MLC Sermon Notes Note 01/07
Bible prophecy is the news in advance. It is 100% accurate and is the divine stamp on the Bible that it is the Word of God. Every Bible prophecy will come to pass: for the scriptures cannot be broken.
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Isaiah 42:9 |
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. |
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John 10:35 |
... the scripture cannot be broken. |
It is said that 'a third of the Bible is prophecy;' and if you pause to consider that statement it is easy to see how true it is. The Bible is divided into clearly recognisable categories, but prophecy doesn't appear as a separate section; it is found throughout the Scriptures in virtually every one of the 66 books that go to make up the Holy Bible.
The Almighty will not do anything that involves the salvation or destruction of mankind, but He will first tell us His plans. He does this through His servants the prophets.
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Amos 3:7 |
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. |
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Genesis 18:17 |
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do. |
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2 Chronicles 20:20 |
... Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; |
Sad to say even the priceless gift of prophecy has been counterfeited by Satan (Lucifer) the Devil. Consequently we have 'false prophets' whose messages are often accompanied by miracles to give them credibility. A steep rise in false prophecy and miracles is one of the signs of the Saviour's return.
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Mark 13:22 |
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. |
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Revelation 19:20 |
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. |
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Matthew 7:15 |
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (see point 4) |
A clear picture of false prophets and their devastating effect upon a land is given in Jeremiah 23. Read the whole chapter and note the following:
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Jeremiah 23:10 |
The land is full of adulterers ... (false prophets who adulterate Truth with Error.) |
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11 |
For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. |
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13 |
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. |
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14 |
I have seen an horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem, they commit adultery ... |
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21 |
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. |
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25 |
They prophesy lies in my name. |
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30 |
Therefore I am against them. |
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34 |
And as for the prophet and the priest, and the people, that shall say, 'The burden of the LORD', I will even punish that man and his house. |
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36 |
And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more. |
The only sure way of knowing that the preacher you listen to is not a flse prophet is to compare what he says with the Word of God! If he is teaching man-made traditions, human ideas or plausible suppositions, beware! The question we must continually ask ourselves is found in verses 37:
What hath the LORD spoken?
There are certain tests we may apply to safeguard falling into error. They are based on the fact that 'Yahweh doesn't change' and therefore what He has considered right in the past is right today, and what He denounced as sin in the past is still sin today. When evaluating a prophet, especially one claiming the power to do miracles! the following guidelines should also be used:
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Matthew 7:15-23 |
... Ye shall know them by their fruits ... |
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21 |
Not every one who saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. |
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Luke 6:26 |
Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. |
Is it consistent with the rest of scripture?
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Deuteronomy 13:1 |
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; |
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Jeremiah 28:7 |
Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; 8. 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. 9. 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. |
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Isaiah 8:20 |
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. |
No matter how appealing or popular a preacher's words may be, no matter how many miracles he may perform; if he as a person does not obey the commandments of the Almighty and if his message is not in agreement with the Law of the Most High and the messages of the established prophets of Scripture, then you may be certain that he/she is a false prophet. The sad thing is that he probably is unaware of that fact. So, prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.
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1 Thessalonians 5:19 |
Quench not the Spirit. 20. Despise not prophesyings. 21. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good |
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1 Corinthains 14:1-5 |
Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts; but rather that ye may prophesy. ... For greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues... |
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2 Chronicles 20:20 |
Believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper. |
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Matthew 10:41 |
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward. |
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Revelation 1:3 |
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. |
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Luke 24:44 2 Peter 1:19 |
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. |
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The Bible is its own interpreter. Obscure passages in one place are explained in simpler terms elsewhere in Scripture. A man is no more able to understand or explain a prophecy of his own will, than he is able to give a true prophecy. True prophecy comes from above; so does the understanding of it.
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2 Peter 1:20 |
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. |
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Acts 26:27 |
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? |
How we believers react to that question will determine our future destination, for in accepting or rejecting the messages of the prophets of the LORD we are in fact showing our regard or disregard for the Most High Himself.
Believest thou the prophets?
It is true to say that those who do not believe Moses and the prophets would also reject the Messiah if he appeared in person today with the message of the Bible prophets. The message of all the Bible prophets in a nutshell is: Fear God and keep His commandments, or suffer the consequences. That message has not changed and those who reject it are simply deceiving themselves.
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Luke 16:31 |
And he (Jesus) said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. |
There is an infinite measure of truth in that single statement. If people do not believe Moses and the prophets, (the law of God and the testimony of His prophets) the two most powerful divine proofs available, they will not believe even if one rose from the dead; yes, even if the resurrected One were the Messiah himself. Those who profess to believe in the resurrected Messiah and at the same time reject the law of God and the testimonies of the prophets do not possess the kind of faith that the Scriptures recommend.
MLC Sermon Notes More sermons on Prophecy
July 1999
MatanYah Learning Centre, Duiwelskloof, South Africa
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