BIBLE PROPHECY

WHAT IS A PROPHET?

In order to properly deal with the subject of prophecy the honest student of Scripture must first define what a prophet is. A Bible prophet (by definition) was a man or woman in the Bible to whom the will of God was revealed under the inspiration of the Spirit, in order that they would communicate this truth to the people. This is in stark contrast to the self-proclaimed prophets of today who peddle and promote vague and empty predictions (that they alledge came from the God of Scripture).

THE PROPHET'S MESSAGE

FIVE TESTS OF A PROPHET

Test #1: The Test of Moral Character
The False Prophet was characterized by their low morality and unethical conduct. They were drunkards (Isa.28:7), adulterous, walking in falsehood (Jer.23:14), reckless and treacherous (Zeph.3:4), liars (Mic.2:11), and opportunists [literally, prophecize for money] (Mic.3:11).

In contrast, the true prophets were morally uncompromising and above reproach. Our Lord talks about this more fully in Matthew 7:17-20, where He states "By their fruits you shall know them."

Test #2: The Test of Prophecy Content
These tests can be described in the following two fold manner:
First, does the message of the prophet cause people to turn from the Lord? If the people turn from the Lord and to other gods, idols and images, they are false prophets (Deut.13:1-3).
Second, if the message covers up (or down plays) sin or minimizes repentance, the prophet is false (and not from God). False prophets say only what the people like to hear (Cf. Jer.28:8).

Test #3: The Test of Authentication by Signs
True prophets in the Bible were given temporary sign-gifts to authenticate their message and ministry (that it was from God). Moses, Elisha and Elijah are great Old Testament examples of just such sign-gifts. One must bear in mind that false prophets often tried to imitate the true prophet(s) of God (cp. Exod.7:8-10 and 7:11). Thus, the false prophet (Satan's emissaries) could also work signs and wonders. Secondly, false prophets would sometimes "steal" words from the true prophets (cp. Jer.23:30; Deut.18) for their own benefit.

Test #4: The Test of Discernment by the People
There is an old saying, "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time." It was generally not difficult in Old Testament times for God's people to see through the facade spread by the false prophets. This discernment was possible when the Israelites were in right relationship with God. However, in times of moral darkness, the people generally believed false prophets to be true (cf. 1 Kings 22).

Test #5: The Test of Fulfillment in History
This final test shows the genuiness of a prophet based on the fulfillment of his prediction (cp.Deut.18:22). The Bible prophets were willing to stake their lives on the absolute btruth of their claims (which involved the message of the Lord). They allowed themselves only one test: 100% accuracy in fulfillment.

FOR MORE ON PROPHECY SEE

GOD'S PLAN OF THE AGES or MESSIANIC PROPHECIES

BIBLE PROPEHCY
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WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS STUDY BIBLE PROPHECY? It is sad that so many in the church today (both pastor and layman alike) know little or nothing about Bible prophecy. Part of the reason for this is because many pastors were not taught this while in Bible College or Seimnary. This is unfortunate since one quarter of the Bible deals with God's prophectic revelation to mankind regarding prophectic events. There are a number of good reasons for studying prophecy, they include the folowing: 1. Prophecy deals with (and outlines) God's Prophetic Plan of the Ages. 2. Prophecy demonstrates the reality that God exist. 3. Prophecy is fulfilled literally thereby giving us a proper hermenrutic for interpretation. 4. Prophecy forewarns the believer of the deception of false prophets. 5. Prophecy encourages the believer to evangelise the lost. 6. Prophecy encourages the believer to live pure lifes. 7. Prophecy offers hope in the days that lie ahead.
FOUR PIVOTAL EVENTS OF HISTORY
CREATION The first two chapters of Genesis highlight the creation of Adam and Eve, who were composed of not only a body and mind but also an eternal soul. They were created holy (and with free will), they chose to disobey God and plunged the world into sin and corruption.	THE FLOOD After the sin of Adam and Eve, the world became so corrupt (in the next 1000 years) that God used the Flood to destroy everyone except for Noah and his family - a total of eight souls. This worldwide flood is covered in Gensis 8 (and is also metioned in several pieces of literature of various people in ancient world .	CHRIST'S FIRST COMING This third pivotal event was Christ's death on the cross. This events speaks not only of His death but of His sinless life and more importantly His resurrection from the dead. Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross for the sins of the world ended the Age of the Law and introduced the Age of Grace.
CHRIST'S SECOND COMING The Second Coming and the events leading up to it and following are primarily what prophecy are all about.
PROPHECY 101
WHAT IS A PROPHET? In order to properly deal with the subject of prophecy the honest student of Scripture must first define what a prophet is. A Bible prophet (by definition) was a man or woman in the Bible to whom the will of God was revealed under the inspiration of the Spirit, in order that they would communicate this truth to the people. This is in stark contrast to the self-proclaimed prophets of today who peddle and promote vague and empty predictions (that they alledge came from the God of Scripture). THE PROPHET'S MESSAGE It is crucial to point out that the prophecies of Scripture were specific, detailed and complemented each other. The message(s) of the prophets fall into either one of two categories: forth-telling or foretelling. When the prophet was involved in forth-telling this involved warnings, rebukes, promises and exhortations. Foretelling on the other hand involved prognastications and actual prophecies which dealt with future events, persons and places. Because God's will and revelation were communicated through them, the Bible prophets were authorized to use the formula, "Thus says the Lord." Another phrase that was often used was "I, the Lord have spoken." Please observe that this does not mean that whoever uses this phrase is a prophet from God. This is crucial because unlike the alledged prophets of today the Bible prophets were hated, terribly persecuted and often times killed. One can see an example of this in Ezekiel, where God had to explain to Ezekiel that he must speak out "whether they [the people] listen or not" (Ezek.3:11). TRUE AND FALSE PROPHETS One of the problems that existed in the Old Testament (and the New) was alongside the true prophets were the false prophets. Both claimed to be speaking for God (cf. 1 Kings 13:18; Jer.28:2). Thus, the question that arose was, how does one distinquish the true prophet from the false? The following five tests were often used to prove the genuineness of true versus the false prophet. FIVE TESTS OF A PROPHET Test #1: The Test of Moral Character The False Prophet was characterized by their low morality and unethical conduct. They were drunkards (Isa.28:7), adulterous, walking in falsehood (Jer.23:14), reckless and treacherous (Zeph.3:4), liars (Mic.2:11), and opportunists [literally, prophecize for money] (Mic.3:11). In contrast, the true prophets were morally uncompromising and above reproach. Our Lord talks about this more fully in Matthew 7:17-20, where He states "By their fruits you shall know them." Test #2: The Test of Prophecy Content These tests can be described in the following two fold manner: First, does the message of the prophet cause people to turn from the Lord? If the people turn from the Lord and to other gods, idols and images, they are false prophets (Deut.13:1-3). Second, if the message covers up (or down plays) sin or minimizes repentance, the prophet is false (and not from God). False prophets say only what the people like to hear (Cf. Jer.28:8). Test #3: The Test of Authentication by Signs True prophets in the Bible were given temporary sign-gifts to authenticate their message and ministry (that it was from God). Moses, Elisha and Elijah are great Old Testament examples of just such sign-gifts. One must bear in mind that false prophets often tried to imitate the true prophet(s) of God (cp. Exod.7:8-10 and 7:11). Thus, the false prophet (Satan's emissaries) could also work signs and wonders. Secondly, false prophets would sometimes "steal" words from the true prophets (cp. Jer.23:30; Deut.18) for their own benefit. Test #4: The Test of Discernment by the People There is an old saying, "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time." It was generally not difficult in Old Testament times for God's people to see through the facade spread by the false prophets. This discernment was possible when the Israelites were in right relationship with God. However, in times of moral darkness, the people generally believed false prophets to be true (cf. 1 Kings 22). Test #5: The Test of Fulfillment in History This final test shows the genuiness of a prophet based on the fulfillment of his prediction (cp.Deut.18:22). The Bible prophets were willing to stake their lives on the absolute btruth of their claims (which involved the message of the Lord). They allowed themselves only one test: 100% accuracy in fulfillment. FOR MORE ON PROPHECY SEE GOD'S PLAN OF THE AGES or MESSIANIC PROPHECIES
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