PROPHETS
So, what is a prophet? These folks have been around for thousands of years. Aaron was Moses’s prophet.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. Ex. 7:1
But Moses was a prophet himself, interestingly enough.
Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, Deut. 34:10
A prophet is simply one who speaks the words of another. Rarely have there been prophets such as Aaron, speaking the words of another man. Almost every prophet [in a biblical sense] is one who speaks God’s words to His people, or to those who believe they are His people.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. Deut. 18:18
Deborah led Israel for short time, and she was called a prophet.
Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. .Judg. 4:4
God had a very real interest in prophets. He also held them to a very high standard. During the time of the Kings of Israel, there were several prophets. Nathan was a very well known one who ministered to King David, often.
When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied the word of the LORD. The LORD has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the LORD had warned him.” 1 Kgs 13:26
Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD.
“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’
If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the LORD,' I will punish them and their household. Jer.. 23:34
Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.
Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’ ”
In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died. Jer. 28:15-17
‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the LORD; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. Jer. 29:26
Therefore, speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the LORD will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry.
I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
“ ‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer them myself.
I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Ezek. 14:4-8
Did you notice that the Israelites who did not repent and turn from their wicked ways were removed from being God’s people? Ezekiel was a prophet, not only to those who were truly God’s people, but also to those who assumed or thought they were, but were not. God never changes like shifting shadows. Js 1:17 So, when there are millions of people who truly believe they are God’s people, as there are today, God can call a prophet to speak His words to them. He has called me to be such a prophet. That is not a boast because it has nothing to do with me. It was a choice God made before I was ever worthy of being a prophet. I thank Him daily for the way He transformed my life in order to prepare me for that role. I would never wish that gift on anyone, because it is an extremely hard ministry. There is nothing easy, or even enjoyable about it. But don’t get me wrong, it has been the greatest time of my life, with absolute, confidence, security, and a very healthy self-esteem. Never fearing what others think or say about me. I know and experience the joy of His salvation and the victory that is mine in Christ.
The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac.
The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God. Hos. 9:7-8
The self-proclaimed prophets of today go to twitter and assure every sinner in twitterland that God is going to do amazing things for them. Miracles upon miracles, Success upon success. God has ‘paid for all your mistakes.’ You are free from all guilt etc. The pastors ‘prophets,’ and preachers of today do their level best to never offend or upset anyone. God has words for them as well.
If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' that would be just the prophet for this people! Mic. 2:11
Jesus was a prophet, as was John the Baptist.
And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” Mat. 13:57
When God assures us that His word is a double-edged sword, dividing soul and spirit and joints and marrow, ‘spying on’ the thoughts and attitudes of the hearts of people, we are surely warned that this word is likely to make us feel very uncomfortable when looking at it deeply. It may even be where that saying, ‘truth hurts’ comes from.
What we need to know about Jesus, is that people took offense at Him. He was actually hated by many of the Israelites of His day. In fact, as you know, it was those of His own race who arranged for His execution. They couldn’t do it themselves, because in their minds, they were too spiritual: too obedient to God, to do such a thing. So, they arranged for the Romans to carry out the whole affair.
When Jesus trudged around the dusty roads of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, He never did or said anything that was not what God wanted Him to do or say. He professed that from His own mouth. But He never preached a sermon that was aimed at pleasing the people. He often was confrontational, and even very transparent as to how He felt about the church leaders of His day. He never felt any need to ‘never offend anyone.’ That is the opposite of what the preachers and self-proclaimed prophets of today feel. The reason He could do this was His absolute confidence in His knowledge that His Father wanted Him to do it or say it. It was far more than a ‘feeling.’ It was a personal and close, meaningful, relationship with God the Father that simply compelled Him to do so.
Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. That seems to be the lot for any true prophet. I certainly relate to that description very closely. God actually told us all to live the life that Jesus lived, [1 Jn. 2:3-6] so maybe a real Christ-follower would be terribly grieved to watch his/her fellow-man/woman going down the broad road that leads directly to hell: would be very sorrowful when he/she witnessed a church peer sinning. How about a pastor declaring he was a sinner from, the pulpit?
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Mat. 5:11-12
These words from Jesus indicate clearly that a true follower of His will likely not be a very popular person. Church-goers of today often like to proclaim that they are being persecuted by the government, but this has nothing to do with what Jesus was saying here. Church-goers of today are NOT Christ-followers, and their lives are no different to the ’heathen’ who they are supposed to be evangelising. The government, and these ‘heathen’ know this, and see them as a bunch of hypocrites who need a crutch to lean on. That crutch’s name is Jesus, but they certainly do NOT lean on Jesus. They do not even know Him. Their lives are nothing like that of Jesus in any way, shape or form.
The Church lost all of her credibility during the civil war when the holiness movement died out. Since then, preachers assure us that we cannot be holy as God is holy. We cannot stop sinning, or be perfect, because we are simply human beings. If you have ever just read the bible you will know that God has commanded us to be perfect, and to repent…cease sinning. He tells us that there is zero forgiveness in the absence of repentance. That of course, is perfectly logical like the rest of God’s message of salvation. What judge would keep on letting a criminal off, over and over again for the same crime? Neither does the Ultimate Judge.
I will continue to do what God has called me to do for the rest of my life. I am absolutely content to do so, regardless of the hardship and persecution. My life, since God set me free from sin, and all other burdens, has been far greater than anything I could have ever thought or imagined in my wildest dreams. He promises that to every sinner who truly repents, knows God, fears Him, and loves and obeys Him.
I have written a book which clearly proclaims God’s truth with regard to salvation and Christ-like living. Get ‘A Nation Broken’ from Amazon or B & N today. Feel free to flick me an email with comments, questions or further information. wekiwis@hotmail.com