Is prophecy for today?

The primary purpose of Old Covenant predictive prophecy was not to authenticate the prophet. If the prediction came true that did show the man to have heard from God. The primary purpose of prophecy and predictive prophecy then was to lead the people who would hear it to KNOW that Jehovah the Lord IS THE LORD. It was to warn them that things would come because of their sins, and it was to comfort and encourage them in their lives to be faithful and obedient and bless them with the expectation of the future they would enjoy. I don’t think this has changed much, yet we do CERTAINLY know that Jesus is THE Prophet of prophets, the one who Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

 Today we make much of the prophecy of Joel, which was reiterated by Peter at pentecost (Shavuot):

Joel 2
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.

I included verse 27 so we could see the result God desired for what was perviously prophesied for the remnant of Israel:

“ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame.”

There it is, God sends prophets so that the people will KNOW Him, and what He is doing, and what He will do. 

Verses 28 to 32 speak to our time. Or do they? That is the controversy regarding prophecy today. CERTAINLY they speak to the day of pentecost on which Peter quoted Joel’s prophetic word. For there on that day the Holy Spirit WAS poured out. Jesus had instructed them to wait for Him and for His power from on high. He came! "Veni, vidi, vici!” 

But is prophecy for today, are prophets still given as gifts to the church? 

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:

13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;

16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.

Numbers 11:24-29

24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of Jehovah: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.

25 And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

26 But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!

1 Samuel 10:10-12

10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them.

11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

12 And one of the same place answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Acts 2:16-21

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

    and your young men shall see visions,

    and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above

    and signs on the earth below,

    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood,

    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Acts 2:16-21

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

    and your young men shall see visions,

    and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above

    and signs on the earth below,

    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood,

    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

WHY would God have stopped giving prophets, or gifts of prophecies via the sons and daughters of Israel and their servants? And WHY would we dare to forbid them? The purpose of prophecy is to warn, to encourage and has been to predict future events. I can see something in the teaching that no future predictions of events are needed. We have enough prophecy in the Bible to communicate to those unaware. But I can’t understand how a gift that is given to build and equip God’s church can be declared as eliminated on the basis of one scripture passage. (1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.) I think it may be that we do not have many prophets after the apostles died because the church rapidly apostatized  into the whore of Babylon. If that shakes you up, good. I think it is so! 

Revelation 19:9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  “

…the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.

Do you have a word of testimony? I pray you do! It is an overcoming testimony and defeats satan, for the testimony of God’s people is that by the grace of God which is the blood and death and rising of Jesus they do escape the destiny of satan and receive in the Messiah everlasting life! Is that testimony prophecy? Is your testimony predictive of your future? I pray it is predictive even if you don’t call it prophetic. 

Numbers 11:29 And Moses said unto him (Joshua), Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!

May 21, 2015 CRISIS!

These days it is very easy to lose focus. God’s people are right care about the madness of sin running amok in the souls of there enemies, their neighbors and their congregations and families. But I think we must admit that the redress of so much that harms us and others is not as simple as “taking back” our nation. EVERYTHING AND ALL PEOPLE belong to God. We christians belong to Him and His Kingdom. Jesus very wisely said to the people: Seek first the Kingdom (GOVERNMENT) of God and God’s right way of doing things. THEN all that you need will be ADDED to you.  

Do we fear that the government in Washington D.C. will fail us? It most certainly will if we count on it to be our success. Success for the christian is apprehended in being governed by God. Can we can choose men and women and send them off to Washington D.C. to be righteous governors if we haven’t for some time chosen righteous governors for our congregations? Does God ever instruct us to be involved in the civil government? If He did would we succeed in that while FAILING to faithfully govern and be be governed in our congregations? But it is Jesus our King whom we must seek FOR governance. It will mean we change. It will mean I change. Washington DC may not change, and will almost certainly get get worse (2 Timothy Ch. 3). But will I change? That is God's desire that I be changed. Will you change? 

John the beloved Apostle instructs us to LOVE NOT the world. That does not mean we should take a vow of poverty or chastity, or go live in a cave until we die. We have to live and honor God with the material realities of this life. We do need food, clothes, jobs, spouses, children, and whatever other good things God will provide for us. The world we are not to love is the world which sins, doubts, and rebels against God. If we are passionate for God in His love we will hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and the things and persons of unrighteousness will be easily discerned.

But there is a vey personal crisis we each must engage. It is that of our own unrighteousness. All have sinner. I have sinned. I may sin again. Most of us can’t imagine that we could walk from May 21, 2015  until the day we die in sinless perfection. But Jesus did say twice, to a man and to a woman “Go and sin no more.” !!!!! So we should see at the least that God’s desire is different than that “something” in us that chafes and wanders from and rebels against God. 

Why does life today contain so much human failure? Because we don’t think like God thinks, we LACK the mind of Christ. God’s success was never greater than when Jesus rose from the dead, If we are to rise with Him we shall by absolute necessity have to have died with Him. 

Someone said, “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” It sounds so right to say it! But peace cannot begin in me until peace is given to me, and received by me. The peace than man can give or deny will come to an end someday. The peace that we need is the peace God alone gives and Jesus came as the Prince of God’s peace to bring us into His peace. That gift of peace was expensive, so very expensive. To give it Jesus was rejected by those He loved, was accused of being of the devil, was betrayed by his close associate, was illegally arrested and tried for a crime (blasphemy) He did not commit, and convicted for claiming to be God’s Son (which was true but deemed blasphemy by His accusers), was humiliated, was beaten, flogged, was stripped naked, nailed to a cross, mocked and left to die. He purchased us and it was a fearsome price He paid for us! And when we through faith receive Him by grace we are given His peace. 

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's. The first "order of business" is that men and women through faith in The Messiah Jesus become members of God's household. There in Jesus they will live and not die. In God's household life is not found in the abundance of their possessions. (Luke 12:15). There they can lay up treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21) In God's household men and women can love God, love God's people and love their neighbor, and even love their enemies. (The New Testament!) From God's household we can do good to all men, and especially to those of God's household. (Galatians 6:10) In God's household we are not afraid of what man can do to us. (Romans 8:31, read the whole chapter!) There they need not except to obey God and behave according to His law of love. (Romans 8:1-2). There they can live without the need to be richer than others or even equal to others. (Philippians 2:3-4, read the whole chapter!) There they can live inoffensively forgiving all, knowing that their souls are safe for eternity, while still very very short in their frail flesh and blood. (Mark 11:25; James 4:14; Revelation 12:11). Success in God's household can be lived out under the most trying circumstances. The sins of others cannot rob the Messiah's children of their destiny. Success in God's sight is to learn and to love others as Jesus loved them, (Luke 23:34) to learn and love our fellow christians as He loves them, (John 15:12) and to learn and love God as Jesus, Father and The Holy Spirit love each other and all men. (John 17:21-26 NOTE verse 23)

In God's household we learn and then do justly while loving mercy and walking in humility with God. (Micah 6:8)

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Stop BSD

Dear Academics, 

I was asked to write you concerning the BSD anti-Israeli movement. I was asked to challenge you according to your Regents Policy on Course Content. I know nothing about that policy, but have been advised: 

UC Riverside is allowing an undergraduate to teach a course that will spend several weeks on “Settler-Colonialism and Apartheid;” Discussion “on checkpoints, the wall, and occupation;” Discourse on Palestinian “Refugeehood and Exile” and the “Palestinian Diaspora;” A guest speaker on the topic of “the history of the Palestinian struggle and exile;” Exploring “possibilities for the future of the struggle and Palestinian people.” ... This violates the UC Regents Policy on Course Content that prohibits political indoctrination in the classroom.

I really can’t comment authoritatively in this challenge except to say it does sound as if the thing needs a serious inquiry according to your policies. 

But I do know something about Israel.

There are less than 20 Million Jews throughout the whole earth. That is about 1/4 of ONE PERCENT of the 7+ Billion people alive today. Why does this very small people group deserve such opposition and cruelty? If you’re a christian it is inexcusable as you are guided by Jesus' sermon on the mount, AND the two greatest commandments. If you are a liberal it is inexcusable as it is racial discrimination, or religious discrimination or both. If you’re in finance it is not advisable as many of Israel’s financial and business ventures are at the top in productivity, innovation and financial growth.

We talk much about bullying these days. We forget that some of history’s most evil bullies were those who persecuted the Jews... the Pharaoh of Egypt, the kings of Moab, Assyria and Babylon, Rome under the Caesars, Spain under the “Holy” Roman Empire, Russia under the czars and the communists, Germany under Hitler; all were led by bullies and became bullies. In the past and again today the Islamic people of some 20+ nations cower under the boots of their leaders and their terrorists. Muslims with few exceptions are bullies of Jews and Christians or indifferent. 

BDS toward Israel is as liberals like to say: MEAN SPIRITED. In practical terms it is unwise. From Christ’s own words CLEARLY it is NOT love for your enemy Israel to do him harm. 

There is a mystery of God regarding Israel and to that I will not speak much, except to say that as a gentile christian I agree 100% with Jesus who said to the Samaritan women at Jacob’s well:

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22

…and I agree 100% with Jehovah who said to Abraham: 

“Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and be thou a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

Go to God with your Bible and pray for God to show you more (Psalm 2 is a good starting place).

Yours and opposing the BSD movement against Israel

David B Severy 

Baltimore Md.

The Body and The Blood

The Lord ’s Supper is the revelation and the declaration of the Blood of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. We try to make more of the mystery than we should. God saves us by satisfying His wrath for our sins on the body of His own Son. This is the thing to remember as we eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine. It is a simple meal revealing a POWERFUL mystery. The mystery is best understood taking into account the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (special mention Moses and David) whose covenant PROMISES God made with Israel are not made null by the New Covenant, they are upheld by it for those who will receive Jesus and the New! The New Covenant was the PROMISE He gave to the Jews in Jeremiah Ch.s 30-31. And THAT is a stunner to most who discover it, both Jews and Gentiles, that THE NEW COVENANT was a covenant first for the Jews and then for the Gentiles!

I’m not Jewish but I have learned to call Jesus the Messiah. We gentiles have for more than 16 centuries rejected His Jewishness and His committed promises to the progeny of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was their Lamb first, and has graciously in time also made His Way, Truth and Life a gift to gentiles who believe. The Old Testament, so ignored, even by Jews, shows it all. Additionally there is more to early church history than most know. Greek/Roman philosophy in the early church did drive all Jews and things Jewish into disrepute, even anathematizing them. They changed the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st. Constantine wed the church and the state and we are still trying to get that big WRINKLE out. In the spirit of Balak and Balaam were many anti-Christs who carried into the churches HATRED of the Jews, of Judah!

We are saved by faith, we remember Him who saved us to life by His death at the Messianic passover meal we gentiles have called the Lord’s supper. Our fellowship/partnership/koinonia/communion is WITH Him by grace and truth through faith. It does not require the meal, but the meal is very important. His “job” is to save, heal and deliver. Ours is to repent, believe, fellowship and remember. Our relationship to Him Savior/Healer/Deliverer is remembered, memorialized at the meal the bread and the wine we remember for they today are a remembrance and  the declaration of His DEATH on our behalf.  This is the remembrance of what some have called the divine exchange. Catholics frankly have it very wrong as the say by priestly invocation and rites the bread and wine become literally His body and blood. Some say the mass is in that respect is a recrucifixion of Jesus! I see that point. The bread and wine were not literal flesh and blood on the night before He was crucified. IF THEY WERE.. WOULD THE ONCE FOR ALL CRUCIFIXION OF THE SON OF MAN BE NECESSARY? Why, if they were not then...  are the suddenly now?

The exchange and the change in us are from corrupt flesh to a cleansed spirit. This is from the operation of the power of God by His Spirit. That does not require bread or wine let alone those turned into HIS literal body and blood. When I saw The Passion, I knew I was saved the moment in Gethsemane that the the soldier struck Jesus on the head. MY HEART WAS WOUNDED BY THE PORTRAYAL of the event. So we might feel some wounds by the portrayal of the crucifixion as it was prophesied at the Last Supper. I think it to be a moment in a meal when some sobriety and solemnness should be observed, and we might again be struck by the tragedy of His death necessary to gain our greatest need.

If we were to be healed and delivered by the literal physical substance of Jesus body and blood it would be the blood we needed today. Jesus healed by laying on hands and prayer, and also by mud, spit and and washing in a pool. How can one man’s brokenness, His stripes His wounds heal me? How can any blood at all remove the guilt and the shame of sin?  It is the power of the word, the promises and the Spirit of God  which accomplished all this on the cross. Countless were crucified, only one of them was God in the flesh. The accomplishment was done and finished on the literal cross by the literal Historical heaven sent Son of the Living God. The faith that saves us is the substance of things hoped for which come by the power of the One we crucified. The blood Jesus shed saved us because Jesus and Abba says it does.  And we must believe Them when they say it is so! ByTheir Great Power they are  known to be TRUE. It was sinless human blood, yet apart from the sinless aspect it was just human blood. If Jesus is present where two or more gather, it is not to be crucified again. We don’t need to spill His blood a second time. The power of Jesus blood is in it sinlessness at the one and only time it was shed,  that done in “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” and in the promise of God’s word. It was the PROMISE He gave to the Jews in Jeremiah Ch.s 30-31. And THAT is a stunner to most who discover it, both Jews and Gentiles, that THE NEW COVENANT was a covenant first for the Jews and then for the Gentiles!

Jesus got what I deserve. I get what He gives by a forensic exchange: my criminal guilt for His sinless innocence.

Some believe in transubstantiation. I believe the bread and wine (or juice) remain bread and wine. Jesus declaration was that He and His Father were the source and sustainer of life and of everlasting life. Jesus Body was real human flesh and His Blood was real human blood, BUT HE SAID TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT EVEN COMPREHEND:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63

The bread and the wine are just bread and wine.  Jesus body and blood are something else. The teaching Jesus gives us incorporating them as symbols representing the once and for all breaking of His body and shedding of His blood. In John 6 and at the Lord’s Supper, these symbols show that we must consume the life of Jesus in the spirit not in the flesh. We must declare His blood was spilled instead of ours, His Body broken instead of ours and His everlasting life imparted to us by the grace of His tasting death for us. ALL VALIDATED by His resurrection! That really can be given without ever celebrating the Lord’s Supper with bread and wine, it was to the “good” thief on the cross next to the Lord. NOTWITHSTANDING the Lord’s supper is a purposeful event in church life. I believe Jesus was saying to the Jews, the Passover meal is now a changed meal. No longer will you remember the exodus, the lamb and Moses foremost in this meal. Now from this time on REMEMBER ME whenever you eat it. For the Jews that was once a year! Yet I think now we are rightly free to eat  weekly, monthly or daily remembering. IT IS THE REMEMBERING that is important, I believe without that sincerity, the Lord’s presence is offended, and we are then chastened for our vainess. It’s not just what we get, it’s how we got it, by God’s Son’s death. It is the remembering which enables our hearts to be strengthened.

We need to immerse ourselves daily in the Spirit of the Living God. We can have real fellowship with Jesus by other means, in prayer, Bible reading/study, and in fellowship with the saints. We should immerse ourselves and remain wet in the waters of life, drinking His Word, and burning with His Fire a Fire which does not destroy. Even breathing His Fire!