January 2003

    Prophet
           By Tennessee Elijah

EWNR -- If we were to take a thoughtful look at the English word "prophet" – which is commonly misunderstood, we would learn that it is a derivative of many old terms. It's an Old Testament Hebrew word which when translated means an "inspired seer." In our way of thinking today, we could regard a prophet as a "voice of God." When the same idea is expressed as a Greek word in the New Testament, we learn a prophet is inspired by God.

You need to understand that a prophet is thought to be someone who interprets Divine will; one who is passing on the will of a deity, foretelling the future, advocating a cause or idea – or who is an inspired leader or teacher. As we know, it's not the word – "prophet" – or the meaning of
the word that most people question; it's the nature or function of a prophet that conjures up assorted opinions, biased or otherwise.

People have seen throughout history that messages coming from prophets, true or false, have initiated reactions covering the spectrum from – "It was
a lucky guess," "It's just a coincidence," "I don't believe that people can predict the future" or "All prophets are frauds." Regardless of what most people might think, there are reasons to believe that blessings or curses generally follow the prognostications of true prophets – depending upon
the point of view of those who study such matters.

Christians who believe in "One God" and believe that "Jesus Christ is God" understand that true prophets are often sent by God to deliver messages. The following verse is a good example of what God expects from individuals who are open to inspiration from the Holy Spirit – and are chosen to do the work of a prophet: "Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but The Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:19-20

How would books of the Bible have been made possible other than through Divine inspiration? Are clever people able to predict future events? Do insane people prophesy? Most doubters in these days are unable to believe that God is a Spirit – and that He can and does express Himself in esoteric ways through the spoken or written words of prophets. True prophets are busy trying to fulfill their missions in spite of being ignored or mocked.
Satan remains diligent, setting up distractions and obstructions to frustrate them. Demons are sent to work through rebellious souls in an attempt to counteract Truth flowing to Earth from Heaven.

For every true prophet that God sends to this planet, there are countless
false prophets being controlled by Satan. It is common for the credibility of prophets to be diminished by infidels who loudly proclaim Truth to be a lie – while claiming their deceptions are factual. The heathen, including a few of those who pretend to be Christians, often quote Holy Words out of context in an attempt to destroy the credibility of true prophets.

Prophets of God have never been known for having peaceful lifestyles. When they bring messages to this world dominated by conventional thinkers, they are usually suspected of being con artists, liars, schizophrenic or worse – and then treated with contempt. Prophets are persecuted for their lack of conformity to conventional thinking. They often experience turmoil in personal lives, because of cruel things said or done by spiritual enemies.

Prophets who are sent by God are usually ignored until it's too late to take their messages seriously. Apparently, as people learn from reading about the lives of true prophets, their messages will never be received in good faith by those who care more about selfish desires of the flesh than matters of the Spirit. Obviously, if people were perfect and doing everything according to the will of God, there would be no need for prophets in the first place. Usually, the purpose of a legitimate prophet is to bring warnings, to reprimand sinful people who rebel against the Father Creator, and to offer hope for those in despair. True prophets do not make a habit of demonstrating selfish motives and can, therefore, be easily distinguished from false prophets – who strive to bring earthly rewards upon themselves for services rendered. In other words, true prophets do not choose to live in million-dollar mansions or drive a Rolls Royce. Their Spiritual connection to the eternal consciousness of God allows them to realize the insignificance of earthly recognition and materialistic possessions.

Most Bible scholars agree that 17 of the Old Testament's 39 books can be classified as prophetic: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. This should convince skeptics that God is serious about the need for prophets as a means of expressing Himself. The remaining 22 books in the Bible are also filled with prophecies – and if scholars were honest with themselves, they would admit that God did not suddenly decide to stop speaking thousands of years ago. Those of us who are alive in this day should remain alert, and be listening to "every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" through His chosen prophets: "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said,
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."   Matthew 4:3&4.

When reviewing the Old Testament, we learn that Elijah was one of the
most powerful prophets during biblical times. Even though we have been given a brief glimpse into the character and nature of this man of destiny, we have not been given a comprehensive depiction of his entire life. We do not know everything about his weaknesses or strengths, the total nature of his thoughts, words, deeds or motivations that enabled him to be different from other humans. We have not been told how Elijah was born, who his parents were, why he became a man of faith – or why he decided to confront enemies of God. Does any person really know how old he was when the whirlwind came to take him away? Does it matter if he was 20 or 120 years of age when he left this planet? Does anyone know what the power of the "mantle" was – or how it was transferred from Elijah to Elisha? As a result of many omissions relative to the Life and experiences of Elijah and Elisha, there have been countless erroneous suppositions made by Bible scholars through the centuries. Many readers of the Bible tend to fill in the missing spaces from a conventional human point of view.

Just like earlier writings that make up the Old Testament, we have found that the New Testament is also filled with prophecies. During the life of John the Baptist in biblical days, people were witnessing the existence of a prophet whose coming had been prophesied by an earlier prophet – over 700 years before John was born: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."
Isaiah 40:3-5.

What happened to cause doubters to question whether or not John the Baptist was the prophesied prophet? What happened to cause those of
faith to believe that he was a legitimate prophet? Why was the Life of John thought to be worthy of inclusion in the New Testament? Are there lessons to be learned from what we now know about those events of long ago? With an accurate interpretation, did the significance of Malachi's reference to Elijah have meaning only in the time of John the Baptist – or is there relevant information for those of us who are alive today? Should the arrival of a human who claims to come in the spirit of Elijah be recognized as a fulfillment of prophecy by Christians who are familiar with the Bible?

These questions will channel our thinking into a new way of understanding: Should the words of true prophets in our time be deemed worthy of inclusion in Holy Scripture in the same way as those prophets of long ago? Will publishers need to add more pages to the Bible to keep it updated? Will the coming of Christ be worthy of inclusion in new versions of the Bible and in newspapers like the New York Times or USA TODAY – once prophesied events are revealed? Will there be complete versions of the Old and New Testament in Heaven to read? Will current world events lead to the tribulation, Armageddon and the millennial reign of Christ as recorded
within the eternal witness of the Living Word of God ?

As we read through the Gospels, Acts, epistles and Revelation – which contain relevant prophecies for these end of days, we learn that the greatest Prophet to ever walk on the face of this Earth was Jesus Christ. While He was the realization of a prophecy coming into fruition, He became the personification of what prophets and prophecies should mean to everyone. According to scripture: "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   Matthew 24:1&2.

This prophecy given by Jesus was not fulfilled until about 40 years after He gave it when the Roman Legions brought about the devastation of Jerusalem. Did anyone believe that He was a false prophet during those intervening years before the event actually transpired? Doubters knew that no date was given by Jesus and they probably felt relieved when He passed from the scene before His prophecy materialized as He said it would.

In the context of that prophecy, Jesus went on to explain what will be happening hundreds of years later during our generation: "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all
the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Matthew 24:4-14

To keep things in perspective, let's take a close look at the verse we just skipped over in the above references: "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"   Matthew 24:3

Why did the disciples think that Jesus could tell them about "the end of the world?" Did they believe that He was a prophet worthy of serious respect? People who know history have come to understand that the Temple has already been destroyed just as Jesus said it would be. Even so, did Jesus predict that the "gospel of the kingdom" would be "preached in all the world" by the end of this generation? Did He mention a date? Did Jesus
say, "the end of the world" would come in 2007, 2013 – or in our lifetime? My fellow Christians, do you believe we are living in the last days?

Jesus had something important to say about Daniel the prophet: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither
let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day." Matthew 24:15-20

        Could the "abomination of desolation" have
     something to do with terrorist-related disasters?

Why didn't God inspire Daniel to write words such as – "nuclear, chemical" or "biological" instead of "abomination of desolation?" Does this show
that God is wise enough not to send prophets with words that people are too stupid to understand? What are the reasons which could conceivably bring about immediate adverse conditions upon "Judaea" at this point in history, causing those who dwell there to act with a sense of urgency – and not be inclined to return from the "field" to get their radioactive "clothes?"

What did Jesus have to say about a time which would come after His ascension to Heaven? "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was
not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be."   Matthew 24:21-27.

What is this "great tribulation" that will be worse than anything known
to have been experienced in the past – such as destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the great flood, the plagues or the wars – including what happened at Hiroshima, Japan? What could happen that could, conceivably, destroy all "flesh?" Are we now facing biological, chemical and nuclear warfare? Why are the many "false Christs" and "false prophets" not persecuted like the few true prophets who are lost in obscurity? Why are wicked false prophets honored and publicly praised as socially-accepted "psychics" who show "signs and wonders" in our world today?

Just to point out how ridiculous things have become in this evil world, there are many confused people pretending to be Christians among us who are without "Love." Many of these poor souls have been deceived by demonic ministers of righteousness. Because of their twisted minds, they have been turning lost souls away from true prophets by accusing them of being false prophets!

Should men who claim to be prophets be compared to Christian leaders like Pat Robertson or to magicians like David Copperfield? If the events of the Old Testament were repeated in these days, would Elijah the Tishbite be thought of as a prophet, an astronaut, a space alien, or a crazy man? "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."   2 Kings 2:11

What else did Jesus have to say about the times in which we live? "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."   Matthew 24:29-34.

Are we drawing closer to the "tribulation?" Has anyone seen anything in the news about the "sign of the Son of man" being witnessed by astronomers? Have there been any reports on TV about meteors, new planets, exploding stars, strange lights or UFO's? Are we the "generation" that will experience the fulfillment of that mysterious prophecy given by Jesus?

If intelligent people of faith – or those who claim to be followers of Christ forsake their duty in these difficult days leading to the "tribulation," how many lost souls will fail to repent of sins? If God has sent prophets to this planet only to be ignored or ridiculed by carnally-minded people who do
not believe God has anything important to say, what will happen in the
near future? Will there be messages from God sent through water, wind
and fire because "rocks" will be forced to cry out His Name in praise?

When will Jesus come like a "thief" in the night to catch away loyal souls? "And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." Luke 12:39&40.

When will the peace treaty be signed?
When will Armageddon begin?