Where
Are OUR Prophets?
Prophet:
Hebrew – nabiy’ – “one speaking under inspiration from God”; Greek – prophetes
– “a foreteller, one speaking under inspiration from God; Webster’s New
Collegiate Dictionary – “one who speaks divinely inspired revelations”.
Some
people believe that God stopped sending prophets after the time of Jesus.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers
through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe. NIV Hebrews 1:1-2
Because this scripture says “in these last days”, some claim this scripture denies the possibility of prophets appearing after Jesus, and that we must rely only upon the scripture to hear/read words of inspiration, especially about what lies in our future. This is a great error in interpretation, caused, in large part, by a misunderstanding of the meaning of “last days”.
God
always communicated to His people through prophets.
Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing
without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. NIV Amos 3:7
When
David, King of Israel, sent Uriah to the front lines of battle to be killed so
that David could take Uriah’s wife (who was already pregnant with David’s
child), God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David for his sins [II Samuel
chapters 11 – 12].
When the
10-tribed nation of Israel took to idolatry, God sent Amos, Hosea, Micah and
others to warn them that God was going to destroy them and scatter them
throughout the world among other peoples.
"Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD
are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth – yet I
will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," declares the LORD. "For
I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the
nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the
ground." NIV Amos 9:8-9
When the
Kingdom of Judah (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and part of Levi) followed in
the footsteps of the Kingdom of Israel, God sent Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and
others to warn them that Jerusalem, the temple and most of the people were
going to be destroyed and the rest taken captive if they didn’t change their
ways.
But if you do not listen, I will weep in
secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with
tears, because the LORD's flock will be taken captive. NIV Jeremiah 13:17
Prophecies
for the end of the “age” — the “latter days”
Several
prophets including Daniel spoke of the birth of Jesus and His murder and the
complete and final destruction of the whole Old Testament era. Jesus also prophesied this destruction
[Matthew 23 – 24; Mark 13; Luke 21].
After a long-suffering God gave Jerusalem and the religious leaders of
Jesus’ time 40 years – a “generation” – to repent and found them still denying
the Messiah and persecuting His followers, the Roman Army under Vespasian
surrounded Jerusalem in 67 AD and over the next 3 ½ years, 1,260 days just as
prophesied, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and hundreds of thousands
were slaughtered — just as prophesied.
There is
much confusion in understanding Bible prophecy because of the misinterpretation
of the phrase “the last days” or “the latter days”. The first time the phrase appears in the KJV
translation is Numbers 24:14:
“And now, behold, I
go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people
shall do to thy people in the latter days.” [KJV Numbers 24:14]
Balaam,
the prophet, then lists the destruction of Balak, the king of Moab, who had
hired Balaam to curse the nation of Israel, along with several other nations
that were going to be destroyed. For
Balak, Moab and these other nations, their “latter days” were relatively near
in their future.
The
phrase appears next in Deuteronomy where Moses is speaking to the children of
Israel concerning their fate if they do not keep the covenant they had made
with God [Deuteronomy 4:23-31]. The
“latter days” of the covenant for the 10-tribed Kingdom of Israel ended with
the attack and destruction by Assyria of its cities and the scattering of its
people. God said He gave Israel [the 10
tribes] a “writ of divorce”:
"And I saw
that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given
her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she
went and was a harlot also.” [Jeremiah
3:8 NRSV]
For the Kingdom of
Judah, its “latter
days” were time of Jesus [Hebrews 1:1-2] through the destruction of Jerusalem,
the temple and the last vestiges of the Old Covenant in 70 AD.
Many
Bible teachers seem to think that if the phrases “latter days” or “last days”
are used in a prophecy, then that prophecy must be for our future. There is no
rational basis for this assumption.
Some
prophecies are inherently for our future, but they are very easy to
discern. For instance, the prophecy of
Isaiah:
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days,
that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword
against nation; neither shall they learn war any more. KJV Isaiah 2:1-4
This is
obviously for our future because this prophecy has never happened.
In the
book of Daniel, there is a prophecy that is commonly taught as being in our
future. Daniel writes:
Now I am come to make thee understand what
shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for
many days. KJV Daniel 10:14
Since
very few people take the time to do secular historical research, many people
have been misled into believing that this prophecy is for OUR future. A little historical documentation shows that this
prophecy was, indeed, for Daniel’s future and was, indeed, for the “last days”
or the “time of the end” but it was the “last days” and the “time of the end”
for the Old Covenant, not a prophecy yet to be fulfilled in OUR future.
The
explanation of the prophecy which the angel of God gave to Daniel begins in
Daniel 11:2 and the first part runs through verse 20. The explanation does not name the specific
players in the prophecy but secular history confirms the accuracy of the
prophecy.
It describes
the struggles between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, beginning with Ptolemy
I, Soter of Egypt (306 – 285 BC) [“king of the South” in this passage – v. 5],
Seleucus I Nicator (301 – 281 BC) [“one of his princes” v. 5], Antiochus II,
Theos (married Ptolemy II’s daughter about 252 BC) [v.6], Seleucus III Ceranus
(227 – 223 BC) and Antiochus III, the Great (223-187 BC) (sons of Antiochus
II) [v.10]. Beginning in verse 10 through verse 20 is a
description of the battles of Antiochus the Great with Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy
V. Verse 15 mentions the siege of Gaza
and verse 16 the entry of Antiochus into Jerusalem. Antiochus Epiphanes, who was expecting
intervention from Rome, made an alliance with Egypt and married Ptolemy’s
daughter Cleopatra in 194 BC [v. 18], but was defeated by Roman Lucius
Cornelius Scipio at magnesia in 190 BC [v.18].
Verse 20 describes Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 BC), who was
assassinated.
The
further explanation of the angel of God in Daniel of another section of the prophecy
begins in Daniel 11:21 and runs through verse 39. This part describes Antiochus IV Epiphanes
(175–165 BC) [v. 21] who destroyed the “prince of the covenant” (probably high
priest Onias III) [v. 23], and who was defeated by “the ships of Kittim” (the
Roman consul landed at Alexandra, Egypt).
Antiochus then turned his wrath against the people of Jerusalem [v.
30-37]. The last part of this section of
the prophecy shows the rise of the Roman Empire, which defeated the remainder
of the Greek Empire. At the time of
Daniel, Rome was a little backwater village without any power whatsoever.
The
final part of this prophecy, beginning in Daniel 11:40 and running through
Daniel 12:4, is the description of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by
that same Roman Empire. Since the Bible
does not cover this period, we have to rely on secular history to read about
the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy and the later one of Jesus.
Secular
history (including Josephus’ Wars of the
Jews) states that in 66 AD, the Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire.
They set up their own government, struck their own coins and mustered their own
army. Thus, the Jewish government became the "king of the south" as
prophesied by Daniel. [The word "south" here is translated from the
Hebrew word Negeb or Negev which means "south" and
specifically means that section of land in and around Jerusalem and further
south. Today, the "Negeb" is a triangular wedge of desert
touching the Gulf of Aquaba in the southern part of the land of Israel.]
They
"pushed" at the "king of the north" the Roman Empire and
destroyed the Roman armies in Jerusalem. When Nero (the Roman Emperor) found
out, he was furious! Nero chose his best commander, Vespasian, to put down the
rebellion.
Vespasian
took his army and passed through many countries [Daniel 11:40], over the
Hellespont and into Syria. Another commander (Titus who was Vespasian's son)
sailed to Alexandria, Egypt bringing the Roman 5th and 10th legions.
Vespasian and his armies stood at the borders of Judea in the spring of 67 AD. Jerusalem fell in the autumn of 70 AD 3½ years, 42 months, 1,260 days later. [Josephus' Wars of the Jews, Book II, chapters XIV-XXII and Book III, chapters I & IV, and Chaim Potok's History of the Jews]
Rome [the king of the north] received "tidings out of the east and the north" [Daniel 11:44] which troubled him. Gaul [France - Germany] revolted while Nero was still Emperor; the revolt from the east was that of the Scythians. In the middle of Vespasian's campaign, Roman Emperor Nero [the letters of whose name Nero Caesar when translated into numbers equals either six hundred and sixteen or six hundred, sixty-six about which is another prophecy that needs to be reexamined] died and there was chaos in Rome. Before Vespasian could leave for Rome, Nero died of natural causes (no one “helped”, i.e., murdered him) [Daniel 11:45].
Vespasian's
troops persuaded him to accept the title of Emperor and before he left for
Rome, he confirmed the loyalty of Egypt and other countries to him [Daniel
11:42, 43].
Vespasian’s
son, Titus, finished the military campaign, leveled the temple [Matthew 24:2],
burning it to the ground (Josephus says it was the Jews inside the walls who
set the temple on fire – Titus was going to preserve it) along with the rest of
Jerusalem. [Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book IV, chapters VIII
& X, Book VII, chapter IV]
All of
this prophecy was to be sealed until the “time of the end”:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and
seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased. KJV Daniel
12:4
With the
construction of the Roman Road system and the Greek educational system at its
peak, knowledge was increased more during this period that at any other in
history before that time. The original
Roman government system was the first ever to offer a society based on “the
rule of law” rather than the whims of a king or local fiefdoms. Many of our government’s founding principles
came from the Roman system.
When was
the “time of the end”? For the Jews, it
was 70 AD, when the last vestiges of the Old Covenant were destroyed in the
ashes of Jerusalem and the temple. Were
these the “latter days” [Daniel 10:14]?
They certainly were the “latter days” of the Old Covenant and the “last
days” of the hundreds of thousands slaughtered in Jerusalem.
How
often have you heard this prophecy described as being for a time in our
future? There is no Biblical logic for
projecting this prophecy into OUR future.
Duality in prophecy; a false theory?
Almost
all Bible scholars acknowledge that the destruction of Jerusalem over three and
one-half years ending in AD 70 fits the prophetic description of "the
great tribulation". Many will also
acknowledge that the prophecies concerning the "number of the beast"
and the "son of perdition" might well fit Emperor Nero and that the
prophecies might have been fulfilled once in this fashion. But many will claim that prophecy is
"dual" — that these are prophecies that will be fulfilled again in
our future. I challenge anyone to prove
the validity of the doctrine of "duality" of prophecy from the Bible,
that is, prove that prophecies are fulfilled more than once. Some Bible scholars teach this, but is it true?
We
should let the Bible interpret itself and explain itself. When Jesus spoke of being "in the heart
of the earth" like Jonah was "in the belly of the fish" for
three days and three nights, it is clearly spelled out. Jesus being similar to Moses in prophecy is
stated clearly. Jesus being the 2nd Adam
is stated clearly. John the Baptist
being the "Elijah" who prepared the way for the coming of Christ was
prophesied in Malachi 4:5, 6 and explained in Matthew 17:10-13. Yet some persist in looking for an
"end-time" Elijah today!
If a
prophecy has been fulfilled, then the usefulness of that prophecy is only to
prove that it was true and to demonstrate to us how God deals with His
people. And — think about it — proving
that these prophecies were true is further validation of the Bible itself!
Duality
is a ruse, an equivocation, a feeble explanation which allows a charlatan to
claim "revelation" from God that a fulfilled prophecy is to still
apply to our future and to control the minds and actions of others who believe
him to be a "man of God". It
is another cause of the confusion and fear that afflict the Christian community
today.
Prophecies
for OUR future?
There
certainly are prophecies in the Bible that relate to our future. The Isaiah prophecy mentioned above, probably
some in Jeremiah and Ezekiel and certainly chapters 19-22 of Revelation.
We must
be very careful not to allow the phrases “last days” or “latter days” or “time
of the end” to authenticate a prophecy for our future.
Where are
OUR prophets?
The Bible
makes it clear that there were prophets after the death and resurrection of
Jesus. As Paul wrote to the church in
Corinth:
Now you
are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church
God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those
able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in
different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do
all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent
way. NIV 1 Corinthians 12:27-31
For we
know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the
imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put
childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then
we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as
I am fully known. NIV 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
What
then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a
word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of
these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a
tongue, two--or at the most three--should speak, one at a time, and someone
must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in
the church and speak to himself and God.
Two or
three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what
is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first
speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone
may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of
prophets are subject to the control of prophets. NIV 1 Corinthians 14:26-32
In his letter to the church at Ephesus,
Paul shows that some things were being revealed to the apostles and the
prophets, which had not been known in previous generations:
Surely
you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for
you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already
written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my
insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other
generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles
and prophets. NIV Ephesians 3:2-5
In the same letter, Paul repeated his
statement about the gifts of the spirit, including prophecy, and said that such
gifts would help the church mature so that deceitful men did not fool them:
It was
he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists,
and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of
service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining
to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be
infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every
wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful
scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow
up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. NIV Ephesians 4:11-15
The apostle Peter wrote that there would be
false prophets who would introduce heresies into church doctrine. This has certainly happened in all churches,
Catholic, denominational and all the others too.
But there were also false prophets among
the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly
introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought
them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their
shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their
greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their
condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not
been sleeping. NIV 2 Peter 2:1-3
One only
has to recall the false prophets who have predicted the “imminent” return of
Jesus, some even setting an exact date for His return. They have declared that “these are the last
days” for the last 50 years, with many of their declarations based on
prophecies said to be in our future because they are for “the latter days”.
Those
outside these cults have lost respect the churches and for the whole system of
interpreting prophesy. Seeing these
false prophets on television or hearing them on radio exposes Christianity to
more derision than almost anything else in today’s society. This derision may be at least partially
responsible for the lack of true prophets today.
Yet, we
need our prophets today, to help the church become mature. Paul instructed us to “eagerly desire the
greater gifts” [I Corinthians 12:31] and the gift of prophecy is listed as
“second” only to the apostles [I Corinthians 12:28].
Jesus,
Himself, told us that the guidance of the Holy Spirit would help us tell the
future:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he
will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only
what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring
glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. NIV John
16:13-14
It seems
to me that today’s churches and religious people have either attached some
mystical meaning to the term “prophet”, or have so criticized and derided the false
prophets who have been exposed, that those who may have this gift are too
embarrassed or discouraged to use it.
The denial that prophecy — predicting our future — can exist today may
be one the worst mistakes in theology to ever occur.
Perhaps
these prophets are prophesying even now and we are just not listening. This is the way of God’s people as far back
as the Bible records their action. Are
we really any different?
Where are OUR prophets?