How Essential is Prophecy in the Life of the Christian?
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© November 27, 2016
Every year, at the season celebrating Christ’s Birth, we introduce Christmas with the Advent Candles. Five candles announcing events leading up to Christ’s incarnation. Today we introduce the first Advent candle – a candle of “prophecy”, a candle of “hope”. Prophecy, then, is the topic of this message.
The concept of “prophecy” may bring a variety of different things to our mind.
Since the Scripture had been completed not long after Jesus’ death and resurrection and the scholarly, godly individuals had formally compiled the Bible as we know it today, our specific need of “forth telling” and “future telling” may not be as needed as was regularly the case in the Old Testament, giving pre-messianic books full of prophetic pronouncements. Now Believers in Christ go to the Word of God, the Bible, to seek instruction on how to live. We also seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, since, as those transformed (Rom. 12:2; 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18) to be Children of God (John 1:12), our bodies are indwelt by God’s Spirit, and we are the Temple of the Living God (1 Cor. 6:19).
Prophecy in the Old Testament, prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, was foretold by God-ordained prophets. Many wanted to retain the title of being the “voice of God”, but such prophecies from God required 100% accuracy to certify that the prophet was speaking God’s revelation.
Deuteronomy 18:21–22
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
A false prophet is:
“One who wrongfully claims to be a channel of divine revelation” (cf. Jer. 23:16).[1]
Everyone in the world, though, is still very interested in predictions about the future. Life is often lived around the varied “predictions” surrounding us.
The world is enamored with all forms of spiritism, such as astrology, fortune telling, etc., and all the paraphernalia used in non-Biblical and spiritistic prognostication, in the world’s thirst to know the future and make decisions to enhance life and well-being.
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• Prophecy Pursues Us
o There are many false prophets in the world today…as was was prophesied by Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:4–6
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”
How does the Bible tell us to handle prophecies?
Test everything…to see whether it is of God or not. Try the spirits. Apply the “measure” of the Scripture to it and see if it agrees with or is not in agreement with God’s Word. Hold on to that which is of God and reject that which is not.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–21
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
1 John 4:1–3 Test the Spirits
4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
o There are many projections – every day, of what is going to happen in most every area of our lives.
o There are
Economic indicators,
Weather forecasters,
National trends,
World Speculations,
Stephen Hawking has recently predicted that the world can most
likely only survive another 1,000 years.[2]
“Spiritual” prophecies good and bad abound.
o We build our lives based on the forecasts we believe to be true.
o What we believe and who we listen to often determines the outcome of our daily life and our future.
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•Prophecy Prepares Us
It forewarns us.
Prophecy informs us as to what is going to happen, so we can be prepared and not surprised.
Daniel 12:1–4
The End Times
12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Jesus, at the end of his prophetic discourse on the end times lets His disciples (including us) know that His Prophecies will have more certain fulfillment than anything else! His Word will never fail.
Matthew 24:34–35
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
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•Prophecy Presses Us
To “get our house in order”
Pain, sickness, and any number of issues cause us to go to the doctor
Blood work is taken, lungs and heart are listened to; the throat, eyes, and ears are checked. Symptoms are heard. We trust the doctor’s education and experience to understand what needs to be done to help us get well.
We wait for the Diagnosis. Prescriptions are ordered.
What if you were diagnosed with an incurable illness? Would your life change?
What kind of pressure needs to be brought on you and I to make it necessary for us to “get our house in order” before God?
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•Prophecy should Preempt Tragedy for Us
o Both in our daily life
How we live now, not only affects our relationships with each other, our families and our children’s children, it affects our personal relationship with God daily…which will also determine our eternal reward.
o And in our eternal life
What have Prophecies from God told us in the past?
God has given us many, many prophecies throughout Scripture. The primary prophecies were about the coming of His Son, to be the world’s Redeemer from Sin.
· Old Testament Prophecies told us about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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1.Jesus Christ, the Virgin-Born Messiah
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
This prophecy of the Virgin Birth, as a key sign of the Messiah, was given to Ahaz, seven hundred year before Christ came.
Why was this prophetic sign of the Messiah given to Ahaz?
o He was King of Judah – the home of God’s beloved city Jerusalem, and place of God’s Temple.
o The northern kingdom of Israel would be decimated within 65 years and become the “lost tribes” of Israel.
Isaiah 7:8
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
o King Ahaz lived during the time just before Israel and Judah would be destroyed and disbursed, and this prophecy needed to be given to the Israelites before they were scattered throughout the world…so they would know how to identify the Messiah when He came to earth.
Isaiah was God’s prophet who delivered these prophecies regarding the coming of Christ. He also prophesied Christ suffering and Kingdom.
2. Jesus Christ, the Suffering Savior
Isaiah 53 – the prophecy of the Suffering Savior who was the coming Redeemer.
3. Jesus Christ, the Coming King
Isaiah’s Prophecy of Christ, the Coming King
Isaiah 9:6–7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Jesus Christ’s Prophecies of the End of Days
· Jesus told us to be prepared for what is going to happen in the future.
Matthew 24:4–14
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
How does Prophecy affect Us Today?
· Prophecy confirms the presence of God – God knows what is going to happen in this world and God’s Word is always 100% accurate.
· Prophecy confirms the Deity of Christ – Jesus spoke specifically about “things to come”.
· Prophecies tell us about our future.
· How should these prophecies of “things to come” affect our lives today?
· How should we prepare for what God has told us is going to happen?
Today we celebrate the fulfilled prophecies of Christ’s Birth with the first Advent Candle of this Season. It represents God’s Prophetic Word, which gives us Hope in this life and the next!
Will we continue in our lives contentedly living the way we want to, or will we consider what God’s Word says and yield to the Holy Spirit and Presence of God, in the way we live?
[1] Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (p. 376). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[2] http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-hawking-1000-years-2016-11