The Prophet Speaks
"
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants
the prophets.
" (Amos 3:7 NKJV)
The first lesson in bible prophecy is
there are no surprises
. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, God makes His plans known to the
sons of men. Before God acts, He is obliged to inform mankind of His
intentions. There have always been servants of God who were required to preach
a message for the people of their time.
"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of
righteousness ..." (I Peter 2:5 KJV)
There were seven prophets of God before the flood: Enosh, Cainan, Mahalaleel,
Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech. Noah was the eighth preacher from creation.
The men are counted from Enosh, because of the verse: (Gen 4:26 NKJV) "And as
for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh.
Then men began to call on the name of the LORD
." [Note: The name Enosh, which means "man" and is therefore a synonym of ^ish
and
^adam (Heb.), appears to focus on man's mortality (Ps. 90:3). It anticipates,
then, Seth's genealogy with the recurring phrase "he died" (Gen 5:5, 8, etc.).
Personal redemption became primary in God's dealing with men. Therefore, this
verse records when men began to worship and proclaim the name of God. Those in
the lineage of Seth are contrasted with the wicked lineage of Cain.]
God called a nation to be prophets to this world, His chosen people, the
children of Israel. As a nation they were not given the Holy Spirit, and so
they rebelled. A few were called as prophets, to warn of blessing or cursing,
as God reacted to the nation of Israel and their national conduct.
" 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are
the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:6 NKJV)
The Israelites failed in this purpose:
"Because finding fault with them, He says: 'Behold, the days are coming, says
the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah' " (Hebrews 8:8 NKJV) Therefore, God moved on in His plan and
called the deciples to build a church, to preach mainly to the lost tribes of
Israel, and to the few
Gentiles, who were amongst the wandering Israelites. They became known as
Christians.
Follow the Link for a study on the journeys of the Apostles:
Where did the twelve apostles go?
But He answered and said, "
I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
" (Matthew 15:24 NKJV)
"
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach,
saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
" (Matthew 10:6-7 NKJV)
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light ..." (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)
Here is a scripture rarely quoted in any Sunday service: "You are
sons of the prophets
, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And
in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' " (Acts 3:25
NKJV) The apostle Peter understood the role of the Church. They are prophets
of God, and are to give the understanding of the scripture to all who ask.
The ministry
is to proclaim the knowledge of God
publicly
, and to explain what the prophets spoke of, for our time.
The two witnesses are the last prophets to preach before the whole earth, just
prior to the coming of Messiah. There are two scriptural references to these
men:
"So he said, 'These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the
whole earth.' " (Zechariah 4:14 NKJV)
[Note: Men are sometimes compared to trees (cf. Ps. 1:3; Dan. 4:20-22). In
this instance it seems clear that the trees symbolize Joshua, the high priest,
and Zerubbabel, the Davidic representative. Both of them were "messiahs," i.e.,
anointed ones (the expectation of two messiahs was common among some in Israel,
as is noted in the Qumran literature), but together they typified the two
functions of priest and king that were actually united in the one Messiah,
Jesus (John 18:37; 19:19-22; Heb. 7:14, 15, 20-22; 8:1, 2; Rev. 11:15; 19:16).]
"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and
they will prophesy
one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the
two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth."
(Revelation 11:3-4 NKJV)
A New Prophet Like Moses -- the Messiah
"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me
from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear ..." (Deuteronomy 18:15
NKJV)
[Note: Prophets (navi^, Heb.) were God's spokesmen to His people. They would
be from among the Israelites (vv. 16-22) and would function as Moses had.
Although this prophecy included all the true prophets the Lord would send, its
ultimate fulfillment would be in Christ
(cf. Luke 9:35; Acts 3:22, 23; 7:37).
Note from the test of a true prophet in v. 22 that one of his characteristics
was that he could predict the future, and he would do so with flawless
accuracy. Prophets were not always foretellers, however (cf. Num. 11:25-30,
note). Their function was to declare God's will persuasively, teaching and
leading His people (Ex. 7:1; Ezek. 3:4; Amos 3:8). They boldly proclaimed
divine judgment and faithfully reminded the people of God's promises. They did
not attain their positions by heredity, as did a king or priest, or by human
appointment, as did an official, but only by receiving a message from God with
instructions to deliver it. In other words,
the designation "prophet"
is one of
function instead of position
. Thus, a king, priest, or government official could perform prophetically (Ex.
3:10; Judg. 6:14), as could a woman (cf. Judg. 4:4-6; 2 Kin. 22:14-20; 2 Chr.
34:22-28). The common N.T. term for prophet is prophetes (Gk.).]
Declaring the Things to Come
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, And has
perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? Behold, a
whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury; A violent whirlwind! It will fall
violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back
until He has
executed and performed the thoughts of His heart
. In
the latter days
you will understand it perfectly. (Jeremiah 23:18-20 NKJV)
(Isa 41:21-23 NKJV) "Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your
strong reasons," says the King of Jacob. "Let them bring forth and show us what
will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may
consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or
declare to us things to come
. Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods
; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
(Isa 42:9 NKJV) Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I
declare;
Before they spring forth
I tell you of them."
(Isa 46:9-10 NKJV) Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there
is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning
, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel
shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
(Rev 19:10 NKJV) And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me,
"See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren
who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus
is
the spirit of prophecy
."
(2 Pet 1:20-21 NKJV) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of
any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but
holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
(2 Pet 2:1 NKJV) But there were also false prophets among the people, even as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift
destruction.
(Rev 22:18-19 NKJV) For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him
the plagues
that are written in this book; {19} and if anyone takes away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part from the Book of Life
, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
(Deu 4:2 NKJV) "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take
from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(I Cor 13:8 KJV) Charity never faileth : but whether [there be] prophecies ,
they shall fail ; whether [there be] tongues , they shall cease ; whether
[there be] knowledge , it shall vanish away . { fail : Gr. vanish away}
A Controversy With the Nations
(Jer 25:31 NKJV) A noise will come to the ends of the earth; For
the LORD has a controversy with the nations
; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to
the sword,' says the LORD."
(Psa 2:1-3 NKJV) Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, And
the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD
and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast
away Their cords from us."
(Jer 25:15 NKJV) For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: "Take this wine
cup of fury from My hand, and cause
all the nations
, to whom I send you, to drink it.
Putting God Back Into the Picture
(Psa 73:16-17 NKJV) When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful
for me; Until I
went into the sanctuary
of God;
Then I understood
their end.
(Heb 1:13 NKJV) But to which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right
hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"?
(Mat 25:32 NKJV) "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
A Call for Repentance
... to the Lost Tribes of Israel
(Jer 25:4-7 NKJV) "And
the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets
, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your
ear to hear. "They said, '
Repent now
everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the
LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 'Do not go after other
gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the
works of your hands; and I will not harm you.' "Yet you have not listened to
Me," says the LORD, "that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your
hands to your own hurt.
(Isa 45:9 NKJV) "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd
strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it,
'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?
(Isa 45:11 NKJV) Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
"Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My
hands, you command Me.
(Mal 4:5-6 NKJV) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the
fathers to the children, And
the hearts of the children to their fathers
, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse [utter destruction]."
(Rom 11:11 NKJV) I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall?
Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation
has come to the Gentiles.
(Rom 11:25-27 NKJV) For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant
of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in
part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out
of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant
with them, When I take away their sins."
(Isa 45:12-13 NKJV) I have made the earth, And created man on it. I; My hands;
stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. I have raised
him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city
and
let My exiles go free
, Not for price nor reward," Says the LORD of hosts.
Nations Can Fail and Not Be Saved
(Rev 21:24-25 NKJV) And the nations
of those who are saved
shall walk in its
light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its
gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
The Tribes of Israel to Lead All Nations
(Rev 21:12-14 NKJV) Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and
twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of
the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three
gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Coming -- a Final Judgement for All Mankind
(Jude 1:14-15 NKJV) Now
Enoch
, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied
about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of
His saints, "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
(Heb 1:14 NKJV) Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister
for those who will inherit salvation?
(Dan 10:20 NKJV) Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I
must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth,
indeed the prince of Greece will come.
(Rev 20:7-8 NKJV) Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be
released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in
the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
The God of Israel
"Remember the former things of old,
For I am God
, and
there is no other
; I am
God, and there is none like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning
, And from
ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man
who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed
I have spoken it; I will
also bring it to pass
. I have purposed it; I will also do it." (Isaiah 46:9-11)
The purpose of bible prophecy is to reveal that
the God of Israel
is Lord
of Lords! If you don't know where the lost ten tribes of Israel are today, you
won't understand the book of Daniel or the book of Revelation. It is just that
simple.
"Then Moses said to him,
'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and
that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!'
" (Numbers 11:29 NKJV)