It seems that when considering the prophetic voice and why some young men are led by it, me being one such young man, it seems that the voice which they are privy toward communicating with is there because another voice is absent.
As an Aspergian, I recall it being discussed that we lack a theory of mind, which I can at least interpret to mean a voice within that communes with you actively to shine light into your interactions. It is by this voice, that some call intuition, but that I want to distinguish from intuition which I esteem as a good thing, that one is led toward appraising the language of another as being truthful, untruthful, sincere, insincere, said with humorous intent, said nefariously, or any other such way a thing can be said.
I should say that this is from some sort of voice, the reasoning voice, even if such voice is unreasonable in itself, that is natural to man, if he does have theory of mind.
But while the Aspergian understands concepts of morality, justice, and nobility, because they lack a theory of mind, or are more naive than most, they are extremely challenged to weigh if the person to whom they are speaking is being truthful or even has their best interests at heart.
Now I want to universalize this observation and talk about the guileless person, who may or may not be Aspergian. Shortly I will present a hypothetical dialogue that I'm not sure really takes place within anyone but is a subtle process, perhaps understood and with no need to be spoken. It is in the nature. As to what it is, I would say it is the voice of one reasoning with oneself within oneself. I say it is evil, because it is the natural self without any of the filter of civilization. A man cannot really be his natural self as an instrument in civilization, or the civilization would eliminate him as being bent purely on evil. How each man filters this aspect of himself is for him to decide. Some merely restrain themselves; some find religion and are changed from the inside. But certainly the discussion one has with oneself is a very different discussion from any that he has with others, particularly if he is not born again.
But as to these men, they are men who are guileless and are really themselves in civilization, not filtered. What this really means is that, if concerning a noble person, is someone who acts in civilization as one not constrained to act lawfully, he acts morally merely because he is a person whose morality comes naturally, rather than from being constrained to behave morally by society's mores. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have some who act as completely lawless, rebels who are not constrained by any law to filter that part of themselves. The guileless are the most intriguing of all. Their motives are questioned constantly, and are more likely to be suspected of wrongdoing than to be guilty of any wrongdoing.
It is by the mercy of God, that some of these, even prophets, are led by the voice of God rather than that of their own rotten human nature, which somehow they are less in touch with.
A hypothetical discussion of one with oneself as a preliminary to socialization may look like this:
a. Within myself, I know that in communication with others, I am often torn between telling the truth or evasion, or telling a lie.
b. At some times, at least, it seems as if by necessity I must lie.
c. From this, I extrapolate that it is certain that others are motivated by these same natural impulses, I am even certain that at some times I am being lied to, even if I cannot indubitably determine which persons in which cases are lying.
d. But I am certain that at any time, I may be being lied to.
e. And furthermore I am certain that I have been lied to at some time and that at least some of the time some people are lying to me.
f. I feel that I am a noble person motivated by moral considerations and noble qualities.
g. And although I don't esteem myself as really any more noble than anyone else, for I am far too modest to deduce that, I do feel that I am often more motivated by morality than other men, why, because I am a rationalist.
___
As fake or unlikely as some of these scenarios may be, there is a transcendent truth to g. One juggles, actually almost all of us juggle in some way, with feeling to be more intelligent than the next man, more moral than the next man, more ____ than the next man, however it's also maintained that we are more self-restrained, humble, and modest than the next man, less quick to rush to judgment, and every other sort of quality that in this second category seem to invalidate all in the first.
One really can't have it both ways. But because of the malignant inner voice, these seem to be quite reasonable principles. Some are most comfortable when they are behind the wheel. Some are most comfortable calling the shots; so one is also convinced of his own balance and pleasing qualities, and even if he is an urchin among Papuan New Guineans, he is still enamored by number one, even if no one else is.
___
The prophetic voice... This is a very different communication. It doesn't gather reasoning from the inside but from without. I think it's often with people who lack the first voice and can often be taken in with frauds or deceit. The prophets then are the men that God has the greatest mercy on because if it were not for the guidance of God, then they would not even have a malevolent inner voice to lead them. They would have no intuition, no theory of mind at all.
But for some reason they hear the reasoning of God stronger than they hear their own reason. I think it is a tremendous act of mercy. On one hand, you have people that are so innocent that they will believe anything a deceiver will tell them. On the other, you have people so enamored with themselves and consentaneously suspicious of others that they do not even believe the testimony of the saints. And then you have some among us, prophets who struggled with both, but somehow came to lean on God for their understanding.
I know this because I too am chosen for the prophetic task. I struggled with a rotten voice inside of me, speaking threats and blasphemy. I struggled with my own naivete and innocence, and being taken by deceivers. But I try to rely on God for insights as much as I can. If I buy a winning lottery ticket, I thank God. When a tasty meal brings tears to my eyes, I thank God. When a breeze lets up on the brutal summer heat, so natural to East Texas, I thank God. And maybe sometimes I don't. I hardly ever say thanks at meals, for when I sit down, that is a moment for me to break from saying thanks. It is so often throughout the day I'm in awe of His work and giving thanks.
Awe itself is thanks. In awe over a new mathematical law you have learned, awe over the contrast of oppressively hot weather and the sort of cold that leads you to sit by the fire with a hot cider, a musician who has struck angelic chords, a child enamored with a balloon, and all sorts of things that cause you to thank God for having created the world with such moments of perfection, even despite the other instances of unregenerate evil.
But the people have never really believed the God-led. The prophets from the beginning have been brought to sit in judgment of the conventional wisdom, those truths society holds so dear. They are principles, like geocentrism or phrenology, that in one era are held sacrosanct, in another remembered bitterly and mocked. Think of how so many bitterly remember the legacy of the Church with respect to Galileo. But the prophets, to God's glory, and for strange reason, are commanded by God to go before the people and denounce their cherished notions, and what's more, to become bolder, more obnoxious, and more strident in denouncing them over time! Instead of rehabilitating their image, the prophet is continually brought toward making himself look worse, in the eyes of the political and religious establishment. These are men never censored by the filter of common convention, of law, or society, like the savages we discussed earlier who censor themselves merely to continue being tolerated by society.
They are people who say what they think. It couldn't be that they say what they don't think, or then they would be telling a lie. But they say things that, at least some of the time, the hearers cannot believe any rational person would think at all. The crowd has to conclude, and with the appearance of seeming logical, that they are liars, connivers, rebels, and dissenters. I don't know why that is. I suppose it is the evil voice that has many convinced that men are liars.
The greatest medicine against lying is to allow a person to say what they feel and what they think, without judgment, without condemnation, without fear of reprisal. But it has also to be reckoned with that we will often be disgruntled by their opinions and that should be met with restraint, or rather than restrain free discourse we should restrain punishing those who speak freely.
The prophetic voice is when the person has conquered their own rotten counsel, or non-counsel, and submitted with faith to the voice of God.
Showing posts with label prophetic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prophetic. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
The Seven Spirits of God
Most Christians deny such a thing even exists.
They so deeply desire to prove the trinity of God that they openly revile and decry His seven spirits.
One apostate, Jeanine, and another impostor Mondale, both of whom are among the damned, if I were placing bets, suggest to me that I have misunderstood. They recall Isaiah's seven abiding qualities of God.
But John was the prophet who spoke of that which I speak. But I don't plan on explaining the meaning of the mystery, mostly because I just don't want to... and you're probably not worthy.
Revelation 1:4
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne..."
Revelation 3:1
"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."
Revelation 4:5
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."
Revelation 5:6
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
What are they? Stay tuned for more...
They so deeply desire to prove the trinity of God that they openly revile and decry His seven spirits.
One apostate, Jeanine, and another impostor Mondale, both of whom are among the damned, if I were placing bets, suggest to me that I have misunderstood. They recall Isaiah's seven abiding qualities of God.
But John was the prophet who spoke of that which I speak. But I don't plan on explaining the meaning of the mystery, mostly because I just don't want to... and you're probably not worthy.
Revelation 1:4
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne..."
Revelation 3:1
"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."
Revelation 4:5
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."
Revelation 5:6
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
What are they? Stay tuned for more...
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Droughts and the Judgments of Matthews 24
I want to make a short message for my readers. I want this letter to briefly detail how much times have changed since I was a kid. And it has to do with the rain. The judgments Jesus predicted often times deal with rainfall to rain. Fires, pestilence, famine. That all could be connected to drought conditions.
So first, a rhyme, that I would hear as a boy, but no longer do children sing this song:
"Rain, rain, Go away, Just come back another day."
As a boy, I remember the Spring rains. Those rains that would ruin recess, which for some was a respite from the day's lessons, while for others it was a lesson of another sort, a lesson in humility, in being belittled by the bigger and less conscientious children.
But these rains would come and inundate us all day in some cases. It was always calming to work while the rain beat against the roof of the school.
But too often today, the rain blows out almost as quick as it blows in. We don't see those truly soaking showers that I remember as a kid.
Nobody sings that rhyme any more.
I am a rare conservative that admits the truth of global climate change. Texas has seen the majority of its brutal summers between 1998-2012. A vivid memory of childhood was the Summer of '98, that was only finally eclipsed by the Summer of 2011. Texas has seen extensive periods of drought. We have 254 counties in our state, some such as Brewster bigger than whole states. In one period of drought in the last few years, I believe we had over 240 counties under burn bans. Lakes have suffered terribly. Small towns have been wiped out when the lake dried up. Texas is one of the prime victims of climate change. Do I think there is an unequivocal warming trend in all places on earth? I don't think so. But there are certainly regions that are bearing a huge burden due to climactic change.
Be it from global warming or not, this is a sign of the end of the age.
I want to make a short message for my readers. I want this letter to briefly detail how much times have changed since I was a kid. And it has to do with the rain. The judgments Jesus predicted often times deal with rainfall to rain. Fires, pestilence, famine. That all could be connected to drought conditions.
So first, a rhyme, that I would hear as a boy, but no longer do children sing this song:
"Rain, rain, Go away, Just come back another day."
As a boy, I remember the Spring rains. Those rains that would ruin recess, which for some was a respite from the day's lessons, while for others it was a lesson of another sort, a lesson in humility, in being belittled by the bigger and less conscientious children.
But these rains would come and inundate us all day in some cases. It was always calming to work while the rain beat against the roof of the school.
But too often today, the rain blows out almost as quick as it blows in. We don't see those truly soaking showers that I remember as a kid.
Nobody sings that rhyme any more.
I am a rare conservative that admits the truth of global climate change. Texas has seen the majority of its brutal summers between 1998-2012. A vivid memory of childhood was the Summer of '98, that was only finally eclipsed by the Summer of 2011. Texas has seen extensive periods of drought. We have 254 counties in our state, some such as Brewster bigger than whole states. In one period of drought in the last few years, I believe we had over 240 counties under burn bans. Lakes have suffered terribly. Small towns have been wiped out when the lake dried up. Texas is one of the prime victims of climate change. Do I think there is an unequivocal warming trend in all places on earth? I don't think so. But there are certainly regions that are bearing a huge burden due to climactic change.
Be it from global warming or not, this is a sign of the end of the age.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Withholding A Prophetic Word
"I have a word for you, but you are not ready yet."
If a prophetic word is received, then it is incumbent upon the one receiving to reveal it. It is not for the recipient to debate within himself if the person is 'ready to receive it'. There are problems if the word is not brought forth.
A. A person may not receive guidance where they need it and possibly cannot receive healing until they receive a confirmation on their end.
B. The person who received it cannot be promoted. They demonstrate that they cannot be trusted because the word God gave them to give to someone they did not show wisdom in delivering to the person.
C. Neither the one the message is intended for or the one intended to deliver it can grow. The one who the message is intended for, if he receives it, may learn something about the person, is he reliable, honest, trustworthy. A respect between the two, learning more about each other, cannot be had.
D. If the two lose contact with one another, then the person cannot then receive the revelation.
As to who 'received' it.
1. If you are not confident enough to come forward with it, it is doubtful you have received a revelation at all or that you are simply demon possessed.
2. The statement is a unbelievably prideful. "I have a word (see, I am a spiritual person), but you are not ready (you are not a spiritual person).
3. It also is intended to make a statement about oneself. "I receive revelation from God".
_________
Overall, there seems to be a lot of holes in making a claim of this sort and absolutely no upside. If you receive something from God about someone, it's not really a good idea to hold it from the person because while you might expect the opportunity to discuss it later, often times there is never such an opportunity.
Another thing that must be asked is is the word truly for the person or could the word also be significant for you? Does the word confirm to you something about yourself, or does it cause you to ask questions about yourself and explore how God is using you or intends to use you. These words may not always be as meaningful for the person they apply to as it is to you.
Also, if you receive a word about someone but you are not convinced it is the time to discuss it, then it may not be the time and the best thing you can do is not mention it at all. When the time comes to discuss it, if it ever does, you will know.
If a prophetic word is received, then it is incumbent upon the one receiving to reveal it. It is not for the recipient to debate within himself if the person is 'ready to receive it'. There are problems if the word is not brought forth.
A. A person may not receive guidance where they need it and possibly cannot receive healing until they receive a confirmation on their end.
B. The person who received it cannot be promoted. They demonstrate that they cannot be trusted because the word God gave them to give to someone they did not show wisdom in delivering to the person.
C. Neither the one the message is intended for or the one intended to deliver it can grow. The one who the message is intended for, if he receives it, may learn something about the person, is he reliable, honest, trustworthy. A respect between the two, learning more about each other, cannot be had.
D. If the two lose contact with one another, then the person cannot then receive the revelation.
As to who 'received' it.
1. If you are not confident enough to come forward with it, it is doubtful you have received a revelation at all or that you are simply demon possessed.
2. The statement is a unbelievably prideful. "I have a word (see, I am a spiritual person), but you are not ready (you are not a spiritual person).
3. It also is intended to make a statement about oneself. "I receive revelation from God".
_________
Overall, there seems to be a lot of holes in making a claim of this sort and absolutely no upside. If you receive something from God about someone, it's not really a good idea to hold it from the person because while you might expect the opportunity to discuss it later, often times there is never such an opportunity.
Another thing that must be asked is is the word truly for the person or could the word also be significant for you? Does the word confirm to you something about yourself, or does it cause you to ask questions about yourself and explore how God is using you or intends to use you. These words may not always be as meaningful for the person they apply to as it is to you.
Also, if you receive a word about someone but you are not convinced it is the time to discuss it, then it may not be the time and the best thing you can do is not mention it at all. When the time comes to discuss it, if it ever does, you will know.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Questions about Prophets
I. Are there prophets today?
Yes. The Bible is a recorded history of the words and teachings of prophets over a period of nearly two thousand years. Because there is not clear evidence to suggest that the prophetic office is ended, then the onus shifts on to those who claim there are no more prophets to prove it. Until it is shown biblically that the office is ceased then presumption should rest on them continuing. But do not confuse me as saying there are many of them because it is clear from my studies that they are vastly outnumbered by the frauds.
II. It has been said there is no longer any need for prophets today because revelation is complete in the Bible. Are you saying that revelation continues?
If revelation continues, it will not contradict the Word. I do confirm that revelation of a different scope DOES continue today. I view revelation as being divided between NATIONAL and INDIVIDUAL levels. Individual level revelation IS still in need because people have the same problems today as they have always had, whereas the case can be made that revelation of a NATIONAL scope is complete in the Bible. The prophets in the Bible days offered advice for people that originated with God and was reliable. So that does continue today. When a prophet in our modern era brings a message that is national in nature then I find that it will generally provide greater clarity to the prophecies already received. He would explain symbols or the mysteries that have long been a source for confusion.
The second thing is that the prophecies recorded in the Bible were of such substantial nature that inclusion was necessary. Clearly, not every word Elijah or ______ or ______ gave were necessary to be written for us today. And the prophets today give such types of words, which are life-changing for the people they are meant for, but not of worth to the church-at-large. So generally, yes, revelation is complete on a national level but individual revelation does continue. National revelation that takes place today is designed to clarify rather than add to.
III. What is a major quality to look for in a prophet? I have a friend who I am not sure if his gift is authentic.
A prophet almost invariably has 'perspective'.
A prophet is not afraid to speak his mind or reveal to you things he received in visions or dreams. But the prophet will always be centered on the Word. If someone speaks nearly exclusively of HIS visions, HIS dreams, HIS prophecies... then there could be a few problems going on: a) He may genuinely have a gift that he is not yet operating in fully and he does not totally understand, b) he is immature and has greatly overestimated his gifting, or c) very likely, he is a false prophet who is receiving false revelation from either his own imaginings or a deceiving spirit. I say more likely because the character of the prophets discussed in the Bible all had the proper perspective or learned it very quickly and were not people with an ongoing spiritual problem. The perspective can be stated in a few ways: The prophet never has an inflated view of himself, unlike the frauds who receive much publicity today. They never exalt their ministries or revelations above God and God's revelation, that is meaning they will be fluent in the Bible and not simply harp on and on about their calling and their prophetic words. And they are centered on the Word and don't lose sight of those things we hold dear.
IV. Let's go back to revelation being complete. Most well-respected sources argue that because it is complete, there is no longer any need for prophets today. How do you square the idea that the Bible is complete and solely sufficient with the idea that there are prophets today?
Let us examine the two points of that argument, namely: 1) Revelation is complete and the Bible is sufficient and 2) Prophets are unnecessary.
The syllogism is framed like this:
If revelation is ceased, then - prophets. (minus prophets)
Revelation is ceased, thus - prophets.
The problem is hard to spot, but here it is: If prophets are no longer necessary and the Bible is sufficient, then why don't you show me the verse that states that? Instead you have used a syllogism, a piece of your own logic. But if all revelation is in the Bible, show me the part where it is said that the gift of prophecy was to stop after the time of Christ. So either the Bible is not complete and we need you to add to it or it is complete and there certainly are prophets today. Don't expect everyone to buy into your sham argument defending an idea found nowhere in the Bible, which you are adding to, while also maintaining that it is complete and there is no need to add to it. You add to it right there.
But there is also an additional problem: It assumes that all prophecy is of a stature such that its inclusion is necessary and that it is of personal value to all in the church. It is not. Gad, Iddo, Nathan, several prophets who went unnamed (some of whom are found in I and II Kings) and others did not have their prophetic words recorded. That is because they had personal meanings to the individuals God gave them for and were of no value to others. The New York Times once billed itself as "All The News That's Fit To Print". This shouldn't be misunderstood as saying that it is all the news in the world, just simply those an ample selection of stories that will speak to readers from all walks of life. The Bible in effect then is not All Prophecy, but instead, All The Prophecy That Is Fit To Print.
V. Where are the prophets?
If many are quiet now, it is because their time is not yet come. The others, if one has not found you, then it is not your time. When God sees you have a need, He will fill it. And third, some of you have found prophets already but despised and rejected them, like the Bible said most people would do. It always seemed to me that the verses against false prophets outnumbered the verses on true prophets ten to one. So if you are consistently finding fakes, you are like most everyone else. Keep looking and don't mind the fakers because they surely vastly outnumber authentic prophets! If all else fails, ask God to speak to you in a dream, vision, sign, or voice and wait on the Lord.
VI. I ask someone many difficult problems and they have a smooth answer for everything. Is he speaking truly? HELP!
There is a good piece of advice Christians must remember: Know what you know and know what you don't know. The prophetic calling demands this: If you are not certain of something, making a guess or speculation then you can never suggest to a person that something is from the Lord. If the prophet does not have the answer to something he should not be afraid to admit to not knowing and should preface any reply by saying, "My opinion is.." or some equivalent marker to note that he is not stating as a biblical certainty. You can always investigate more but if you speak error, this cannot be undone. A man who speaks smoothly and answers many difficult problems may not be a prophet and it seems he has more in common with the false prophets.They spoke many pleasant things as Jeremiah made clear with Hananiah. Prophets were not often known for being eloquent or skilled speakers. Moses stuttered, Isaiah was a man of unclean lips, Jeremiah complained he was only a child, and Jonah even complained that no one would want to hear him. Prophets were the awkward and the absurd of their generations. You would laugh if you saw a real one. I knew one whose chairs would fall out from under him, he'd trip over things that weren't there, or trip over three or four things at a time before falling flat on his face and breaking something. He'd open the door to a kitchen cabinet and the screws would pop loose. Please do not ask me why because only God knows why He chooses the absurd for this office! But God believes in the poor vessel, the stone the builders reject, that one who is reviled by his neighbors and thankfully shows special grace in these.
Yes. The Bible is a recorded history of the words and teachings of prophets over a period of nearly two thousand years. Because there is not clear evidence to suggest that the prophetic office is ended, then the onus shifts on to those who claim there are no more prophets to prove it. Until it is shown biblically that the office is ceased then presumption should rest on them continuing. But do not confuse me as saying there are many of them because it is clear from my studies that they are vastly outnumbered by the frauds.
II. It has been said there is no longer any need for prophets today because revelation is complete in the Bible. Are you saying that revelation continues?
If revelation continues, it will not contradict the Word. I do confirm that revelation of a different scope DOES continue today. I view revelation as being divided between NATIONAL and INDIVIDUAL levels. Individual level revelation IS still in need because people have the same problems today as they have always had, whereas the case can be made that revelation of a NATIONAL scope is complete in the Bible. The prophets in the Bible days offered advice for people that originated with God and was reliable. So that does continue today. When a prophet in our modern era brings a message that is national in nature then I find that it will generally provide greater clarity to the prophecies already received. He would explain symbols or the mysteries that have long been a source for confusion.
The second thing is that the prophecies recorded in the Bible were of such substantial nature that inclusion was necessary. Clearly, not every word Elijah or ______ or ______ gave were necessary to be written for us today. And the prophets today give such types of words, which are life-changing for the people they are meant for, but not of worth to the church-at-large. So generally, yes, revelation is complete on a national level but individual revelation does continue. National revelation that takes place today is designed to clarify rather than add to.
III. What is a major quality to look for in a prophet? I have a friend who I am not sure if his gift is authentic.
A prophet almost invariably has 'perspective'.
A prophet is not afraid to speak his mind or reveal to you things he received in visions or dreams. But the prophet will always be centered on the Word. If someone speaks nearly exclusively of HIS visions, HIS dreams, HIS prophecies... then there could be a few problems going on: a) He may genuinely have a gift that he is not yet operating in fully and he does not totally understand, b) he is immature and has greatly overestimated his gifting, or c) very likely, he is a false prophet who is receiving false revelation from either his own imaginings or a deceiving spirit. I say more likely because the character of the prophets discussed in the Bible all had the proper perspective or learned it very quickly and were not people with an ongoing spiritual problem. The perspective can be stated in a few ways: The prophet never has an inflated view of himself, unlike the frauds who receive much publicity today. They never exalt their ministries or revelations above God and God's revelation, that is meaning they will be fluent in the Bible and not simply harp on and on about their calling and their prophetic words. And they are centered on the Word and don't lose sight of those things we hold dear.
IV. Let's go back to revelation being complete. Most well-respected sources argue that because it is complete, there is no longer any need for prophets today. How do you square the idea that the Bible is complete and solely sufficient with the idea that there are prophets today?
Let us examine the two points of that argument, namely: 1) Revelation is complete and the Bible is sufficient and 2) Prophets are unnecessary.
The syllogism is framed like this:
If revelation is ceased, then - prophets. (minus prophets)
Revelation is ceased, thus - prophets.
The problem is hard to spot, but here it is: If prophets are no longer necessary and the Bible is sufficient, then why don't you show me the verse that states that? Instead you have used a syllogism, a piece of your own logic. But if all revelation is in the Bible, show me the part where it is said that the gift of prophecy was to stop after the time of Christ. So either the Bible is not complete and we need you to add to it or it is complete and there certainly are prophets today. Don't expect everyone to buy into your sham argument defending an idea found nowhere in the Bible, which you are adding to, while also maintaining that it is complete and there is no need to add to it. You add to it right there.
But there is also an additional problem: It assumes that all prophecy is of a stature such that its inclusion is necessary and that it is of personal value to all in the church. It is not. Gad, Iddo, Nathan, several prophets who went unnamed (some of whom are found in I and II Kings) and others did not have their prophetic words recorded. That is because they had personal meanings to the individuals God gave them for and were of no value to others. The New York Times once billed itself as "All The News That's Fit To Print". This shouldn't be misunderstood as saying that it is all the news in the world, just simply those an ample selection of stories that will speak to readers from all walks of life. The Bible in effect then is not All Prophecy, but instead, All The Prophecy That Is Fit To Print.
V. Where are the prophets?
If many are quiet now, it is because their time is not yet come. The others, if one has not found you, then it is not your time. When God sees you have a need, He will fill it. And third, some of you have found prophets already but despised and rejected them, like the Bible said most people would do. It always seemed to me that the verses against false prophets outnumbered the verses on true prophets ten to one. So if you are consistently finding fakes, you are like most everyone else. Keep looking and don't mind the fakers because they surely vastly outnumber authentic prophets! If all else fails, ask God to speak to you in a dream, vision, sign, or voice and wait on the Lord.
VI. I ask someone many difficult problems and they have a smooth answer for everything. Is he speaking truly? HELP!
There is a good piece of advice Christians must remember: Know what you know and know what you don't know. The prophetic calling demands this: If you are not certain of something, making a guess or speculation then you can never suggest to a person that something is from the Lord. If the prophet does not have the answer to something he should not be afraid to admit to not knowing and should preface any reply by saying, "My opinion is.." or some equivalent marker to note that he is not stating as a biblical certainty. You can always investigate more but if you speak error, this cannot be undone. A man who speaks smoothly and answers many difficult problems may not be a prophet and it seems he has more in common with the false prophets.They spoke many pleasant things as Jeremiah made clear with Hananiah. Prophets were not often known for being eloquent or skilled speakers. Moses stuttered, Isaiah was a man of unclean lips, Jeremiah complained he was only a child, and Jonah even complained that no one would want to hear him. Prophets were the awkward and the absurd of their generations. You would laugh if you saw a real one. I knew one whose chairs would fall out from under him, he'd trip over things that weren't there, or trip over three or four things at a time before falling flat on his face and breaking something. He'd open the door to a kitchen cabinet and the screws would pop loose. Please do not ask me why because only God knows why He chooses the absurd for this office! But God believes in the poor vessel, the stone the builders reject, that one who is reviled by his neighbors and thankfully shows special grace in these.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Judgment Against Wal-Mart
I was saved very powerfully in November 2007. In 2008, I received the prophecy against Wal-Mart.
I was with a friend one afternoon when we stopped at Wal-Mart. He went in before me. I might have been smoking a cigarette outside. I went in going to look for him. But I stopped near the front and focused in on the magazines. The Holy Spirit showed me how It feels about the immorality present in society. I was intoxicated. I saw people in the stores who practiced deep immorality in their lives, some were dressed in not much more than a stripper's attire, the clothing sold in the store was not much more presentable, and the magazines on the stands promoted the immoral lives of the nation's celebrities. When I say I felt intoxicated, I am telling the truth and that I was stumbling through
the store.
I made myself in between a couple check-out lanes and I started looking at the candy, struggling to hold my head up. I looked down and it was at this point I received a vision. I saw a whirlwind, a tornado in other words, descend from heaven. It went through the front of the store sweeping out the moneychangers, the cash registers, the customers, and all the money. Instantly, it was made known to me the meaning of the vision. Wal-Mart, a sort of Babylon, would be financially destroyed.
This is what will come to pass: Because of the great corruption of the Wal-Mart company, their manipulation and exploitation in the third world and its general disrespect for human rights and workers' rights, God will send a spirit of confusion into its corporate hierarchy.
The accountants and the chief officers will continue managing the company believing that everything is sailing along just fine. They will report many billions in profits, they will continue growing setting up more stores and nothing will signal that something is amiss. And then in one day, a bombshell will drop: The numbers will come out, and something is wrong. A file was misplaced, a decimal was misplaced, an accountant's failing vision; I can't say for sure. But it will come to pass that management will be shocked and will announce that Wal-Mart is collapsed.
This news will shock the world. The giant of giants, a giant no one could imagine would fail, WILL FAIL. It will be destroyed. This is financial Babylon. It is the backbone, it employs millions, it is the one-stop shop for millions of Americans needing car work, groceries, tools, weapons, ammo, toys, pet food, eye care, etc. Whole communities rely that Wal-Mart will always be there to provide its people with food. Wal-Mart collapses... what will happen then? The shelves will be emptied, and Wal-Mart will close its doors.
Many communities will realize they have no way to provide their citizens with food. Gradually, what will begin to happen is discontent will grow. People will be robbed, and not even for their gold and jewellery. They will be robbed who have the food, the water, the supplies. Protests will grow in the cities to the point of rioting and looting. Government will try to consolidate resources, gradually confiscating implements of production, food, and water. Soup and bread lines will be introduced, as well as a new ID system, a chip. It will improve on many of the problems of old identification methods and represents a new generation of technology. People will be enticed through the provision of aid, they will be told they will receive food, clean water, even vaccinations that will protect them from the new viruses that begin to spread (read: be released) at this time. Many for fear of starvation of they and their children will take the chip. A new generation of vaccines will be another basis for aid. If you want aid you will take the jab.
A remnant will complain and warn neighbors of the evils of the new innovations in society. Neighbors will be troubled, politicians will rage that a small minority are making their implementations more difficult.
I could go on but many of you know how the story ends from here. And if you are on this page and do not know the story, I sugegest that you may be on the wrong page. But if you insist on understanding, I will say, 'Go search Google and find one of hundreds if not thousands of websites that tell this story'. When you are finished reading, come back here and we will pick up where you left off.
It is too late to go back now. I was given a prophetic commission and it is way too late in the game for me to slow down and start at square one. The time is short people and we must forge ahead. If you need to back out now and read up on some old publications, please do so and then come back. Revelation is to bring what has not been said. This story has already been told many times and you can find it online in many places. What I do as a prophet is bring the missing piece. The piece is that the collapse of Wal-Mart will work tremendously to destabilise the American economy, and yes, EVEN THE WORLD ITSELF. When you see that this is beginning to take place, pray to the Lord that He may reveal to you what He says for you to do, and it is to be very nearly aligned at this same time, that God will reveal His word to His people.
ADDENDUM: I wanted to bring this message several months ago, really not that long after starting the blog here. But I am convinced that this message, as well as others on this theme, was not yet time to reveal. I started high school in 2003 and there was a young man, a couple grades ahead of me, who I played in the band with. Somehow, after nearly ten years, we managed to bump into each other one day and talked a little bit. After a couple more conversations, we exchanged numbers, and this was nearly a couple weeks ago. On Tuesday night, we talked and he had a story to tell me. A friend of his in the last year received a vision of Wal-Mart. He was very happy becaue now just a few nights ago, he says God showed him a dream of Wal-Mart.
In my heart I said, "What did they see of Wal-Mart? That Wal-Mart will grow and find more and more success?"
He said they have both seen that God will bring judgment on Wal-Mart.
I am commissioned as a prophet, my readers, and I need to tell you that it is troubling to be the first to receive a revelation of something. I have searched the internet far and wide for several years and I HAVE NOT FOUND ONE CORROBORATION of the vision I received. Could I be a liar, could I be a false prophet? 'But no, I know what I saw and my love for God, I must be right against all odds' I have always maintained. Thank the Lord, that the Lord has brought this man to bring word to me so that the Lord has spoken to me, and the word serves many effects.
I. It shows that my message is true.
II. It shows that I am correct in the suspicion as to my office.
III. It shows that this man, and his friend are both followers of the Lord and it improves their position.
IV. It can help to show to this man that I am a follower of the Lord too.
For these several reasons, this is a very important witness. And fifth, I am now free to go forward, given peace, that now is the time to blast the trumpet and warn the world, that Wal-Mart will not remain. God will judge this wicked corporation, and the people will tremble.
I was with a friend one afternoon when we stopped at Wal-Mart. He went in before me. I might have been smoking a cigarette outside. I went in going to look for him. But I stopped near the front and focused in on the magazines. The Holy Spirit showed me how It feels about the immorality present in society. I was intoxicated. I saw people in the stores who practiced deep immorality in their lives, some were dressed in not much more than a stripper's attire, the clothing sold in the store was not much more presentable, and the magazines on the stands promoted the immoral lives of the nation's celebrities. When I say I felt intoxicated, I am telling the truth and that I was stumbling through
the store.
|-|-|-|-|
I made myself in between a couple check-out lanes and I started looking at the candy, struggling to hold my head up. I looked down and it was at this point I received a vision. I saw a whirlwind, a tornado in other words, descend from heaven. It went through the front of the store sweeping out the moneychangers, the cash registers, the customers, and all the money. Instantly, it was made known to me the meaning of the vision. Wal-Mart, a sort of Babylon, would be financially destroyed.
This is what will come to pass: Because of the great corruption of the Wal-Mart company, their manipulation and exploitation in the third world and its general disrespect for human rights and workers' rights, God will send a spirit of confusion into its corporate hierarchy.
The accountants and the chief officers will continue managing the company believing that everything is sailing along just fine. They will report many billions in profits, they will continue growing setting up more stores and nothing will signal that something is amiss. And then in one day, a bombshell will drop: The numbers will come out, and something is wrong. A file was misplaced, a decimal was misplaced, an accountant's failing vision; I can't say for sure. But it will come to pass that management will be shocked and will announce that Wal-Mart is collapsed.
This news will shock the world. The giant of giants, a giant no one could imagine would fail, WILL FAIL. It will be destroyed. This is financial Babylon. It is the backbone, it employs millions, it is the one-stop shop for millions of Americans needing car work, groceries, tools, weapons, ammo, toys, pet food, eye care, etc. Whole communities rely that Wal-Mart will always be there to provide its people with food. Wal-Mart collapses... what will happen then? The shelves will be emptied, and Wal-Mart will close its doors.
Many communities will realize they have no way to provide their citizens with food. Gradually, what will begin to happen is discontent will grow. People will be robbed, and not even for their gold and jewellery. They will be robbed who have the food, the water, the supplies. Protests will grow in the cities to the point of rioting and looting. Government will try to consolidate resources, gradually confiscating implements of production, food, and water. Soup and bread lines will be introduced, as well as a new ID system, a chip. It will improve on many of the problems of old identification methods and represents a new generation of technology. People will be enticed through the provision of aid, they will be told they will receive food, clean water, even vaccinations that will protect them from the new viruses that begin to spread (read: be released) at this time. Many for fear of starvation of they and their children will take the chip. A new generation of vaccines will be another basis for aid. If you want aid you will take the jab.
A remnant will complain and warn neighbors of the evils of the new innovations in society. Neighbors will be troubled, politicians will rage that a small minority are making their implementations more difficult.
I could go on but many of you know how the story ends from here. And if you are on this page and do not know the story, I sugegest that you may be on the wrong page. But if you insist on understanding, I will say, 'Go search Google and find one of hundreds if not thousands of websites that tell this story'. When you are finished reading, come back here and we will pick up where you left off.
It is too late to go back now. I was given a prophetic commission and it is way too late in the game for me to slow down and start at square one. The time is short people and we must forge ahead. If you need to back out now and read up on some old publications, please do so and then come back. Revelation is to bring what has not been said. This story has already been told many times and you can find it online in many places. What I do as a prophet is bring the missing piece. The piece is that the collapse of Wal-Mart will work tremendously to destabilise the American economy, and yes, EVEN THE WORLD ITSELF. When you see that this is beginning to take place, pray to the Lord that He may reveal to you what He says for you to do, and it is to be very nearly aligned at this same time, that God will reveal His word to His people.
ADDENDUM: I wanted to bring this message several months ago, really not that long after starting the blog here. But I am convinced that this message, as well as others on this theme, was not yet time to reveal. I started high school in 2003 and there was a young man, a couple grades ahead of me, who I played in the band with. Somehow, after nearly ten years, we managed to bump into each other one day and talked a little bit. After a couple more conversations, we exchanged numbers, and this was nearly a couple weeks ago. On Tuesday night, we talked and he had a story to tell me. A friend of his in the last year received a vision of Wal-Mart. He was very happy becaue now just a few nights ago, he says God showed him a dream of Wal-Mart.
In my heart I said, "What did they see of Wal-Mart? That Wal-Mart will grow and find more and more success?"
He said they have both seen that God will bring judgment on Wal-Mart.
I am commissioned as a prophet, my readers, and I need to tell you that it is troubling to be the first to receive a revelation of something. I have searched the internet far and wide for several years and I HAVE NOT FOUND ONE CORROBORATION of the vision I received. Could I be a liar, could I be a false prophet? 'But no, I know what I saw and my love for God, I must be right against all odds' I have always maintained. Thank the Lord, that the Lord has brought this man to bring word to me so that the Lord has spoken to me, and the word serves many effects.
I. It shows that my message is true.
II. It shows that I am correct in the suspicion as to my office.
III. It shows that this man, and his friend are both followers of the Lord and it improves their position.
IV. It can help to show to this man that I am a follower of the Lord too.
For these several reasons, this is a very important witness. And fifth, I am now free to go forward, given peace, that now is the time to blast the trumpet and warn the world, that Wal-Mart will not remain. God will judge this wicked corporation, and the people will tremble.
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Restoration of the Prophetic
Growing up, I was apart of the Church of God-Cleveland denomination. They were formed by a group of Methodists who saw the age of the restoration of the Spirit in the churches and moved to be on the forefront of that movement. Out of this movement came much of our modern-day Pentecostal churches, notably the Assemblies of God, Church of God in Prophecy, all the way to the UPC and the snake-handlers. I will speak on their behalf and say, no, we do not approve of some of these groups which arose out of our own ranks. I speak in our's and we's as if I am one, but I am not. But I speak with the conviction that I am telling you what they would tell you. The church is very sound doctrinally speaking but did take liberties with the pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine. The roots are Wesleyan Arminian and have a very mainstream view of things, are not holy-rollers, and aren't anything like the circuses that coincidentally use the name Pentecostal. So with this as a backdrop growing foreword, I am well acquainted with the movement, which did not start at Asuza Street as some would tell you.
Recently, I have had an ought to pick with the Pentecostal churches. The Pentecostals pay lip service to the idea that they operate in the spiritual gifts, that they have them and they're alive. But they resoundingly shun the prophetic. What lead me to this realization is that we have made time for speaking in tongues and consequently interpretations. We have made time for these pearls, these insights, for the testimony and for the word of knowledge, outlets for those gifted with this or that to minister here and there. But the prophetic was left behind, it was not taught, the foundation was not laid and the prophet could not speak. But what the prophet was, mind you, was ignored. And the more vocal he got, the more indignant the church became until he was lead out or in former times, killed. The prophecies arising from the mouths of church members are that of the scratching variety that Paul warned about. The prophets were lost in its midst and they fell by the wayside.
But a word of encouragement and judgment I will speak now for my readers: The prophetic WILL be restored, and it will be sooner than later. The pastors through their deceit and guile have strangled the prophetic ministry and have supplanted it, offering a one size fits all approach to church government. Their estates for their treachery will be left desolate and the ministry will be handed over to those that are faithful, that God will vouch for and who needs no man to vouch for him.
As God did in former times, so will He do in latter times.
Yeshua speaking to the Pharisees spoke directly of how the prophets were killed and, therefore, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate."
They were lost sheep Yeshua was called to reach because in the house of Israel there were homeowners that did not fulfill the duties of keeping up that house, which is His house. That is the house He fashioned for Himself, "a building of God, a house not made with hands." But those into whose hands its care was trusted brought it to a condition that God felt fit to condemn. There was a large "Condemned Property" sign right on the entrance. Therefore, the Spirit spake, their house would be desolate, and Woe unto Jerusalem, thou that killeth the prophets, and so in AD 70, Jerusalem was laid bare.
Today we face a similar crisis in leadership. The voices of the prophets have been neglected, they were rent to pieces by supposed good stewards whose care the Lord's house was entrusted. As in former times, so in the latter times. God will repay what is due, every man his wages. And so therefore, the church is in shambles, it is a crisis of leadership, it is a crisis of authority that the churches wallow in in the present and the children see and they suffer for it. We had made time for tongues, and words, and testimonies, but the prophetic we ran off.
Therefore, in our day, there will be a restoration of the prophetic, the true prophetic anointing that we have not seen, nor our elders. I do not refer to anyone in Kansas City or Florida, or Toronto. These are false movements which have also taken the role of supplanting the authentic prophetic. They shall be brought down.
This prophetic anointing is the anointing of the day of Pentecost, and not since then. The prophetic will be restored and the pastors' house will be left desolate. Do I speak as if we are at war? What I speak is that the plot that was the pastors', that went to pot, will be restored under its rightful inheritors and the pastors will go back to the (frankly I should say, inferior) place under the anointing of prophetic ministry. The prophet was king in those days and in our days, prophets still hold that authority.
Do you want to know where to find the prophetic? I can tell you they prefer dark burrows not readily accessible to men. They come in unfamiliar, often ragged and haggard packages that you'd be afraid to touch with a ten foot pole. Their stories are wild, and captivating, but at the same time, deeply concerning as their presentation is unlike any you have ever received before. They will challenge you on the deepest levels of your heart if you let them in and they will stick by you and defend you until the very end of time itself. They have many trust issues and will cause your patience to be tried in some things, but it is only a deep longing for close friendship that drives them to do things which are not sensible. Frankly, and I feel emotion in writing this, they are one of the best friends you will ever have. They truly are holes in the wall that 99.9% pass by and never notice anything (and I literally mean a percentage this high, I might underestimate a bit).
Where are they you say? They are right here with us, but we never took the time to notice, and we are all the worse off for it.
Recently, I have had an ought to pick with the Pentecostal churches. The Pentecostals pay lip service to the idea that they operate in the spiritual gifts, that they have them and they're alive. But they resoundingly shun the prophetic. What lead me to this realization is that we have made time for speaking in tongues and consequently interpretations. We have made time for these pearls, these insights, for the testimony and for the word of knowledge, outlets for those gifted with this or that to minister here and there. But the prophetic was left behind, it was not taught, the foundation was not laid and the prophet could not speak. But what the prophet was, mind you, was ignored. And the more vocal he got, the more indignant the church became until he was lead out or in former times, killed. The prophecies arising from the mouths of church members are that of the scratching variety that Paul warned about. The prophets were lost in its midst and they fell by the wayside.
But a word of encouragement and judgment I will speak now for my readers: The prophetic WILL be restored, and it will be sooner than later. The pastors through their deceit and guile have strangled the prophetic ministry and have supplanted it, offering a one size fits all approach to church government. Their estates for their treachery will be left desolate and the ministry will be handed over to those that are faithful, that God will vouch for and who needs no man to vouch for him.
As God did in former times, so will He do in latter times.
Yeshua speaking to the Pharisees spoke directly of how the prophets were killed and, therefore, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate."
They were lost sheep Yeshua was called to reach because in the house of Israel there were homeowners that did not fulfill the duties of keeping up that house, which is His house. That is the house He fashioned for Himself, "a building of God, a house not made with hands." But those into whose hands its care was trusted brought it to a condition that God felt fit to condemn. There was a large "Condemned Property" sign right on the entrance. Therefore, the Spirit spake, their house would be desolate, and Woe unto Jerusalem, thou that killeth the prophets, and so in AD 70, Jerusalem was laid bare.
Today we face a similar crisis in leadership. The voices of the prophets have been neglected, they were rent to pieces by supposed good stewards whose care the Lord's house was entrusted. As in former times, so in the latter times. God will repay what is due, every man his wages. And so therefore, the church is in shambles, it is a crisis of leadership, it is a crisis of authority that the churches wallow in in the present and the children see and they suffer for it. We had made time for tongues, and words, and testimonies, but the prophetic we ran off.
Therefore, in our day, there will be a restoration of the prophetic, the true prophetic anointing that we have not seen, nor our elders. I do not refer to anyone in Kansas City or Florida, or Toronto. These are false movements which have also taken the role of supplanting the authentic prophetic. They shall be brought down.
This prophetic anointing is the anointing of the day of Pentecost, and not since then. The prophetic will be restored and the pastors' house will be left desolate. Do I speak as if we are at war? What I speak is that the plot that was the pastors', that went to pot, will be restored under its rightful inheritors and the pastors will go back to the (frankly I should say, inferior) place under the anointing of prophetic ministry. The prophet was king in those days and in our days, prophets still hold that authority.
Do you want to know where to find the prophetic? I can tell you they prefer dark burrows not readily accessible to men. They come in unfamiliar, often ragged and haggard packages that you'd be afraid to touch with a ten foot pole. Their stories are wild, and captivating, but at the same time, deeply concerning as their presentation is unlike any you have ever received before. They will challenge you on the deepest levels of your heart if you let them in and they will stick by you and defend you until the very end of time itself. They have many trust issues and will cause your patience to be tried in some things, but it is only a deep longing for close friendship that drives them to do things which are not sensible. Frankly, and I feel emotion in writing this, they are one of the best friends you will ever have. They truly are holes in the wall that 99.9% pass by and never notice anything (and I literally mean a percentage this high, I might underestimate a bit).
Where are they you say? They are right here with us, but we never took the time to notice, and we are all the worse off for it.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
God's Creative Word: Creative and Destructive Word
When we first became Christians, we spoke up until that time the destructive word. This is opposed to the creative word of God.
When God spoke the word, "Let there be light," it was by the creative power of God, this all-power manifested in a single word, a creative word, that made it be.
When he spoke of the moons, stars, and other heavenly bodies, for them to be, they were.
All that is was brought about by His creative word, and will never cease to be, until He says for it to not.
When He severs the continued creativeness, then that thing fails into the darkness of non-existence.
Prior to now, we have seen this creative word of God as a unique thing, but I bear witness that the prophets share this creative word.
What we are told of our tongue in the Proverbs is that, "Death and life are in [reside in] the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. When we operate at the full prophetic level when the full Spirit of God manifests in this world, which is not for now, but in a short while, we as prophets will speak to our own Ananias and Sapphira and they will fall out. Under this anointing, calamities shall follow and judgments the likes of which have never been seen before.
The destructive word on the other hand is what the Proverbs refers to. We are all as partakers of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil more than qualified to speak every destructive word known to man or yet foreseen by him. We might pronounce curses as if they were nothing, call anathemas upon our every neighbor. James says, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things..," he says of this destructive word. "...Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth."
Yeshua warned, "That which cometh out of a man, defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Some of our secular thinkers speculated that the origin of works was that we had first conspired to do it. That we then spoke of the coming of the doing it, telling our spirits of our plans for wicked works. And that finally we did it. Secular thinkers see that the destructive word the prophets and Yeshua warned us of is the first step into committing evil. The Psalms says, ".. their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their their tongue."
The destructive word defiles. One of my favorite bands' singer wrote, "Point the finger, but its on your head." Another line has been used saying when you point the finger, three more point back at you.
When you pronounce a curse with your mouth, you curse your own self.
______
Creative word
As the creative word that God spoke, God has also entrusted some of us with the creative word. James says "...you have not because you ask not". Yeshua tells us in Luke, "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
That thing we ask must be on one condition I John says. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us."
Yeshua also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "...nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done."
So we pray that we may enlightened as to his plans, "I know the plans I have for you, saith the Lord..."
Praying that his will be done is the example in the Pater Noster the Lord gave, "...thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
These are not creative words, but this is a framework for us to now discuss what the creative word is.
______
A prophet when speaking under inspiration and under full conviction may speak the creative word. Notice here that the result may be destructive but it is a word that creates what the word itself proclaims to be. It says for it to be, and it is.
Peter spoke the creative word to Ananias. Later when Sapphira came in, he said, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out."
Jeremiah in 2 Kings relates how Elisha, an older man with baldness was being cursed by many dozens of children (or youths is the appropriate term), saying, "Go up thou bald head, go up thou bald head." The youths had witnesses Elijah being carried by a chariot of fire into the heavens and mocking this providential act of God mocked Elisha telling him to go and do likewise. Elisha then spoke a curse of the Lord onto the children and there came forth "two she-bears and they tare forty and two of them." That is, they slaughter forty-two youths.
Synthesis
Who may call God unto repentance?
In Amos, God gives Amos a vision of destruction, how He would judge godless Israel. But Amos intervenes saying, "O Lord God, forgive, I beeseech thee..." and the Lord repented. Showing Amos a second judgment, Amos intervenes again, crying, "O Lord God, cease, I beeseech thee..." and the Lord repented. The Lord offers a third alternative of judgment which seems satisfying to Amos, or he simply ran out of the get out of jail free cards or the grace to say any more. Also, the judgments seemed to be getting worse and Amos was getting in over his head and needed to get out.
Amaziah, greatly distressed and the people of Israel being greatly disheartened of the judgments foretold by Amos was sent at the behest of evil king Jeroboam to tell him to shut up. The judgment came because the word was not received as had been the case in times past and times since and here the story does not vary. Then Amos spoke the creative word, that word first I John tells us to speak in the Lord's will, but we do not speak creatively out of His will. Amos says, "I was no prophet, and neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Now therefore hear now the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Jacob. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy landshall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."
Moses experiences a similar transformation. God seeing the wickedness, with Moses at Sinai, that the people had crafted for themselves a golden calf. "...thy people," the Lord told Moses, "have corrupted themselves." The Lord speaks of the golden calf which has been fashioned and says to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation."
But Moses besought the Lord, saying, "Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people..."
"And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
But then several verses later, upon discovering what they had actually done, "...Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire..." And Moses continues his terror another few verses. Then Moses calls for every man to put his sword by his side, to go through the camp and kill every man, his brother, and his neighbor and companion.
To conserve space, and thanking those reading this that they have gone so far, I will now enter the conclusion by saying that the Word furnishes other examples of this, where the prophet besought the Lord to turn away from His plans of judgment.
But what we learn is that thought God is longsuffering, His prophets often aren't. The judgments He pronounces are right, but the prophets who intervene on His peoples' behalf, will share their doubts. But when confronted it is they who do the repenting, and let God do what God does best, be God.
The creative power is also found in Amos, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
The prophetic role in the creative power is simply this: The word of the Lord is given unto the prophets and the judgment is sealed until one of thwo things. That is, the prophet who is called as a type of Jonah warns the people to repent, so that the judgment is averted and the people return to God. But not all prophets have the Jonah message. Some speak words as Nahum. It was Nineveh which did repent but then later in the days of Nahum turned away again. Nahum lamented of this and spoke of the disaster to come which would result in Nineveh being utterly laid waste. When we exceed the time in which nations may repent, our Nahum will come, and this prophet speaks of the judgment that cannot be averted but which will occur. These prophets have the mission to deliver the word, and the palliative, that is, what you may do in your current situation to be right with God, though you cannot change national policy. That is the creative word the prophet speaks. Is God reveals His will to the prophets, and the prophets speak the word.
The creative word being spoken is not the same type as the "Let there be light word," but what this word is is to say that the sustained creative word is no longer sustained and that thing falls into the darkness of non-existence.
When God spoke the word, "Let there be light," it was by the creative power of God, this all-power manifested in a single word, a creative word, that made it be.
When he spoke of the moons, stars, and other heavenly bodies, for them to be, they were.
All that is was brought about by His creative word, and will never cease to be, until He says for it to not.
When He severs the continued creativeness, then that thing fails into the darkness of non-existence.
Prior to now, we have seen this creative word of God as a unique thing, but I bear witness that the prophets share this creative word.
What we are told of our tongue in the Proverbs is that, "Death and life are in [reside in] the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. When we operate at the full prophetic level when the full Spirit of God manifests in this world, which is not for now, but in a short while, we as prophets will speak to our own Ananias and Sapphira and they will fall out. Under this anointing, calamities shall follow and judgments the likes of which have never been seen before.
The destructive word on the other hand is what the Proverbs refers to. We are all as partakers of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil more than qualified to speak every destructive word known to man or yet foreseen by him. We might pronounce curses as if they were nothing, call anathemas upon our every neighbor. James says, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things..," he says of this destructive word. "...Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth."
Yeshua warned, "That which cometh out of a man, defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Some of our secular thinkers speculated that the origin of works was that we had first conspired to do it. That we then spoke of the coming of the doing it, telling our spirits of our plans for wicked works. And that finally we did it. Secular thinkers see that the destructive word the prophets and Yeshua warned us of is the first step into committing evil. The Psalms says, ".. their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their their tongue."
The destructive word defiles. One of my favorite bands' singer wrote, "Point the finger, but its on your head." Another line has been used saying when you point the finger, three more point back at you.
When you pronounce a curse with your mouth, you curse your own self.
______
Creative word
As the creative word that God spoke, God has also entrusted some of us with the creative word. James says "...you have not because you ask not". Yeshua tells us in Luke, "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
That thing we ask must be on one condition I John says. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us."
Yeshua also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "...nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done."
So we pray that we may enlightened as to his plans, "I know the plans I have for you, saith the Lord..."
Praying that his will be done is the example in the Pater Noster the Lord gave, "...thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
These are not creative words, but this is a framework for us to now discuss what the creative word is.
______
A prophet when speaking under inspiration and under full conviction may speak the creative word. Notice here that the result may be destructive but it is a word that creates what the word itself proclaims to be. It says for it to be, and it is.
Peter spoke the creative word to Ananias. Later when Sapphira came in, he said, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out."
Jeremiah in 2 Kings relates how Elisha, an older man with baldness was being cursed by many dozens of children (or youths is the appropriate term), saying, "Go up thou bald head, go up thou bald head." The youths had witnesses Elijah being carried by a chariot of fire into the heavens and mocking this providential act of God mocked Elisha telling him to go and do likewise. Elisha then spoke a curse of the Lord onto the children and there came forth "two she-bears and they tare forty and two of them." That is, they slaughter forty-two youths.
Synthesis
Who may call God unto repentance?
In Amos, God gives Amos a vision of destruction, how He would judge godless Israel. But Amos intervenes saying, "O Lord God, forgive, I beeseech thee..." and the Lord repented. Showing Amos a second judgment, Amos intervenes again, crying, "O Lord God, cease, I beeseech thee..." and the Lord repented. The Lord offers a third alternative of judgment which seems satisfying to Amos, or he simply ran out of the get out of jail free cards or the grace to say any more. Also, the judgments seemed to be getting worse and Amos was getting in over his head and needed to get out.
Amaziah, greatly distressed and the people of Israel being greatly disheartened of the judgments foretold by Amos was sent at the behest of evil king Jeroboam to tell him to shut up. The judgment came because the word was not received as had been the case in times past and times since and here the story does not vary. Then Amos spoke the creative word, that word first I John tells us to speak in the Lord's will, but we do not speak creatively out of His will. Amos says, "I was no prophet, and neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Now therefore hear now the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Jacob. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy landshall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."
Moses experiences a similar transformation. God seeing the wickedness, with Moses at Sinai, that the people had crafted for themselves a golden calf. "...thy people," the Lord told Moses, "have corrupted themselves." The Lord speaks of the golden calf which has been fashioned and says to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation."
But Moses besought the Lord, saying, "Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people..."
"And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
But then several verses later, upon discovering what they had actually done, "...Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire..." And Moses continues his terror another few verses. Then Moses calls for every man to put his sword by his side, to go through the camp and kill every man, his brother, and his neighbor and companion.
To conserve space, and thanking those reading this that they have gone so far, I will now enter the conclusion by saying that the Word furnishes other examples of this, where the prophet besought the Lord to turn away from His plans of judgment.
But what we learn is that thought God is longsuffering, His prophets often aren't. The judgments He pronounces are right, but the prophets who intervene on His peoples' behalf, will share their doubts. But when confronted it is they who do the repenting, and let God do what God does best, be God.
The creative power is also found in Amos, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
The prophetic role in the creative power is simply this: The word of the Lord is given unto the prophets and the judgment is sealed until one of thwo things. That is, the prophet who is called as a type of Jonah warns the people to repent, so that the judgment is averted and the people return to God. But not all prophets have the Jonah message. Some speak words as Nahum. It was Nineveh which did repent but then later in the days of Nahum turned away again. Nahum lamented of this and spoke of the disaster to come which would result in Nineveh being utterly laid waste. When we exceed the time in which nations may repent, our Nahum will come, and this prophet speaks of the judgment that cannot be averted but which will occur. These prophets have the mission to deliver the word, and the palliative, that is, what you may do in your current situation to be right with God, though you cannot change national policy. That is the creative word the prophet speaks. Is God reveals His will to the prophets, and the prophets speak the word.
The creative word being spoken is not the same type as the "Let there be light word," but what this word is is to say that the sustained creative word is no longer sustained and that thing falls into the darkness of non-existence.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Testing a prophetic word
Testing a prophetic word is a difficult thing. First,
some people don't believe in modern-day prophets or prophesying today so
naturally for these people it would be difficult.
However, even for the people who do accept them as being biblical today there is still the difficulty in gauging what is a true word and which is not.
2 Tim 2:15
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
and
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
How do you know what word is true and which is not? First you must know what a prophet is, his attributes, his manifestations, inner workings, and mannerisms, which I have discussed in a prior message.
What is a basis for determing the word's validity?
Is it a word that lines up with what you believe? A word you like? A word that is in line with the Bible?
Here are major misconceptions about spotting true or false words...
I. A true word lines up with what you believe.
This is very demonstrably false. The Methodist hierarchy has been pushing for ordination of gays for several years. If this was a basis for them to determine the validity of a prophetic word, then they would have to throw out most of the Bible, including the Gospels, Epistles, and the Law. This is NOT a basis for determining a word's validity. That is to say, any Methodist-centric prophetic word would be easily accepted by a Methodist but it is not accredited as being true because a Methodist would agree with it.
II. It sounds good and conversely a false word is false on the basis of you disliking it. You have a predisposition to believing what sounds good and subconsciously reject what you view as bad as being false.
This is also false as the words of the prophets were very often not friendly, polite or uplifting.
Jeremiah 28
The Jews accepted the word of Hananiah and rejected Jeremiah because they did not like what he had to say about the Babylonians.
Hananiah prophesied, "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah responds: " Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him."
Then Hananiah takes the yoke from Jeremiah's neck "and brake it" in v 10.
"Thus saith the LORD," Hananiah says, "Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years."
Jeremiah responds in the prophetic fashion, as all the prophets did and would, "Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
___
So then often the opposite is true. As Jeremiah makes clear in the first bolded line, and as all Scriptures testify, the prophet rarely had anything good to say to anyone. He made no apologies, he never held back, he gave the whole unadulterated truth largely to his own detriment (Jeremiah for instance being cast into a cistern and into prison for lengthy periods). The false word always uplifted, comforted, and filled the ears of the people with peace and fables. Their ears were itching and the liars always had much to gain by scratching the ears of the people.
This is not a basis for truth.
III. Your spirit bears witness with the word.
This again is not a basis for truth. The most glaring inconsistency here is this: What if my spirit bears witness but yours does not? Then one of us is wrong. Anything open to such an obvious objection can never be a solid basis for judging anything.
_________________
Then what is a basis for judging the truth of a word?
If, and only if, the Word bears witness with it. The Word is our basis for all objective truth and if the word of the prophet does not line up with the Word it is definitely false.
_________________
An example
Mark Kay Baxter reports that she was taken into Hell. As you read the story you may be influenced by mixed emotions, questions of doubt, etc. But we can't reject it because we dislike it, doesn't fit our own theologies, or on some other entirely subjective and contradictory basis. It is judged entirely on what the Word makes clear.
This is the problem: In one of Mrs. Baxter's conversations with Jesus, He refers to the coming of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. There is not necessarily a problem here unless you don't believe in the pre-trib Rapture (i.e. you dislike it or disagree with it). We can't throw out the word on this basis alone.
The problem becomes even more difficult as you compare her testimony with the word of Dimitru Dudeman where Christ explicitly states that there is no pretrib Rapture, it is post-trib.
The natural problem is Christ couldn't have told both Mary and Dumitru to opposing points. One of them must therefore be a liar or deluded.
The natural basis for rejecting Mary Kay Baxter's word is this: It doesn't line up with anything Jesus or Paul taught, and in fact, just the opposite while on the other hand Dumitru's words do line up with the Word.
So then the natural rush-to-judgment is this: "Then if a word is judged solely on the basis of the Word, then all words not lining up with my Infallible view of the Word must therefore be rejected".
This touches on the subject of hermeneutics and veneration of interpretation we will discuss later. Be clear, we are not rejecting any prophetic word on the basis of our own surmisals of Scripture's meanings but on the basis of the plain-text reading of the Book.
There is a very big difference between our personally held beliefs and what the Bible truly says. That much should be obvious.
What is not a basis for objection is the most explicit of all teachings, i.e. ones that one has no basis for disputing such as the Resurrection or Virgin Birth.
Where there is a basis for rejection/difference of opinion, these are not doctrines we should be entirely adamant about. These can never be used as a gauge for truth and never should.
The Bible teaches much explicitly and some of its teachings are only discovered through investigation. What I am saying is that that word that contradicts the plain meaning of the words is a false word, but what violates what we have discovered through investigation which may itself be wrong can not be a basis to reject a word from a prophet.
AN EXAMPLE:
One "prophet" said Yeshua appeared at one of his conferences. Yeshua said if anyone comes to you saying "Look, here is the Christ," or "There!" do not believe him. For as the lightning strikes in the east and shineth even into the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be.
There is no room for speculation here. Does the man mean well? Maybe. Does he believe this garbage? Maybe. Does it contradict the plain words of Scripture? Absolutely. In this same way you will know if a prophet is false.
However, even for the people who do accept them as being biblical today there is still the difficulty in gauging what is a true word and which is not.
2 Tim 2:15
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
and
1 John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
How do you know what word is true and which is not? First you must know what a prophet is, his attributes, his manifestations, inner workings, and mannerisms, which I have discussed in a prior message.
What is a basis for determing the word's validity?
Is it a word that lines up with what you believe? A word you like? A word that is in line with the Bible?
Here are major misconceptions about spotting true or false words...
I. A true word lines up with what you believe.
This is very demonstrably false. The Methodist hierarchy has been pushing for ordination of gays for several years. If this was a basis for them to determine the validity of a prophetic word, then they would have to throw out most of the Bible, including the Gospels, Epistles, and the Law. This is NOT a basis for determining a word's validity. That is to say, any Methodist-centric prophetic word would be easily accepted by a Methodist but it is not accredited as being true because a Methodist would agree with it.
II. It sounds good and conversely a false word is false on the basis of you disliking it. You have a predisposition to believing what sounds good and subconsciously reject what you view as bad as being false.
This is also false as the words of the prophets were very often not friendly, polite or uplifting.
Jeremiah 28
The Jews accepted the word of Hananiah and rejected Jeremiah because they did not like what he had to say about the Babylonians.
Hananiah prophesied, "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah responds: " Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him."
Then Hananiah takes the yoke from Jeremiah's neck "and brake it" in v 10.
"Thus saith the LORD," Hananiah says, "Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years."
Jeremiah responds in the prophetic fashion, as all the prophets did and would, "Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
___
So then often the opposite is true. As Jeremiah makes clear in the first bolded line, and as all Scriptures testify, the prophet rarely had anything good to say to anyone. He made no apologies, he never held back, he gave the whole unadulterated truth largely to his own detriment (Jeremiah for instance being cast into a cistern and into prison for lengthy periods). The false word always uplifted, comforted, and filled the ears of the people with peace and fables. Their ears were itching and the liars always had much to gain by scratching the ears of the people.
This is not a basis for truth.
III. Your spirit bears witness with the word.
This again is not a basis for truth. The most glaring inconsistency here is this: What if my spirit bears witness but yours does not? Then one of us is wrong. Anything open to such an obvious objection can never be a solid basis for judging anything.
_________________
Then what is a basis for judging the truth of a word?
If, and only if, the Word bears witness with it. The Word is our basis for all objective truth and if the word of the prophet does not line up with the Word it is definitely false.
_________________
An example
Mark Kay Baxter reports that she was taken into Hell. As you read the story you may be influenced by mixed emotions, questions of doubt, etc. But we can't reject it because we dislike it, doesn't fit our own theologies, or on some other entirely subjective and contradictory basis. It is judged entirely on what the Word makes clear.
This is the problem: In one of Mrs. Baxter's conversations with Jesus, He refers to the coming of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. There is not necessarily a problem here unless you don't believe in the pre-trib Rapture (i.e. you dislike it or disagree with it). We can't throw out the word on this basis alone.
The problem becomes even more difficult as you compare her testimony with the word of Dimitru Dudeman where Christ explicitly states that there is no pretrib Rapture, it is post-trib.
The natural problem is Christ couldn't have told both Mary and Dumitru to opposing points. One of them must therefore be a liar or deluded.
The natural basis for rejecting Mary Kay Baxter's word is this: It doesn't line up with anything Jesus or Paul taught, and in fact, just the opposite while on the other hand Dumitru's words do line up with the Word.
So then the natural rush-to-judgment is this: "Then if a word is judged solely on the basis of the Word, then all words not lining up with my Infallible view of the Word must therefore be rejected".
This touches on the subject of hermeneutics and veneration of interpretation we will discuss later. Be clear, we are not rejecting any prophetic word on the basis of our own surmisals of Scripture's meanings but on the basis of the plain-text reading of the Book.
There is a very big difference between our personally held beliefs and what the Bible truly says. That much should be obvious.
What is not a basis for objection is the most explicit of all teachings, i.e. ones that one has no basis for disputing such as the Resurrection or Virgin Birth.
Where there is a basis for rejection/difference of opinion, these are not doctrines we should be entirely adamant about. These can never be used as a gauge for truth and never should.
The Bible teaches much explicitly and some of its teachings are only discovered through investigation. What I am saying is that that word that contradicts the plain meaning of the words is a false word, but what violates what we have discovered through investigation which may itself be wrong can not be a basis to reject a word from a prophet.
AN EXAMPLE:
One "prophet" said Yeshua appeared at one of his conferences. Yeshua said if anyone comes to you saying "Look, here is the Christ," or "There!" do not believe him. For as the lightning strikes in the east and shineth even into the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be.
There is no room for speculation here. Does the man mean well? Maybe. Does he believe this garbage? Maybe. Does it contradict the plain words of Scripture? Absolutely. In this same way you will know if a prophet is false.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Characteristics and Qualities of a Prophet
Since we are living in a day and age where prophets are going to rise up and make themselves known, it is helpful for Christians to know what sort of things prophets would hold in common, or characteristics that they would hold. Here I will enumerate what the Bible shares with us about prophets.
#1 If the thing follows not, then that prophet is speaking presumptuously.
Deuteronomy 18:22 " When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If the prophet gives a timeline for the fulfillment of his prophecy, and it does not come to pass, then he is either a young, immature prophet who does not understand fully yet the nature of his gift or he is a false prophet.
#2 A prophet many times has skeptical family members who reject his office or ministry and may have trouble finding fulfilling life in his home.
Matthew 13:57 " And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."
#3 Most people will certainly not speak well of this man. They will tarnish his name and some they will even kill.
Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."
Luke 21:16 "And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."
#4 Prophets almost never give words of great tidings, peace and prosperity, as is the custom in American churches. But Jeremiah says only if that word does come to pass should that prophet be believed.
Jeremiah 28:8,9 "The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him."
#5 Popular in many "prophetic" circles is the philosophy that politicians share with these speakers: Telling the listeners what they want to hear, so long as it serves the speaker and his lusts. Conversely, the true prophet will care little if you are interested in hearing his words, he will speak them without fear and let the chips fall where they may. Many would be astonished, as they were when Jesus spoke, after the prophet speaks and some might turn violently against the man.
2 Timothy 4:3,4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
#6 A prophet will have some sort of unusual direct communication with God that most other Christians do not have.
Exodus 3:2 (burning bush)
Jonah 1:1, Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1, Jeremiah 1:2, Ezekiel 1:3, etc... (the direct word of the Lord, speaking directly to God)
Ezekiel 1:1, Acts 7:55, Acts 11:5 (visions)
Genesis 37:5, Genesis 37:9, Daniel 7:1 (dreams from the Lord)
#1 If the thing follows not, then that prophet is speaking presumptuously.
Deuteronomy 18:22 " When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If the prophet gives a timeline for the fulfillment of his prophecy, and it does not come to pass, then he is either a young, immature prophet who does not understand fully yet the nature of his gift or he is a false prophet.
#2 A prophet many times has skeptical family members who reject his office or ministry and may have trouble finding fulfilling life in his home.
Matthew 13:57 " And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."
#3 Most people will certainly not speak well of this man. They will tarnish his name and some they will even kill.
Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."
Luke 21:16 "And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."
#4 Prophets almost never give words of great tidings, peace and prosperity, as is the custom in American churches. But Jeremiah says only if that word does come to pass should that prophet be believed.
Jeremiah 28:8,9 "The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him."
#5 Popular in many "prophetic" circles is the philosophy that politicians share with these speakers: Telling the listeners what they want to hear, so long as it serves the speaker and his lusts. Conversely, the true prophet will care little if you are interested in hearing his words, he will speak them without fear and let the chips fall where they may. Many would be astonished, as they were when Jesus spoke, after the prophet speaks and some might turn violently against the man.
2 Timothy 4:3,4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
#6 A prophet will have some sort of unusual direct communication with God that most other Christians do not have.
Exodus 3:2 (burning bush)
Jonah 1:1, Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1, Jeremiah 1:2, Ezekiel 1:3, etc... (the direct word of the Lord, speaking directly to God)
Ezekiel 1:1, Acts 7:55, Acts 11:5 (visions)
Genesis 37:5, Genesis 37:9, Daniel 7:1 (dreams from the Lord)
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