God's Warning to Laodicea Part 1

SPEAKER B Jesus promised his disciples in Acts One eight, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all here and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Welcome to. You shall receive power. And here are your hosts, Ettienne McClintock and Colin Hone. SPEAKER C Greetings, dear listener. Welcome to you shall receive power. And joining Colin and myself today as we continue our study in regards to God's last mourning for his church. Now we are getting our material from this book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals to prepare for the Lattter Rain and Christ's Return, written by Pastor Dennis Smith. And we are now looking at the days from day 44 onwards. So we're going to take our time as we work through these themes because we believe they are really important and we've been praying about it and we feel that this is the right thing to do. So we don't rush these messages, but we get time to consider them, absorb them, and let them sink in and get the Holy Spirit to really impress in our mind the important messages, the truth that God has for. This time, the gospel in an end time setting or in a judgment hour setting, as we see in Revelation chapter 14 with the three angels messages. But as we start we just want to invite God's presence in our study today. We just invite you to bow your heads as well with us. Gracious Father in heaven, such a privilege to have another opportunity to spend time on your word and we just pray for a fresh anointing of your Spirit to guide and lead us into all truth and this we pray in Jesus name. Amen. So, Colin, our last program, we looked at the prophecies of Jesus concerning the end of time and also the fact that he mentioned four times about not to be deceived, that many will be deceived, and there'll be many. Lies signs and lying wonders that, if possible, could even deceive the very elect and only those who received the love of the truth so that they would not believe a lie would actually be saved from this deception and ultimately be saved to meet Jesus Christ, who's coming very, very soon. SPEAKER D That's right. It's incredible how much Jesus and even other writers in the Bible talk about Satan's deceptions even in their day. But specifically in the last days, there'll be constant comes and even talks about that many, even God's people themselves will be deceived if possible. SPEAKER C If possible. SPEAKER D That's right, if possible. And so Jesus has given his word how not to be deceived. So we stick to his word. And then we spoke about the prophecies in the Bible concerning Jesus first coming and obviously there's Jesus second coming as well. We looked at all the prophecies in God's word and so we're going to be talking a lot about prophecy. We're going to be talking about how not to be deceived and some of the deceptions over the next few programs that Satan is bringing not only outside the church, but even within the church. SPEAKER C Okay, so we've had like a macro look, really, and we're going to get a little bit more micro. So we've looked at the whole world and the deception of the whole world. Now we're going to bring it a little bit more closer to God's church and the deception that Satan would try to work, if possible, within the church itself. SPEAKER D That's right. So we're going to unpack that as we go along over these sessions, some of the things that he'll be doing even within the church. But if you have God's Word and you have Jesus, you don't have to be deceived. SPEAKER C That's right. There's some texts that come to mind like thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Or Thy Word have I hidden my heart so they might not sin against. Know all these elements in the Bible that says how important the Word of God is. And Jesus said, Sanctify them by thy truth, thy Word is truth. So sanctification is very, very important, but it's the word of God that does the sanctifying. SPEAKER D That's true, that's true. So we looked at Matthew, chapter 24, and many other verses talking about Jesus second coming and some of the things that will be happening around the world and externally, floods, natural disasters, earthquakes, famine, wars, famines, but also within the church where there'll be false prophets and even false Christs. And interesting that they're always linked to lawlessness. They're always against even false prophets. And even when Satan himself appears as Jesus Himself, there's always a underlying you'll notice that they're lawlessness, they just in some way want to lead you away from Jesus. Not necessarily from Jesus, because some of them appear as Jesus and false prophets, but they want you to lead you away from obedience to God's law. I've always noticed that. It seems to be time after time, you go through the whole Bible, through the Jewish nation, you go and look at through kings, through false prophets, always want to lead God's people away from obedience to his law. And we started right in the Garden of Eden, didn't it? Satan deceived Adam and Eve, right? Deceived them to do what? SPEAKER C Well, to break God's commandments, to disobey. SPEAKER D God's law, to not trust God, not to believe in His Word, because God said this, but he said, did God really say that? SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D It's always to undermine God's word and ultimately to lead people away, to disobey God's Word and his law. You'll always notice that. I mean, even remember in Matthew, chapter seven, we discussed that last time, where in Matthew chapter seven, jesus is saying, listen, don't be deceived again. Many people are going to be doing miracles in my name. They're going to be doing wonderful works in my name. And what's he say to them? I don't know you. SPEAKER C Yeah, I never knew you depart from me. You who practice lawlessness. SPEAKER D So what's lawlessness? SPEAKER C Well, it's transgression of the law. SPEAKER D So again, you see there are people who are even saying they're Christians, yet they're doing away with God's law. Well we don't have to keep God's law, let's disobey God's law. And it's still okay. It's always this convergence to lead us away from obedience to God's law. But God, what does God said? If you love me, keep my commandments. Keep my commandments. It doesn't mean we better keep the commandments of God. SPEAKER C It's not a legalistic approach to it, it's a faith approach. SPEAKER D I remember a story where this lady met a man and after a few weeks they got married. And then one morning they wake up and he brings out this piece of paper of a list of all the rules. This is how I want my clothes to be ironed, this is how I want my food to be cooked, this is how I want things to be clean. And he came with a whole bunch of rules about how to do things, how to make me happy, how to do things. And it says she was miserable. He ended up being a real rat bag, you know what I mean? And she was miserable and well eventually he died fortunately for her. But she was released from that from that tyranny. From that tyranny. Anyway, next time she met somebody but she took her time this time and met someone who was a lovely man and they were married and had a wonderful happy marriage. Then one day she was cleaning out her closet and she found this piece of paper of all the rules from her first husband and she looked went and learned the rules and she looked at rule one I want my clothes iron this way. And she goes she looked at her marriage at the now she says well I do that now I want my food cooked this way. She says well that's what I'm doing now. And she went through all the list of rules and she was found that she did every single one of them with a new husband. But the motivation was from love. SPEAKER C Yeah, amen. SPEAKER D You see? Not from a legalistic point but from love. And that's why we obey God, because we love him, because we appreciate who he is, what he's done for us. And we know what every asks us to do is for our good. Like he says in Jeremiah, plans to what? Not to harm you. Plans to prosper you. God loves your future and a hope that's right. SPEAKER C The one that wants to undermine that relationship, that love relationship is the adversary, the devil. SPEAKER D What does he do? Get you to doubt God's word? Always get you to doubt God that's. SPEAKER C The power of God to do exactly what he said he would do. SPEAKER D That's right. And to lead you ultimately away to disobeying God's law. Satan hates God's law. I mean who is he making war on? In Revelation chapter twelve in the Last Days, it says God's Last Day Church. Who is he actually making war on? SPEAKER C Well, it's what's left over. It's the remnant or the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. SPEAKER D So he's making war on what's the thing that he hates them doing? SPEAKER C Well, the commandment keeping, it says he was wrought with the rest of her seed. SPEAKER D So who keep the commandments of God? He hates the commandments of God and so he'll do anything he can and bring any deception, any apostasy will lead people away from a keeping obeying God's law or that sin cannot be overcome. SPEAKER C That's right. Well, it unmasks him. If there's a people who keep the commandments of God, it unmasks deceptive, lies. Because here's a people that actually prove that what God said about his commandments that it can be kept is true. SPEAKER D That's right. I mean what are the three angels and messages all about? It's about worship, it's about the gospel, it's about obedience. In the end, it is a people who are giving a warning to the world, unmasking Satan's deceptions of what he's going to do. In word indeed. And it says the characteristics of those who give the three angels a message, it says here are they that have the faith of Jesus. So they have the faith of Jesus and they keep the commandments of God. Okay. The ultimate God is trying to lead us back into obedience in a relationship with Him, in obedience to keep the commandments out of love. SPEAKER C That's right. I mean the devil uses lots of things to bring that about. So not that people deliberately want to go into rebellion, but sometimes they are deceived by the devil and it talks about the devil using signs and lying wonders to deceive if possible, even the very elect. SPEAKER D Yeah. Matthew chapter 24 24. SPEAKER C And then we read you mentioned before there in Matthew chapter seven where there are some people who said, lord, Lord, haven't we prophesied in your name? So these are what they call prophets, they've prophesied in the God's name, but they are false prophets and demons in your names. That's right. And have done many wonders in your name. And then Jesus said, I never knew you depart from me, you work lawlessness or iniquity. But then we can get to Revelation, that last day deception there we see there in Revelation chapter 16 and verse 13 and says I saw three unclean spirits. So three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon. SPEAKER D So who's the dragon? SPEAKER C That's Satan or it could be spiritualism, the dragon out of the mouth of the beast. SPEAKER D Who's the beast? SPEAKER C The beast is Catholicism or papostate. Yeah, papacy. And then out of the mouth of the false prophet. SPEAKER D We haven't done a study on the false prophet. No, but maybe we'll do that one day. But the false prophet talking about here, if you look at Revelations, chapter 13, it talks about this beast rising out of sea and a beast rising out of the earth. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And that beast rising on Earth who comes to power. Happens after 1798. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So you have to look at a worldwide power that looks like a lamb, speaks, but ends up speaking like a dragon. SPEAKER C A lamb representing Christ, but actually is motivated by the spirit of the dragon. SPEAKER D Yeah. A country worldwide superpower built on the Christian values, built on the lamb. SPEAKER C But there's a metamorphosis that takes place because although he looks like a lamb, he starts speaking more and more like a dragon. SPEAKER D That's right. So we can do a study on that some other time. But basically it's the daughters of Papacy who agree with her. SPEAKER C Apostate Protestantism. Yeah. Because it says these are the spirits of demons performing signs. So it shows signs and miracles and they deceive the whole world to gather them together to the great battle of God Almighty. SPEAKER D That's right. And you just remember that also in Revelations 18 one, it says most of God's people are in Babylon. In Babylon, which is out of my people, which is false. Well, confusion. Confusion about the character of God. SPEAKER C Babylon means confusion. SPEAKER D Confusion. So let's keep going on. It says, Matthew, sometimes when we look around the world, events are so terrible and destructive that one might conclude that things are out of control. However, this is not the case. God is sovereign. He reigns in heaven and in earth. And we can find that in one Chronicles, chapter 16, verse 31, which is that God reigns. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D He reigns heaven and earth. SPEAKER C And we already saw that in Matthew 24 at our previous lesson, where it says that God will cut his work short. SPEAKER D That's right. So there's going to be a lot of deception around, and not only outside in the world, but also in the church, false prophets and Christ. So we need to be able to unmask and find out what is deception. And the best way to know what deception is to know the truth. SPEAKER C Absolutely. SPEAKER D And if you know God's word, like for know we know God's word that we know how Jesus is going to return with all his angels. And after the seven plagues and after have fallen and the dead are going to be raised and those who are alive are going to be raised up into the clouds and he's going to come back in the clouds with all his angels. And it's going to be visible, audible. It's going to be the most amazing event in the whole history of earth. No one is going to not know it. Yes. If you know God's word, then you won't be deceived. Even if some being appears saying, hey, listen, and doing miracles like Jesus does, and the whole world will go after it. The Bible says, because people look at things in their eyes and their ears, where we rely on God's word, despite, despite what's happening, we are very sensory beings. SPEAKER C The first deception that came on the human race through Eve, she used touch, she used sight, she used taste, and probably smell as well. So what happens is, when we gave into those senses, we are very sensory. So what happens is it's very easy for the Devil to deceive us through our senses because of that weakness we've. SPEAKER D Received and a desire for greater exhortation as well. Yeah, there's always that desire, hey, you can be like God Himself. Wow, that's a big temptation. SPEAKER C And you can be like terminate good and evil for yourself. SPEAKER D You can be like God, he's actually holding back something from you. It's just element of doubt. But we know that nothing happens without God's permission. SPEAKER C Well, that's right. SPEAKER D Yeah. God even sets up kings and rulers and removes them. SPEAKER C That's right. He permits things to happen, but he does set up kings and rulers. And we see that clearly in the Bible, don't we? SPEAKER D That's right. Well, you even remember in the book of Job, poor old Job, when you look at what happened to him, job didn't know what was going on. Behind the scenes though, there was this great controversy between God and Satan, the Devil. Satan had just said, hey, listen, you look after Job, you protect him. And God points out to Job and know, hey, listen, look at Job on planet Earth, obeying me, a man after my own heart, a righteous man. And Satan's, you know, just walking to and from Earth, thinking that this is under his rulership. And guess what? It wasn't. There were people who worshiped God and God's pointing him out and he says, yeah, he's only doing that because you protect him. You put angels around him and he says, you take away all that and he'll curse your name. And so God allowed that to happen, all those things to Job to see if that was true. And in the end, Job vindicated God's belief in him. He vindicated God, didn't he? SPEAKER C In the end, Satan was claiming complete rulership of the Earth. And then God was saying, well, here's one man that actually proves the fact that you're not. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C Control of everybody on the planet. SPEAKER D And the Bible says that God even sets up kings and rulers and removes them. And we look at that in Daniel, chapter two, verse 21. SPEAKER C Yes. And he changes the times and the seasons and he removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. SPEAKER D That's right. So man and nature are all under sovereign rulership and God. Nothing happens without God's. Permission. Now, somewhat argue, there have always been these kinds of terrible events throughout history, and that is true. However, today they are different. They are taking place more frequently and more severe. And like Jesus says, it'll be like the birth pains as a baby comes, there is contractions and they get more what, frequent and more intense and more intense until the birth, which is the ultimate. And then after so this is what Jesus is talking about. And so they're happening more frequently and more intense. And Paul describes our time with these words in first thessalonians chapter five, verse three. He says, this is what it'll be like as well. SPEAKER C For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. SPEAKER D Wow. So they're going to say peace and safety, just like in the days of Noah where's the rain? SPEAKER C Yeah, that's right. SPEAKER D Where's the rain? And the door was closed. And by the way, it wasn't Noah that closed the door. He just said, Go into the ark and then some hands seemed to shut the door and for seven days there was no rain and they're going, peace and everything's fine, but then the rain came, as we know. SPEAKER A Yeah. SPEAKER C I mean, everybody around the world is always working towards peace and they will probably have a short, momentary time of peace. But human nature being what it is, no peace accord lasts forever, does it? Yeah. SPEAKER D And as I said, we look around the destructions coming upon the Earth today, they're more frequent and destructive. The earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Indonesia affected more countries and killed more people than any other natural disaster in recorded history. Not long after that, as we said before, we had the Japanese were hit with a major earthquake in Know, we had these hurricanes hitting America. SPEAKER C We had the Katrina four in a row there just recently. SPEAKER D Yeah, well, you remember Katrina. And then just this year you had that one just completely put the fourth largest city in America underwater and you hear about other cities around the world and that destruction. Sandy, we just put New York underneath and what happened on the eastern United States. And I believe we've reached that time where Ellen White writes in The Spirit of Prophecy in Evangelism, page 27, she says, Calamities will come. Calamities most awful and most unexpected. And these destructions will follow one after another. It just seems that they're one after another another. SPEAKER C That's right. And we did see this year, 2017, are we getting into 2018? But in 2017, we did see three hurricanes, one after the other, coming towards America. There was a fourth one as well, but that turned away from them. So the fact that we're seeing them following one after another now, we're going to see more and more of that as time wraps up. SPEAKER D It's going to just keep going and like Jesus says, there'll be false prophets that also be true prophets. There'll be true prophets, yes. Because even Amos three seven says, the Lord does nothing before he reveals to his servants the prophets. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D Even he said in the Bible there's three different types. Where? In the Bible? In the New Testament of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And one of those gifts is prophecy. And do you think that God would not have the gift of prophecy in the last days? If he has false prophecy, he's going to have true prophets. And how do we know what a true prophet is? How do you tell the difference between a false and true prophet? Etienne? SPEAKER C There's many examples in the Scripture that we can look at to see whether a prophet is genuine or not. And we can test them. There's a number of tests. I don't know. Should we do a little bit of a study on that? SPEAKER D Well, I think it's important because we're going to be using some of Ellen White's writings. We call it the Spirit of Prophecy and we believe that Ellen White had the gift of prophecy and we need to test prophets. It says to test them in the Bible. And just like there's false prophets, there's true prophets and so there are tests that we can do to look at that. Do you have some of those? SPEAKER C Yeah. Well, maybe we can just talk about the role of a prophet as well and what they're important. God uses prophets to reveal the things that will happen. It says that God will do nothing until he reveals his secrets to servants, the prophets. And you quoted that, Amos three, verse seven. But also it was since man's fall and sin entering the world that God spoke to us primarily through prophets, because he now speaks to us in dreams and visions through the prophets, where with Adam and Eve, before they sin, he could speak to them face to face. But no one who is a sinner can actually live in the presence of God, see his face and live. And we see that example with Moses. He asked to see God's glory and God showed Him as much as he possibly could, but he actually had put Him in a cleft of a rock, on a rock to protect and shield Him. And he took his hand away so he could only see what he could possibly handle. But God said to Him, if you saw my face, you would die. SPEAKER D Okay, so we're going to look at God's way of speaking to men, the gift of prophecy first. So hosea. 1210. Hosea 1210. Because since man's fallen to sin, god speaks to us primarily through his prophets, right? Throughout the Bible, he speaks through his prophets, and then finally, he speaks through his son. But also after Jesus went back to heaven, god spoke through what Peter and James and they all had the gift of prophecy. And we also look in Revelation chapter twelve. It says one of the characteristics of God's last day church is that they'll have the gift of prophecy. Revelation twelve says satan goes to make war on those that keep the commandments of God and have what? The testimony of Jesus. SPEAKER C Jesus, that's right. SPEAKER D And you read in Revelation chapter 19 that testimony of Jesus, jesus is the spirit of prophecy. We know that in the last days there'll be false prophets, there'll be true prophets. So let's look at some of the way God speaks to his prophets. SPEAKER C Well we've got Hosea, chapter twelve and verse ten, and it says, I have also spoken by the prophets and have multiplied visions and have given symbols through the witness of the prophets. SPEAKER D So it gives them visions. You notice in Daniel, remember we looked at Daniel was a prophet of God and what happened to him, he was given visions and dreams. Visions and dreams. And we also know that before God does anything, anything at all on this earth and we're talking about some really heavy things happening in the last days that he says in Amos chapter three, verse seven, it says, god reveals his secrets to us through his prophets. SPEAKER C He does nothing until he reveals his secrets. That's right. So that's very important that we spend time in the prophetic scriptures to understand what God is planning on doing and what's going to happen as things wrap up on this planet. SPEAKER D Yeah. We also have in Numbers, chapter twelve, verse six. SPEAKER C This is the incident where Aaron and Miriam challenge Moses. SPEAKER D Oh they did. They challenged him, didn't they? SPEAKER C That's right. They challenged him because Miriam was upset because he'd married a woman that had a darker skin. Yes. And then God said to them, look, you be very careful what he talk about my servant Moses, because he's not like a typical prophet. He is great than a prophet, he's actually better than a prophet. And it says in verse six then he said that's God says, hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision. I speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. I speak to him face to face. SPEAKER D Wow. SPEAKER C Even plainly and not in dark sayings. SPEAKER D Yeah. So he's saying that through most of the time through prophets he talks through visions and dreams. And he also says that in Numbers chapter twelve, verse six, that he speaks to prophets through visions and dreams. Now we can even go and look at some of the New Testament prophets and we can go to second Peter two peter, chapter one, verse 19 to 21. SPEAKER C Okay, says, and we also have a more sure word of prophecy which you do well to heed as a light that shines in the dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart, knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D So the Holy Spirit works through people, doesn't it? So we just looked at just briefly, we've just looked at God's way of speaking to men and women as well. There were also women prophets as well, throughout the Bible. SPEAKER C That's true. SPEAKER D It wasn't just men, it was men and women. And so we've just looked at the ways that God speaks to men and women through visions and dreams, primarily, and through the Holy Spirit, and he reveals secrets to us through his prophets. SPEAKER C Right. Well, look, one of the things that we've already discussed there is Matthew 24 and verse 24, where Jesus gives us some warning against false prophets in the last days. So this is very important that we unpack this from a biblical perspective to understand exactly what God is warning us against. So we don't want to be deceived by false prophets, but at the same time, we do not want to reject true prophets of the Lord. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C So we want to go through the biblical tests of a prophet to understand this. And dear listener, we're just going to take a break here and we'll come back right after this short message. Stay tuned. SPEAKER E As you look back at the Reformation, which began 500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, there are several major events that are pretty well forgotten. In August of 1572, king Charles IX of France ordered the killing of a group of French Huguenots Protestants. By the time the St. Bartholomew Muse massacre was over, as many as 30,000 people had been killed. Protestants were ruthlessly persecuted, and it was not until the French Revolution that they gained equal rights in France. What kind of person or people perpetrate that kind of utter wickedness? Jeremiah 17 nine says, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? What kind of person? Anyone at all. The heart can be extremely wicked when God's fear and love have been removed. Human nature follows just one selfish direction. But Christ in your heart creates a new you, gives you a new heart. I'm John Bradshaw, for it is written, let's live today by every word. SPEAKER C Dear listener, welcome back. We are just going to unpack further our study regarding prophecy and the importance of it, because we know there'll be false prophets in the last days, but there'll also be true prophets. So we are not to despise prophecy. So, Colin, where do we go next in our search in the Scriptures regarding prophets? SPEAKER D So we're going to look at seven biblical tests etienne okay. Of a true prophet. So we're going to go to the Bible and so we can identify a true prophet. The first one is found in Isaiah, chapter. Eight, verse 20. SPEAKER C Oh, that's a good text. Yes. It says there, to the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. SPEAKER D So they have to speak to what the first one out of the seven? It says they speak not according to this word, it's because there is no light in them. So every word that a prophet says right. Must be in accordance with the Bible. SPEAKER C That's right. With the law and the testimony. The testimony is obviously the words of. SPEAKER D The prophets, which is also proof of being inspired by the Holy Spirit, because all the other prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C One prophet of God will agree with another prophet of God. There wouldn't be contradictions. SPEAKER D That's right, yeah. So that one says to the law and the testimony, is that right? SPEAKER C Yes. If they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them. SPEAKER D They're going to uphold God's law. So a prophet is saying the laws diamond away with are not upholding God's law absolutely straight away. That should be a danger signal for us. SPEAKER C And the other thing is, they also will not encourage people in their sin. They would actually convict people of sin because that's one of the work of the Holy Spirit, is to reprove of sin, righteousness and of judgment. So we read, for example, in Jeremiah, chapter 23 and verse 16 and 17, it says, thus says the Lord God, do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, they make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise me, the Lord has said, you shall have peace. And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they. SPEAKER D Say, no evil shall come upon you so straight know. I don't know. I've read the Spirit of Prophecy, the writings of Ellen G. White, and I tested her writings and all her writings. She quotes the Bible? Yes, and not just the New Testament, but right through the Old Testament. And everything I've read of her agrees with the Bible, so it must agree with the Bible. And even in John, chapter 16, verse 13, it talks about Jesus says when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth through God's word. So the first one is we looked at Numbers, chapter twelve, verse six, before we've already looked at that one. And so they'll speak in visions and dreams. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And we looked at Isaiah 820, so that the prophet sayings are totally consistent with all the Holy Spirit has already revealed in Scripture. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D To the Law and Testament, if they speak not according to this word is because there is no light in them. The law here is referenced to the law of Moses, the first five books of the Old Testament, which also contains the Ten Commandments law and testimony is referenced to the rest of the Old Testament, and by extension including the New Testament, which also contains the testimony of Jesus Christ. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Which we find in Revelations 1217. They both go together to explain the law of Moses means in mankind's practical experience. So another one. True prophets will reprove other prophets sins rather than conspire to support one another's claims. Okay, I've also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem and a horrible thing. They commit adultery and walk in lies. So let's read Jeremiah 23, verse 14. SPEAKER C Jeremiah 23, verse 14. Also, I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like sovereign to me, and their inhabitants like Gomorrah. SPEAKER D Well, so they reprove other prophets. SPEAKER C That's right. But these obviously are false prophets. They're no longer walking in the spirit of the Lord, that's for sure. SPEAKER D And then Jeremiah 23, verse 16. SPEAKER C Right, we've read that one yet 16, where they make people worthless by the prophesying things, visions of their own heart. SPEAKER D That's right. Now let's go to Jeremiah 28, verse nine. Jeremiah 28, verse nine. True prophets, predictions must come to pass. All of them. Yeah, unless they're conditional. SPEAKER C Yeah, of course. Well, conditional prophet, we can unpack that perhaps a little bit more to have people understand that. But it says, for they prophesy falsely to you in my name, I have not sent them, says the Lord. SPEAKER D Wow. The prophet which prophesies of peace. When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall prophet be known that the Lord has truly sent them. True prophets lead people to repentance and humility before God and to love their fellow human beings. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D They never lead people to become competitive, prideful or self exalting. And let's read Matthew, chapter seven, verse 15, which Jesus talking about beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening walls. You shall know them by their fruits. Even so, every good tree bringeth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit, whereby their fruits, you shall know them. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D So you'll know them by their fruits in their lives. SPEAKER C And this is all in connection between beware of false prophets from verse 15 through to verse 20 there of Matthew seven. Yeah, it's clear. SPEAKER D Now here's an interesting one. True prophets confess that Jesus came in our fallen human nature or fallen flesh, yet he got the victory over every sin and all sin, just as we can through connection with his Father and our Father. So let's go to First John, chapter four, verse two. SPEAKER C It says, but by this you know the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit, this is verse three. Now every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world. SPEAKER D Wow. So let's go to Hebrews chapter four, verse 15, just to verify that they'll confess jesus came in our fallen human flesh. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Yet he got the victory over every sin and all sin just as we can. SPEAKER C It says verse 15, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. SPEAKER D That's right. So they're going to say Jesus was tempted at all points like we are. So number six, true prophets have no strength or breadth of their own while in vision, but supernatural strength from God. Now we can go to look at what happened to Daniel when he had his visions and dreams, what happened to Daniel? And we can read that in Daniel, chapter ten, verse 17. SPEAKER C Okay. It says, for how can this servant of my Lord talk with you, my Lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me. SPEAKER D Wow. So there's no breath left in him. Okay. Number seven, true prophets exalt Christ alone, but never their own abilities. And we can read that in John, chapter one, verse 15, where John the Baptist was a true prophet and he talks about John, bear witness of him crying saying, this is what Jesus said about John. SPEAKER C It says, John bore witness of him and cried out saying, this was he of whom I said, who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. SPEAKER D That's right. So a true prophet will edify and uplift Christ so there'll be some humility. And so we have some different things. A true prophet predictions come true. Another one, first Corinthians, chapter 14, verse three and four, a prophet words edify the church. They're to edify and build up the church. So we've got some how to tell a true from a false. SPEAKER C Now okay, it says there in verse three of one, Corinthians 14, but he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. And he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. But he who prophesies edifies the church. SPEAKER D That's right. So will we have the gift of prophecy in the last days? SPEAKER C Well, yeah, I believe so. I think the Bible does teach. SPEAKER D That right. Ephesians, chapter four, verse eleven. It talks about prophecy as one of the gifts of the Spirit. That's Ephesians, chapter four, verse eleven, it. SPEAKER C Says, and he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. SPEAKER D There you go. So do we have pastors today? SPEAKER C Yes, we do. SPEAKER D Do we have teachers today? SPEAKER C We do. So we're going to have evangelists as well. SPEAKER D We're going to have all the gifts, including the gift of prophecy. SPEAKER C And in the context of it, all it says is there for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, and for what purpose? Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And again so this sequence of events takes place. You have the prophecy which equips the saints, it edifies the body of Christ until we come to this knowledge of the Son of man and the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ. And then what happens? That we will no longer be tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plottings. And Jesus said, especially in the last days, there'll be a lot of cunning craftiness and deceitful plottings, many deceptions. But then it says, may speak the truth in love and may grow up. So this is this continued growth of sanctification and all things into him who is the head which is Christ. SPEAKER D Also prophecy will be active in the last days. Joel, chapter two, verse 27 and 28. That's Joel, chapter two, verse 27 and 28. Will prophecy be active in the last days? And the Bible makes it clear that in the last days what does it say, Eddie? SPEAKER C Okay. And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions, and on my manservant and on My maidservant, I will pour out My spirit in those days. SPEAKER D That's right. So in the last days, there will be the gift of prophecy. We also look in one Corinthians, chapter one, verse seven, god's people who await Christ's return are to lack none of the spiritual gifts. SPEAKER C Okay. It says, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. SPEAKER D So we'll have all the gifts. And also we looked at Revelations twelve, verse 17, where we looked at the two identifying marks of God's last day. True followers will keep the commandments of God and they will have the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus Christ. SPEAKER C That's right, yes. SPEAKER D And we can see that on Revelations 19, verse ten to verify that. So now that we know that we're going to have prophecy in the last day, we know how to tell a true prophet from a false prophet. How should we relate to the gift of prophecy? I mean, how should we treat those who have given the gift of prophecy? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D Now we can go to first, thessalonians chapter five, verse 21st, thessalonians chapter five, verse 20 and 21. SPEAKER C It's a short little text there. It says, do not despise prophecies. SPEAKER D So we're not to despise prophecy, are we? And also we can go to two Chronicles chapter 20, verse 20, where it tells us, god tells us that when we listen to God's prophets, right, there's something that will happen to us, something positive. And so that's in two Chronicles chapter 20, verse 20. SPEAKER C Okay, this is Joseph speaking, as they say. So they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Takoa. And as they went out, Joseph's students said, hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established. Believe his prophets and you shall prosper. SPEAKER D Now, let's say if you don't believe God's prophets, what happens to people who don't obey or listen to God's prophets? We can go to Acts, chapter three, acts, chapter three, verse 23. So the Acts, chapter three, verse 23. This talks about what happens to people who ignore the prophet's words of instruction. SPEAKER C Okay? It says, and it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. SPEAKER D Wow, that's pretty serious. Very serious stuff, not listening to the prophet's words. And we can also verify that in two Chronicles chapter 36, verse 14 to 17, the tragic results of mocking God's prophets. SPEAKER C Okay? It says, moreover, all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more according to all the abominations of the nations and defiled the house of the Lord which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their Father sent warnings to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending them because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his word and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of God arose against his people, till there was no remedy. SPEAKER D Amazing. So here we have warnings of when we don't obey God's prophets and positive when we do listen. Now, interesting, in 1844, when the three angels message was to go out the world, this last message to go out to the world, it's interesting, isn't it right then at that time that God gives visions and dreams to a 16 or 17 year old girl. Her name was Ellen Harmon at the time. Later on, she married and became Ellen G. White. Now, this young lady had over 2000 visions and dreams over her lifetime. And she wrote down all those, everything she wrote on those visions and dreams pertaining to God's people. And you look at her life and you look at her writings and interesting, when she went into a vision or dream, it says there was no breath in her. And they even brought along doctors who weren't of the faith to inspect her while she was having a vision and dream. Sometimes these things lasted for two or 3 hours where there was no breathing. And doctors checked her out and she wasn't breathing and she was into visions and even wide awake. So she was like wide awake but gone into some vision. And she was looking up, usually looking up in the sky, her hands outreached and she wrote these visions down. So everything I've read from Ellen White and the Spirit of Prophecy and I've read a lot of stuff from her, I found it is in line with God's word. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D She uplifted the law of God, remember to the law and testimony. She uplifted the word of God. She had the visions and dreams exactly like Daniel had. There was no breath in her. So somehow she was kept alive and she wasn't breathing while she was in vision. There's many things I could go through that many prophecies she said would happen, actually happened. So the predictions came true. You look at her, she reproved sin. She edified the church. She was basically building up edifying the church. The messages she gave harmonized with the previous prophets in the Old Testament and New Testament, the fruit known in her life. I've spoken to people who've written about who met her. She was just the loveliest person ever. She was a lovely Christian person. She would going out doing good, she would get food and give it to the poor and do things like that. So there was fruits in her life and she wrote over like a million pages, particularly about instruction to God's last day people of the problems they're going to have of the different heresies, they're going to come into the church, the Satan's attack on the church. SPEAKER C And she was given a hard time as well by a lot of people. We just read there in two chronicles 36, verse 16 says that they mocked the messengers of the God, despise his word and scoffed at his prophets. So there were people who still scoff. I mean, you can go and research information. You're going to find good and bad against God's prophets in the Bible. You find it and you'll find it online even nowadays as well. So don't be surprised if you have people who rise up in opposition against true prophets because that has always been the case in God's word. SPEAKER D So I encourage you. I remember that someone handed me a book on a beach and it led me to read a book called The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White. Absolutely amazing book. I was reading that book and I'm thinking this is just not from a normal person. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And I've read the book desire of Ages and Steps to Christ. Just wonderful books and incredible insight and warning. Uplifting, uplifts. Jesus right throughout quotes the Bible right throughout her writings, continually quoting the Bible of what she's writing. SPEAKER C It's a book written by her as well as a book that changed my life and brought me to the Lord and actually brought me to closer Bible study. And that was a book called Patriarchs and Prophets. I started reading that and it changed my life. SPEAKER D Yeah. SPEAKER C So, I mean, the fruit is evident that people are drawn to their God, the creator of heaven and earth, but we know from time to time there's false prophets who prophesy falsely, and these things don't come to pass. Occasionally they'll prophesy something even though they are false prophet. And it does happen. But that in itself is not a. SPEAKER D Sign because we got a number of tests. SPEAKER C We've got a number of tests, but there's one in Deuteronomy, chapter 13, for example, where we read Moses is saying this. It says, if there arises amongst you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass of which he spoke to you, saying, let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice. You shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage to entice you from the way in which the Lord, your God, commanded you to walk. So you shall put that evil from your midst. SPEAKER D So basically, here is was that Moses? Moses was writing here's moses saying, hey, listen, even if someone does come along, right, and prophesy something and it comes true, if they don't believe in God. SPEAKER C Or the commandments of God, commandments of God or try and draw your way to another God, which is not one. SPEAKER D Of the Bibles, they're false. SPEAKER C They're false. SPEAKER D That's why there's a number of tests. Obviously, you have visions and dreams. There wasn't breathing. They're fruits. There's reproving of sin. But they must adhere to the testimony in the law that's gone before them. So they must uphold God's law. If a prophet is not upholding God's law straight away, that tells you something. Let me ask you a question. Did any of the prophets in the whole Bible do away with God's law? SPEAKER C None. Absolutely. SPEAKER D You will not find one of them in the Old Testament or the New Testament. All the apostles and Paul uplifted God's law, and they all agreed and testified of the testimonies that had gone before them. Sometimes they expanded that and gave more information. So what I've read, when I've read Ellen White's writings, okay, she lived over 100 years ago. She died in I think, I think it was 1915, but she's left everything. We can read her writings and so when you read it, she quotes the Bible right through her writings. She uplifts God and Jesus Christ. I've never seen anyone write so much uplifting about. So I really encourage you to read her writings for yourself, not just some internet Google thing where someone makes a comment on the internet. Because back in even Jesus days they said he was from Satan. You know what I mean? You're of the devil, you're a false Christ, you're false this and that. Just read it yourself, read it yourself and check out the Bible. What she's saying and quoting the Bible because over the next few lessons or radio programs, we're going to be looking at some of the prophecies. She's said, align with the Bible. Let me just give you one of them to leave with. One or two of them. SPEAKER C Okay, great. SPEAKER D She talks about in Special testimonies on Education, page 132. She says, do you believe that the Lord is coming and that the last great cris is about to break upon the world? She goes on to say, there will be soon be a sudden change in God's dealings. The world in its perversity is being visited by casualties, by floods, storms, fires, earthquakes, famines wards and bloodshed. Sounds like she's just reading the news today. That's right, by floods, storms, fires, earthquakes. She goes on, the Lord is slow to anger and great in power, yet he will not at all quit the wicked. She's there quoting Exodus, by the way. Exodus in Moses'day. The Lord has his way in the whirlwood and in the storm and the clouds of the dust of his feet. O that men might understand the patience and long suffering of God. He is putting under restraint his own attributes. His omnipotent power is under the control of the omnipotent one. O that men should would understand that God refuses to be wearied out with the word's perversity and still holds out to the hope of forgiveness, even to the most undeserving. But his forbearance will not always continue. Who is prepared for the sudden change that will take place in God's dealing with sinful men? Who will be prepared to escape the punishment that will certainly fall upon transgressions? And we're seeing these things happen before our very eyes today. We're seeing a sudden change in God's dealing with sinful men. We can see the world getting more wicked where we're promoting anything goes against God's word. Yeah, we're even changing our own laws. And she goes, and I believe it's urgent we know where we're living in the time. We know that the hour of God's prophetic time clock has reached our eternal destiny depends on it. We need spiritual leaders who have understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. That's in one Chronicles chapter twelve, verse 32, we need spiritual leaders who can look at God's word and spiritual and help us to know what's going on and what to do. And I believe God has a prophetic timetable for this world, what's going on? And I believe that timetable is coming to an end for God's history. You remember God told Abraham that his descendants would be captors in a foreign land for 400 years? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D In Genesis chapter 15, verse 13 to 14. And God's word came to pass, just as predicted. Israel, Abraham's descendants, came, captives, slaves in Egypt. They struggled in Egypt for over 400 years. Then God's prophetic time clock reached the hour of their deliverance. And God's world tells us, or word tells us in Exodus chapter twelve, verse 40 to 41. SPEAKER C Yeah. And it says, now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years, even the self same day. It came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt on the self. SPEAKER D Same day, just as God had predicted over 400 years later. And the phrase the self same day indicates the deliverance of Israel took place at the exact time God had preordained it to take place. God's prophetic clock reached the hour of Israel's deliverance from Egypt. And Israel entered another captivity hundreds of years later. Because of their transgression against God, he allowed them to be overthrown by the nation Babylon, and many were led into captivity by their enemy. Again, God foretold how long that captivity would last. In Jeremiah 25, verse twelve, they were to remain in captivity for how long? For 70 years. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D And when the 70 years were accomplished and God's purpose fulfilled, god opened the way for his people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and nation. SPEAKER C Thank you, Colin. We're just going to take a break to share our contact details and we'll be back right after this. Thank you for joining us on You Shall Receive Power. If you would like more information about today's program or if you have any questions, please contact 3ABN Australia Radio by Phoning 024-973-3456. Or you can send an email to [email protected]. You can also contact us on our 3ABN Australia radio Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you SPEAKER C Dear listener, welcome back. Just before the break, Colin, you were talking to us about God's prophetic clock. And on the south same day that God had predicted Israel left the land of Egypt. In Jeremiah, you spoke about the 70 years that Israel would be captive in Babylon before they would return to their land. And that happened exactly as God had said it would take place. SPEAKER D And then what happened after that? Hundreds of years passed, and Israel longed to see the fulfillment of God's promise of the coming Messiah. So all prophecies about the coming of Messiah and many Old Testament prophecies gave very specific descriptions of his coming and mission. And the Apostle Paul writes of the first event of Christ with these words in Galatians, chapter Four, verse four says. SPEAKER C But when the fullness of time was come, god sent forth His Son born of a woman or made of a woman, made under the law to redeem those under the law. SPEAKER D So God's words clear isn't idiot. Jesus came right on time. At the fullness of time, Jesus came when God's prophetic clock reached the hour of his coming. And we even read that in Daniel, chapter Nine, god even foretold the date of Christ's baptism and his death. And again, we see that God has a specific timetable for the events of Earth's history. Nothing happens on this earth. Haphazardly. Everything is preordained by God. Nothing is out of his control. That is why God's promise is true. That states that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. That's in Romans, chapter eight, verse 28. Now, if all things were not under God's control, satan would see to that all things did not work out for good for those who love God. God has a purpose in everything he allows, even the things that seem so terrible from our perspective. But remember, God tells us in Isaiah, chapter 55, verse eight, nine, for My thoughts are not Your thoughts, neither are Your ways. My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than Your ways, and My thoughts than Your thoughts. SPEAKER C Thank you, Colin. That's a good place just to finish up on today. And dear Listener, we pray Your God will continue to bless you and to prepare you for what is coming on the world soon and Jesus Christ's return. We pray that the Holy Spirit would be with you, to guide and lead you and to draw you until we meet again. SPEAKER D You've been listening to a production of Three ABN Australia radio.