Prophecy against the church

14 November 2008 - Submitted by Chris

The Old Testament Prophets got into some serious trouble with their fellow countrymen because they often prophesied against them. Indeed God was trying to correct them and sent the prophets to warn them. Simple and straightforward enough. Amongst the prophecy, and as part of it, God implanted hidden messages that are only now being revealed thousands of years later. Also implanted were teachings that are still relevant today. So, the prophets had more than one role in bringing the Word of God to the people.

The test was as much for the prophets as it was for the people and even more so.

Today prophecy has largely taken an in-house role. For this reason I believe it largely cannot be trusted. The age old formula of God using the prophet to correct His Children has been replaced by an in-house positive-feedback model. Furthermore the prophets in the churches today are encouraged to criticize those outside of the church, which is so easily done. For example the cyclical nature of the world’s economy and social regimes means that any prophecy forecasting an upheaval is certainly not far away.

The hardest thing for prophecy to bring to people’s attention is exactly the thing for which it is intended. The corrective nature of prophecy is especially relevant to Gods Children but these are exactly the ones who today, as much as in ancient times, seem to reject it. The churches of today are rejecting any criticism leveled at them and because of this they are powerless to react to it in a positive and affirming way.

For example, the inerrant Word of God is being corrupted by paraphrasing "translations" (the perfect example of this is "The Message"). Making a stand against this publication in front of a Pastor who uses it as a teaching tool leads to immediate alienation. There are not many churches I have been in today that do not use this errant publication. If they are protective of the tools they use, how much more so are they protective of the people they use; usually by exclusion of others.

What this leads to is this. If you are looking for a Prophet of God you won't necessarily find them in a Sunday church. Although there are some alienated souls still struggling on in them. They may be the ones who on occasion stand up and read direct from the Bible unheralded , like a friend of mine up north who read the passage on how women should behave in church in response to a woman elder speaking publicly.

I think these are real prophets of the New Testament.

When God gives them a special message such as in Revelation 11 (Moses and Elijah and /or Israel and the Church), real fire will come from their mouths, and only after they are raptured will the people be able to rejoice in their own ways once again.

God loves the Church , and His Word reaches it - be careful my friends of those who reject corrective prophecy in Sunday church and who have expectations of how that should be....God may simply want to correct them , not tell them how well they are doing and what the world is doing wrong and when.

A believer and follower of Jesus is a Prophet, and knows thankfully that his Master is ready to correct him, including by way of prophecy, in the way he should go.

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