LEARNING DAILY

 

Hebrews 11:32-34, Well how much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.  By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God has promised them.  They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword.  Their weakness was turned to strength.  They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.  (NLT)

 

Too often a prophet has been thought as one who speaks about some event that is going to happen in the future.  A prophet is not a fortune teller.  There have been times when God has used a man or a woman in the Old Testament to speak concerning His “Divine purposes of salvation and glory to be accomplished in the future’ (Vines Expository Dictionary).  Vines Expository Dictionary gives a definition of a person who might be considered a prophet, one that is appropriate to us today.  “A prophet is one who speaks forth or openly is a proclaimer of a divine message; in general, a prophet is one whom the Spirit of God rests on; one to whom and through whom God speaks.”  You and I must be aware of the person who is a self-proclaimed “profit” who is trying to gain wealth and prestige off the Word of God.  These are the false teachers Jesus warned us about.

 

I enjoy reading the books of the Bible that have been written by true prophets of God.  “They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword.  Their weakness was turned to strength.  They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.”  They have told us about empires that would rule the world.  They have spoken about what God showed them would happen in the future in terms they could understand from living when they did.  Writers and those who enjoy reading their writing (like me) have a great time trying to relate what they wrote to modern day technology.  Did they see nuclear weapons but not know what they were?  Is their description of a locust our modern-day helicopters of war?  My “sanctified imagination” can have a great time!

 

The times they lived in were not easy.  They were often instructed by God to go to leaders to give them unpleasant messages.  Imagine being instructed to go to a world leader today to tell him/her God was going to destroy him/her for the decisions made.  What would happen to you?  The prophets of God were thrown into a lion’s den, sent to a brook to be fed by ravens, tried to not deliver God’s message only to end up in a whale’s belly.  Imagine going into Washington D. C with God’s message to repent or be destroyed.  I might think like Jonah and not want to do it; finally doing it and seeing the entire city repent.  They were often alone because they were usually not popular and asked to do things that might seem crazy.  But they were obedient, spoke or did as God directed them.  Because of their obedience they used mightily by God.

 

Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit to the church (Romans 12:6-7).  Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that the gift of prophecy is to build up the church and unify it.  When I write about what the Bible tells is to come, the purpose is to educate, unify, and encourage all Believers to have hope in whatever circumstance they are in and to know the world situation is in God’s complete control.  As students of God’s Word, as we diligently seek Him and strive to walk on the narrow way each day it will help us know the false prophets when confronted by them.  Stay in God’s Word. Study it!  The study of the prophets only encourages us to know the God who is still sitting on Hos throne and who has all things under His control.