The Prophets of God — Part 3
In the ancient world, before men were called prophets, they were called seers.
“Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spoke, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.”
The Bible is like a ‘window’ into the future. The prophets of God are given the ability to ’see’ into the future through their relationship with the Word of God. This is illustrated by a statement the Bible makes about the prophet Samuel when he was a prophet-in-training under the prophet Eli.
“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.”
Ironically, Samuel’s first ‘assignment’ as a prophet was to bring a message to Eli — the man that had been his teacher! God was upset with Eli because his sons were evil and Eli did nothing to restrain them.
In previous posts, I’ve discussed the ‘job’ of a prophet. There are actually several functions of a prophet’s job.
One function of the prophet’s job is to warn individuals and nations to ‘turn’ from behavior God considers evil. This becomes a very difficult task because most human beings don’t believe they are evil. In fact, human beings are experts at ‘rationalizing’ their behavior.
“There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Another function of the prophet’s job has to do with prophecy: the ability to predict the future. God’s prophets foretell future events with one hundred percent accuracy. These are not vague predictions that leave room for interpretation or any stretch of the imagination. They are specific and hit the bulls-eye — naming names, years, events and conditions.
The prophets of the Old Testament foretold of the coming of a Jewish Messiah in great detail. These prophecies served as the ‘blueprint’ for Jesus’ entire life.
“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (Jesus).”
The Old Testament prophecies described the Messiah’s parents, his birthplace, his upbringing, his education, his social status, the miracles he would perform, where he would travel, how he would travel, when he would die, and much more! Jesus stated that He intended to fulfill everything written about Him in the Old Testament.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
Jesus was a prophet of God. He made many predictions when He was alive on Earth. One of those predictions concerned the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, an event that occurred in 70 A.D., decades after Jesus predicted it.
Another prediction Jesus made concerned His future coming — an event that has divided Christians for centuries, in spite of the New Testament warning against divisions in doctrine.
How is it possible for Christians to be of ‘one mind’ in their understanding of the Bible? Simple.
The prophecies are precise!
-Jo
Bible passages: 1 Samuel 9:9, 1 Samuel 3:7, Proverbs 16:25, John 5:39, Matthew 5:17
Tags: bible, christianity, God, jesus, judaism, messengers of God, messiah, New Testament prophecies, Old Testament prophecies, prophecy, prophets, religion
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August 23, 2008 at 11:50 am
This is the first time I have read teachings in the Bible where the author connected the Old Testament with the new.
There is a scripture that says ‘the scriptures cannot be broken’. It is talking about all scriptures both Old Testament and New being connected somehow.
My question is this: I have heard from churches that the Old Testament is done away with. But, if the scriptures cannot be broken, do you think that there may be a misunderstanding coming from mainstream churches?
August 23, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Sunday, you are right when you state the scriptures cannot be broken. There is a singular thread running from Genesis to Revelation. All the prophets of God agree with each other, unlike the false prophets of Christianity today that are divided. You are also right in seeing the giant error within Christianity that Jesus did away with the Old Testament. This is absolute nonsense and something I address throughout my posts. Keep reading! The only ‘Word of God’ Jesus relied upon and defeated the devil with is the Old Testament writings.