, please understand that this verse, and its use in Acts 2:17-21, clearly show that tongues is a form of prophecy. This agrees with Paul’s position pronounced in I Corinthians 14:13 & 27, when he stated “if anyone speaks in a tongue…someone must interpret”.
d.) “Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”- I knew a group of people who claimed that they didn’t believe that dreams and visions were for the Church in this age, supposedly because all revelation from God became obsolete with the completion of Scripture. But, surprisingly, when you listened to various people in that local gathering, approximately half of them had some story of a dream or vision from God which changed their life. So, I conclude that since the Bible teaches it and the Church practices it, then dreams and visions are still given by God today. “But test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). One clear point from this verse is that there’s a difference between a dream and a vision. A dream occurs to your subconscious during sleep, then may or may not be brought into remembrance by your conscious self, or God, later. A vision occurs to your conscious self. Why would older men dream dreams, rather than see visions? I think I understand why, but it is hard to explain. I believe that younger people have a greater ability to focus on the important things of their heart, simply because life is newer to them. You see the same type of occurrence regarding the passing of time. When I was seven years old one day seemed so long, I could hardly wait for the next day. But now, as I get older the days sometimes fly by. The only reasonable explanation for this is that the experiences of life are newer and more exciting to the mind and senses at a younger age. So, this has something to do with how God places his revelation into your life.
e.) “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. We might be inclined to say, “Well this is what happened at Calvary”. But no, while the sun was certainly darkened at Calvary, the moon turning to blood describes another event. This verse exactly coincides with the events of tribulation, more specifically sometime after the “abomination that causes desolation” but before the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds to begin his millennial reign from Jerusalem ( Mark 13:14-26). Revelation 6:12-17 describes this darkened sun and blood red moon at the opening of the “sixth seal”, and all the Revelation also agrees exactly with these events. Further study of Joel 2:28- 3:3 shows that he is prophesying concerning three great events: Pentecost and the Church age, the Great Tribulation, and the Millennial Reign of Christ.
f.) “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”- Upon believing (Romans 10:14), everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
99.) It’s God’s Nature to Speak to his Church, Amos 3:1-8 This passage helps to explain the Lord’s nature in prophesying. The Lord makes four main points:
a.) You are special: “the whole family I brought you up out of Egypt: you only have I chosen”.
b.) We have a relationship: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”.
c.) When things happen to you, I am behind it: “When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?”.
d.) “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants”.
e.) Judgment is coming; the prophets must speak; it’s in their very nature: “The lion has roared…the Sovereign Lord has spoken- who can but prophesy?”.
So, we see that the Lord walks together with His people through prophesy, as well as other manifesting of his grace. Some would say that we don’t need prophecy because we have the completed Scripture. However, for day to day prodding, as well as corrections, warnings, and edifications to his Church, prophecy is still needed and ongoing among the various local gatherings. He does this just as he always has. Let’s consider two instances.
First, is a true story of a young Christian, approximately 10 years old. He simply was at a church meeting in which a Bible lesson was taught. Upon completion of the lesson, the teacher asked some questions. The teacher was asking for any young person to raise his hand if he knew the answer. The young fellow next to me kept repeating, “Oh, I know the answer. I know the answer!” But, he didn’t raise his hand. So I said, “Raise your hand”. So, the teacher called upon him, but he didn’t stand up. So, I said, “Stand up.” So, he stood up, and after some coaxing the teacher extracted the correct answer from him. This is not prophecy, but the steps are similar.
Now, consider Peter at Pentecost. The question was asked for which Peter should have had an immediately response- “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ “ (Acts 2:11&12). However, Peter didn’t immediately get up to speak. But, was soon prompted to get up and speak because of what others said, “Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine’ “ (Acts 2:13). There is a connection here that I see, and perhaps I see it solely because I’ve learned to look for such promptings in my own life. You see, Joel’s prophecy concerning the Church’s beginning at Pentecost starts out with the Joel mentioning “new wine” in several places in his prophecy, just prior to Joel prophesying regarding the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. The coincidence is too much for me. It’s clear to me that the mention of the “new wine” by hagglers in the crowd is what nudged Peter to associate the proceedings with Joel’s prophecy, and then to stand up and raise his voice addressing the crowd, eventually leading thousands to the Lord that day. The point that I’m making is that the Lord needed to nudge Peter that day, and he used the “new wine” portion of Joel’s prophecy to do it. If you’re a serious servant of the Lord, you should look for the Lord at work in certain situations. Further, Amos 3:6&7 says, “When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?”… “Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to his servants”. I hope that you can see the Lord at work, when he raised up Peter and nudged him so that he would speak, just as the young lad had to be nudged in order to speak.
100.) The Call of Amos, Amos 7:12-16 “Then Amaziah said to Amos, ‘Get out you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore atBethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.’ Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was neither a prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock, and said to me, ‘Go prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then hear the Word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord says, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.’ “ This, of course, is the call of Amos to prophecy. Don’t be surprised if this becomes your call, or the call of someone that you know. Two main things are brought out here:
a.) Amos had no intention of becoming a prophet. He was a shepherd and a tender of sycamore trees. But the Lord called him from his pastoral life to speak from God for Israel’s, and our, correction and edification. One of the more heinous lies that Satan uses to discourage the correction and edification due to prophesy, is the claim that the prophet is deliberately trying to cause trouble. The claim is that since what the prophet is saying is disturbing (and will always be disturbing since the flesh continually wars against God’s fiery Spirit per Galatians 5:17), then the prophet is obviously being divisive, or mean spirited, or judgmental. Actually, the prophet is merely focusing on speaking forth what God has shown him to speak, and trying to faithfully communicate it. Amos was not affected by the King’s directive to cease prophesying because he was totally focused on obeying God and communicating his message. What would happen to Amos’ mortal body was a tertiary issue to Amos, as is the case for most of “the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). I really relate to Amos’ position. I was led by the Lord to seek to correct a few people on different occasions. I can tell you that their correction was the furthest thing from my mind until the Lord put the action into my mind. I’m a fairly good writer but not a persuasive speaker, and disdain such confrontations. But, in obedience to the Lord’s prod I spoke to certain people’s correction. I can say that on almost all occasions I was met with the accusation of scheming and troublemaking, even though, like Amos, I was merely seeking to obey God. (Also see Item#12f in the Word of Knowledge Section.)
b.) Secondly, it was the Lord who commanded Amos to: “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”. This is why we understand that prophesy is a charismata of God. It’s not the prophet’s doing but rather the Lord interceding into the lives of stubborn Israel, through the empowered prophet. Has the Lord’s heart changed? Does he no longer intercede for his own? The Lord certainly speaks to his Church, since we do not follow a “mute idol”. “We know in part and we prophesy in part” until “face to face” comes (I Corinthians 13:9-12).
In Amos 8:1&2, we see insight into how the Lord develops a prophecy into the mind of the prophet. “This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. ‘What do you see Amos?’ He asked. ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered. Then the Lord said to me, ‘The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer…’ “ The basket of ripe fruit was evidently put into Amos’ mind by the Lord, and then the Lord extracted the prophecy out of Amos, then revealing the details of his Word to the prophet. This is true for Amos, however, this needn’t be the Lord’s method of leading other prophets in their prophecy.
107.) “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”, Acts 2:17&18 Please see Item #97 above.
108.) Prophetesses, Acts 21:9 “Leaving the next day, we reached Ceasarea and stayed at the house of Phillip the Evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied”. This verse shows that New Testament prophesy is not limited to men. Neither was Old Testament prophesy since Miriam, Moses’ sister, is listed as a prophetess according to Exodus 15:20. There’s not much written concerning these four women’s prophecy, neither Miriam’s. However, we can assume that their work in the Lord was vital to the Lord’s people around them, as was Miriam’s. And why shouldn’t they prophesy. They had a father who taught them the ways of the Lord; and he had learned to recognize the Lord’s voice and the Lord’s specific directions in his life- Acts 8:29&39. Is recognizing the Lord’s voice a requirement for prophecy? Moses is stated as having abilities superior to any other prophet: “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”- Deuteronomy 34:10. So, recognizing the Lord’s will, even more than recognizing the Lord’s voice is a requirement for a prophet (a man who regularly speaks for God). However, Caiphas, and others, even Balaam’s donkey, also spoke for God on occasion, but cannot be construed as being prophets just because prophecy comes from their mouth. (See Word of Knowledge, Item#28.)
114.) The Last Two Prophets, Revelation 11:3 See Item #16 above.
118.) Provision and Prosperity Through Prophecy, Ezra 6:14 “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.” The Lord meets our needs for our provision and prosperity. We normally think of prophets warning against blights and famines, or pending judgments or military attacks, but being continually bathed in God’s Word definitely brings prosperity as we also obey Him.
122.) Contempt Toward Prophecies Quenches the Holy Spirit, I Thessalonians 5:20 “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” This very important verse connects despising prophecy with quenching the Holy Spirit. Of course the verse is contained in a larger encouragement from Paul for believers to live as “sons of the light”( vs. 5). Verses 19 and 21 go together as a sub-group among this large encouragement from Paul. The following points are made by Paul:
a.) “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”- I believe many Christians do this, and I believe I also do this on occasion. Recently I had an opportunity to share the gospel. I realized that the Holy Spirit was probably leading me, but I felt uncomfortable and didn’t follow the Spirit’s lead. After that the opportunity was gone. If I’ve learned anything concerning the Holy Spirit, it’s that He is a holy fire and our fleshly nature will never feel comfortable in His presence or doing His will. Let’s face it; that’s why our Lord Jesus said “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
b.) I resisted a nudge from the Holy Spirit, but this verse says that you can quench the Holy Spirit’s fire by despising prophecies. The NIV refers to this as, “treat prophecies with contempt”. The concept is that since God’s Spirit is a spirit, your attitude concerning His work in your life really does matter. Given then that prophecy is given for our edification and protection, it’s not wise to resist that work of the Spirit. This resistance can obviously be done by an individual or as a group of people having been approached by someone speaking from God.
c.) “Test everything, hold on to the good.”- This exact same concept is brought out in I John 4:1: “Try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world”. The concept is clearly to test, then hold onto the good, not to weasel out of the entire situation.
d.) Many have absorbed bad teaching in this regard. They claim that since prophecy is obsolete according to I Corinthians 13, no one can be speaking to them from God, and so they only have to obey Scripture. However, Scripture says, “Despise not prophesyings” (vs. 20). Well, such people are making a simple mistake until they’ve been shown the truth, then they begin to fall into the category of those who “treat prophecies with contempt”. More importantly they weasel out of the correction which God would have in their life; such people then remain in the practice of error.
e.) There are two main reasons why people would “treat prophecies with contempt”. The first reason is bad teaching, as some are teaching that there is no revelation from God except from the Bible, or the teaching of the Bible. The second reason is religious pecking order. Paul’s ministry was resisted by such pecking orders (I Corinthians 9:2&3). John’s work was also resisted by such pecking orders (III John 9-11).
124.) First Occurrence of the Word “Prophet”, Genesis 20:7 Here we see Abimilech being told by God concerning Abraham, “Return the man’s wife for he is a prophet”. The verse is important in our study for the following reasons:
a.) This is the first occurrence of the word prophet or it’s derivatives (prophecy, prophesy, prophetess, etc.) in the Scripture. The word “prophet” in it’s various forms all stem from the same Hebrew word “naba” in the Old Testament. Strong’s defines this word as, “Speak by inspiration”.
b.) While God has said Abraham is a prophet, we would probably define him as a Patriarch. Currently most bible scholars would only consider as prophets Scripture’s major and minor prophets, as well as other’s such as Nathan, or Elijah who were noted as prophets in Scripture. Bible schools are teaching that the age of the prophets began with Samuel and ended with John the Baptist. This is a good way to categorize the Lord’s basic dealings with Israel, however, it leaves Christ’s Church in a dysfunctional state. Edification and correction is not easily accomplished. (I’m writing this from experience. I’m currently viewing from the fringe another serious church split due to its leaders misunderstanding the grace of God.) The bottom-line from Scripture is that the Patriarch Abraham was also a prophet, because he spoke from God.
c.) If we follow the law of first reference, which cannot be merely ignored, then prophesy gets a good deal of its definition from this usage. We then must conclude that a prophet, by God’s own word to Abimilech, would include anyone who spoke from God, not just those living within the man-defined age of the prophets.
125.) Aaron the Prophet, Exodus 7:1 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” This verse, since it appears early in Scripture and in God’s relationship with man, becomes a good early description of prophecy. Aaron was to be the tongue for Moses and for God. So prophecy is merely speaking from or for God, many times as God’s ambassador to a group of people.
127.) False Prophecy- Working False Signs & Wonders From Day One, Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods (gods you have not known) and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. …” This passage is excellent in that it says that a prophet is to be discerned according to what is being said, not by signs and wonders. The passage also intimates why God would allow his people to be subjected to such lying signs and wonders: “The Lord your God is testing you”. It’s been said: “Satan tempts. The Lord tests”. I agree with that saying. The verse is also noteworthy in that it’s warning occurs so early in the Scripture.
128.) False Prophecy- By a False God or Not By God’s Command, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” This passage describes two types of false prophecy which the Lord deemed serious enough to warrant the death penalty. These are: “a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him”, and “a prophet who speaks in the name of other Gods”. Make no mistake these are serious offenses to God. When some people conclude that worshipping just any God will do, they obviously are not believing God’s Word in the Scripture.
130.) Moses Knew the Lord “Face to Face”, Deuteronomy 34:10 “Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Besides the obvious comparison of Moses to other prophets, three points can be gleaned from this small passage:
a.) Moses is referred to as a prophet, while many consider Samuel as the first prophet. So this adds to the definition that prophecy is merely speaking from God.
b.) The Lord had a “face to face” relationship with Moses. I always used to question this verse because in Exodus 33:23 the Lord said to Moses, “You will see my back but my face must not be seen”. Also, John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known”. So God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock and Moses saw the back of God. So how does the scripture claim that Moses knew God “face to face”. Well the answer is in another part of Exodus 33. Verses 7 to 11 explain that Moses would go aside to his “tent of meeting”, and there “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” There is a key to God’s revelation here, that is- the friendship factor. John 15:14 & 15 shows a progression in discipleship from servant to friend, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” I can say from experience that if you take the Lord seriously, he will show you his commands for your life and establish that friendship relationship with you. It will be similar to the Lord’s friendship relationship with Moses. Will His commands be apostleship? Possibly, you’ll be called to the missions field. Will His commands be prophecy? Possibly! Will His commands be some other great work for the Lord? The answer is between you and God, and you get the answer when you seriously take up your cross everyday and come follow Him. However, the study point to be concluded herein is that work for the Lord, particularly the greater gifts which are to be eagerly desired, are somewhat dependant upon our relationship with the Lord. I say somewhat because the Lord does still press people into his service as He did to the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.
c.) This makes me really yearn for the time when I shall know the Lord “face to face”. This passage is intimately connected with I Corinthians 13:8-13 which says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part…Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” I note that the “face to face” relationship of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10 and Exodus 33 was not a seeing, but a knowing and a speaking relationship (not dissimilar from our current New Testament position). I believe our future estate in Christ will be greater than that of Moses’ earthly relationship, because Moses could not claim that he could “know fully even as I am fully known”.
131.) Prophecy as Pure Edification, Judges 6:6-10 “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Israel, out of the land of slavery…’ I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” This is a very good example of prophecy as pure edification. “When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet.” The prophet told them exactly why the Lord was allowing their distress. Also, slightly after the prophet’s edifying message Gideon was called by the Lord to deliver Israel from their distress.
143.) Elijah at Mt. Carmel, I Kings 18:22-36 This is, of course the account of Elijah on Mount Carmel. There have been many commentaries and analyses which have dealt with this wonderful event. For the purpose of this study, the following items are noted:
a.) A question can be asked, “Is everything a prophet says to be considered prophecy?”. Obviously, not! The very word prophesy connotes speaking from God. Out of weariness Elijah falsely states that he is “the only one of the Lord’s prophets left” (I Kings 18:22, & again in I Kings 19:14). There were obviously other prophets left in Israel, such as: seven thousand “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal” (I Kings 19:18), an unnamed prophet used by God in I Kings 20:13, another unnamed prophet listed in I Kings 20:39, also Micaiah of I Kings 22:8. The point is that prophets have weak moments just as any human being, and while their prophecy must be true since it proceeds from God, other statements from the prophet can be false.
b.) “The Word of the Lord came to Elijah”. Several times this occurrence is chronicled in Elijah’s ministry. The Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically how, or even how often, this came about. However, we know from this account and James 3:17 & 18 that Elijah was a great man of prayer (as was the Lord Jesus). A peculiar event, that many cling to as an example of hearing the Lord’s voice, happened when Elijah fled to Mount Horeb. The Lord told Elijah to leave his cave and “stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord”. The Lord’s presence produced a great wind, and an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not present in any of these. However, a gentle whisper drew Elijah to stand at the mouth of the Cave, then he experienced the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s voice reached Him. Well, much has been said and written concerning that whisper. My experience shows me that there’s a difference between the voice that followed and the whisper. We should be listening for the voice of God in our lives, but in our befuddled fleshly states sometimes we must hear the whisper before we realize that the Lord is trying to speak to us. Another important concept that’s brought out here is the “logos” of God. The term “Word of God” always refers to the spoken Word of God. So, there’s the spoken Word and the written Scripture. Scripture, when the Holy Spirit uses it, is the “sword of the Spirit” and therefore is “logos” as well. However, the Lord never intended the Scripture to do away with the Word of God elsewhere in our lives. We do not follow a “mute idol” (I Corinthians 12:2).
c.) “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” (vs. 17). This is a classic example of the flesh warring against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17). If you are called by God to do some of His work, then know that the flesh of the people around you, both saved and unsaved, will seek to resist God’s Spirit working in you. And, please accept that the first accusation thrown against you will be that you’re just trying to cause trouble. It’s interesting to note that Elijah’s ministry was one of correction and not so much foretelling future events as other prophets did. He is always seen as being told by the Lord to go and do things, mainly in order to confront the Baal worship of Israel. I believe Elijah’s ministry is similar to the needs of our age to confront, encourage, and edify the Lord’s Church; and if the Lord moves a person to speak out in that regard, that’s prophecy no less than in Elijah’s time. I’ve actually heard it said that confrontational correction and edification work by prophets, such as Elijah, is not really prophecy; that prophecy must include foretelling of future events. Most serious bible students would disagree and include the correctional aspects of prophecy because these are clearly itemized in I Corinthians 14. However, that mindset, that all the foretelling has already been done and captured in Scripture, is what makes many reject the existence of New Testament prophecy.
147.) The Persecution of God’s Prophets, I Kings 22:7-28 “The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.’ … But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me’. … ‘So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.’ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. ‘Which way did the spirit of the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?’ He asked. … The king of Israel then ordered, ‘Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ‘ ” This is the account of the prophet Micaiah, who prophesied before Kings Jehoshaphat and Ahab, only to be thrown in prison and given only bread and water. This verse is used herein as the focal point to review the issue of persecution of God’s prophets, and the parallel concept of the flesh warring against the Spirit of God.
Some of those prophets’ persecution was chronicled in the following passages:
a.) Jeremiah 20:1 tells the story of Jeremiah struck by Pashtur, then put in stocks as public punishment. Of course Jeremiah was also beaten and imprisoned in Jeremiah 37:15, and kept in a cistern in Jeremiah 38:6. Can you imagine God or the angels thoughts as they look down on Judah the remnant of God’s testimony on earth; and what they see is God’s principle spokesman on earth being publicly ridiculed in stocks, then beaten and imprisoned. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11&12).
b.) Luke 13:34&35 The Lord Jesus said this, “Surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who sent you, …Look your house is left to you desolate.” If not for God’s presence in the Church manifesting His intercession through grace and the grace gifts, that’s exactly where the Church would be- “desolate”; but it’s impossible for the Church to be without the Holy Spirit. It’s been difficult for others and myself to explain the meaning of the end time “abomination of desolation” cited in Matthew 24:15. However, Luke 13:34 helps to explain the meaning. “Desolation” means without the water of the Holy Spirit; because the Spirit filled Church will have been raptured. “Abomination” refers to the heinous act of the Antichrist claiming to be God while standing in Israel’s reconstructed temple.
c.) In Matthew 23:34&35, the parallel passage to Luke 13:34 above, the Lord Jesus spoke God’s mind regarding religious hypocrisy. He said, “I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah.” The point is that the Lord is holding that generation of religious hypocrites responsible for the blood of the prophets from A-Z. Let me just state that there are Godly Christians that because of their zeal and obedience are being abused in their local churches. I hear their stories all the time. My only explanation is that even the flesh of other Christians wars against the Spirit of God. We all need to carefully live everyday in harmony with the true grace of God (“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” –Galatians 5:16.); the grace which is manifested in the spiritual abilities as well as the local church hierarchy.
d.) Romans 11:3 tells of the plight of those spokesmen from God in Elijah’s day: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left and they are trying to kill me”. I Kings 18:4 enhances Elijah’s statement by adding that Jezebel and Ahab had a public policy of killing the Lord’s prophets. At this point we can start asking ourselves, “Why are the Lord’s prophets being persecuted?”. At Elijah’s time we can see idolatry, and the commerce that grew up around Jezebel’s (actually Israel’s) idolatry, as the motivating factors for persecuting the Lord’s prophets. But Galatians 5:19 says that idolatry is actually a manifestation of the flesh (sinful nature). “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” As can be seen, idolatry was not the only fleshly attribute which motivated the persecution of the prophets by Jezebel and Israel’s throne. Hatred and selfish ambitions were also key fleshly elements. But knowing these things, its recognizable that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” (Galatians 5:17). “The Spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely” (James 4:5). The flesh and God’s Spirit are at constant war with each other because of their very natures. The Spirit is glorious, holy, and life giving. The flesh is debasing, sinful, and constantly dying. That’s why Jesus could say, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘you must be born again’” (John 3:7). But we’ve seen groups of people united against God’s prophets, and the apostles, and one day most of Jerusalem was united against Jesus (at Calvary). Is this group warfare against God’s Spirit also of the flesh. Yes, and it’s better explained by the Lord Jesus’ discourse in item “e.)” below.
e.) Luke 11:37-53: In this passage the Lord Jesus voices his woes to the religious clerics (“the Pharisees”), the legalistic theologians (“experts at the law”), and that entire Judean generation. Mainly the Lord cites what they and their predecessors had done, but he also gives some insight as to why they persecuted the prophets. We can see that this group activity of resisting the Holy Spirit is also due to the flesh of the entire group, exhibiting practices which are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Also, though, I perceive that these group fleshly activities are akin to group animal activities such as the schooling of fish, the law of the pack, or herd instinct. These group animal instincts, which produce positive effects in animals, seem to produce atrocities, and many other minor sins, in human beings owing to their fallen nature. In other words, when men act like animals in a group, serious violence and hatred will soon come out. Consider how Paul “fought wild beasts in Ephesus” (I Corinthians 15:32, Acts 19:23 & 24). Many think it strange to teach that “the flesh”, also called “the sinful nature” by the NIV and other bible translations, refers to the animal nature of man. However, when looking at the Greek word for flesh “Sarkos”, you cannot escape the fact that it has its root meaning in the “substance of the body, whether of beasts or of men”[4]. We like to soften this concept and call the flesh the “sinful nature”, but the Scripture uses the word “sarkos” for a reason. Animal actions and our own bodies are not the way they were at the time of creation. This is due to the fall of Adam which effected all of creation. There is a time when “the wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 65:25). At that time we believer’s will put on imperishable bodies no longer subject to sin (I Corinthians 15:52-54). However until that time comes, the flesh, even of believers, still wars against the Spirit of God, whether in groups or individually.
f.) I Thessalonians 2:14 & 15 brings out why Satan and man’s flesh war against prophecy, evangelism, and other manifestations of God’s grace. “You (the Thessalonian church) suffered from your own countrymen the same thing those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved.” So, therein is an account of why the fleshly Jews and the fleshly, non-believing Thessalonians resist the gospel, the prophets, and the Lord Jesus: “to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they might be saved”. I believe we can clearly see that this account shows why the flesh wars against the Spirit of God; the flesh is used by Satan, “the prince of this world”, to rebel against God’s work (God’s principle work being salvation).
g.) Galatians 4:28 & 29 is known as the allegory of Sarah and Hagar. This verse also states why the prophets and Spirit led people are persecuted: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way (flesh) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now”. The fleshly man persecutes the Spirit led man. The two have different goals and different means of seeking their goals. Like a wolf in a pack or a fish in a school, the natural man seeks to pester or race against his supposed competitor in order to establish dominance, or to be first to arrive at the feeding spot. However, the Spiritual man isn’t after tangible things or even societal structure (pecking order) as his goal. So, the Spiritual man will endure affliction for the cause of the gospel, or sometimes just to avoid sin. The natural man sees such actions as weakness and continues to persecute the Spiritual man. Praise the Lord for Godly authority and his constraining Holy Spirit, else this persecution would be without limit.
So, the flesh still wars against the Spirit of God, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted” (II Timothy 3:12). The flesh and the Spirit have two completely different natures. It’s like molten steel and water. When they come together in sufficient quantities there will be a violent explosion. This happens often in steel mills. The molten steel like God’s Holy Spirit is extremely hot and gives place to nothing. The water, seemingly harmless, actually is explosive at high temperatures due to its hydrogen and oxygen content. The Spirit wars against the flesh in the same way. The Spirit is continually seeking God’s will, especially salvation, but sometimes an explosive violent reaction to God’s Spirit will erupt in persecution. This persecution of Spirit led people has been throughout history and continues today. If you are interested in supporting persecuted Christians, you can contact Voice of the Martyrs, PO Box 54, Caney, KS, 67333, [email protected]. Understand, though, that walking by the flesh explains why sin is occurring, but doesn’t excuse sin. “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 21). “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown in the lake of fire” Revelation 20:15).
157.) Not All Prophecy is Scripture, I Chronicles 29:29 “The records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer”. This small passage, along with a few more like it, are extremely important in our study of prophecy. The reason for their importance is that those who contend that prophecy is abolished also pretend that any new prophecy must add to Scripture. However, this passage clearly shows that there was much prophecy that was not chosen by God to be included in the Canon of Scripture.
Allow me to refer you to the “Introduction to First Chronicles” in my Nelson’s The Open Bible[5]. Samuel Schultz, recognized as having written the introductions to the Old Testament books in The Open Bible, described the situation in detail. He said, regarding the unknown author of I & II Chronicles: “His ‘scribism’ may account for the detailed acknowledgements of historical sources- the writings of such early prophets as Samuel, Nathan, Gad (1 Chr. 29:29), Ahijah, Iddo, Shemaiah (2 Chr. 9:29; 12:15), Jehu the son of Hanani (20:34), and such later ones as Isaiah (32:32) and Hozai (33:19, ASV). The chronicler’s major reference work was ‘The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel’ (16:11; 25:26, etc.), with ‘The commentary (Hebrew midrash) of the book of the kings’ (24:27). Though I and II Chronicles often follow I and II Kings closely, our books of Kings cannot be the source here intended. This major source must have been a larger court record, now lost, which also incorporated some prophetic court writings, as Jehu’s (2 Chr. 20:34) or Isaiah’s Chapters 36-39 (2 Chr. 32:32). From this source both Kings and Chronicles then drew (cf. Isa. 36-39 with 2 Ki. 18:13- 20:19 and 2 Chr. 32).” The point is that there are lost historical sources written by prophets and others.
This clearly shows that there was much prophetic writing and verbal prophecy which was never chosen by God for inclusion in the Canon of Scripture. Point proven!
172.) Treat Prophecy and, therefore, Prophets with Respect and Honor, II Chronicles 36:12 “He (King Zedekiah) did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.” This verse connotes the status that we are to accord to prophets and prophecy: humble ourselves before the Lord’s Word and his spokesman.. But look what Zedekiah and his predecessors and the nation of Judah did. “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar” (verses 15-17).
A similar situation is recorded in II King 2:23 in which Elisha, the prophet, is mistreated by some youths. Then “two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths”.
There’s a similar New Testament Scripture found in I Thessalonians 5:19&29, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Understand that there is both a difference and a parallel between the Church of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel. We don’t see the Lord dealing with his Church, his “ecclesia” (meaning “called out ones”), in a severe manner; but note the quenching of the Spirit’s fire. Judah’s Godly testimony as a nation was not completely snuffed, but it was radically dimmed for their seventy years captivity in Babylon. We Christians ought not to speak against, or treat in a light manner, any of the Holy Spirit’s fiery work, whether prophecy or any other work of God; lest the Lord take away our lamp stand (Revelation 2:5), as He took away from Judah “all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small”. If you recognize the Holy Spirit’s fire burning, have reverence for Him, since He is a person of God just as Jesus Christ is a person of God. Allow the Holy Spirit’s fire to burn. Do not quench that fire by your own fleshly actions, particularly by your words. Paul’s position on the Spirit’s fire was to never speak against the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in others. (See Item#1, paragraph 4&5.)
180.) The Lord Changes a Prophecy, Isaiah 38: 1-5 “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amos went to him and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the Word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ‘Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’ ‘ ‘ “ This is a curious verse in that the Lord changes a prophecy. This concept, that the Lord can change a prophecy, doesn’t set well with my fleshly logic; but I shouldn’t set a boundary on what God can do. The first prophecy, that Hezekiah would die, was true when Isaiah said it, because Elijah was speaking for God not merely foretelling the future. But then, the second prophecy changed the first due to Hezekiah’s repentance, which caused the Lord to send a different message to Hezekiah through Isaiah. A similar change occurred with Jonah and Ninevah’s repentance. Jeremiah 18:7&8 explains that repentance can change such prophecies of judgment: “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster that I had planned”. However, Item # 172, above, shows that there comes a point at which the executed judgment of God is the only feasible remedy. I also note that Isaiah, like Jonah, is sent to be a messenger for the Lord. And so, this is an important function of those who understand prophecy, that the Lord would have us to recognize his leading and be a spokesperson for Him in many situations, even traveling to a different location to give that message.
211.) Ezekiel’s Call, Ezekiel 2:3-5 “He said: ‘Son of man I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. ; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them.” The writers of the NIV Bible have referred to this section of Ezekiel as “Ezekiel’s Call”. In our age there are a few things that are similar to a Ezekiel’s call. These are:
a.) In order to get Ezekiel to speak God’s words to them, the Lord tells Ezekiel, “Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you….Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 2:8- 3:1). In this day and age, we, those who speak from God and teach His Word, carefully study the Scriptures and find the Scriptures like honey to their soul. Such people begin to learn and understand God’s ways and manner of thinking through the Scriptures.
b.) “Whether they listen or fail to listen- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them”. Sometimes God speaks knowing that people won’t listen. God cares about his character, His Word, and His people and sometimes his prophets are called upon to perform due diligence for the Lord, even though God knows His warnings will go unheeded. Rejection of the message is no reason to stop speaking. Later, Ezekiel is called upon to “prophesy to these bones”, in the valley of dry bones. If Lord leads you to speak to some person or a group, then do it, and don’t try to decide whether they will accept the message or not. (Consider Jonah at Nineveh.)
c.) “The house of Israel is not willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.” When a prophet speaks from the Lord, most people are hardened and obstinate, and won’t listen. Still a few do listen, and the Lord is glorified through the obedience of the prophet, and the faithfulness and righteousness of the Lord’s plan.
216.) Community Sin Affecting the Prophet, Hosea 4:5 “You stumble day and night and the prophets stumble with you.” This verse says that community sin can have its effect on the Lord’s prophets. I Thessalonians 5:20 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt”. Can a prophet be affected by the sin around him? The prophet can be affected, but not the prophecy, since prophecy is speaking from God. You don’t see many examples of this, because prophets are people who walk closely with the Lord. However, Moses’ prophet, Aaron, was affected by sin around him. Miriam, referred to as a prophetess, had some problems with grumbling. Moses, himself, became distraught and struck the rock. Jonah didn’t immediately obey the Lord’s command to go to Ninevah. Elijah fled from Jezebel, after dealing with those false prophets on Mount Carmel. So, we cannot expect prophets to always escape the sin around them.
217.) Prophets as Fools and Fanatics, Hosea 9:7&8 “Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.” This verse seems as if it was written for my day, but it was written regarding unrepentant Israel. How many times have we heard of faithful Christians called fanatics, because they spoke out against sin? We live in an age when prophecy is said to not even exist, except in a toned down version espoused by supposed clerics. This passage helps to explain what’s been said several times already: “Sin darkens our minds, and the flesh wars against the Spirit of God”. The people in Hosea’s day, which Bible scholars would term “the age of the prophets”, were rejecting prophets as fools and fanatics. We, in our day, only want to hear teaching that is in general agreement with the doctrine of our denominations, and to do otherwise is tantamount to heresy. This is not hypothetical. This is what I was explicitly told by a church leader, concerning both myself and saying anything not in general agreement with all in that gathering.
This is not the way of God though. Historically, prophets have not been of the majority opinion, else why would God need to speak through a prophet. My immediate opinion (which I didn’t voice at the time that I was resisted by the flesh of this churchman) was that this is the fulfillment of the Paul’s prophecy of II Timothy 4:3. II Timothy 4:3 warns, “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”. Many say this is what’s going on in Roman Catholicism, with their saints and Mary worship, but I see this tendency in all denominations. Esteeming your ancestors, especially your parents and grandparents is a Godly thing. However, copycatting their lifestyle instead of listening to the Master’s specific voice and leading in your day to day life, is disobedience to God. This religious swarming like bees lends itself to the fulfillment of II Timothy 4:3. We don’t live in the days of our ancestors, we need a Word from the Lord for today.
Don’t think that this darkness escapes non-denominational gatherings. That church leader, who sought to resist the Lord’s leading in me by fleshly means, was from a very fine, supposedly non-denominational gathering. Many gatherings don’t realize that by not specifically listening for the voice of the Master, they become just like the other groups from which they seek to be different. The Lord Jesus gave a very simple remedy for such lukewarm actions. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). This was written to the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Is the Lord standing outside the door of the periphery of your life? Does he actually have to knock in order to come in? At my house, close friends and relatives don’t have to knock. They just come in and say, “Hello, is anyone home?”. So, accommodation to either a fleshly or a worldly lifestyle, can distance us from the Master’s voice.
Let me dwell on this point further, because I think most mature Christians have seen this effect; and maybe they’ve not put it into words or understood the concept. Did you ever notice the Word of God reaching a person, either a believer or the unsaved, and the Word is so clear and strong that it’s appears as a shout to them? Well this is many times what prophecy does. The Word of God becomes like rolling thunder, it’s so strong and loud and it’s coming from every different direction in a person’s life. Most times, though, when a person shouts at us, we walk away rejecting their communication, concluding that that person must be a crude person. However, a wise person should question why that person shouted, and consider what he might have done to spur that person’s loud remarks. We must realize that our flesh and others’ flesh wars against the Spirit of God, and when the Spirit is strongly resisting our fleshly actions and directions, the Spirit is indeed going to disturb our life and it will feel uncomfortable. Successful prophecy disturbs the lifestyle of those it was meant to reach. Many Christians operate from the position that the Lord’s leading comes from the “warm fuzzies”, while others accept that the things of God must somehow be only achieved by hard work. But, “Praise the Lord”, many Christians have learned to listen to the Lord’s voice and leading in their life. So, the next time you perceive or hear of somehow being disturbed by a Christian’s statements, consider that the message could easily be the “rolling thunder” of true prophecy in that person’s life. Consider that “troubler of Israel”, Elijah, in Item#143, above. There are ways to easily discern the difference between true and false prophecy (See Item Nos. 37, 352, 447.)
218.) Prophecy- Semantics and definition, Hosea 12:10-13 “I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them….The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt”. There are two concepts which we should recognize for our study:
a.) The semantics of prophecy are simply given herein. The Lord speaks to the prophets and gives them visions. The prophet then somehow recognizes that this is from the Lord. Sometimes the prophecy is communicated to its recipient through parables. While these semantics are simply stated, these tasks are impossible if your not a prophet of God.
b.) Moses is stated herein as a prophet of God who brought Israel up from Egypt. He’s also described as a prophet in Deuteronomy 34:10, and Numbers 12:8. Understand, though, that Moses is not like other prophets. Numbers 12:8 states that the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.” To other prophets the Lord revealed himself to them in visions and dreams.
So, all of this adds to our definition and understanding of prophecy. The prophet, whether Moses or others, is one through whom the Lord speaks. The semantics of prophecy involve the Lord revealing his Word to them, many times through visions and dreams.
Incidentally, if you want to be a true “fire breather” for Jesus Christ, look at what the Scripture teaches regarding Moses. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). The following verse is a key to this grace study. The verse is repeated in its various forms at least seven times in the Scripture. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
221.) An Oracle to the Prophet, Habakkuk 1:1 “The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received”. We’ve heard of prophets receiving dreams and visions which they’ve communicated as the Word of the Lord. We’ve studied that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face. However, here is an example of an oracle, or spoken Word, to the prophet. This type of oracle, according to Deuteronomy 34:10, was less clear than the Word given to Moses.
I’ve never heard a voice from God, but I’ve heard credible stories of those who had. I had a friend, Bill, a pipe fitter in the steel mills. He was down twenty feet in a manhole, with pipes running every which way. He heard a voice say, “Turn sideways”. He turned sideways, and just as he did, the gas in the manhole exploded and blew him twenty feet to the top of the manhole and twenty more feet into the air. He landed unharmed but would have died caught in the pipes at the bottom of that fiery hole, if the voice had not told him to “Turn sideways”. Bill lived for many more years to tell that story. But would you believe that the local gathering that Bill attended faithfully for decades, to this day, denies that the Lord can speak to us in an audible voice. There are also famous Christians with stories of their voice of the Lord accounts. Such are Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Bill Hybels. My pipe fitter friend’s account would fall into what’s described in I Corinthians 12:8 as a “message of knowledge”. My plan through this grace study is to gather, and categorize, other stories of how God’s grace has and is being manifested in our day. A prophet must receive the Word from God, realize that it is from God, understand the message, and then communicate it to whom the Lord intended that Word. The point is to understand God’s grace so that we can more faithfully proclaim the power of God to His people, His Church. In doing so, the Church can be more effective in Christ’s ministry of saving souls and building His Church.
223.) Prophecy- Edification and Successful Correction, Haggai 1:1-12 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” This passage always fires me up, because “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it”, so we all have a ministry that we should be doing in conjunction with our everyday affairs. The world being as it is though, my ministries sometimes get cluttered up with needless worldly activities which stem from worldly concerns.
In terms of the grace study, this passage is an excellent example of prophecy as edification and successful correction. The successful elements are noted as follows:
a.) Haggai received the Word of the Lord. This was not some logical conclusion which he derived from Godly thought and perception.
b.) Haggai states God’s problem with Judah and the result of Judah’s folly. Briefly, Judah’s returning remnant had come to build the Lord’s house and were building their own houses first. The result was that they had purses with holes in them (Their blessings were being wasted.).The Word sounds like a warning but actually is directed toward edification and direction. The Lord lovingly warns “Give careful thought to your ways.” (I must admit, that if I and most others gave careful thought to our ways, we’d have much more successful lives.)
c.) The Lord then states the correction to the problem. “Bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored”. To us he says, “Get going with my work. Give it the proper priority. I am building my house, the Church”.
d.) After this, a beautiful thing happened. “Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him.” The beauty is that they accepted the Word of the prophet as being from God and were corrected. Two difficult elements were accomplished. They accepted the prophet’s word as being from God, and they were corrected by obeying the Word.
e.) This is, by no means, an easy thing to do. How many times have we heard of the death and persecution of the prophets, in the Scripture and also in our day. Hebrews 11 says, they “were tortured and refused to be released…faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and in holes in the ground.” What about Haggai? Did he know the danger that he was in? Probably! Yet; he was entirely focused on getting the Word of the Lord communicated. There can be much resistance from our own flesh as well as the flesh of others, and from Satan. Do you know that the Word of the Lord through his angel was resisted by Satan for 21 days before reaching Daniel? Also, we should consider how many times the Lord’s Word reaches those for whom it’s intended, but they disobey. I believe the Judean remnant obeyed because they were humble enough to recognize God’s Word for what it was. How many times did prideful Israel hear God’s Word and then try to dismiss it as false. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
224.) Prophecy- As Encouragement, Haggai 2:1-9 “ ‘Be strong all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ … ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty.” This passage is important because it’s an example of prophecy that encourages the people. As with Christ’s Church the Lord is telling the people to place your hope in the future product, not the present, fleeting circumstances. Of course, in the Church age, the Lord encourages us through that great resurrection chapter of Scripture, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58).
226.) No Prophecy During Christ’s Millennial Reign, Zechariah 13:5 “ This passage tells us that there’ll be no prophecy during the millennial reign of Christ. How do we know that this is during the millennial reign? There are several verses in this passage which suggest the millennial reign is what’s being discussed, but these verses might mistakenly be taken to refer to the Church Age or the Tribulation. However, the three following verses clearly place the removal of prophecy at the millennial reign of Christ:
a.) “On that day …they will look on me the one they have pierced” (Vs 12:10). Revelation 1:7 places this viewing of Christ at his coming to reign in power from Jerusalem, at the very beginning of His millennial reign.
b.) “On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem” (Vs 12:9). The destruction of the nations attacking Jerusalem doesn’t occur until Armageddon, again upon the Lord’s coming to reign from Jerusalem.
c.) “On that day I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land” (Vs 13:2). Impurity will have its place in “the land” now, during the Church Age, and also during the Tribulation, but not during the millennial reign, when Christ “shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27).
This all agrees perfectly with I Corinthians 13:9-12: “But where there are prophecies, they will cease;…For we know in part and we prophesy in part,…Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” Please see Item Nos. 1&2 above.
229.) Messianic Prophecy Fulfilled- One of Many, Matthew 1:22 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’- which means, ‘God with us.’ “ This passage is important because it helps describe the many messianic prophecies which are encountered. We should make sure that we’re taking in all that’s being taught through this passage. Please note the following concepts:
a.) The Word of God, through prophecy, does drive events in God’s plan, and is not just a statement of God’s will but is the main operative ingredient in God’s will. This verse doesn’t say, “Oh, and by the way, notice how prophecy is being fulfilled”. It says, “All this had taken place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet”. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is lively and active. Sharper than any two edged sword”. My Greek interlinear[6] actually renders the word “active” as “operative”.
b.) The prophets did accurately predict the coming of Christ. A faithful Jewish believer in those days would have known the circumstance of the Lord’s coming- “The virgin will be with child”, the place of the Lord’s birth- Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2, and the pending time of his birth- “The scepter will not depart from Judah…until Shiloh comes” (Genesis 49:10). Anna, the prophetess in Luke 2:38, “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem”. So, concerned believers were, indeed, looking for Christ at his birth. That is why Andrew would summon his brother Simon Peter by saying, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).
c.) “The Lord had said through the prophet”- The Lord speaks through the prophet. Nowadays we have the written Word, Scripture. However, we also still have prophecy because the New Testimony Scripture “which cannot be broken” (John 10:35) says, “In the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets” (I Corinthians 12:28). Further, “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
These Messianic prophecies, that were fulfilled by Christ in his earthly ministry, are too many to be contained in this Grace Study. However, most study bibles will have a section displaying the Messianic prophecies.
239.) Prophecy- Semantics and Typology, Matthew 12:39 “He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’ “ This passage is important not merely because it’s a great messianic prophecy, but it also gives us an understanding of how the Lord communicates to us through prophecy and types in the Old Testament. As was said before, when Scripture comments on Scripture, a wealth of insight and knowledge gained from that additional perspective will burst forth. I know that volumes could be written regarding the Lord Jesus’ response, when He considers Jonah as the only sign for that generation. Some of the major points are as follows:
a.) “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.”- The Lord is responding to an evidently insincere request from the scribes and Pharisees for a sign. So, the Lord points them back to the sign contained in Scripture, Jonah. The Lord is saying in effect, “Why haven’t you done your homework? There’s plenty of signs in Scripture”. Also, he’s looking ahead to when all of Jerusalem will abandon Him to the cross, and most will continue to reject Him even after his resurrection. (His resurrection is “the sign of Jonah”.) I’ve noticed that while the Old Testament is resplendent with typology (Hebrews 8:5), there’s only a few types in the New Testament. The New Testament types which I’ve noted are as follows: Christ’s washing of the apostles feet is a type of Christians helping each other to get rid of sin (John 13:10-14); water baptism is a type of Holy Spirit immersion (John 10:47& 11:16); the breaking of the bread and passing of the cup is a memorial of “the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Corinthians 11:26).
b.) This passage adds much credence and veracity to messianic prophecies. The Lord is saying in not so many words: “Look, the answer regarding the Messiah is already laid out in Scripture”. Consider that the Lord was giving them an answer that the sincere believers would not understand until after Christ died, and most would reject. You see Jonah walked through Ninevah as a man brought back from death, having spent three days in the belly of the great fish; and so the Lord Jesus would be seen by many after spending three days and three nights in the grave.
241.) Prophet- Generally Not Honored in his Own Town and Household, Matthew 13:57 “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’ “ This verse is important because of it’s simple teaching. A person speaking for God shouldn’t expect those immediately around him to accept his words as from the Lord. It was so for the Lord Jesus; and I’d have to conclude it was so for most prophets. In fact, Matthew 12:46-50 seems to say that the Lord’s family did not immediately respond to his gospel.
278.) Prophecy defined- King David as a Prophet, Acts 2:30&31 “But he (David) was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that God would place one of his descendents on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay.” Here we see the New Testament writer Luke referring to King David as a prophet. Luke gives his reasoning as the fact that David, in his psalms made true statements concerning Jesus the Messiah, who would be born 1000 years after David’s death. David, in his lifetime, was not known as a prophet. Luke refers to him as a prophet since it’s obvious that his statements could only come from God, thus verifying his prophecy. So this only adds to the “grace study” definition of prophecy, that prophecy is merely “speaking from God”. Also note that prophecy was never limited to those having a reputation as a prophet (reference Item #1, above). Per Item#64, singers were referred to as a type of prophet in David’s time. And, the quality and quantity of prophecy in David’s Psalms certainly add to that point.
281.) Prophecy- Correction and Edification, Old and New Testament Times, Acts 7:48 “As the prophet (Isaiah) says: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’ ”. In Isaiah 66:1&2 the prophet is admonishing Israel for idolatrous practices and saying that he never looked for a house or temple to be kept in, but was always concerned with affairs of the heart. Stephen, just prior to his stoning, uses Isaiah’s prophecy to explain to the religious leaders why God needed to send the Messiah. This passage is an example of prophecy as correction and edification. Isaiah originally wrote this seeking correction and edification for the people of Jerusalem and Judah in the days of Manasseh. Stephen sensed the same type of religious pride (and error) in the Sanhedrin, so Stephen sought their correction by quoting Isaiah to them. However, since the flesh always wars against the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:17), instead of being corrected they were outraged and killed Stephen by stoning. It’s interesting that the Sanhedrin’s outrage was ignited by Stephen’s claim that they were just like their fathers: always resisting the Holy Spirit, and persecuting every prophet. The interesting part is that they did to Stephen exactly what Stephen accused them of; that is resisting the Spirit, and killing God’s spokesman.
283.) False Prophecy- Seven Things, Acts 13:6-11 “They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was attendant to the pro-consul, Sergius Paulus. The pro-consul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabus and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the pro-consul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” This is the account of that false prophet called Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas the sorcerer. In this account Paul points out seven things which accompany false prophecy:
a.) He opposed Paul and the apostles seeking to turn the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from the faith.
b.) “You are a child of the Devil.”
c.) He was “an enemy of everything that was right”.
d.) “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery”.
e.) “Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord”?
f.) “The hand of the Lord is against you”.
g.) “When the proconsul saw what had happened (that Elymas was struck blind because of his falsehood), he believed.”
I’m not stating that all these things always accompany false prophecy, but they are things to watch for. Particularly, we can easily recognize people who are: seeking to turn others from the faith, continually perverting the right ways and truths of the Lord, and prophets who are struck with sickness and early death. The last item sounds cruel, but I’ve noted in life and from Scripture that sorcery and false religion go hand in hand with sickness and early death (Isaiah 66:3&4).
285.) Ongoing New Testament Prophecy- Agabus, Acts 21:10&11 “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the hands and feet of the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles’. ‘ ” This is an account of a person recognized as a New Testament prophet, Agabus. He’s also recognized in Acts 11:28. There are some who hold that since the Scripture refers to the Law and the Prophets, then prophecy is limited to Old Testament times. There are others that hold that prophecy ended with John the Baptist according to Matthew 11:13. However, the account of Agabus completely annihilates those theories. So, it’s worth looking at some basic facts concerning Agabus. These are:
a.) Agabus was a man recognized as a prophet. There were many who prophesied in the New Testament times, such as the apostles, particularly Paul and John the Revelator, but not many were known as prophets. Indeed, Peter quoted Joel 2 as stating that “I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17). However, there are some people with a specific recognition as a New Testament prophet. These were: Agabus and his group of prophets from Jerusalem (Acts 11:28, &21:10); Barnabus, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul (Acts 13:1); Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32); Phillip’s 4 daughters (Acts 21:9); John the Baptist (Matthew 11:9); Anna (Luke 2:36); the two witnesses of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:10).
b.) “The Holy Spirit says”- Agabus recognized the Holy Spirit’s word, and that the Spirit wanted Agabus to give the Word out. This is a part of prophecy: recognizing the logos of God and knowing whether He wants you to give it out. It’s not too different from situations encountered in lifestyle evangelism; or preachers who pass on to their audiences what God has placed on their hearts; that is, that the message and the timing are given by the Lord.
c.) In Acts 11:28 Agabus is shown coming down from Jerusalem with a group of other prophets. This seems like what we would term in our day and age a church conference. I wonder about such a meeting and who would speak. An operative Scripture for any such meeting is found in I Peter 4:11, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God”. The context of Peter’s passage is the manifold grace of God in the speaking or serving gifts. The point is that if God has led you to do something, then we should do it as an extension of God’s right hand. In the speaking graces, this is not limited to prophecy, but also includes teaching, evangelism, and even pasturing. (I’m including rebukes and corrections, and word of wisdom or word of knowledge statements as types of prophecy, for such oracle considerations.) Speaking “as the oracles of God” is not limited to specific words God has led a person to say. Those who teach from the Scripture should also recognize that they’re speaking the very words of God, and take that position according to I Peter 4:11. Were all such preachers, then, considered prophets? No! There were evangelists, teaching preachers such as Apollos, apostles, and brothers and sisters within local gatherings who were led to speak from the Lord. However, there were only a few recognized as prophets in New Testament times. Again, “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
286.) Prophecy- Applies to Many Generations, Acts 28:25 “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people and say, ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving…’. ‘ “ This passage is an example where God is speaking through the prophet directly to a future generation (the 1st century Jews). This is the same quote from Isaiah 6:9 which the Lord Jesus used in explaining why he taught in parables. Of course the prophet’s words applied to the men of Isaiah’s time as well. This is also another example of the flesh resisting the Spirit of God.
288.) New Testament Prophecy- An Example, Titus 1:12 “Even one of their own prophets has said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’. This is an example of people considered as prophets in the New Testament age. This prophecy is noteworthy since there are not many prophecies written down which were by people recognized as New Testament prophets within the Scripture. The prophecy is questionable since Paul is not citing whether the man is a true prophet, but only that he agrees with what the prophet said regarding the fleshly conduct of Cretans. Paul’s reference to the man as “Even one of their own prophets” leaves an unanswered question as to whether the man was a deceiving prophet from the Judaizers, or a true prophet from among the Cretans. I always took the passage as if the man was a true prophet from among the Cretans. However, the citing of this man as a prophet helps us to understand the Bible’s definition of prophecy as merely speaking from God.
289.) False Prophecy- It’s Motivation, II Peter 2:16 “With eyes full of adultery they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed- an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the ways of Baalam, son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.” This passage shows that , like Balaam, false prophets and false teachers are seduced by greed, adultery, and sin. Please note the money motive which seems to motivate false teachers as well (See Item# 26-d in the Teaching Section.).
292.) The False Prophet of the Tribulation- His Destruction, Revelation 20:10 “And the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Here we see that the Beast and the False Prophet of the Tribulation are thrown into the Lake of Fire. This really spells the end of all false prophets. Later in this passage, Revelation 20:15 says if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. Matthew 7:13 notes, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it”. How much more destruction to a person can there be, than to be eternally placed in the Lake of Fire?!
“PROPHETESS”
293.) Miriam the First Prophetess, Exodus 15:20 “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.’ “ This is the first incidence mentioned in Scripture regarding a prophetess of God. This passage reveals that Miriam was recognized by the Israelites as a prophetess. The prophetesses which I encountered in Scripture are: Miriam (Exodus 15:20); Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah (II Kings 22:14, & II Chronicles 34:22); an unnamed prophetess (Isaiah 8:3); Anna (Luke 2:36); and Phillip’s four unnamed daughters (Acts 21:9). As we consider these prophetesses we immediately see that they each were greatly used by God. Their Godly service must have been excellent in order to be recognized by their peers in this manner, not to mention the Lord’s trust and recognition in giving them the grace of prophecy. Also see Item#28c in the Word of Knowledge Section. I must say that there were many other women who were mentioned in Scripture as having prophesied. The promise of Joel 2:28, partially manifested at Pentecost says, “‘In the last days’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy’.”(Acts 2:17&18) This prophecy was not just for Pentecost, since the visions and dreams portions had not yet occurred at Pentecost.
294.) Deborah the Prophetess, Judges 4:4 “Deborah, the prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” The first thing that comes to my mind as I read the account of Deborah, is: “How did a woman come to be a judge in Israel?”. Deborah was aware of this controversy; because while trying to convince Barak to obey God and lead the attack, she said “the honor will not be yours for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman”. I believe that Deborah’s recognition as a judge was solely due to her Godly walk and her stature as a prophetess.
Consider the economy of the region and the times. “The Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan”. In America today there is much discussion over such sayings as “God bless America”. Many Christians accentuate the fact that America endures because of our Christian heritage. Well, this is the same type of relationship that God had with Israel, and really with all nations (although Israel is the “apple of his eye”). So, the reason why the Israelites recognized the worth and judgeship of Deborah was to receive prosperity and favor with God. However, a more direct way of looking at this is, “the Lord raised up judges to save them (Israel)”( Judges 2:16).
Also consider the type of prophecy which was accomplished by her. She was a prophetess and a judge before she was used to successfully defeat the Canaanite general, Sisera. Her prophecy to Barak was, “The Lord, the God of Israel commands: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men…I will lure Sisera …to the Kishon river and give him into your hands’”. When Barak balks, she immediately adjusts the prophecy and says, “because of the way that you’re going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman”. So, she was able to prophecy by foretelling future events very specifically, and she was in immediate contact with the Lord in order to adjust to Barak’s hesitance.
Also of note was the fact that Deborah was neither a virgin nor a widow as she served the Lord, but was “the wife of Lapidoth”.
295.) Huldah the Powerful Prophetess, II Kings 22:14-20 “Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah., who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. She said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Tell the men who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the King of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.” Huldah’s powerful words seem as if they are coming from God himself. Of course, true prophecy is indeed merely speaking from God. However, her prophecy exudes the fierceness of God’s power. Because of her straightforward prophecy and Josiah’s “responsive heart”, there was a reform in Jerusalem which lasted until Josiah’s death, approximately thirty-one years later.
299.) Anna a New Testament Prophetess, Luke 2:36&37 “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.” In the Scripture’s brief description of Anna, we see that she was eighty-four years old when the baby Jesus was presented in the temple. She was a widow, who fasted, worshiped, and prayed day and night never leaving the temple. She spoke of the child Jesus to “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem”. Here, and in John’s account of the calling of the first disciples, we see the beliefs and attitudes that were in Jerusalem when Christ came. Andrew told his brother, Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Phillip told Nathanael, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote” (John 1:45). At that time there were true believers among the Jews throughout the world who studied the Law and the Prophets and who anxiously yearned for the coming of the Messiah. Anna was one of them. She took her relationship with the Lord very seriously, above all else, and the Lord rewarded her with the glorious eternal riches of Godly service, even prophecy. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
“PROPHETS”
313.) Semantics of Prophecy-The Last Encounter Between Elijah and Elisha, II Kings 2:2-15 “Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.” There’s much to consider in this last encounter between Elijah and Elisha. There’s two main things that I note as follows:
a.) The Spirit of God is what empowered Elijah. We already know this because II Peter 1:21 says “Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. However, in this passage we see the empowering Spirit moving in the actual lives of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah touched the Jordan with his cloak and the waters parted. Later, having received a “double portion” of God’s Spirit, Elisha would touch the Jordan causing it to split apart just as it had for Elijah. Then Elisha would go on and work other miracles and have the full prophetic ministry for which he was anointed (I Kings 19:16). I note that Elisha and the company of prophets considered the miracle working spirit of Elijah to be Elijah’s spirit, not God’s Holy Spirit. Only a portion of the believing Jews throughout history recognized God’s Holy Spirit in action. Also, I can’t recall any Old Testament teacher that directly taught that He is a person of God. The direct teaching of a triune Godhead would not occur until the second person, the Son of God began his earthly ministry.
b.) The second thing that I recognized is the friendship of God in the life of Elijah, and later in Elisha. Did you ever wonder how these prophets were able to effect these casual miracles, such as the parting of the Jordan merely to keep Elijah’s body dry. Consider how Elisha, through the Lord, provided a miraculous supply of oil to pay the debt and provide for a prophet’s widow (II Kings 4:1-7). Consider how the Lord neutralized the poison in the stew when Elisha and the company of prophets were poisoned (II Kings 4:38-41). How is it that the Jerusalem Church was able to cite in their letter to the Gentiles (Acts 15:28), “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”. How could these Christians cite what the Holy Spirit wanted? Well, the answer to these questions is that these people knew the fellowship and friendship of God. The Lord Jesus taught, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14&15). God revealed Himself to Israel as the Lord God (Jehovah, Exodus 6:3), previously he was only known to the Patriarchs as God Almighty (El-Shaddai). God’s covenant relationship with Israel was: “Obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people” (Jeremiah 7:23). This is a servant-Lord relationship, which is great. However, the Lord takes His fellowship with us a step further, saying: “I no longer call you servants…Instead, I have called you friends”. I see this friendship relationship existent among his seriously committed servants in the Old Testament, such as Moses and Elijah, and even to the above unnamed prophet’s widow who received the above miraculous supply of oil. In New Testament times, not only can we see this relationship and experience it ourselves, but it’s directly taught by the Lord Jesus in John 15. This is part of that “personal relationship with God” promise which helped lure us into first believing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:3).
316.) “The Sons of the Prophets”, II Kings 4:38 “Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, ‘Put on a large pot and cook some stew for these men’ “ In and around the lives of Elijah and Elisha there dwelt a believing group of Israelites known as the “sons of the prophets” (KJV), or “company of prophets” in the NIV. These prophets met on regular basis at or near Gilgal (II kings 4:38, and 6:1). These unnamed prophets also had the power and duties of prophecy from the Lord (I Kings 20:35-43, II Kings 9:1-3).
320.) My Servants the Prophets, II Kings 9:7 “You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.” “My servants the prophets” is a concept which occurs at least fourteen times in Scripture, so this term is worthy of scrutiny. Below are some of the points which are brought out in these references:
a.) The Lord is jealously claiming these people as his faithful servants. His reward to these servants was and is great. “Great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). Also note Revelation 18:20&24. A better notion of the Scripture’s definition of being a servant to the Lord is connoted by the New Testament’s use of the Greek word “doulos” (Strong’s No. 1401)[7], meaning bond servant or slave. This was a favorite term of Paul to describe his own service for the Lord (Titus 1:1,etc.). “Doulos” is also used in Revelation 22:9 below.
b.) The whole house of Ahab was destroyed by the Lord in order to avenge the blood of the Lord’s “servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel” (II Kings 9:7). This illustrates the personal ownership that the Lord claimed, and claims, in the work and well being of his prophets, and other servants.
c.) II Kings 24:2. “The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him (the king of Judah). He sent them to destroy Judah in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.” The Lord warned Judah multiple times using multiple prophets. The prophet’s word is considered the same as the Lord’s Word. The theme that Judah was exhaustively warned by the Lord’s “servants the prophets” is a major theme of Jeremiah, as present in Jeremiah 25:5, 26:5, 29:19, 35:15, and 44:4. Also note that Judah was destroyed because of Manasseh’s murderous acts and the Lord’s decision, not just because of the Lord’s Word. God’s Word is a manifestation of God and a communication from God; it is not God.
d.) Jeremiah 7:25. The Lord also warned the nation of Israel, as well as Judah above, through his servants the prophets. This is also brought out in Daniel 9:6-10.
e.) Ezekiel 38:17. This is an illustration of end times prophecy by the Lord’s “servants the prophets”. This is also brought out in Revelation 10:7.
f.) Revelation 22:9 “I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and of all who keep the words of this book.” This verse says that true believers in Christ, as well as the prophets, and others faithful to the words of the Revelation, even the Tribulation believers, are fellow bond slaves with the angels. This verse complements the verses in I Corinthians 11:4-10 which say, “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head- it is just as though her head were shaved….For this reason and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.” The point is that during prayer and prophecy, the servant is before God and His angels at the throne of grace. In order to speak from God (prophecy), the throne of God is focused on what the prophet or prophetess is saying. During prayer we are also directly before God’s “throne of grace”. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4: 16). A man or woman who prays or prophesies before God’s majestic throne without practicing the symbolic headship as taught in Scripture (head coverings) is dishonoring themselves before God’s throne, and before the angels. Three days ago I was up on a ladder thirty feet in the air. I was trying to come down but the tie off rope was stuck. I would have to bounce the ladder off the tree with myself on it, thirty feet in the air, in order to get the rope off. You had better believe that I took my hat off as I made a quick prayer before the Lord’s throne.
321.) The Lord’s Judgment Upon False Prophets- Jehu Traps the Prophets of Baal, II Kings 10:18&19 “Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, ‘Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests. See that no man is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.’ But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.” This is the story of Jehu’s plot to trap and destroy the false prophets of Baal, and it worked very well. It all occurred in fulfillment of the Word which God gave to Elijah stating, “Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael” (I Kings 19:17). The violent destruction of false prophets is also prophesied by Jeremiah, particularly in Jeremiah 23:11-37 in which Jeremiah lists the recompense and judgments to befall false prophets. In Jeremiah’s day these false prophets were dealt with by the sword of Babylon. In this day false prophets come in many forms from the astrologer to the follower of voodoo and yoga, and every form of false divination in between. In my brief life I’ve seen such false teachers and necromancers suffer miserably in this life. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to look for it in order to perceive it. One such person had a religious statue in his side yard. When I approached him with the gospel, he mocked it by hanging a religious pamphlet on my doorknob. A couple years later he contracted cancer of the head, he’s just died recently. God’s way is to make such false prophets “eat bitter food and drink poison water” (Jeremiah 23:15). Actually these people are poisoning themselves; because Jesus said “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty” (John 6:35). Look around you. You’ll see such people entering into what’s been termed by others as “the downward spiral into depravity”. The physical result of drinking poisoned spiritual water is usually sickness and early death. The spiritual result is defined in Revelation 21:8, “The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death”.
322.) The Difference Between Prophets and Seers, II Kings 17:13&23 “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commandments and decrees… The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there”. This verse points out the obvious difference between prophets and seers. A seer (“chozeh” per Strong’s Hebrew No. 2374) sees the future or God’s will, while a prophet (“nabiy” per Strong’s Hebrew No. 5030) speaks from God.[8] While every Christian ought to look for and see God’s short term and overall will in their life, there’s no Scripture or Christian history suggesting the existence of New Testament seers. However, serious Christians can see God’s will and God’s grace being manifested all around them. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14&15).
326.) All Israel were Prophets, I Chronicles 16:22 “When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: ‘Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm’. “ This verse, along with Psalm 105:15, states that from God’s perspective all Israel were prophets. This is true in the overall scheme of God’s will, since he chose Israel (Ezekiel 20:5) as a peculiar people to show his power through them. I believe this is the same perspective that the Lord gives for his Church when he instructs us to endure persecution for his namesake: “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. I construe that verse as meaning that from the Lord’s perspective his Church serves as prophets among this unbelieving world, and will be persecuted just as the other prophets who went before us. This is also consistent with Moses’ perspective who said, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them” (Numbers 11:29).
327.) False Prophets Driven by False Spirits, II Chronicles 18:18-21 “Micaiah continued, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord, I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramath Gilead and going to his death there?’ ‘One suggested this and another that. Finally a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him’. ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets’, he said. ‘You will succeed in enticing him’, said the Lord. ‘Go and do it’.’ “ This is a peculiar verse in that the Lord allowed a lying spirit to direct the false prophets of the King of Israel in order to lure him to his death. This helps emphasize the teaching of I John 4:1, “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”. From these two verses we easily conclude that false prophets are driven by false spirits.
329.) Jehaziel’s prophecy and Generational Gifts, II Chronicles 20:14-22 “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, the son of Mettaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said, ‘Listen King Jehoshaphat, and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be dismayed or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours’ but God’s. …You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you. …After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.’ As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” This is a very important verse because a person, not known as a prophet prophesied and the prophecy came true over the course of the next few days. King Jehoshaphat, before the prophecy came true, encouraged Judah, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” So Jehoshaphat included Jehaziel (v14) as one of God’s prophets merely due to his prophecy, not by his reputation for foretelling the future.
Also, note that Jehaziel was a descendant of the psalmist Asaph, of David’s worship team. Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were not just David’s singers and musicians, but were considered as prophets according to I Chronicles 25:2&3. (Also, please see Matthew 13:35, and II Chronicles 29:30). Given this I feel it’s no accident that Jehoshaphat was confident, not only to march into Battle, but he also had singers going out ahead of his army. The point is that we see music and prophecy manifested by the Holy Spirit and working through Asaph’s descendant Jehaziel. Going further, are there gift enabling teachings that we can pass on to our descendants, just as Asaph did?
333.) Prophecy- Edification and Correction, Ezra 5:1 “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. … Then because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. So the elders of the Jews continued to profit under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo.” In these passages we see the value of prophecy in edification and correction. Zerubbabel and the returning Jews were stymied in their attempt to rebuild the temple. Their enemies, using Satanically false accusations, had won a decision from the reigning authority, Artaxerxes; and had halted the rebuilding of the temple. They were corrected in their reasoning by two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, after which the Jews resumed the temple rebuilding. It then came out that God’s authorization through Cyrus had indeed previously been put in place. Therefore their cause was verified by the new authority, Darius the king.
So this is an excellent example of prophecy used in edification. This is one of the primary uses of New Testament prophecy as well. I Corinthians 14: 3&4 says, “Everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church”. When a group of believers somehow adopts incorrect teaching, which begets incorrect practices, there are only two ways to correct those teachings. The first way is for God to allow persecution to bring out the folly of the bad teaching (“The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son”.) The second way is for the Lord to raise up a man or woman to speak from Him on the issue (prophecy). Now, obviously the second way is the Lord’s preferred way (I Thessalonians 5:19&20).
340.) Israel’s Deep Sleep- Israel’s Eyes (the Prophets) are Sealed, Isaiah 29:10 “The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the Prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers).” This is a very interesting and descriptive passage because of the following points:
a.) The “eyes” of Jerusalem (Ariel) are referred to as the prophets. Prophecy is not just speaking forth from God, but also perceiving the Lord’s message thus making it possible to speak forth the message. This is why the Corinthians speaking in tongues without an interpreter had to be corrected by Paul (I Corinthians 14:28). Understand that tongues was always a form of prophecy (Acts 2:17). To prophesy in a manner that cannot be understood is against Paul’s instruction and therefore not the “apostle’s teaching”.
b.) The “heads” of Jerusalem are the seers. Seers don’t just see God’s will, but can consider and understand the deep ways of God.
c.) The entire passage prophecies the defeat of Jerusalem and its people, but it’s only temporary like a “deep sleep”, until “the Holy One of Israel” (vs. 23) comes. The “deep sleep” will last until “The Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise” (vs. 6), which is obviously the Second Coming of Christ (Mark 13:26). During this sleep no prophets are raised up in Israeluntil the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3. Isaiah’s prophecy concerns Israel and, therefore, obviously does not discount New Testament prophecy which will continue until we see the Lord “face to face” (I Corinthians 13:9-12).
346.) False vs. True Prophecy- Wind vs. Fiery Wind, Jeremiah 5:13 “the prophets are but wind and the word is not in them;...I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes”. God’s word in prophecy is likened to a fire. False prophecy is like a wind with no fire in it. Jeremiah’s prophecy is like a fire, and the people are consumed as wood in a fire.
I recently purchased a high efficiency wood burning stove. The fire can burn continuously for days but the wood is gradually consumed, and more wood is continuously added. So it is with Jeremiah’s prophecy. Generations of people have heard and been effected by his prophecy; still God’s word through Jeremiah hasn’t changed, and more generations of people are continuously exposed to Jeremiah’s prophecy and effected by that fiery Word of God that will last forever. So, even our generation is just more wood being consumed by Jeremiah’s fiery words of prophecy.
347.) “The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way”- Horrible Necromancy and Shamanism, Jeremiah 5:31 Jeremiah explains: “The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me” (vs. 11). “A horrible and a shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way” (vs. 31). The shocking thing that we can see is that the people love false prophecy (and false spiritual authorities- shamanism). “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14). What did the Lord mean when He referred to this state as a “horrible” thing? He means that false spiritual authority constitutes necromancy, which the Lord hates. Revelation 21:8 promises the lake of fire to all those who practice such. Deuteronomy 18:12 says, “Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord”.
350.) False Prophecy and Idolatry- Repeated Warning of Impending Judgment, Jeremiah 13:13 “This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the Lord.” This verse is important in that it is typical of the many verses warning the Lord’s people of impending judgment due to the false prophets and the people’s idolatry. The Lord is still dealing with His people in the same manner. If we continue to go after the world, he’ll turn us over to the world until we’re good and sick of it. The people of Judah and Jerusalem loved their “high places” of worship and their idols and their idolatrous prophets, so the Lord removed his special grace and protection from Judah. “All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away….I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen- your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution!” (Jeremiah 13:19-27). Since the Lord has always been the protector of His people against the onslaught of Satan in this world, we must stay under His protection by being faithful to Him. This sounds obvious, but many Christians are being carried off into the world even as I write this. They want Christ’s protection, but long for the “leeks and onions” of Egypt (Numbers 11:5). I see people testifying of Christ with their lips, but they have a television in every room of their house. They spend enormous amounts of time and effort and money (which is merely a measure of time and effort) on worldly pursuits. They waste their God given life watching TV for hours each day. They have to gossip over every detail of every person’s problem that they know, and they repeat this practically every day. They spend lavishly on clothing and vacations and new cars. Their position in their religion’s pecking order is their God. They’ll take a humble position but only supposedly in the Lord’s name, and with sufficient onlookers to cancel the Lord’s reward for such actions (Matthew 6:1). Fellow Christian, please take seriously the Lord’s urgings in I John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world….For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”. I’m not that old, but, as I get older, my little bit of lust for worldly things and stature is truly beginning to pale before my soul’s longing for the Master’s approval and fellowship in my life. “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57).
352.) True vs. False Prophets, Jeremiah 23:9-30 This is Jeremiah’s great discourse on true versus false prophets. This verse is contained in the Prophecy According to Jeremiah section of the Appendix.
365.) Idolatry, False Prophecy, Sin is not Exposed, God’s Judgment- The Repeating Cycle, Lamentations 2:14 “Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.” We can see herein a fairly clear cause and effect situation. God, who is holy is not willing to have an intimate relationship with his chosen people while they practice idolatry. “Come near to God and he will come near to you: (James 4:8). God emphasizes an important part of prophecy; prophecy exposes sin. The false prophets had no light from God and did not expose Judah’s sin. The effect was deep sin and God’s judgment in the form of violent death and captivity. We should pray that the Lord exposes sin in our lives before it does deep damage. Perhaps he’ll send someone to speak to us regarding such a correction. If so, that would be a form of New Testament prophecy, similar to Nathan prophesying to David.
369.) End Times Prophecy, a.k.a. Eschotology, Ezekiel 38:17&18 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused.” This is an example of end time prophecy, in this case the Lord is saying through Ezekiel that Gog will attack Israel in the last days. God wanted his people Israel to know that he will prevail over wickedness and Satan; and he wanted his people to know that those who are faithful will receive their promised eternal reward. So he revealed the end times to his people through his “servants the prophets”.
373.) Cultural Resistance to Prophecy and Holy Living- “You made the Nazirites to drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy”, Amos 2:11 & 12 In this passage the Lord is communicating to Israel why he will not turn from his wrath towards them. He gives four main reasons for his wrath, then adds on: “I raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men….But you made the Nazirites to drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy”. We know from Numbers 6 and the story of Sampson in Judges 13, that a Nazirite is a person separated unto God. The sign of a Nazirite is that they don’t drink wine or cut their hair.
But, look what Israel was doing, “You made the Nazirites to drink wine”. Israel had no royal decrees that Nazirites must drink wine. They made Nazirites give up their vows by social pressure. Of course this is akin to what is going on in our society. Social pressure, even among Christians, since it’s from the world, will always be to live up to the status quo. But God’s Word says, “Be ye holy for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16). Holiness, for us, means separated unto God, especially for his work.
Now consider the prophets of Israel. Were they commanded by anyone not to prophesy? I considered the prophets of Scripture, and I cannot find a single one commanded not to prophesy. I reviewed Jeremiah. I reviewed the other prophets, even Micaiah (of I Kings 22:7) whom King Ahab despised; and I found no specific commands not to prophesy. So how did Israel command the prophets not to prophesy? It was done collectively by the nation of Israel through their persecution of the prophets. (Persecution of the prophets is discussed in Item # 147 above.) Please notice that social pressure, and even supposed Christian teaching, today maintains that the prophet should not prophesy; or that prophecy does not even exist. In some cases people maintain that only the supposed clergy can speak for God. But thanks be to God for his eternal Word which states, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy” (I Corinthians 14:1).
381.) Foundational, but not Abolished, Zechariah 8:9 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ ” This is an important passage in that it introduces the concept of the prophets as the foundation of the Lord’s house. Let’s analyze the above verse before going on. The prophets quoted in Zechariah 8:1-8 are the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. These prophets didn’t predate Zechariah’s prophecy by that many years, and they certainly weren’t alive when the foundation for Solomon’s temple was laid. So “the foundation” “for the house of the Lord Almighty” is not stone and mortar, but rather the Word of the Lord in its context and its surety. This Word of God contained all that happened up to this present point in Israel’s and the Church’s history. (“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures” I Corinthians 15:3&4.) The “house of the Lord Almighty”, then, is Israel, with the Church engrafted in through Christ (Romans 11:17&18).
The concept of God’s prophetic Word as foundational is further expanded to include the Church in Ephesians 2:20. Some have mistakenly said that since apostleship and prophecy are described as foundational to the Ephesian gathering, then apostleship and prophecy are obsolete for today. However, Zechariah had already begun the discussion; and from Zechariah we clearly see that foundational prophecy doesn’t abolish current gifts of prophecy, else Zechariah and his contemporaries, the post exilic prophets, would have been false prophets. The concept of foundational gifts/work doesn’t abolish further gifts/work. The opposite is true. It’s obvious that a foundation and a Chief Cornerstone doesn’t comprise a completed building.
The five principal gifts of Ephesians 4:11 are the principal means that Christ uses to complete His building, the Church.
a.) Apostleship is used to plant new Churches. Now, Paul and his group along with the Lord Jesus, plus whoever else helped start the Ephesian gathering, will always be recognized as founders and foundational to that Ephesian gathering. However, Paul and his group founded many churches, with many churches still being started today. And the work of the founders of these gatherings will always be considered as foundational to each gathering. So, the sending of people to evangelize and plant churches cannot be considered obsolete according to Ephesians 2:20.
b.) Prophecy is used to edify and correct the churches and the Church. If any of you are involved in the construction industry, you must have heard the term, “change orders”. Correction and edification to the workers in Christ’s Church are done through New Testament prophecy. Such correction can also be done by persecution, or trials, or such other less succinct methods of correction. However, believers, speaking correction from the Lord, is the preferred method taught in Scripture. Such speaking and preaching from the Lord is clearly New Testament prophecy, and is very, very much needed today.
c.) Evangelism is used to bring new believers into Christ’s Church. It’s been said that each generation must completely evangelize the next generation. The extent of that generational evangelism will determine the growth of Christ’s Church, at least in terms of numbers.
d.) The true gift of shepherding is the interior finishing of the Church. How are the furnishings in your home? Are they comfortable and warm, or dingy and not well kept?
e.) Teaching is for training of new workers, as well as the continued education of the existing management and staff.
This entire topic, of foundational and representational prophecy and apostleship, is further explained in the Apostleship Section, in Item Nos 44, 66, & 74.
385.) The Law and the Prophets, Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” This verse is important because it describes an end of an era. It is important to have at least a fundamental understanding of the Church’s relationship to the era and the teachings of the Law and the Prophets (Luke 24:25-27). A good place to start is studying the book of Hebrews, which I believe was written for the purpose of explaining the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Some important points regarding the Law and the Prophets which I gleaned are as follows:
a.) “Everything written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled” (Luke 18:31). All of the life of the Lord Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy, even his death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3&4). The Lord wanted his disciples in particular to understand this. This “sermon on the mount” discourse was directed particularly to his disciples (Matthew 5:1).
b.) When the Lord sought, after his resurrection, to teach his disciples about himself, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). So, this teaching of Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as was said, is fundamental to all discipleship teaching.
c.) The faithful Jews were carefully and anxiously awaiting the Messiah as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (John 1:45).
d.) Christ as the fulfillment of Moses and the Prophets was a primary part of the gospel message used by his apostles, especially when seeking to reach the Jews (Acts 3:17-24; 26:22; 28:23).
e.) Matthew 11:13 says, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. I used a bold font here since this is a very important verse for three reasons:
1.) Many people have misunderstood the meaning of this verse, stating that this verse clearly spells the end of prophecy. However, there were obviously New Testament prophets (Agabus, et al.) who prophesied after John the Baptist. So we really have to carefully look at this concept in order to fully understand this. This passage is merely citing an end to the era and the teaching known as “the Law and the Prophets”.
2.) With 20-20 hindsight we can see that this verse cites the beginning of the New Testament era. Matthew 5:12 cites, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it”. When you go to court you make motions, and the judge issues orders based on the motions of the plaintiff and defendant, and also based on the other governmental authorities. I worked in government for twenty years and from experience I say, “Without authority there is no government”. Many people make requests to the wrong authorities in government, and are then frustrated when that governmental entity doesn’t even respond to their request. The point is that you force governmental action by taking the proper steps: a complaint, an appeal, a motion, etc.. Well, when a person confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, they are forcing their salvation according to the authority and power of God’s Word through Romans 10:9 and many other salvation promises. This method of guaranteeing heaven through the blood and promises of Christ was not available to the Old Testament saints. You cannot “pour new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17). So this passage, and others like it, which mention the “Law and the prophets”, are not teaching the end of prophecy, but rather, are usually differentiating (directly or indirectly) between the Old and New Testament eras. Recognize though that the New Testament era never left God as one of the “mute idols” (I Corinthians 12:2). There was in the first century, and still is now, New Testament prophecy.
3.) There is also a point of definition brought out by this verse. We can readily see how the prophets prophesied until John. But how did the Law prophesy until John? Obviously the word “prophecy” means speaking from God, and is not limited to only those recognized as prophets. From this perspective we can see how the Law spoke from God during that entire covenant of Moses. Clearly we are not under the Law and the Prophets now. “The law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
389.) Some Semantics of Prophecy, Matthew 13:17 “Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Hebrews 11:13 states, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance”. These passages are important in understanding the gift of prophecy, since they show that a true prophet needn’t fully understand the implication of his message. His job is merely to know that it’s from God and to get the message out.
394.) False Prophets and False Signs, Matthew 24:24 “False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible.” Jeremiah 28:9 contains the litmus test for true or false prophecy: “The prophet who prophecies…will be truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true”. This is easy to understand. We have Scripture and the resulting occurrences with which we can discern the accuracy of any prophecy/ prediction. So why, in Matthew 11:13 and in Matthew 24:24, are people discerning prophecy as true because of supposed signs and wonders? The answer is the same as why it is impossible to deceive God’s elect. The true believer doesn’t need to be awed by signs and wonders in order to discern God’s will. We know that God’s will is totally centered around Calvary and the furtherance of God’s kingdom through the gospel. When a person truly receives Christ, that person also gets the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This anointing causes us to know the truth, and the anointing teaches us about all things (I John 2:20-27).
401.) Fellowship of Prophets in Persecution, Luke 6:22-26 “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how your fathers treated the prophets. …Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” This passage and it’s companion passage in Matthew 5:11&12, contain some important points concerning prophecy, as follows:
a.) First, considering the prophet’s great reward, understand that a prophet’s reward is in heaven, not on earth. Further, the connotation clearly is that prophets are not readily received as from God. Also, regarding such rewards, Matthew 10:41 cites a prophet’s reward for receiving a prophet as a prophet, while, Revelation 11:18 cites a special reward for the Lord’s “servants the prophets”.
b.) Matthew 5:12 relates, “In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Now, this is a peculiar verse in that it can be taken two ways. First we can conclude that the believers which are persecuted and the prophets (most of which are persecuted) will receive similar rewards (Revelation 16:6). But the part of this verse that continually gets my attention is, “The prophets who were before you”. There’s a sense of fellowship there, similar to that great cloud of witnesses looking down according to Hebrews 12:1. There were prophets who went before us. In our work of speaking from God aren’t we resisted in the same manner as those prophets who went before us? Aren’t those prophets, and the angels, and the Lord Jesus, looking down and seeing the plight that we’re in as we struggle to Get out the Lord’s message.
c.) “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). This verse poses a two part challenge for us. First, we have to look at our own ministry for Christ. Are we trying to please God or others in our religious periphery? Is our service from God? Does it have an impact? Secondly, we should discern the preachers around us. The Scripture prophesied of a time when men “will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (II Timothy 4:3). True prophecy is not anything like that, since a prophet is focused on communicating the Lord’s message that God has placed on his mind and tongue. A man truly speaking from God knows that the message, being from the Spirit, is going to war against the flesh of those hearing it. He endures such resistance knowing that his message is intended to edify and correct the hearers, and his main concern is serving God.
406.) Prophets- Grouped with the Patriarchs, Luke 13:28 Here we see the Lord Jesus warning the people of Judea That “You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of heaven”. This is typical of other references to the Old Testament prophets which are mishandled by some people. Since all the prophets is mentioned and they are included with the Patriarchs, then a person can mistakenly assume that prophecy was only meant for Old Testament times. Well, I see the passage as being directed at Judean people. So, when Christ said all the prophets, I conclude he meant all prophets, both Old and New Testament. The Judeans, however, didn’t understand the New Testament so they would have concluded that the Lord Jesus was referring to the previous prophets (and not even have included John the Baptist). Neither of the two conclusions subtracts from the point that the Lord is seeking to communicate, which is a warning. The problem arises when some try to read into this some meaning that’s not there; namely, that prophecy ended with the Old Testament. It’s obvious, since there are New Testament prophets included in Scripture, that this passage cannot mean that prophecy ended in Old Testament times.
426.) Silas Cited as a Prophet, Acts 15:32 “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.” This verse cites that Paul’s traveling companion, Silas, as well as Judas, were recognized as New Testament prophets. Please see Item # 285 above. Since prophecy is merely speaking for God in various situations, the phrase “said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers”, is merely restating the phrase citing them as prophets. This is what prophets do; they say things to encourage and strengthen the believers. Silas was also noted as having the gift of apostleship in I Thessalonians 2:6. The identity of this man Judas is an interesting mystery in that there’s not much in Scripture to identify him. Could he be the author of the Book of Jude, whom , it’s said by many, is the brother of James and the Lord Jesus (Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3)? Is this brother of James and the Lord Jesus also that apostle Judas, one of the twelve, cited to be “of James” in Luke 6:16? I must say that chronologically, and in terms of the logical development of a Christian leader, a “yes” to both questions would fit. Well, this is an interesting mystery; but since it doesn’t add much to the study of prophecy or apostleship, I’d better not delve further into that point. We can say, though, that there were two more men, Judas and Silas (a.k.a. Sylvanus) who were recognized as New Testament prophets. There ministry at least covered the period of the council at Jerusalem in 51 AD.
435.) Eagerly Desire the Greater Gifts, I Corinthians 12:27-31 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the Church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” This is a great and encouraging passage in the Scripture, ending with the exhortation, “eagerly desire the greater gifts”. What an exhortation, and what an example of the mind of Christ simply expressed. I recently heard the story of a Korean acquaintance who was called and sent by the Lord to an extremely dangerous ministry in North Korea. To do so he had to leave his wife and children in the U.S. He encountered resistance on every front including his family, but he knew his call was real. His wife had also resisted him, but just before his departure she confessed the wrong she had done him. She said the Lord Jesus had appeared to her in a dream. In the dream she was standing on a cliff, with the Lord bowed and kneeling on a cliff across the gap from her. The Lord said, “Don’t be worried. I’m providing for you and I’m praying for you.” She said she was convicted by the Holy Spirit to confess to her husband that she had held this back from him until the last, because she didn’t want him to go. I was reminded of Peter and the other apostles of Jesus Christ who suffered family separations in order to pick up their cross and follow him. From an earthly situation this looks like a sad situation, but look how closely that man and his wife are able to walk with the Lord. “Eagerly desire the greater gifts”. A fuller discussion of which are the greater gifts is found in the Apostleship Section, Item #56, but prophecy is definitely one of the greater gifts to be sought.
437.) Foundational Aspects, Ephesians 2:20 This verse brings out the foundational aspects of Old Testament prophecy. These aspects are discussed in Item #381 above, and also in Item # 66 in the Apostleship Section.
438.) Holy New Testament Prophets- Necessary for the Church, Ephesians 3:5 “The mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets”. This Scripture is somewhat of a nugget of Scripture. It’s a valuable find for two good reasons:
a.) This Scripture cites holy New Testament apostles and holy New Testament prophets , together, as being included and necessary in the New Testament gatherings. The proximity of this verse to Ephesians 2:20, helps explain that the prophets cited as foundational to the Ephesian gathering in Ephesians 2:20, at least included the New Testament prophets, not just the Old Testament prophets.
b.) This passage is the lead in to Paul’s prayer for the growth of individuals in the Ephesian gathering, per verses 14 through 20. The verse also leads directly to the urging by Paul for them to live a life worthy of Christ’s calling (vs. 4:1). As we know, this urging includes Christ’s grace manifested as those gifts necessary to encourage Christ’s Church to “grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:7-16). The Ephesians Chapter 4 list of such gifts not only encourages apostleship and prophecy, but also evangelism, shepherding, and teaching.
439.) Gifts- God’s Indwelling of the Church, Ephesians 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” This passage essentially lists prophecy as one of the “gifts to men” discussed in Ephesians 4:8 and Psalm 68:18. Psalm 68:18 explains why God gave such “gifts to men”: “That you, O Lord God, might dwell there”. So God indwells his Church through the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy being one of them.
How, then, does God indwell the Church through prophecy? Chiefly there are two ways:
a.) We don’t worship a mute idol. Prophets speak from God, and I believe most seriously minded Christians will be moved by the Lord to speak on his behalf at one time or another. We can easily see that the Lord corrects, strengthens, and edifies the Church through New Testament prophecy (I Corinthians 14:4). Since the Scripture is God’s written Word, bible teachers can also be said to speak from God or prophesy. Indeed, it’s already been shown that the Scripture defines prophecy as anyone at anytime speaking truly from God (Item# 64, & others above). But to claim that prophecy in our day, is limited to teaching or preaching directly from Scripture, is just plain not the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42).
b.) All the gifts are manifestations of God’s grace (charismata). So God is indeed working in and through the individual prophet (or evangelist, or shepherd, etc.).
So God indwells the Church by indwelling each believer. Further, he’s manifesting his power and presence through the Spirit’s gift to each Christian servant. (Also see Apostleship, Item#68.)
443.) Patience in the Face of Suffering, James 5:10 “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” This verse is important for two reasons:
a.) “The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord”- This is simply the definition of prophecy which has evolved from this study of prophecy, that men and women were prophesying by merely speaking from God.
b.) The prophets, even by the Lord’s own words in Matthew 23:35, were known to suffer persecution patiently. The prophets are openly recognized here as an example of Godly patience during suffering.
This passage contains the same concepts as II Timothy 4:5-8 wherein Paul charges Timothy: “Endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist (practice your gift), discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day- and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” In discussing the spiritual abilities, we should not forget that there will be rewards in heaven for our service and our faithfulness. We should fully realize that the practice of our God given gifts is in fact the exercising of our “riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18&19). This is one of the main facts that I’ve learned from this grace study. That is, that the riches of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God are practically one and the same. You can’t have one without the other. Serving the Lord by using the Holy Spirit’s gifts is so closely associated with the glorious riches of Christ that they become one and the same. If we’re serving and walking in the glory of God’s ministry (II Corinthians 3:9, and 4:7), then we are already in possession of the glorious riches of Christ. (Also see Item#46 of the Healings Section.) We’re already seated with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6), and we’re abiding in his glory even while still on earth. (Ephesians 3:16-19; Colossians 1:27, and 2:2&3). Another way of saying this is that, “The abundant life, promised in John 10:10 is, indeed, the Spirit driven life” (See also Item#14 in the Apostleship Section.).
447.) Test the Spirits, I John 4:1 “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” This is an important passage which makes some very specific points, as follows:
a.) The writer, John, seems to be speaking out against a false teaching of that day (Gnosticism) which denied that Christ actually came to earth in the flesh. Even so, the Scripture still has to be true. We can test the spirits by whether they are claiming Christ’s coming in the flesh or not. This is very similar in context to Revelation 19:10 which states that “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy”. A false spirit would never cause someone to teach the truth of Christ’s coming; and on the other hand, the Holy Spirit is always speaking of Christ (John 16:13-15).
b.) It’s important to note that John is discussing testing the spirits. John connotes that false prophets are lead to speak by false spirits. As shown above we know how to discern the spirits, well, then how shall we test a false prophet? Please see Prophecy According to Jeremiah for the points that Jeremiah makes regarding true and false prophecy. In Jeremiah 28:9 we see that prophecy can be tested very easily, according to whether it is true or not. As we have seen from Scripture all New Testament prophecy must be concerned with the testimony of Jesus. So, if a supposed prophet is speaking, but his message doesn’t concern the Lord Jesus’ kingdom agenda, then we easily see the falsehood of that prophet. (We could also conclude that the spirit behind that false prophet is not acknowledging Christ.)
It’s extremely interesting that this study of prophecy begins with the pivotal passage in I Corinthians 13:8 which states that prophecy must continue until Christ comes again; and the study ends on this verse, I John 4:1, saying that we are to “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God”. If I had to select two main points that we had to understand regarding prophecy, these are the two points that I’d list. However, I didn’t select or sequence these passages at all. The item entries are listed as was stated in the beginning of this prophecy study, that is, alphabetically by word (prophecies, prophecy, prophesied, etc.), then by sequence of occurrence in the Bible (Genesis first, Revelation last). Be careful, be circumspect, test the spirits to discern what is of God and what isn’t. “We know in part and we prophesy in part” (I Corinthians 13:9), but “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world”.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
Lest someone misconstrue, or even deliberately twist, the results of what’s being concluded from this study, the following summary points are noted:
1.) Prophecy is merely defined as speaking from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 28, 62, 64, 124, 125, 218, 278, 285, 295, 320, 322, 385, 389, 401, 439, 443; and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- 1st paragraph.)
2.) Prophecy never became obsolete with the death of John the Baptist, or the completion of Scripture. The Scripture does not teach such obsolescence. Neither does the history of Christ’s Church show such obsolescence. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 2, 11, 13, 99, 226, 285, 288, 381, 385, 406, 426, 437, 438; and “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 14:7-25; also Word of Knowledge Item#97.)
3.) The “charismata” of prophecy was never limited to only those commonly recognized as prophets. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 97, 124, 130, 218, 278, 326, 329, and 426.)
4.) Prophecy is a manifestation of God’s grace. (The above items show this: Nos. 11, 62, 66, 99, 100, 285, 293, 438, 439; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah"- 1st paragraph, and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 22.)
5.) Fleshly people, prophets own flesh, even Satan (Daniel 10:13), have historically resisted the Spirit of God manifested in prophecy (Galatians 5:17), particularly opposing their authority to speak from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 66, 68, 100, 143, 147, 217, 241, 281, 373, 401, 443; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 11:21, 20:2, &25:2; also “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 24 & 25, and 26-35.)
6.) Semantics. (The above items show this: Nos. 22, 51, 70, 74, 85, 97, 99, 100, 143, 211, 218, 221, 285, 286, 294, 340, 365, 401; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 1:5 & 19:14; “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 5, 24, 25, & 26-35.)
7.) We must recognize the authority of God being manifested in prophecy. We should not quench the Holy Spirit by despising prophecies. We should accept and recognize prophecy as coming from God’s servants. (The above items show this: Nos. 54, 66, 97, 122, 172, 216, 217, 229, 285, 320, 346, 389; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 7:25, 20:2, and 50:2.)
8.) Prophecy does not add to Scripture. (The above items show this: Nos. 20, and 157.)
9.) Any attempted change to the apostle’s doctrine, as canonized in the New Testament, must be met with skepticism, careful rebuttal, and a loving concern for future generations of Bible students, and the unsaved. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 56; and “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 5.)
10.) Paul’s position regarding the Holy Spirit’s manifestation in men is repeated consistently and contains four elements:
a.) “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (I Corinthians 12:31).
b.) “Do not forbid” others to practice their Spirit initiated abilities (I Corinthians 14:39).
c.) “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (I Corinthians 14:40).
d.) Love should be the motivating factor in all Christian work (I Corinthians 13).
This is Paul’s position. I accept it as my position, because it is God’s position (II Timothy 3:16). (The above items show this: 1, 50, 97, 373; and also “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 1, 2, 6-9, and 39-40.)
11.) “Be eager to prophesy” is the teaching repeated by Paul and others in Scripture. Therefore this should be our attitude towards prophecy for ourselves and for others. (The above items show this: Nos. 1, 16, 22, 50, 229, and 373).
12.) False prophecy- there were, and still are, many false prophets in the world. They reap havoc on those who listen to them. The Lord’s judgment on the false prophets and those who listen to them is certain and swift. (The above items show this: Nos. 44, 54, 69, 71, 75, 82, 128, 283, 289, 292, 321, 327, 347, 350, 352, 365; “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 2:8, 14:14, 23:9-40, and 37:13.)
13.) Prophecy is given for the Church’s edification, strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. (The above items show this: Nos. 34, 118, 143, 223, 224, 281, 295, 333, 369; “Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14”- vs. 2-4, and 26-35.)
14.) The test for true prophecy is simple and plain, and taught through the prophet Jeremiah centuries ago. A person truly speaking from God must prophesy truth. If what a person says is not true, then we cannot accept that person as speaking from God. (The above items show this: Nos. 37, 127, 229, 288, 394, 447; and “Prophecy According to Jeremiah”- 28:9.)
APPENDIX TO THE PROPHECY SECTION
Prophecy According to Jeremiah
Speaking from God According to I Corinthians 14
END HOME
[1] Watchman Nee, The Flow of the Spirit (Anaheim, Ca: Living Stream Ministry, 1993) p. 1-2.
[2] Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p. xxxii.
[3] www.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism, “Gnosticism”
[4] W.E Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981) p. 107.
[5] Samuel Schultz, “Introduction to First Chronicles”, The Open Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers) p. 389.
[6]Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975) p. 647.
[7] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 24 of his Greek Dictionaryof the New Testament.
[8] James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company) p. 38 & 75 of his Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.