I love reading the words of the prophets of the Old Testament. I'm hard-pressed to say which speak the loudest to me, but Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel continue to enlighten me with new insights, no matter how many times I read them. Every time I am pointed to their prophetic words, God speaks new Truth into my understanding of His redemptive plan for mankind. I don't think I can identify the gravity, or the weight, of what it must have been like to receive the assignments they were given to declare God's consequences of righteous judgment if the people continued to refuse to repent of their sins. What solitary and isolated lives they must have lived! Yet God knew He could trust they would be obedient to prophesy of His coming judgment and the ensuing destruction, while still proclaiming the hope that comes from repentance.
It isn't easy to be a prophet; nor is it easy for us to learn how to distinguish false ones from good ones. The Enemy has become so good at disguising his strategy through the false prophets, that it has become increasingly difficult for us to discern the good guys from the bad guys. In 1 Kings, Chapter 18, God made it clear to us that Elijah was His spokesman, and the prophets of Baal were imposters. We can tell by their fruit ... Elijah took a bull for the burnt offering and built an altar to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The prophets of Baal received their bull and built their own altar, and the people of Israel waited to see which god would consume the offering. The prophets of Baal called upon the name of their god all day, with no answer or action. Then Elijah called upon the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." The Word says, Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench". That's what I call evidence of good fruit!
Sadly, it's just not as black and white today. The genuine prophets speak from a sanctified mind and heart; set apart by God to reveal His Truth and principals and His moral guidelines. They will call people to repentance and increased biblical knowledge. Genuine prophets can point to the gradual unfolding [through the ages] of God's sovereign plan to redeem His people [known as redemptive history]. But none of that is popular or sought after in today's culture. Our churches are filled with false prophets who appeal to our imaginations, and who offer more attractive guidelines to follow than God's commandments and precepts. We can thank technology for that! Furthermore, false prophets are more popular than the real deal. In fact, genuine prophets are often quite unpopular, despised, and ignored. The people who call themselves Christians, are too often eager to accept a compromise if it makes their lives easier, more fun, and less restricted. That mindset and heart condition embraces moral relativism, i.e., there is no absolute truth, and what is true for you is your truth. God's Truth has no relevance for individual belief systems.
I've been considering this quandary of discerning real prophets from false ones, and these are some thoughts I've formulated ... How is your experiential knowledge informing you who is the genuine prophet? Does your knowledge of prophets [and ability to discern the prophets] come from experience with the One True God, or is it developed from hearing someone prophesy something that makes you feel good, and excuses your sin? Does it align with the Word of God? Or do you have the biblical knowledge to even know whether it does or not? If you don't, then I'm going to say that you are likely to be easily deceived. That's a serious and critical place in which to find yourself. You need to understand that your eternal future is at stake.
One of the cornerstones of my faith that always gives me hope is the knowledge that throughout the history of the world God has always kept a remnant unto Himself; a small group of people whom He sets aside for His holy purposes. The truth is that many will find their way to eternal destruction, but few will find their way to eternal life. That's the message of Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many". In other words inner righteousness is the "narrow gate", which is a more difficult path to follow. But the end destination is eternal life with the Lord.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we are able to discern prophets who are genuine, and who are revealing God's truth to us, whether corporately or individually. It is those righteous people that you want to listen to and follow. Because here is the reality that the Body of Christ is not prepared to hear ... if God determines that our nation, in this time of history, is due judgment because we won't repent for our wrongdoing, it won't matter if even such righteous obedient men as Noah, Job, and Daniel lived among us, He will still bring judgment. As the righteous remnant, it is time for us to follow in their footsteps and be willing to say "this is right" or "that is wrong". Trying to offer mercy and grace without demanding repentance will not see our sentence pardoned.
From that perspective, let's pay attention to what the Lord says in Ezekiel 14:12-14 ... Son of man, when a land sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness , and I stretch out My hand against it and destroy its source of bread and send famine on it and cut off from it both man and animal, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land, by their own righteousness [right standing with God] they could only save [deliver] themselves." So what is it about these three men that we should emulate?
Noah. The first thing I think about Noah is that he totally and completely believed God; he never questioned or doubted that his purpose was to build an ark for the coming destruction of the world. He was unflappable; he didn't care what others thought or said about him. He didn't fall for Satan's deception among the people that God would never destroy the world He created, or demolish the people He loved. Noah didn't sacrifice his faith to avoid the ridicule, and simply took God at His word. Just as the philosophers/prophets in Noah's day declared that it was impossible for the world to be destroyed by water, we suffer the ridicule of scientists, politicians, and yes, even "prophets" that say the world won't be destroyed by fire because God is a loving god. Noah was committed to his commission from God and labored to stand against the moral evil of his time. He was not afraid to condemn the world, and became our model of what it means to be called "an heir of righteousness which is by faith."
Job. When you consider what it is to exhibit faithfulness in the midst of unjust suffering, Job is the perfect example. Like Noah, God called Job "blameless and upright". And in the midst of his intense suffering, Job is still able to proclaim his profound faith in God: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God". But what should be important to us Christians is the recognition that Job is not of the covenant line! It's interesting that in the oldest book of the Bible, God chooses to make it clear that Job is not an Israelite, but a god-fearing Gentile. He does not come from the divinely chosen covenant line of Abraham through which the Messiah has been promised. That's why it is important for us to know that God's chosen remnant can be made up of whomever He chooses. He calls Job, "My servant, and there is none like him on earth; a blameless and upright man, who fears God and shuns evil".
But, here is the importance for us, regarding the state of our faith ... Job recognizes that the limitations of human wisdom keep us from knowing the mind of God. Who are we to question who He uses for His redemptive plan for the world? Again, we need to repent for our arrogant presumptions that we can understand His actions and know what He is doing with His human children. Just more reasons to be on guard against false prophets who attempt to do just that!
Daniel. It is Daniel's faith and courage in the midst of bondage that I think I admire most. He knows exactly where he stands in his faith, and is never tempted to succumb to the pagan culture in which he is immersed. He never hesitates to acknowledge the True God of Heaven, even when threatened with persecution and death. Daniel's prayer life remained consistent no matter his circumstances, and so impressed his captors that he was even able to convince King Nebuchadnezzar that his Most High God was real: "How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation". [How many Christians know the Word well enough to know that this proclamation of God's glory was spoken by a pagan king?] And how I wish my faith was so significant that the angel Gabriel would encourage me in my moments of crisis with this affirmation: "You are greatly beloved"!
So, in summary, what is it about these three remarkable men that speaks to my spirit and recommends their faith in these troublesome times? Perhaps it is because Noah dared to decry the belief system that his culture embraced; that he was able to grasp the sovereignty and infinite unseen world in the face of criticism for not believing the technological philosophy that every rational and justifiable argument can be scientifically proven, thereby disproving belief in an all-powerful, omniscient God. Or perhaps Job's faith encourages me because in the face of confusion, suffering, and insurmountable pain, he continues to declare his steadfast faith. Also Job represents the promise that I am grafted into God's True Vine. There is a certain hope and a place for me in God's Heavenly Kingdom. And finally, Daniel's faith while enduring captivity in Old Testament Babylon gives me the courage I need as we begin to face the reality of a New Testament Babylon. His prayer life, and his trust that his petitions would be heard and answered, strengthen me for the day I may have to make a decision whether I will accept execution and death rather than compromise my faith.
All three of these remarkable men of faith faced their own distinctive challenges that resulted in exemplary examples of what a righteous and and faithful life looks life. In today's world, the human race is in great need of strategic ministry from genuine prophets who, first of all, know the Word of God, and secondly, can righteously discern God's purpose for it, so that they can exhort, encourage, teach, and lead the rest of us into walking uprightly and righteously with the Lord. He's coming back soon, and He needs a remnant that is equipped and waiting for Him.
Jeremiah 5:30-31 An appalling and horrible thing [bringing desolation and destruction] has come to pass in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love [to have] it so! But what will you do when the end comes?
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