THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY


A. "THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY" Rev. 19:10
  1. The Bible reveals that God communed with men:
    1. Personally - Gen. 3:9; 18:1; Acts 9:3; Num. 12:7
    2. In dreams - Gen. 28:12-13; Num. 12:7; 1 Sam. 3:15
    3. In visions - Num. 24:4, 15, 16
  2. He uses three specific channels to make known His holy will:
    1. The laws of nature - Ps. 19:1-6
    2. His only begotten Son - Heb. 1:1-3
    3. The Bible - 2 Tim. 3:15-17
B. PLACE OF THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY IN THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION
  1. We know from the Bible:
    1. That the Spirit of Prophecy is, not a person, but one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Compare 1 Cor. 12:1-28 with Eph. 4:11-14
    2. That this gift was manifested throughout the history of God's people -
      1. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, had this gift - Jude 14
      2. Abraham was a prophet - Gen. 20:7
      3. Jacob had this gift - Gen. 49
  2. We know further from the Bible:
    1. That God used this gift when He led His people out of Egypt to the promised land - Hos. 12:13
    2. That He uses this gift to guide His remnant church in the preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ - Rev. 12:17; 1 Cor. 1:6
  3. How to know a true prophet:
    1. This is necessary because many false prophets have gone out in the world - Matt. 7:15; 24:11, 24; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1
    2. Isa. 8:20; 30:8, 9 give us the key to know the true from the false.
    3. When a prophet leads away from the law of God, we know that he is false - Deut. 13:1-5; 18:20-22
    4. God safeguarded the gift of prophecy by two other marks -
      1. When a prophet was in a trance, God withheld His breath from him during the vision - Dan. 10:17. Satan cannot do this and keep his victim alive.
      2. A person in vision has his eyes open - Num. 24:1-4
C. THE GIFT OF PROPHECY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
  1. Our Lord foretold:
    1. That He would send prophets to His people - Matt. 23:34; Luke 11:49
    2. That He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, ". . . your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, . . ." Acts 2:17
  2. There were a number of prophets in the early days of the apostolic church: Compare Acts 11:27 with chapter 13:1, 15, 40; 15:32
  3. God's remnant church has this gift as a mark of identity:
    1. Paul foretold this blessing - 1 Cor. 1:6
    2. John, too, saw this gift associated with God's law - Rev. 12:17. See, also, Isa. 8:16, 20
  4. Blessing of the gift of prophecy:
    1. The gift of prophecy is, in a certain sense, the eyes of the church. Anciently, the people called a prophet "seer" - 1 Sam. 9:9, 11, 18, 19.
    2. When this gift is absent, spiritual blindness is in evidence - 1 Sam. 3:1-21; 28:6; Prov. 29:18
    3. When the message of the prophet is heeded by God's people, it will bring prosperity - 2 Chron. 20:20
  5. What should be our attitude toward the gift of prophecy?
    1. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." - 1 Thess. 5:21
    2. Heed its instructions and it will be for our own good - 2 Chron. 20:20
    3. What would have happened to this movement without the guidance of the gift of prophecy?


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