False Prophets

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (Moses), and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Deu 18:20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
Deu 18:21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

A Prophet was one who was sent by God through whom He spoke to His people. One of the signs of a genuine prophet (it seems many claimed to be prophets) would be that he would be able to give prophecies which would come true (in the lifetime of the hearers, ie. THEIR generation) and if they didn't come true then they would KNOW the Lord was NOT the one speaking through them but they were being presumptuous.

Most Christians agree Jesus was a Prophet sent from God and most believe also that He was more than a Prophet.  In the book of John it is said that God's Word was in the beginning, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1).  This, and other passages, are the ones that Christians point to in order to declare that Jesus is God.  The book of Hebrews begins by saying, "Heb 1:1-3 -  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,   Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;   Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

So far, so good.  But then it begins to break down when Christians do not believe the very words which Jesus said about His 2nd Coming and unintentionally begin calling Him a false prophet who was presumptuous in His words and did not always speak what the Lord had spoken.  Deu 18:20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?   When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

We believe the words of Jesus when He spoke about other things but we do not believe Him when he spoke  of His second coming and by our unbelief we end up calling Him a false prophet.  Here is what Jesus said prophesied about His second coming:

 "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matt. 3:2)

 "You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes." (Matt. 10:23)

 "There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." (Matt. 16:28; cf. Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27)

 "This generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (Matt. 24:34)

 "From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matt. 26:64; Mk. 14:62; Lk. 22:69)

. “These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Lk. 21:22)

 "This generation will not pass away until all things take place.” (Lk. 21:32)  One generation in scripture is 40 years.  It was 40 years from the Cross of Christ till the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD when those he spoke to saw Him coming on the clouds of heaven.
There are many other passages which talk about the Kingdom being 'at hand' AT THAT TIME and Jesus 2nd Coming going to occur 'shortly' and without delay.

My question is - How can we evangelize and tell others of Jesus when, deep inside, we believe Jesus failed to fulfill His own words?  By not believing that Jesus did exactly what He said He would about His second coming (even though we do not understand it) we DESTROY the credibility of Jesus, His Apostles, the Bible, and God Himself.  Do we really want to do that?  If we do then we are presenting a Jesus who has no power to fulfill His OWN words but a prophet who has spoken presumptuously.  Or, maybe, because we don't LIKE what He said, it would make us feel better if we would take our black Sharpie and mark His Words about when His 2nd coming would occur out of the Bible.

Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Puzzles

In order to fill some free time several years ago my daughter took interest in assembling jigsaw puzzles.  She would spend hours diligently searching out pieces that might match only to discover otherwise.  To add to her frustration the puzzles were mystery puzzles and in order to solve the mystery the puzzle had to be completed.  This meant one thing, she did not have a picture to show her the final results.  Several times, with sheer determination, she conquered her frustration only to find the last few pieces missing.  A risk she knew she was taking because the puzzles were second-hand.

Does God and the Bible often seem like a mystery puzzle?  Do we simply have bits and pieces of the final picture God is presenting?  Do the pieces we have accumulated not fit together causing us to become frustrated trying to solve this mystery called 'life?'

We are all taking a risk in our knowledge of God and the Bible, just as my daughter did when choosing to work with second-hand puzzles with the possibility of missing pieces.  Our risk comes in the same way because our knowledge is mostly second-hand.  It comes from our parent, preachers, Sunday School teachers, and others.  Some pieces may be the correct ones presenting part of the truth while others are not and frustration is bound to happen when we try to force the pieces together to make a picture.  It simply does not work and sometimes we get so frustrated we give up.  Because we have given up, we stumble through this life incomplete.  It is incomplete because, even though we are Christians, we are lacking pieces in the area of true knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:2-4 states.  "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,   According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."   Simply put, this says we become more like God and more at peace by increasing our knowledge of God and Christ.  But how can we do that if we continue to depend upon second-hand knowledge which only give us bits and pieces?

This passage tells me that God has granted to us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness; therefore, I shouldn't have to depend upon second-hand knowledge.  I would like to learn more about God for myself, then maybe, by God's grace, the pieces will fit together better than they have in the past.  The way I see second-hand knowledge about God is kind of like gossip.  Why believe what someone else says about someone when  you can go directly to the source (person being gossiped about) to find out the truth? God has made Himself available through scripture from which we can learn the truth so why do we always depend upon second-hand knowledge of Him? 

Maybe it is time we ditch the second-hand stuff and start looking at scripture with new eyes and going to the Source Himself.

 1 Jn  2:24-27  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

We have placed preachers and teachers on a pedestal as though they are the only ones who can teach us about God.  When we do we are trusting in second-hand knowledge.  We are trusting in THEIR interpretation of what the scripture says.  I'll admit, it is easier that way because we don't have to take the personal responsibility of studying, however,  in doing so we are refusing to believe this passage of scripture.

Why be fed regurgitated food when the real food of the word of God is available to us?

Is the Church an extension of Judaism?

Just because someone sees things different than most everyone else does that make them wrong? Jesus saw everything different than most of the nation of Israel and it made them mad enough they crucified Him. But was He wrong?

It seems to me the church has made itself nothing more than an extension of Judaism. They have taken the water baptism of John which was specifically stated to manifest Christ to Israel and turned it into a rule for the church.

They have taken the spirit baptism which is specifically stated to give the power to spread the Gospel (Act_1:8 but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.') and turned it into their effort of rule to pat themselves on the back  and often making their disciples twice as much a son of hell as themselves They deny the Gospel has gone out to every creature which is under heaven and instead use the baptism of the Spirit to make people believe they have not quite made it yet unless they can speak in tongues.  Mt. 24:14 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. "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which ……was preached to every creature which is under heaven..." - Colossians 1:23 "But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the …….ends of the world.'" - Romans 10:18

They have taken the gift of tongues which specifically says was a sign of coming judgment to the nation of Israel (which happened at 70AD)and turned it into a sign of super spirituality and elitism by which they condemn others for not being as they are - the super spiritual, spirit baptized, elite.

They have taken the new covenant which specifically says was to the nation of Judah and Israel and turned it into a covenant by which they perceive they will be blessed. They refuse to believe the new covenant was fulfilled in Christ and the 1st century remnant of God’s elect and instead try to force themselves into it the same way the nation of Israel did.

They have taken the church building and turned it into an extension of the temple when it is specifically stated that God does not dwell in building made with hands. They refuse to believe that the temple was torn down, stone by stone, never to be rebuilt again and along with it every shred or hint of Judaism and even before the temple was destroyed the OLD covenant was fading away.

They refuse to believe the Law which is specifically stated (all of it) was nailed to the cross and taken out of the way and instead bring that right past calvary and tack it upon the believer. They refuse to believe every single shred of the Old Covenant Law (Mosaic – including the big 10) was a ministry of condemnation and not life -1 Cor. 3. They refuse to believe this law replaced all others 1 Jn 3:23 and this is His command, that we may believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He did give command to us, 1Jn 3:24 and he who is keeping His commands, in Him he doth remain, and He in him; and in this we know that He doth remain in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.

They refuse to believe that Jesus Christ came just as He said He would and that age of Mosaic Law and Judaism ended. Matthew 10:23 (NKJV) "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 16:27-28 (NKJV) "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Matthew 24:34 (NKJV) "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Wake up, folks. This age of Christ dwelling within the life of the believer post 70AD is NOT an extension of Judaism – it is a whole new ball game. Don’t let anyone guilt you into believing anything different and beware of those who play the Judaism game but are wolves in sheeps clothing.

I Was Tired

I was tired......

I was drug into the kingdom by enticement

but found I was never changed.

John 3:3

I was drug into the kingdom by guilt

but found the guilt remained.

Romans 8:1

I was drug into the kingdom by God's sovereignty

but found I questioned my election.

2 Peter 1:10

I was drug into the kingdom by service

but found I was soon exhausted.

Acts 17:24-28

But then

You drew me into the Kingdom by Your Love

and I found Abundant Life, Peace,

Security and Rest therein.

Matthew 10:25-30

......And You gave me rest for my weary soul.

Christ in you, the hope of glory!

SHECHINAH GLORY AND THE WILDERNESS

How about adding a new word to your vocabulary? Would you like to try ‘Shechinah’? It means ‘presence’ or ‘residence.’ Sound insignificant? Maybe, but knowing it can mean stability and comfort for any trial or crisis you experience in life.

Let me explain. When the Israelites were stomping around in the wilderness they had a strange leader. No, I’m not talking about Moses, I’m talking about the Pillar. A pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night to lead and protect them was called the Shechinah Glory and signified the presence or residence of God.

This pillar provided guidance and protection for them while wandering in the wilderness. The Israelites moved when the pillar move. When it stopped, they stopped. When the Israelites were threatened from the back, the pillar moved to the rear to protect them. When something stopped them from moving forward, God took it out of the way or stood between them and the danger. When they were hungry, God fed them. When thirsty, He gave them drink. God was always there. His residence, the Shechinah, was always in their midst.

Did you know we have something better than the Israelites did? Something much, much better! The Shechinah Glory was in their midst, or external from them. Through Christ the believers have the Shechinah Glory dwelling within. God dwells within the believer to give protection, guidance, and sustenance with the same power He demonstrated for the Israelites. Therein lies the difference between ‘them’ and ‘us’ (Heb. 11:40).  They were used by God as a picture of His residence but now we are the reality, the substance. And, WOW, is it ever a BIG difference!

They had to follow only by the use of their physical eyes, by their physical senses. They saw with their eyes the power of God in guiding and protecting them. Unfortunately, they saw only to the end of their noses. God had performed many miracles in their midst but when it came to trusting Him to provide further for them, the end of their noses stopped and they could see no further for they were still in the flesh. This is what it is to trust only that which we can see with our physical eyes.

God brought them out of Egypt in order to being them to the Promised land but because they were only in the physical, the old Adam, they could not trust Him to do so and that whole generation perished in the wilderness. Only two of the old generation actually could see with spiritual eyes and entered the land. As external guidance didn’t get the Israelites into the promised land, external guidance will get us nowhere near the spiritual land.

For us, since Christ, we have the Shechinah glory dwelling with us. It is guiding and protecting from inside of us instead of external from us. When we are regenerated (conception) by the sovereign power of God He gives our dead ‘in Adam’ spirits newness of life. Because we have that new spiritual life then when we hear the Gospel, the Good News, that Christ died for our sins we become believers (conversion). When that happens we start living in the spiritual promised land.  We begin seeing with spiritual eyes rather than physical eyes.

(Eph 1:11-14 KJV) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,) which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We can now see with spiritual eyes and know that the inheritance is ours. When our past pops up to condemn us the Shechinah glory within us stands between us and our past because Christ died for all our sins. When thoughts of the future brings fear the Shechinah glory stands between us and the fear of the future because we are already seated in Christ in the heavenly promised land. “ (Eph 2:4-7 KJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” When we see through spiritual eyes and not according to the eyes of the flesh we can see that He brought us out of Egypt (picture of our sins) and has brought us into the promised land (picture of eternal life). We have something much, much better than the Israelites did stomping around in this wilderness place called earth. Now all we have to do is learn daily to see and trust the Lord through seeing with spiritual eyes the very Presence (Shechinah) of Him dwelling within us as He has taken up His residence within us and know that He is faithful to guide and protect.

Know that the Shechinah Glory has taken up His residence within you to sustain and guide. Nothing from your past can condemn you because the Shechinah is between you and your past. Nothing in the future can threated you because the Shechinah is before and has already cleared the way.  Not only has he cleared the way, He has already taken us beyond our physical future. Eph. 2:1-7, Col. 2:1-3