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The spirit—the heart and essence—of prophecy is the testimony of Christ, the testimony God has given about His Son (Rev.19:10, 1 Jn.5:9-12). Father's will is that we believe on Christ (Jn.6:40), and the command His Son has given us is to love as He has loved (Jn.13:34,15:12).
More than any signs, wonders, or prophesying, God wants us to do His will: to know His heart and spirit—the gospel of His grace to us in His Son—and to give the same love to others that He gave us on the Cross (even to our enemies). Without the spirit of prophecy, prophesying or interpreting prophecy is nothing in God's sight.
"IN HIS NAME"
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt.7:21-23)
If a prophet or an interpretation of a prophecy is not in the spirit of true prophecy—resting on the foundation—then it is not from God because it does not know His heart. If the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of the a prophet's prophecy or an interpretation of prophecy is not the testimony God has given about His own Son, then it is leading people away from Him, and He does not know them.
Jesus said that in the days before His return, many false prophets would come, and that many would come "in His name" (24:5,11)—just as He said in Matthew 7 that many would prophesy and perform signs and wonders in His name yet be doing evil. Even in His name.
If a prophet or teacher speaks in the name of 'Jesus', yet teaches that their teaching is the way to God's favor, they are preaching a different gospel and a different 'Jesus Christ' (2 Cor.11:4, Gal.1:8). It is the same as saying "I am the Christ" when the message of our teaching is effectively, "You need to know and obey what I am telling you in order to receive God's favor."
RECOGNIZING THE REBELLION
Jesus also said that in the days before His return, when many false prophets would appear, many believers would leave the faith and the agape love of most of them would grow cold (Mt.24:10-12). Paul wrote that a "rebellion" would occur in God's temple—that is, in the Body of Christ, the New Covenant temple (1 Cor.3:16-17, Eph.2:21).
Just as Jesus said that His true disciples would be known by His agape love (Jn.13:35), this rebellion among His people is known by it's lawlessness—by its rejection or subjugation of Christ's law of agape love.
GIVING 'PROPHETIC' SUPPORT
The "False Prophet" in Revelation (also called the second beast or the beast from the land) is a kingdom or nation with strong religiosity that is an ally and supporter of the first beast. The False Prophet speaks and acts on the behalf of the first beast—which appeared to have been dealt a fatal blow from war, but returned from the sea to try to become what it once was in ancient times (before the days of John).
The False Prophet "prophesies" (teaches or interprets prophetically) about the beast, speaking in God's name. The False Prophet is not calling all people to be astonished at or give honor to itself; instead it is trying to tell the world to be astonished at and give honor to the beast.
The False Prophet points to the beast's resurrection and victories as evidence of how God favors it. The False Prophet points to the beast's great wounds in history, and interprets prophecy to tell the world that the beast has the right to do what it is doing now ('it is just')—that God supports it, and so should we.
If the beast wins back its ancient kingdom using means that do not harmonize with the law of Christ (agape love), the False Prophet says that it is evidence of God's favor on the beast, and that Christ's law comes afterwards. The False Prophet sets aside Christ's law as secondary to supporting the beast—the 'way' to obey God is to support the beast more than it is to keep Christ's commands. The False Prophet says that blessing and favor from God come not through simple faith in His Son (believing the gospel), but instead the more sure route is through honoring the nation God honors—the beast.
SUBJUGATING AND SUBVERTING THE FOUNDATION
The False Prophet comes from among believers, in His temple (the body of Christ), and is a rebellion against Christ being "the way" and against His law of agape love.
The False Prophet proclaims that supporting a nation is the way to the blessings of God (and that opposing the nation will result in curses and God's disfavor). The False Prophet preaches that God's command is to support the nation first, before applying Christ's law to the nation's actions or our own actions in support of the nation.
Are there any such "false prophets" among us today? Have any of us proclaimed a nation as of more practical importance than the foundation—Christ and His agape love?
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Part 7: "The Two Witnesses"—Returning to the Foundation
This all sounds good on the surface but is demonstrably wrong. All the world will not worship Israel, Israel wont be making war with the saints for forty two months, Satan isnt going to give his power to Israel, America hardly causeth the whole world to worship Israel. I could go on and on. The coming Son of perdition is a man "The man of sin" You sir have been revealed by what manner of spirit you speak. Very Very deceptive i must say, You had me fooled for a min. One of the cleverst false prophets iv read in a while.
ReplyDeleteA few things to note:
ReplyDelete1) "All the inhabitants of the world will worship the beast whose names are not written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb." It does not say that all the world will worship the beast. Only a segment of the world.
2) The beast was "given authority" over other nations. Its sway over nations comes through the actions of the second beast, who does things on behalf of the first beast. This is why later, the prostitute (the second beast) is able to be betrayed by the beast (the first beast). The second beast is more devoted to the first beast than the first beast is to the second. The first in line to "worship" the first beast is the second beast. The effort to sway the peoples of the earth to worship the beast is conducted by the second beast.
3) The 2nd Thessalonians 2 passage may or may not require a literal man. The "temple" of the new covenant is said by the apostles to be the people of God instead of a physical building. If Paul's mention of the temple in the passage refers to a literal temple, then the new covenant has been superseded by the old covenant (a reversal of the testimony of the New Testament; an "un-doing" of Christ's finished work, so to speak). But if the "temple" in the passage does not refer to a literal building, then is it also possible that Paul might not have been speaking literally about other parts of the apocalyptic events?
4) In reading and interpreting prophetic & apocalyptic writings, the most important thing is the gospel, the testimony of Jesus, and the commands that He gave us clearly, without shadow or symbolism. These are the constants. If our interpretations overturn, cross over, marginalize or suspend these things in any way, then there is a serious problem. Then we are trying to arrive at an "ends" by denying the means that Christ set before us clearly.
5) Along these lines, note that the accusation "false prophet" was applied here not because of denial of Jesus Christ, the gospel of His grace, or His commandments. The accusation was made and the 'spirit' was judged not according to the gospel, but according to an earthly nation (a kingdom of the earth). Is it possible that the way in which discernment of spirits is taught is according to flesh instead of according to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is it possible that in the same way, in the "temple" (the people of the new covenant) today "standing in Christ" has been relegated to lesser importance than "standing with" an earthly nation? Is it possible that Christ's law ("love one another as I have loved you" and "love your enemies") has been set aside in favor of "standing with" an earthly kingdom? Is it possible that many are looking to pleasing the flesh in order to please God? Since Christ's law has been so subjugated, is it not possible that "lawlessness" already stands enthroned in the temple of our hearts?
you know i agree with so much of what you h ave written. I actually have had tears in my eyes and a very repentant heart after reading a lot of your writings. After studying bible prophecy or thirty plus years youv given me reason to pause and reflect on my true intentions. Also i know 100% that Paul was talking about the Church (Temple) in 2nd Thess not a physical rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. That we agree on, probably against what 90% of prophecy teachers believe. But the bible is quite clear their will be a literal man the coming son of perdition. Yes it is possible that Lawlessness does stand enthroned in the Temple of our hearts but if you did actually read the book of Daniel you would realize that Paul in 2nd Thess 4 was referring to Dan 11:36 where Daniel is describing a last days "king" literal man. The Bible describes this man in quite a bit of detail throughout scripture. The spirit of antichrist is a different entity than the end time manifestation of the personification of Satan. You seem to be going against everything you teach by making out that you alone have this secret knowledge of prophecy because of your personal intimate relationship with God. Where as your teaching on knowing the lord as our no 1 priority is 100% correct that doesnt excuse the 15% percent of lies mixed in with truth, just like rat bait is mostly good food its the small amount of poison that kills. Your Teaching of prophecy is so way of base but such cleaver deception that im sorry but im left with no other conclusion that you are a false prophet of the most dangerous kind.
ReplyDeleteSome more notes:
ReplyDelete1) Is it possible to recognize "an antichrist" who comes in the flesh if we do not recognize the spirit of antichrist?
2) Again, it was not because of the gospel or commands of Christ that the accusation of "false prophet" was used a second time here, in even stronger terms than the first time. Was it because of denial of Christ? No, it had nothing to do with the gospel of Christ or His commands. Instead strong accusations are used because of suggesting a different interpretation of prophecy! But could it be that instead of "contending as one man for the gospel," perhaps many of us are contending as one man against the gospel? We will never know if we set aside discerning through the gospel in order to accuse one another in the strongest terms because of disagreeing about the external fulfillment of events.
(continued)
3) At this rate, I would agree with Pastor Jonathan Martin that perhaps we are doing just fine without a literal flesh-and-blood antichrist:
ReplyDeleteThe necessity of the Church’s kingdom mission increasingly feels secondary to “beating the bad guys.” As the Church sizes up her “enemies,” there is often a sense that the opposition is in some way a sign of the end of days. Yet even in the case of actual resistance, I never find myself perplexed at the world for being the world. Conversely, I wonder if the most apocalyptic sign I see around me (negatively speaking) is not any of what I see in the world, but what I see and hear in the Church.
Want to talk about deception in latter times? Interestingly, the New Testament does not limit the idea of an “antichrist” to one global personality, but rather speaks of many antichrists. Thus we have I John 2.18, “Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now *many antichrists* have come. From this we know that it is the last hour.” John also says “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; *any such person* is the deceiver and the antichrist!” As so much of our current “prophetic” media focuses on speculation of a single antichrist figure somewhere in the sphere of global politics, we are prone to forget that in the days leading to Jesus’ return, there will be many alternatives to the lordship of Jesus that will come bearing His name and claiming His approval. According to Scripture this is a “spirit,” a spiritual force that alters the disposition of actual persons in a way that is contrary to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Could it be that in looking out for “the antichrist” that we have allowed room for other antichrists/the spirit of the antichrist (not speaking of prophecy teachers per se, but rather alternative gospels or a different spirit/disposition that opposes the character and witness of Christ Himself)? That in our desire to “defeat a monster that we have become a monster”?
I would raise the question—if the Church no longer shares the posture of the God who loved the world so much as to give His only begotten Son in sacrifice and humility…if the Church that bears the name of Jesus really believes they can only conquer evil through the world’s swords or the world’s political power… If the Church sees the cross only as the means of salvation and not also the cross they must carry in obedience to Jesus, offering their lives up for the nations… if the Church sees its enemies as people to protest against/condemn/or even defeat rather than wayward sons and daughters we are called to bless and pray for… who needs an antichrist?
You don’t have to have Henry Kissinger, Michael Jackson, Mikhail Gorbachev or Barack Obama bearing the devil’s mark to subvert the mission of God’s people in the world if we’ve already decided the direct teaching and example of Jesus is no longer relevant to His Church. You don’t need a microchip under your hand or forehead to give your life to the beast if you are using the devil’s tools to try and build God’s kingdom... What could possibly be sadder than watching the Church continue to move forward with its work and witness while Jesus gets left behind? (Source)
That would have to be Jonathan Martin the lead pastor of Renovatus: church in Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteNC. Heres an excerpt from their home page.{ About us}
"We’re just as comfortable reviewing and critiquing the creative work of Eminem as we are Steven Curtis Chapman. We won’t crucify an artist because he swears too much nor will we praise an artist simply because they make worship music. We won’t degrade an author because their writing is risqué or praise one because their main character is an Amish woman. We’ll say things in our blogs that buck the status quo and (possibly) raise your ire,"
What a joke this man is full of the Antichrist spirit. I rest my case. My accusation of false prophet have nothing to do with differing interpretation of prophecy because you are not putting across your interpretations as interpretations per se which is totally acceptable but rather as thus saith the lord. Under the heading Prophetic words. As these so called Prophetic words dont line up with scripture then that would make you a false prophet. would it not? I am not accusing you of being a false prophet because of "disagreeing about the external fulfillment of events." as you call it, I often disagree with my Christian brothers on differing views of prophecy. But they wouldnt dare say there "views" are prophetic words.
Friend, labeling someone or calling them a name does not answer, invalidate, or disprove what they have written. If you can answer the content, please do so. (Especially if you can do so by pointing to the foundation of the gospel of Christ and His commands!) But understand that if you simply brush aside the content and accuse with names, you will have convinced no one of your position.
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of this study, it is labeled as a study, not as a prophetic word.
I think if someone who calls them self a Christian,Labels the songs of the Blasphemous, Demon infested, Satan worshiper, Eminem, whos leading thousands of young souls to hell as " creative work" then i think i am highly justified in invalidating or disproving what they have written re scripture. Do you not agree?
ReplyDeleteSongs, poems, and writings are creative works. That the pastor is willing to investigate, evaluate and discern for himself speaks volumes... He's not afraid to be a "Berean," so to speak. (In contrast to simply ignoring, labeling, judging and accusing.)
ReplyDeleteBut this is all getting very far away from the subject. Where is the gospel of God's grace? Where are the teachings and commands of Christ?
ReplyDeleteNot on this blog
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