prophets – Godinterest

August 10, 2022September 29, 2022

End-Time Errors: Drawing Lines through Matthew 24

When I first began to wrestle with Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (which emerges from a heated Matthew 23, rests solidly in Matthew 24 and then ascends into end-of-days judgment by Matthew 25), I struggled.

At one point, I thought I had it figured out. Like many others, I determined there had to be a line drawn somewhere through the middle of Matthew 24 in order to make sense of the end-of-the-world, imminent rapture language that appears by v29-31:

Immediately after the tribulation in the end- time of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Some folks seem to rightly read a local 70AD judgment coming to Jerusalem into Matthew 24:1-14, but then they pull Matthew 24:15-31 out of that century and project it 2,000+ years later into our own not-so-distant future. After this, it becomes anyone’s guess as to who and when the rest of Matthew 24 is given.

When I hacked at the Olivet Discourse like this, I drew my line at v29 (even though our Lord says “IMMEDIATELY AFTER the tribulation of those days…”). I figured that was the clear dividing line that had somehow been missed by Bible scholars immemorial. At this point, I still didn’t understand the Jewish apocryphal language surrounding the “day of the Lord”, so I was reading these expressions of speech literally. That was my mistake.

(Interestingly, some folks will thoughtfully look at the synoptic counterparts–Mark 13 and Luke 21–and even draw the line in different places depending on the book.)

Consider this. Matthew, Mark and Luke are considered the synoptic gospels because they’re so in sync with one another, right? A lot of overlap in their accounts of the life and words of Jesus but different enough that we recognize they were written independently of one another, likely via oral tradition.

One of the key places I struggled with (and, in other passages, still struggle with) was understanding Jewish expressions.

The Abomination of Desolation

As we read the Olivet Discourse, we must be wary of getting caught by the difference between the Jewish idioms and our modern-day understanding.

For instance, Matthew 24 says, “…the abomination that brings desolation…standing in the holy place…” but Luke 21:20 makes it clear, “…when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies…” Both passages are speaking of the same impending destruction, however Matthew uses an expression first-century Jews would be familiar with and Dr. Luke spells it out for his first-century, emerging-from-paganism Gentile audience.

2,000 years later, that contrast helps us understand the “abomination of desolation” reference. Indeed, the pagan Roman army would turn out to be the abomination that brought desolation to Jerusalem.

The Sun, Moon and Stars

Jewish idioms around impending judgment abound in all three gospels, where we have the sun, moon and stars being put out, stormy seas and heaven being shaken. If one doesn’t understand the “day of the Lord” language, a modern, 21st century reader may end up taking this literally.

From my earlier study on the “day of the Lord”, here are key Scriptures you’ll want to explore:

o Isaiah 13:9-11, we see judgment coming to Babylon at the hand of the Medes fulfilled in 539 BC.

o Nahum 1:3, we have judgment coming to Nineveh at the hands of the Babylonians and Medes, as fulfilled in 612 BC.

o Jeremiah 46:10 and Ezekiel 30, where the prophets lament judgment coming to Egypt at the hand of the Babylonians.

Finally, still more Old Testament examples of the day of the Lord can be found in: Zechariah 14, Obadiah and Isaiah 34 (judgment over Edom), Lamentations 2:22, and Malachi 4:5-6 (foreshadowing the fall of Israel by 70AD.)

If We Only Knew Our Old Testament

So, if we were intimately familiar with the Old Testament witnesses, by the time we get to Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, we would be well-versed on Jewish apocryphal language, right? But we’re not, Church. If you’re anything like me, you didn’t grow up with the Word as a central study in my life like a citizen of Judah would have in the first century. I grew up in the West, 2,000 years removed.

The moral of this story: Many of the Jewish cultural allusions are lost to us and have to be learned in order to arrive at the original context and meaning.

All this to say, I don’t believe Jesus departs from warning His disciples of the incoming doom heading for Israel and Jerusalem to drop in a tidbit that won’t come to fruition for thousands of years (though He actually seems to end up there by Matthew 25?)

Our Lord was speaking to that generation and His words were fulfilled within a Biblical generation, 40 years later, when the Roman armies razed Jerusalem in 70AD. Prophesy fulfilled.

The Word is AMAZING!!

Prior to beginning his Christian ministry, Matthew spent over 25 years as a marketing consultant, published author, speaker, coach, business developer and entrepreneur. In 2015, he pushed out over 400 accounts and retooled his marketing practice to serve the Christian Church. In addition to his pastoral studies and spreading the Gospel message through Levaire.com, Matthew helps Christian churches and humanitarian aid organizations develop successful outreach strategies. He and his vivacious wife, Kelly, live in Michigan with their four amazing children.

February 23, 2019February 23, 2019

The Rise of False Prophets and Preachers

We are living in an age where anyone can call themselves a prophet, a teacher, a preacher or any other authority in the Christian body. All that is required is a silver tongue, charisma, and no conscience. Combine this with social media, and the media in general, and you’ve got yourself a circus.

Many desperate people are seeking a Messiah, but rather than turn to Jesus, they turn to a supposed man of GOD (or woman in some cases). They put their trust, their common sense, and their money into the hands of this man, hoping that he will bring them deliverance, health, prosperity, and love. This man will then capitalise on their need, exploit it, and use it to his advantage. This has happened in the past, and I am sure that many people are aware of the stories of charismatic leaders who declared themselves to be men of GOD, or even the Messiah himself. Their dangerous teachings brought people under bondage, going so far as to convince them to take their own lives. As outsiders, we may look at these unfortunate victims and shake our heads, wondering how they could have buried themselves so deeply in the cult that they believed the radical teachings and lies of the leader, but it’s simple really. If someone has a problem, and you claim that you and you alone have the answer to the problem, people will listen. Perhaps it may be out curiosity at first, but if you have the gift of the gab and you know how to appeal to the needy part of a person, you have them. Once you gain their trust, you can begin to take over their thoughts, beliefs, and will. Before long, you have a group of people who will do whatever you tell them to do. It is this type of person that has made Christianity a detested, hypocritical, and dangerous faith to many in the world.

In years past, these dangerous leaders would pop up here and there on the news, and then only if something horrific had taken place. These days, false prophets and preachers may not be asking you to kill yourself, but that does not mean that they are any less dangerous. In Africa alone, there have been countless stories of these leaders who abused their power by making their congregations do ridiculous and often dangerous things. A couple years ago, right here in South Africa, we had a pastor who sprayed insect repellent in the face of people to remove demons. Insect repellent? Really? I remember watching the video in disbelief, watching this supposed man of GOD spray Doom (insect repellent) into the faces of many people. This had my country in an uproar, with people making negative comments about Christians and painting us all in the same light as this pastor. It didn’t end there. We had another pastor who had his entire congregation eat grass like a cow. They were literally on their hands and knees eating this grass like animals. Funny thing was, I did not seehimdo it. Another pastor, who called himself a prophet (most of them do), had the congregation bring their underwear to church, hold it in front of their intimate parts, while he cast out devils. He actually had a bag full of underwear that he handed out to the church. This particular prophet was documented by an Englishman who had heard about the infamous church leader. The documentary actually aired some months ago on BBC.

Several religious channels in South Africa feature these false prophets and preachers. The latest one that caught my eye while channel surfing was a man who claimed to heal people by kissing them. Interestingly enough, he was picky about who he kissed. You had to be of a certain age (not too old), and you could not be an ugly duckling either. I watched this man put his lips on this woman, and hold her there for at least two minutes. Whether or not this method ‘worked’ I will never know as I changed the channel- I had had enough. These leaders have Youtube channels, reaching a wider audience than they normally would have. Some use Facebook to promote their false teachings, and even Twitter. They use these platforms to sell their ‘anointed’ products as well, whether it be a lotion, lip ointment, clothing, holy water, and other items that bring their followers under stronger bondage. You’re also always sowing into their ministry, but instead of them using that money for the poor and helpless, they use it to further themselves. As their church grows, so does their wealth and their heads. New cars, houses, girlfriends, clothing, and bodyguards are all the rage. They call it their ‘due’ as glorious and obedient servants of the Most High (what a load of blasphemous rubbish). While their church suffers, they thrive? I do not know of any teaching from Scripture that promotes this type of life.

Africa is not the only one with these type of people. America also has its fair share of false prophets and preachers who are glorified by their church members. They make a show out of their sermons, filling it with distracting effects so as to dull what little discernment the congregation has. Flying over the congregation’s head by means of a skillfully positioned rope, worship music that gets the listener into a frenzy that is far from godly, watered down Scripture that promotes tolerability of non-Christian values and lifestyle choices, drama-filled people who love to satisfy the flesh, busybodies intent on sowing disruption in the body of Christ, and people filled with the self who love to be praised and glorified for the supposed anointing on their lives. I don’t hear much about Europe or any other areas of the world, but I’m sure that there are plenty of these false leaders looking to fool an unsuspecting Christian.

Christians should not be able to be fooled, especially if they read their Bibles. However, many Christians are lazy. They are happier to let someone else teach them than actually meditate on GOD’S Word for themselves. With social media being such an essential aspect of a great percentage of peoples’ lives, it is easy to find a leader who you like, follow them, and then wait for them to post teachings, twisted Scriptures, videos, and the like. Not many Christians actually question teachings by Christian leaders anymore merely because their teachings ‘seem right’. Well, the Bible has something to say about ‘seemingly right leaders’.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Just in case some Christians are not aware of what these leaders are actually meant to do in the Body of Christ, I’ll let this Scripture speak for itself:

Ephesians 4:12-14: …for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of GOD, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,…

The Church, the Body of Christ, is more divided today than ever before because of these false leaders. Christians are arguing over problems that the Bible has already clarified, but due to their loyalty to their pastors, prophets, and the lot, they will take false teaching over truth because it suits them better. Sometimes you’ll come across a leader who knows the Scriptures so well that he can twist it to sing to his tune and then proclaim it as the truth. These leaders may not be physically leading people to their death, but they are taking them with on a one-way ticket to hell.

Brethren, we are not here just to plod along until Jesus returns! This is a fight! In 1 Corinthians 9:26, Paul the Apostle says: Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. You need to put on the armour of GOD and be ready for any evil, whether it be in the form of false preachers or prophets, persecution, attacks by the devil, or anything that opposes the Kingdom of GOD and His servants. I am not saying physically go out there and fight people, no. The Bible says that we do not wrestle with flesh (Eph 6:12), nor do we war according to the flesh (1 Cor 10:3). Spend more time with GOD in prayer, read His Word, study and meditate upon it, memorise Scripture, get into the habit of regular fasting, be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Ghost, and do not lose your faith. Know Whose you are, and Who you serve. Only then will you be equipped to suss out those who are not of The Body.

Disclaimer: I do not profess to teach or have any sort of authority over men. I share the Word of GOD and any matters about the world that directly applies to our lives and walk as Christians.

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

God’s Wisdom and You (Part 2)

Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding; He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.

I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known to me now what we desired of You”¦.”
– Daniel 2:20-23

In our last post, we began looking at what this passage teaches us about living prophetically. We talked about God’s desire to transfer to us the wisdom and might He possesses. We also saw that God is the changer of times and seasons in our lives and how being aware of that helps us to flourish. Let’s continue.

He gives wisdom and understanding to those who already have it.

Remember the parable Jesus told of the ten pounds, in Luke 19:11-26? A rich man entrusted equal amounts of money to each of ten servants, intending that they would gain more through investing. They accomplished varying levels of increase, but one man did nothing with the money he had been given. He just hid it. His master was angry, and gave a surprising directive:

He said to those who stood by, “Take from him the pound, and give it to him who has ten pounds.”

The other servants objected, “Lord, he already has ten pounds!”

The master answered, “I say to you, that to everyone who has shall be given; and he who has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him” (verses 24-26).

Things work a lot differently in God’s kingdom than we might expect. The Lord wants to give more to those who appreciate what He has already given them. If you are a child of God, you have an open offer of wisdom from Him. He promises it to us in many places in the Bible. If you value wisdom, you will seek Him for more – because we never have all we could have. He will gladly give it, for “”¦ He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

If you don’t value wisdom, you’ll be lackadaisical about seeking it – and your contentment to stay at your present level will hinder you from receiving all the wisdom and understanding God really desired for you to have (which is much more than you currently possess). We can never have too much wisdom, so go after the Lord for more. He’ll be happy to give it to you.

He reveals the deep and secret things to those who want to know.

This goes along with our previous point. God’s secrets aren’t reserved for a few hotshot prophets. He will share them with anyone who is serious about being His friend – whoever takes time to read His Word and ask Him about it; whoever inquires, “”What’s on Your heart, Lord? I want to know Your concerns. What do You want to talk about?” (and then listens for His response).

“”¦ His secret is with the righteous.” – Proverbs 3:32

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him”¦” – Psalm 25:14

You are righteous in Christ. You qualify to hear His secrets. He loves sharing them with you.

He knows what’s going on in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

In context, “He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him” is continuing to speak of God drawing out the deep and secret things and revealing them to us. However, I see an additional application we can make.

Recently, I was upset about a wacky teaching an influential prophet was disseminating. (Praying for the American Church is a major focus of mine, so when I see error going on, it really bothers me.) But the Lord reminded me from Daniel 2:22 that He is very aware of what is going on, and I can leave it to Him. I don’t have to get worked up about the dark things. Instead, He wants me to fasten my attention on Him, to lift my eyes to where He is, in the light. In due time, He will take care of it, just as He says about the tares and wheat in Matthew 13:24-30. I can pray for the Church to be delivered from deception, but I should do it from the place of gazing on the Lord of light, not fuming about the stuff of darkness. It changed my perspective, for sure!

If we’re going to be overcomers in our tumultuous times, we must refuse to focus on the darkness around us, get our eyes on the Lord, and have confidence that He is on top of things.

Let’s sum up the lessons we can learn from Daniel 2:20-23:

1. Believe that the Lord delights to impart His wisdom and understanding to you. Seek Him for more of it.

2. Ask Him to share His deep secrets with you, because He wants to.

3. Don’t focus on the darkness. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus, in the light.

4. When life seems to be shifting uncomfortably, remember that He is the One Who changes times and seasons. Stay close to Him, and move with Him.

By doing these things, we stay safe in His care while growing in His wisdom and knowledge.

Growing in the Prophetic,
Audio Teaching by Lee Ann Rubsam

The Spirit-Filled Guide to Personal Prophecy,
by Lee Ann Rubsam

February 1, 2019February 1, 2019

God’s Wisdom and You

Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings, and sets up kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding; He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.

I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known to me now what we desired of You”¦.”

– Daniel 2:20-23

Daniel was giving thanks to the Lord for revealing to him Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation. Less familiar portions of the Bible can have gold nuggets hidden in them, and so it is here. There’s a lot of treasure for prophetic people in this short passage, so let’s take a look at what God has for us.

God desires to share His wisdom with us.

Daniel starts out by extolling God for His wisdom and might. He mentions that these two qualities belong to the Lord: they are His. He ends with thanking and praising the Lord, “Who has given me wisdom and might.”

Isn’t it amazing that the Lord of the whole universe delights to bestow on us what He possesses? Paul says in Romans 8:32, “He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” He also stated, in 1 Corinthians 3:21, 22, “”¦All things are yours, whether ”¦ the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.” We so easily take the gifts of God for granted, but if we would think about them more deeply, our hearts would be inspired to overwhelming awe.

All true wisdom originates with the Lord. We cannot get it anywhere else. We should not even attempt to glean wisdom from so-called wise men who do not worship the true God, nor should we attempt to use their techniques for achieving peace or revelation. In Christ alone “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Furthermore, “Beware, so that no one spoils you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:8, 9).

Now, the Holy Spirit might enlighten us to a portion of His wisdom through another person. He does that through sermons, godly counsel, and the word gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. We should also expect to receive wisdom directly from the Lord. But there is no other source of wisdom besides Him, and we get ourselves into a mess of deception if we go looking for it outside of Him. We can have confidence that, if we ask Him, He will be eager to give it, because He has already promised, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all men liberally and does not upbraid [reproach], and it shall be given to him” (James 1:5).

God changes the times and seasons.

Whether it is what is going on in our personal lives, or in our nation and the world, we need to stay keenly aware that God has specific times and seasons for things. When His season is up, He moves on. We must stay attuned to Him, so that we don’t miss His shifts from one thing into another. When He is breathing life into something, it continues, increases, and thrives. But when He is done with it, it’s dead. You can enthusiastically kick that horse all you want, but without the Lord’s life in it, it’s not going anywhere.

Most of us like staying put in what is familiar. Change is disconcerting. Jesus commented on this tendency, when He likened the old and new covenants to wineskins. He said, “No man also having drunk old wine immediately desires new: for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39).

When upheaval is happening in our personal lives or in the nation or world, it is often because God is preparing a new thing. If we understand this, we will not let what we observe in the natural make us afraid. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Who does all things well (Mark 7:37), and be ready to move with Him – even quickly. There is blessing for the person who is open to the new works of God.

Lately I have been praying, “Lord, help me to recognize when You are shifting the seasons, give me Your understanding of how to respond, and help me to keep up with You!”

There are a few more lessons we can learn from Daniel 2:20-23. We’ll continue with them next time.

More at Out of the Fire

November 29, 2017January 15, 2024

The Church, a Wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood

Most of us have grown up with many popular fairy tales told to us as children. The legendary story “Little Red Riding Hood” In most versions (although definitely not all of them) there is one common theme: a wolf attacks a young woman through deception. Like parables, such stories are never intended to convey meaning in every detail. Yet, much of it may draw, even in unsuspecting ways, the reader to precepts or principles pertinent to circumstances behind the story. Such is the following on Little Red Riding Hood.

There is actually a lesson in that theme for God’s people today.

1. The Church. Satan’s wolves do more than disguise themselves as Granny. As Paul warned, they often present themselves as “ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15). Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

“That’s a lie!” said the wolf. “You won’t die!”

2. The Law. One of the most common deceptions by these types of wolves is the claim that the law was done away with. Using selective sections of the apostle Paul’s writings, these wolves deceive people into crying, “Oh, what freedom you have!”

This was the very same tactic that Satan employed in the Garden of Eden.

3. False prophets. While these people appear to be godly—they come in sheep’s clothing—Christ said that inwardly they were “ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). These are people who claim to be children of God—but who don’t teach and live the word.

Another Fake Jesus Christ was recently arrested and remanded in Uganda on Thursday, November 9th, for belonging and managing an unlawful society by the Magistrate’s court. According to a report by Uganda’s Newspaper, Daily Monitor, the accused claimed not to be under any authority including the police, local council administration or the president of Uganda. The man purporting to be Jesus was arraigned in court alongside his three followers who preferred to be identified with their alias names.

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?”

4. The world. Wake up from your Slumber. Frequently in Scripture believers are exhorted to wake up, to be revived, and they are warned of the dangers of spiritual sleep. Christ warned us “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3). The world is under the sway of Satan.

As a believer in Jesus, we are promised a new life covered under the protection of God in which NOTHING can separate us from His love. Rest knowing that no matter what hardship you face, God is your provider and protector! Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of the wolf, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

5. Wealth. These wolves say, “all this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.” Christ warned of the “deceitfulness of riches” (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). Your response should be “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“There was something wolfish about them?”

6. Marriage How many times have we heard the story of the little red riding hood (aka Christian Sister or Brother) who fell in love with a big bad Wolf? ‘It wasn’t beauty, it was the beast, she or he says in regret. Being equally yoked is not meant to inhibit our dating lives. Rather, it is a command designed for protection and honor. Being unequally yoked is more dangerous than you think – and waiting for someone with whom you share the same spiritual heritage is far more rewarding than many believe.

Hey, Little Red Riding Hood, where are you going, so alone, so”¦ alone?

7. Relationship. Without Jesus, you can do nothing. An intimate relationship with God is required. That means fellowship with God daily. The big bad wolf was disguised to trick little red riding hood, but the wolf could not mislead her because Little red riding hood knew her grandmother intimately. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27”

“You can huff and puff but I will not worship you!”

8. Worship. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “We don’t need to answer your last question. If our God, whom we honor, can save us from a blazing furnace and from your power, he will, Your Majesty. Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with anger toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face turned red and he ordered that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than normal. However, God commissions His angels to save His chosen ones from calamity, to guard them against “the pestilence that walketh in darkness” and “the destruction that wasteth at noonday.”

These eight types (or packs, if you will) of “wolves” have plagued Christ’s followers throughout history.

These are just a few of the tricks and deceptions that are used by Satan and his wolves. Some wolves are masters of deception and disguise. They talk like Christians. They use the Bible. They seem like nice people. They are so loving! But they will draw you in to eat you for dinner!

God’s people must learn the lesson of Little Red Riding Hood. Let’s never allow ourselves to fall prey to the Satan’s deceptions.