The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:3,
"Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites."
Micah speaks about a temporary abandonment of Israel. It will last until the Son of God visits planet earth, coming as a baby born to Mary. This "inter-testamental" period, a time of famine of prophecy, lasted for some four hundred years between Malachi and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ signaled a new era, a return of prophecy, by John the Baptist, Jesus Christ himself, his apostles and those gifted with prophecy in the early fledgling days of the church. During that period, as the books of the New Testament were being created, prophecy was common in the church, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13.
The famine of prophecy Micah speaks of is similar to what we have today, following the early days of the apostolic church and what we consider to be the close of the cannon of Scripture.
I am aware there are all kinds of people today who claim to speak for God, who claim to be prophets, or who have invented a new notion of what prophecy is so they can call themselves as such. I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of it. Real biblical prophecy, were it to happen today, would require us to move to 3-ring binder Bibles so we could add to our 66 books we currently have. Unless someone is prepared to say they have received from God a message for the rest of us, and it is on a par with, lets say, the book of Romans, or any passage of Scripture, then it is not prophecy as the Scriptures speak of prophecy. Woe to the man who claims to have a new revelation from the Lord and does not! "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." In Moses' day, the Lord instructed the Israelites to stone to death any one who presented himself as a prophet and was not. Not to be taken lightly!
Any potential argument over the issue of whether we are currently in a hiatus of prophecy needs to recognize the issue has nothing to do with believing God can raise up prophets in our day, or would God do so. The issue is very simply, has he?
We exist today in a similar famine of prophecy, but unlike Israel of Micah's day, we are not abandoned. Quite the opposite! Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, 1 Corinthians 3:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have access to the throne of Grace, Hebrews 4:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith can pray, knowing God is listening, James 5:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have God working events in their lives for their own good, Romans 8:28.
Although there may be a famine of prophecy today, we have access to God through faith in a way no one previously had. Today, we need no priests - all believers make up a priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9. Today, we need no temple, we are the temple of God, 1 Corinthians 3:16.
So, do we need prophets today? Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." God will determine when we need a prophet, and, I can assure you he isn't going to check in with me first to see what I think. We will have prophets when the Lord determines and we best be listening when it happens.
As this age draws to a close, we will enter into a new flurry of prophetic activity. We read of two particular prophets in Revelation 11:1-12. As I say, when the Lord sends us prophets, we need to be ready, willing and able to listen up.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites."
Micah speaks about a temporary abandonment of Israel. It will last until the Son of God visits planet earth, coming as a baby born to Mary. This "inter-testamental" period, a time of famine of prophecy, lasted for some four hundred years between Malachi and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ signaled a new era, a return of prophecy, by John the Baptist, Jesus Christ himself, his apostles and those gifted with prophecy in the early fledgling days of the church. During that period, as the books of the New Testament were being created, prophecy was common in the church, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13.
The famine of prophecy Micah speaks of is similar to what we have today, following the early days of the apostolic church and what we consider to be the close of the cannon of Scripture.
I am aware there are all kinds of people today who claim to speak for God, who claim to be prophets, or who have invented a new notion of what prophecy is so they can call themselves as such. I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of it. Real biblical prophecy, were it to happen today, would require us to move to 3-ring binder Bibles so we could add to our 66 books we currently have. Unless someone is prepared to say they have received from God a message for the rest of us, and it is on a par with, lets say, the book of Romans, or any passage of Scripture, then it is not prophecy as the Scriptures speak of prophecy. Woe to the man who claims to have a new revelation from the Lord and does not! "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." In Moses' day, the Lord instructed the Israelites to stone to death any one who presented himself as a prophet and was not. Not to be taken lightly!
Any potential argument over the issue of whether we are currently in a hiatus of prophecy needs to recognize the issue has nothing to do with believing God can raise up prophets in our day, or would God do so. The issue is very simply, has he?
We exist today in a similar famine of prophecy, but unlike Israel of Micah's day, we are not abandoned. Quite the opposite! Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, 1 Corinthians 3:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have access to the throne of Grace, Hebrews 4:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith can pray, knowing God is listening, James 5:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have God working events in their lives for their own good, Romans 8:28.
Although there may be a famine of prophecy today, we have access to God through faith in a way no one previously had. Today, we need no priests - all believers make up a priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9. Today, we need no temple, we are the temple of God, 1 Corinthians 3:16.
So, do we need prophets today? Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." God will determine when we need a prophet, and, I can assure you he isn't going to check in with me first to see what I think. We will have prophets when the Lord determines and we best be listening when it happens.
As this age draws to a close, we will enter into a new flurry of prophetic activity. We read of two particular prophets in Revelation 11:1-12. As I say, when the Lord sends us prophets, we need to be ready, willing and able to listen up.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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