|
|
|
p.2 Knowing Prophecy Protects People At a time when prophecy needs to be taught and studied, we have leaders like Rick Warren who say there is no need to learn prophecy, they teach to purposely ignore it. He teaches that prophecy is a distraction for the church, and too many agree. Thousands of churches follow his program. “People ask me why I don't preach more on prophecy. I say, “Why? Nobody knows” I could get up here and make some good guesses but they'd all be speculation. Jesus said, “Nobody knows when it's going to happen.” But what about what IS going to happen? We are told in Scripture to look at the signs to know of his coming. We are to be watching and praying to escape what is to take place. We have the admonishment in 2 Peter 3:2 “ you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.” Peter speaks of those who ignore prophecy who are in the church that question, “ Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:4-5). He then guarantees it will take place just as the judgment in Noah’s day did. Whichever way you turn, they are there talking their prophetic utterances. All the social media platforms have their words posted as if it's news. So much confusion is taking place, some even claim the millennium has taken place. We have two major opposites misleading people in the last days. Those who say we do not need to know prophecy, who mock it, and those who continually prophesy, who are prophetic blabbermouths. Constantly saying the Lord said this the Lord said that, having new words each day, sometimes twice a day. Jesus and the apostles had much to say about a movement of false prophets in the last days. Matt 24:11”many false prophets will rise up and deceive many,”Many not a few.“There were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1). Today, we have more prophets than those throughout the whole history of the Bible. What does that tell us? Jesus warns of these in Mt.7 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED in your name?...” The kind of prophecy that the church is now hearing is not from the Bible, it is personal prophetic words and events that continually do not happen (check their record). The Elijah list website is by far the largest distributor of false prophecies on the net. There is nothing unacceptable to post, they are so liberal they will let the people decide what is right and wrong instead of exercising biblical judgment as ministry. Everyday they bring more false prophetic words to the church. One may ask what kind of bible ministry is this? It’s not; for God’s shepherds who are teachers of his truth will always identify falsehood, the poison the sheep are not to eat. They have a God given responsibility. Jesus did not approve of what they are doing, nor did he accept it. And neither should we. The book of Revelation of Jesus Christ is about prophecy, a future coming nearer all the time -- Rev. 1:3 “ Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. v. 19 " Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this . It is near for every generation as he tells us in Rev. 22:7 " Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book ." No other religious book has prophecy – the accurate future, assuring us that the Word of God is of supernatural origin. Prophecy comprises nearly one-third of the Bible and is the validation of Scripture being the truth. As spoken in Isaiah 42:8-9, 46:9-10, 48:5 and many other places. As Jesus said, Thy word is truth. Prophecy is what the Bible actually says will take place? As Tom McMahon puts it “Prophecy declares God's plan in advance. And the purpose is that we all may "know" Him, and "believe" in Him, and "understand" that He alone is God. Prophecy is compelling proof not only for the existence of God, but that the Bible is exactly what it claims to be, His Word!”(the Value of Prophecy, T.A. McMahon- the Berean call 11/1/2001 ) Even some of the parables about the Kingdom of God, were about the distant future, prophecy. With nearly one third of the pages of the Bible written on prophecy, this is becomes part of preaching the whole counsel of God. Those who stay away from prophecy do so because they have been convinced it has a negative impact on the end times we live in. It certainly does not fit into a seeker-friendly or lazy model of Christianity that their church is doing. There are "Christian" leaders who have adopted a relativism, a humanist point of view, uniting whatever biblical beliefs they hold with other world religions in the pursuit of a future world of peace through a united human effort. So many have discarded the prophecies of the last days that are written by the creator of all mankind in the Bible, which were given to trustworthy holy men to write. Peter, John and Paul all said we need to know prophecy so we will NOT be deceived.Jesus said of what he spoke on the various subjects of the future in Matt.24,“See I have told you beforehand”(also see 2 Thess.2:1-10, on what Paul said). Daniel spoke of the prophecy in his book being ‘sealed until the end,’ “therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future” (Daniel 8:26; 9:24) “Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase”(12:4), “for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (12:9). The last days, the time of the end began its countdown at Pentecost. 2000 years later, we are far into the last of the end days, and we should understand more about prophecy. Unlike Daniel, John is told 50-60 years after Christ’s ascension: “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). The book of Daniel, Ezekiel and other prophets are also contained in the book of Revelation, it is for the church to know what is coming in the future of the world. The enemy of the future, our day, is relativism, which denies absolutes. This is especially antagonistic toward prophecy. We are in that time of the end, and what Daniel said was sealed is being revealed. In the end, knowledge increases throughout the earth on all things (including the word) and people are able to travel back and forth incredibly fast. Those who seek God’s Word will begin to understand what was not known centuries before. As the end escalates, we will begin to get a clearer understanding of what was written. For Daniel was told, “none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (12:10), “But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (11:32). We know God by his word, and who is wise? Being Wise in the end Prov. 1:5 A “wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” Prov. 13:20“He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”As Paul wrote 1 Cor. 15:33“Evil company corrupts good habits.”Therefore, a“wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident”(Prov. 14:16). Prov. 15:2 “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” Prov. 18:15 “the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Prov. 22:17 “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise.” 1 Kings 4:30we read that “Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East.”He is known to be the wisest of all men (except for Jesus, Mt. 12:42). We are told by Solomon, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom” (Prov. 4:7).How does one get wisdom? Psalm 111:10“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Solomon writes in Prov. 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” God spoke through the prophets revealing portion by portion what is to take place for his people Israel. Three times Daniel is told to seal up his words, he was given specifics on his people and the Messiah. Dan. 8:26 "Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future." Some of this took place in near future, Dan. 9:24-25 "To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy." In v. 25 he speaks of restoration to build Jerusalem, "Until Messiah the Prince" who is the anointed one comes. This has taken place as it was written. Dan. 12:4 Daniels words of being sealed until the time of the end. We are in that time spoken of, knowledge is increasing. Is our knowledge of the Word growing? For the words were specifically about Israel and the Messiah. In 1948 the world changed with Israel given its original land back. Jer.31:35 affirms God’s supernatural protection for Israel in the future, for the nation permanently throughout time. “ Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” God is for the Jewish people with whom he covenanted through Abraham; their destruction is impossible. What God has promised to Israel (Gn.12) is unconditional. For this not to be fulfilled, one would have to remove the sun's light, the ordinances he put in place in Genesis 1. That is how God has explains it, to say otherwise is to challenge God. And this challenge is daily voiced by transgressors. Dan 12:9-11 at the time of the end, those purified, made white, are the wise who understand, “ but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand.” National Israel, the nation rebirthed is probably the most important fulfillment of end-time prophecy the world has seen since Jesus resurrected. What takes place in the tribulation we are warned of in John’s Revelation. According to some teachers the mark of the Beast matters little, it’s only an imprint, you can take it you can still love Jesus and have the mark. Not according to Jesus… Rev. 14:9-11 “ And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God ” When Scripture’s literal meaning is not taken as it is written, or understood, you can conform it to anything you want. You are left to your own devices. Rev. 16:2 “a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” There is no inbetween - those who receive the mark worship the beast, and his image. Who is a man that has political control of the world. The prophetic warnings are there so we will not be deceived. The mark is yet future but coming closer with technology as the last of man's kingdom is being developed. Dan 8:23-24 “ and in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness , A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.” This being is the counterfeit Christ, the holy people he is speaking of is Israel. Even if this includes Christians, it still includes Israel. Here is why, Daniel wrote this to his people that were in captivity in Babylon. Babylon will be again. This little horn is found “making war against the saints, and prevailing against them” (Dan 7:21). Dan. 7:25 he, “Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time” (which coincides with 3 ½ yeas in the tribulation). In Rev. 13:7 He will “ make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Ps. 37:37-38:1 “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off . But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.” The one who is savior is spoken in Ps 14:7 and 53:6 “that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!” That is Israel. Paul assures us in Rom. 11:26 “all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion.” If you do not study prophecy or rightly divide the Word you open yourself up to be deceived, count on it. Jesus Himself said 3 times in Matthew 24 of the end days, going toward the tribulation “see to it no one deceives you.” You have to know truth to prevent yourself from being deceived into error. None of us are immune from being deceived in the last days, it will be that powerful. This includes you; this includes me. None of us are as smart or strong as we think without understanding the Word correctly and our continual submission to God, His Holy Spirit for our the preservation. We need the fear of the Lord to have the beginning of wisdom and we need to understand his Words for knowledge and wisdom. May we all be prepared and strengthened for the coming dark days. |
|
