Today, reply is on recognizing end time predictions, false prophets, and authentic divine spokespersons among Christian believers. All Christian believers are to discover, explore, learn, and experience gradual growth for their own full realization of the truth from GOD provided to mankind. The things of genuine faith will appear as knowledge that has been applied, repeatedly challenged and tested, yet, shown to be useful among those who are spiritually mature (i.e., who display such features as accountability, balance, commitment, consistency, discernment, sobriety, stability). Because a believer’s focus must be upon GOD, who will remain invisible and unseen, a believer concentrates more on the fulfillment of the message, and the different signs that confirm its sacred origin, than upon the personality and traits of the messenger. A fighter in the “Yahoo! Answers” forum using the ID “Sharon” (Level 3 with 2,057 points, a member since August 30, 2016) posted the following:
If I predicted "wars and rumors of wars" for 2019 would you revere me as a prophet? Why or why not?
If not, why do you believe the same claim is an amazing prophecy when you read it in the Bible?
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3: 13-18, King James Version, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: On Facing The Future (01/17/2018); Avoiding Confusion About Antichrist (11/08/2017); Detecting Counterfeit Human Nature? (11/02/2017); Prophets and Christian Ambassadors (08/07/2017); Genuine Spiritual Discernment? (03/27/2017); Sharing The Correct Message (01/30/2017); The Spirit and Prophecy (01/04/2017)
“Sharon”, in the same way, the Holy Spirit is sent as an agent of Jesus Christ who does not promote himself, true prophets can be recognized by their not seeking social prominence, self-promotion, popularity, and reward from mankind. The nature and process of prophecy is the imparting of divine law, proclaiming sacred judgment, providing revelation, and sharing substance from the makeup of divinity (we say, breath, life essence, spirit, Word) more than the providing of threats, warnings, and prediction of future events. True apostles and prophets sent from GOD will appear as offspring of divinity and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, for they will present the inseparable aspects of spirit content received as a fresh endowment from GOD by rebirth. Included will be balance, boldness, completeness, faith, holiness, humility, oneness without sameness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.
In place of finite human tools such as philosophy, politics, and secular knowledge authentic Christian prophets rely on sacred knowledge, the practice of various divine ordinances and sacraments (e.g., baptism, confession, fasting, praise, prayer, preaching), and the entire range of sacred declaration recorded as holy writings. The Bible is used as a reliable standard for discernment of spirit substance appearing within oneself, other persons, events, proclamations, prophesies, visions, etc. Predictions of doom and gloom, and calculations for dates of familiar events that appear in the Scriptures have been useful as important indicators that a prophetic ministry is promoting errors that are not according to the Gospel.
In Christian gatherings, every member of the body should be prepared to share their own peculiar divine gift and contribute to the comfort, nourishment, and encouragement of others. Even so, their individual offerings are to be in harmony and consistent with the streams of truth clearly acknowledged by the body as a whole. (All that glitters is not gold; and some elements may be shared in controlled situations and with restraint. The shared purpose within the church is to maintain and reinforce unchanging things already revealed, therefore, believers often have to leave unspoken diverse challenging and unusual experiences. The body is not a forum for anything and everything (e.g., dreams, gossip, rumors, slander, suspicion, superstition, the occult, uncertainty, witchcraft). Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:
(1.) Deuteronomy 13: 1-5, King James Version (KJV): 1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
(2.) Daniel 9: 1-6, KJV: 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 And I set my face unto the Lord GOD, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
(3.) Malachi 4: 5-6, KJV: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
(4.) 1st Corinthians 12: 27-29, KJV: 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (5.) 1st Corinthians 14: 26-33, KJV: 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
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