male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
00:00:02.20\00:00:03.50
by the friends of the
Amazing Facts ministry.
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Doug Batchelor: The 14th
century Aztec Empire was one of
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the most powerful and
sophisticated civilizations in
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the western hemisphere.
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Yet this kingdom of 2 million
people was conquered within a
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year by a Spanish force of
just 600 lightly armored men.
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How did it happen?
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Well, the Aztecs believed in
the coming of Quetzalcoatl, a
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legendary feathered, bearded,
light-skinned god-king who was
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going to come from
across the sea to Mexico.
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When the conquistadors
arrived in 1519, Hernán Cortés
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impersonated this god of
the Aztecs to befuddle the
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superstitious king, Montezuma.
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By fooling the native people,
Cortés completed his conquest
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that included enslaving
and murdering many of them.
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The vague prophecies of their
Aztec god easily paved the way
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for a counterfeit.
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Jesus has foretold in the
last days many false Christs and
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false prophets will use great
signs and wonders to deceive, if
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it were possible,
even God's very elect.
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He also said, "Most
people will be deceived."
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Will you?
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And that's why you need to join
me for today's program as we
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learn from the Bible how
to identify false Christs
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and false prophets.
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Doug: We're going to start
with a story in the Bible, one
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of my favorites.
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Just to give you the background,
it's based on 1 Kings 22, most
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of the chapter.
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King Ahab, bad king, northern
kingdom, he finally made peace
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with King Jehoshaphat,
kind of Judah, southern kingdom.
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King Ahab invited Jehoshaphat
up to the northern kingdom and
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said, "Why don't we join forces
and let's go fight against Syria
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because they took the city of
Ramoth Gilead from us and let's
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see if we can recover it."
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And Jehoshaphat was
being very generous.
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He said, "My horses are like
your horses and my chariots like
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your chariots.
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I'm going to join together.
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Let's work together
to win this battle."
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And then Jehoshaphat
said, "Well, let's inquire
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of the Lord."
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He was a godly king.
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Ahab was not such a godly king.
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His wife was
involved in Baal worship.
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And so, Ahab
said, "Oh, no problem.
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I've got a lot of prophets."
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And he called out
the prophets of Baal.
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And they all came and they had
a pep rally and they said, "Go
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fight against the Syrians.
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You'll recover Ramoth Gilead.
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Go fight, fight, fight.
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Win, win, win,
you're going to win.
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God is with you."
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And Ahab said, "You know."
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Or rather, Jehoshaphat
said, "These guys all look like
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prophets of Baal."
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He said, "Ahab, nothing
personal, but are there any
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prophets of Jehovah here
that we could inquire of?"
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Ahab got a little bit
tense and he said, "Och, yeah,
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there's one guy.
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His name is Micaiah, the
son of Imlah, but he never says
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anything good about me."
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And Jehoshaphat said,
"Nah, don't be so hard on him.
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Let's give him a chance."
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So Ahab sent a messenger to
go fetch Micaiah and, in the
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meantime, they
continued the pep rally.
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"You're going to beat the
Syrians and you're going to win
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and God is with you and--" So
the messenger that goes to fetch
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Micaiah, he says to Micaiah,
as they're on their way to this
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assembly, he said, "Look,
they're having a great time.
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It's very positive."
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He said, "Strong
morale, everyone's encouraged.
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Don't go say anything negative."
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Micaiah says, "I will have
to say what the Lord tells me to
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say, whether
it's popular or not."
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So he finally comes before Ahab.
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The two kings are on their
throne and all the prophets are
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gathered around and they're
all prophesying positive things
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about this battle.
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And Ahab says, "Okay,
Micaiah, should we go up to
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Ramoth Gilead or not?"
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And Micaiah
said, "Go and prosper."
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Ahab said, "No,
tell me the truth.
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I know you're being sarcastic."
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He said, "Okay, I saw Israel
scattered on the mountains as
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sheep having no shepherd, and
these prophets are lying to you.
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The Lord has told me."
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I'm condensing
the whole chapter.
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Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,
he said, "I told you he'd say
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nothing good about me.
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Micaiah clearly said, 'Do
not go into that battle.'"
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Ahab said,
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"We're going to put you
in prison until I come again
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in peace."
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Micaiah said, "If you ever
return in peace, the Lord has
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not spoken by me."
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So they went into battle,
and Ahab was a little worried
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because he knew these prophets
of God like Elijah, everything
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Elijah said, happened.
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Micaiah was friends with Elijah
and he said, "All right, well,"
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he says, "I'm going to get
killed in battle so what I'll do
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is I'm going to have Jehoshaphat
dress up in his king's attire
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and go into the battle.
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I'm going to dress up
like a soldier and stay
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on the outskirts.
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I'll be safe. I'll make sure.
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I'll put on my armor.
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Nothing's going to happen to me.
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I'm going to be extra careful so
I survive this battle and prove
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the prophet wrong."
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Well, you know, the Bible tells
us that "a certain soldier drew
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a bow at random."
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We don't even know if it
was one of his own soldiers.
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"And he struck the
king of Israel in the joints
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of his armor."
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He hit a vital artery and
he began to bleed seriously.
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Instead of getting medical
treatment, he was so proud he
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said, "Prop me up in the
chariot," and he stayed up in
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the chariot until he bled
to death and he died that day.
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The very thing
Micaiah said happened.
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You cannot overcome or
overrule a true prophet of God.
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And so we're going to be
talking about the subject
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of proving the prophets.
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When Jesus in Matthew 24 talks
about his Second Coming and the
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disciples say, "What
is a sign of your Coming,
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the end of the world?"
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what is the
first thing Jesus said?
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"Beware, many false
prophets will arise."
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There will be false prophets and
false Christs and so we need to
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know how do you distinguish
the true from the false?
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Question number one: To
whom does the Lord reveal
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His final plans?
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Amos chapter 3, verse 7: "Surely
the Lord God does nothing,
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unless He reveals His secret
to His servants the PROPHETS."
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The Lord tells us that
if He's going to do anything
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significant, He
usually calls a prophet.
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When God was getting ready to
destroy the world with a flood,
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did He have a prophet?
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What was his name?
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Noah.
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And when the Lord was ready to
carry the children of Israel out
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of Egypt, did He
raise up a prophet for these
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monumental occasions?
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What was his name?
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Moses.
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And when they were about to
be conquered by the Babylonians,
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did God raise up prophets
to warn them and guide them?
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Jeremiah, Isaiah, and
subsequently Ezekiel, Daniel.
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These profound times in
history God raises up prophets.
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Before the Messiah came, did God
bring a prophet that would be a
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voice in the wilderness?
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What was his name?
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John the Baptist, to prepare the
way for this great event of the
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Messiah coming.
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So here we are on the threshold
of eternity, the Lord is about
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to come, do you think that this
would be a great time to have
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the gift of prophecy to
find out what the Lord says?
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Absolutely, it says there: "The
Lord God does nothing," meaning
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nothing significant, "unless
He reveals His secret to His
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servants the PROPHETS."
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God does not want to
catch His people off-guard.
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He wants us to know
and to brace for impact.
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He wants us to be
prepared spiritually,
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so He sends prophets.
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Also to give us
guidance along the way.
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Number two: Will there be both
true and false prophets in the
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last days?
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What does the Bible say?
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Well, Jesus warned us.
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Matthew 24:11,
also Mark 13, Luke 21.
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He says: "Then many
FALSE prophets will arise
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and deceive many."
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Now, you'll notice the words
"many" and "few" used by Jesus.
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When it comes to eternal life
and the straight road, is it
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many or few?
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It says few.
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When it comes to the broad
way to destruction, many or few?
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Many.
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So when He says "many false
prophets," the true prophets
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are going to be what?
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Few.
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But are there true prophets?
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I think, and this is a
picture of, what was it?
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Marshall Applewhite, that poor
people deceived by him and that
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Heaven's Gate cult,
and they committed suicide.
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And there's been many others and
you'll find people--and it's not
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just the people
who say, "I'm Jesus."
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There's a lot of false
prophets when you channel surf.
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Yeah, there's a lot of people
out there supposedly speaking in
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the name of the Lord and they're
begging for money and they say,
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"I've got a word from the
Lord, and God told me this
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and God told me that."
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And one way you can know the
difference between a true and a
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false prophet is a true prophet
is not going to ask for your
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credit card number.
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I just can't picture Elijah
going to Ahab and saying, "I've
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got a message for you.
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But you're going to have to
first give me your credit card,"
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or "It's going to
cost you this much."
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You cannot stop a true prophet
from delivering his prophecy.
00:09:06.37\00:09:10.78
So that right there is a
test that should help us.
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Yes, there'll be false
prophets, we all know that.
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In fact, if I told you I know
someone that's a prophet, people
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automatically kind of cringe
a little bit and they say, "Man,
00:09:20.59\00:09:23.02
there's so many false prophets."
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As soon as someone says they're
a prophet, we are on our guard
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because I think we've all
seen that there's a lot of
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counterfeits in the world.
00:09:29.36\00:09:31.00
But do not let our concern about
false prophets prejudice against
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the real thing.
00:09:35.90\00:09:37.87
You hear that?
00:09:37.91\00:09:39.34
Because Jesus warned
us about false prophets.
00:09:39.37\00:09:41.61
If He said there would be no
prophets, He would have said,
00:09:41.64\00:09:43.68
"There'll be no
prophets in the last days."
00:09:43.71\00:09:45.05
But He didn't say that.
00:09:45.08\00:09:46.38
He said, "We want to
be aware and watch out
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for false prophets."
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Look at what it says
in Acts chapter 2:17.
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Peter preaching said: "It will
come to pass in the last days,
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says God.
00:09:55.16\00:09:56.46
I will pour out MY Spirit on all
flesh, and your SONS and your
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DAUGHTERS will prophesy."
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The Scripture just popped in my
mind I want to share with you.
00:10:03.20\00:10:05.57
From the book of Ephesians
chapter 4, and you can start
00:10:05.60\00:10:10.87
with verse 11: "And he gave some
to the apostles; some, prophets;
00:10:10.91\00:10:16.98
and evangelists"; I'm
technically an evangelist,
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"some, pastors and teachers."
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Why?
00:10:22.48\00:10:23.79
Why does God have these offices?
00:10:23.82\00:10:25.79
Do we need teachers?
00:10:25.82\00:10:27.52
Do we need pastors?
00:10:27.56\00:10:29.09
Do we need evangelists?
00:10:29.12\00:10:30.49
Do we need apostles?
00:10:30.53\00:10:32.23
Apostles were, like, the
leaders and administrators
00:10:32.26\00:10:34.20
of the church.
00:10:34.23\00:10:35.53
Do we need prophets?
00:10:35.56\00:10:37.67
You would think so, but
listen how long we need them.
00:10:37.70\00:10:40.90
It says "For the equipping--"
Why do we need them?
00:10:40.94\00:10:42.87
"For the equipping of
the saints, for the work of
00:10:42.90\00:10:45.61
ministry, for the
edifying," or building up,
00:10:45.64\00:10:48.14
"of the body of Christ."
00:10:48.18\00:10:49.48
How long?
00:10:49.51\00:10:50.81
"Till we all come into the unity
of the faith, of the knowledge
00:10:50.85\00:10:54.42
of the Son of God, and to a
perfect man, to the measure of
00:10:54.45\00:10:58.15
the stature of the
fulness of Christ."
00:10:58.19\00:11:00.76
I don't think we've arrived yet,
which means we still need the
00:11:00.79\00:11:03.96
gifts of prophecy.
00:11:03.99\00:11:05.49
Does that make sense?
00:11:05.53\00:11:06.83
What types of false prophets
are specifically condemned
00:11:06.86\00:11:09.53
in the Bible?
00:11:09.56\00:11:10.90
"One who practices witchcraft."
00:11:10.93\00:11:13.77
I remember watching "The Wizard
of Oz" and thinking, "Oh yeah, I
00:11:13.80\00:11:16.34
don't want to be a bad witch.
00:11:16.37\00:11:17.67
I want to be a
good witch," you know?
00:11:17.71\00:11:19.14
And so all these little girls,
they want to be good witches
00:11:19.17\00:11:22.04
like that beautiful little
witch in the story and the Bible
00:11:22.08\00:11:24.71
says witchcraft is bad.
00:11:24.75\00:11:26.05
Now I'm not suggesting we
re-establish the Salem witch
00:11:26.08\00:11:28.08
trials, but I meet
people all the time, they say,
00:11:28.12\00:11:32.85
"Well, I'm a good witch."
00:11:32.89\00:11:34.26
-- "I'm a wiccan, but
don't be scared of me.
00:11:34.29\00:11:36.46
I only cast good spells."
00:11:36.49\00:11:39.36
Karen and I got an Uber to the
airport, and hopped in the Uber
00:11:39.39\00:11:46.10
and we're driving along, and so
the driver, he asked, he said,
00:11:46.13\00:11:51.04
"So what do you do?"
00:11:51.07\00:11:52.37
You know, you're
making conversation,
00:11:52.41\00:11:53.71
going to the airport.
00:11:53.74\00:11:55.04
I said, "I'm a pastor."
00:11:55.08\00:11:56.38
And he got real quiet and
he goes, "That's interesting.
00:11:56.41\00:11:57.88
I'm a wiccan, I'm a
witch, I'm a wizard."
00:11:57.91\00:12:01.15
And I'm in the front seat with
him because we had our bags in
00:12:01.18\00:12:03.12
the back, Karen's back there,
and I look in the rear view
00:12:03.15\00:12:05.02
mirror and I see
Karen's expression go...
00:12:05.05\00:12:09.42
She starts praying.
00:12:09.46\00:12:10.76
At first, I thought, "Oh,
this is going to be strange."
00:12:10.79\00:12:14.20
And then I thought,
"Well, you know, the Lord cares
00:12:14.23\00:12:15.63
about his soul."
00:12:15.66\00:12:17.27
And so I started
telling him about my testimony.
00:12:17.30\00:12:19.33
I said, "Oh, yeah, I was into
that kind of stuff," I said,
00:12:19.37\00:12:21.27
"but there's no power there."
00:12:21.30\00:12:22.87
I said, "Now I
got the real power."
00:12:22.90\00:12:25.07
And he started thinking,
"You got more power than me?"
00:12:25.11\00:12:28.11
"Oh yeah," I said.
00:12:28.14\00:12:29.44
"That -- you don't
have any power there.
00:12:29.48\00:12:30.78
The real power's with God."
00:12:30.81\00:12:32.85
And I started
giving my testimony.
00:12:32.88\00:12:34.18
By the time we got to the
airport, you know, we're all
00:12:34.22\00:12:36.72
praying for him.
00:12:36.75\00:12:38.05
I gave him my book and
had prayer with the guy.
00:12:38.09\00:12:40.62
So--but it was a little weird
when he first told me he was
00:12:40.66\00:12:42.59
a--he said he became a wizard
so he could cast spells on his
00:12:42.62\00:12:45.79
mother-in-law because she
was casting spells on him.
00:12:45.83\00:12:51.43
A soothsayer.
00:12:51.47\00:12:53.23
People that is interpreting,
you know, these sites
00:12:53.27\00:12:55.87
like Nostradamus.
00:12:55.90\00:12:57.21
He spoke in these just very
abstract ideas and made very
00:12:57.24\00:13:01.18
vague kind of incoherent
mutterings and people are always
00:13:01.21\00:13:04.41
trying to figure out what
his prophecies mean, and it just
00:13:04.45\00:13:07.68
seems like a lot of gibberish
whenever I've looked at it.
00:13:07.72\00:13:11.19
"One who interprets omens."
00:13:11.22\00:13:13.25
"Oh, I looked at the chicken
bones today and you know what
00:13:13.29\00:13:15.82
they say?"
00:13:15.86\00:13:17.16
Or "I cut open the liver and
it--because it looked like this,
00:13:17.19\00:13:19.19
that means this is going to
happen," and--or "The bird flew
00:13:19.23\00:13:21.53
by and that's a sign because
it was a crow and not an eagle,"
00:13:21.56\00:13:24.27
and, you know,
that's kind of witchcraft.
00:13:24.30\00:13:27.07
God says, "Stay away from that."
00:13:27.10\00:13:28.40
God doesn't do it that way.
00:13:28.44\00:13:30.34
"A sorcerer."
00:13:30.37\00:13:32.07
Someone who is casting
spells and concocting potions.
00:13:32.11\00:13:38.18
By the way, sorcery, it
talks about one of the problems
00:13:38.21\00:13:41.68
with Babylon.
00:13:41.72\00:13:43.12
It says, "By her sorceries
were all the nations deceived."
00:13:43.15\00:13:46.55
That word "sorcery" is
pharmakeia, which is where you
00:13:46.59\00:13:50.76
get pharmacy or drugs, and when
I was a young man, I don't like
00:13:50.79\00:13:56.03
telling people this because they
think I'm still hallucinating,
00:13:56.06\00:13:58.77
but I was trying to find
God through hallucinogenics.
00:13:58.80\00:14:02.00
A lot of kids back in the '60s,
they were taking LSD and we were
00:14:02.04\00:14:05.04
eating mushrooms and things,
were trying to have these
00:14:05.07\00:14:08.01
experiences, but
it was drug-induced.
00:14:08.04\00:14:10.68
It's counterfeit.
00:14:10.71\00:14:12.01
God doesn't need to have
you take drugs to receive
00:14:12.05\00:14:14.05
the Holy Spirit.
00:14:14.08\00:14:15.38
Jesus turned away from the drugs
they offered Him on the cross
00:14:15.42\00:14:17.95
because He did not want to
be inebriated or influenced.
00:14:17.99\00:14:21.99
Answer "F": a medium, someone
who says, "I am the go-between
00:14:22.02\00:14:26.66
between me and the ghost world
or the spirit world, and you can
00:14:26.70\00:14:30.23
communicate with
them through me."
00:14:30.27\00:14:32.73
"G": a spiritist, people are
going to cast spells and voodoo,
00:14:32.77\00:14:37.07
and these things are all from
the dark arts that Christians
00:14:37.11\00:14:42.28
should have nothing to do with.
00:14:42.31\00:14:44.15
Doug: Don't go
anywhere, friends.
00:14:45.31\00:14:46.61
In just a moment, we will
return to today's presentation.
00:14:46.65\00:14:49.95
Imagine tonight on the evening
news some charismatic character
00:14:49.98\00:14:54.02
appears, claiming
to be a prophet of God.
00:14:54.06\00:14:57.06
He heals the sick, brings
fire down from heaven, and even
00:14:57.09\00:15:00.63
quotes from the Bible.
00:15:00.66\00:15:02.50
Should you believe that
they are a real prophet of God?
00:15:02.53\00:15:06.03
The Bible warns that many false
prophets will come in the last
00:15:06.07\00:15:09.37
days, but how can we
distinguish a true prophet
00:15:09.40\00:15:12.44
from a counterfeit one?
00:15:12.47\00:15:14.18
And it is vital that we get this
right, friends, because "many
00:15:14.21\00:15:17.51
will be led astray in the
last days by false prophets."
00:15:17.55\00:15:21.12
To better understand this
subject, Amazing Facts has
00:15:21.15\00:15:23.79
prepared a beautifully
illustrated resource and it's
00:15:23.82\00:15:26.79
titled, "Does God Inspire
Astrologists and Psychics?"
00:15:26.82\00:15:30.79
It's filled with
easy-to-understand Scripture and
00:15:30.83\00:15:33.50
insights, and you'll get
trustworthy information about
00:15:33.53\00:15:36.80
how to know someone is a true
prophet and how you can avoid
00:15:36.83\00:15:40.30
falling under the spell
of false prophets, even when
00:15:40.34\00:15:43.07
they do miracles.
00:15:43.10\00:15:44.34
To get your free copy, call the
phone number on your screen and
00:15:44.37\00:15:47.38
ask for offer number
144, or visit the web address.
00:15:47.41\00:15:51.95
After you read this
incredible resource,
00:15:51.98\00:15:53.85
make sure and
share it with a friend.
00:15:53.88\00:15:55.45
Doug: Well, let's get back
now to today's presentation and
00:15:55.92\00:15:58.52
learn some more amazing
facts from the Word of God.
00:15:58.55\00:16:01.79
Doug: So, Christians
shouldn't have anything to do
00:16:03.46\00:16:05.89
with these forbidden aspects,
and that would accrued--like,
00:16:05.93\00:16:09.93
astrology, someone who looks
at--considers the times, and,
00:16:09.96\00:16:15.04
you know,
there's a lot of people.
00:16:15.07\00:16:16.37
They--there's
nothing wrong with astronomy.
00:16:16.40\00:16:18.07
That is the legitimate
and the fascinating study
00:16:18.11\00:16:20.31
of the heavens.
00:16:20.34\00:16:21.64
Nothing wrong with astronomy.
00:16:21.68\00:16:22.98
I'm fascinated with
space and the science of space.
00:16:23.01\00:16:27.32
Astrology is this mumbo-jumbo
that the organization of the
00:16:27.35\00:16:32.45
stars is somehow affecting
you and I grew up in that.
00:16:32.49\00:16:35.96
My mother used to write
astrological songs and I'd say,
00:16:35.99\00:16:38.76
"Do you believe this?" "No."
00:16:38.79\00:16:40.10
And her friends would
do readings and they'd just
00:16:40.13\00:16:42.03
make stuff up.
00:16:42.06\00:16:43.63
And you meet somebody and they'd
say, "So what's your sign."
00:16:43.67\00:16:46.84
"Oh, I'm an Aquarius."
00:16:46.87\00:16:48.37
"I'm a Pisces."
00:16:48.40\00:16:49.70
"Oh, we should get along great
because--" And just--do you
00:16:49.74\00:16:51.71
really think that when a baby's
born, a certain month or year,
00:16:51.74\00:16:54.34
they're locked in for life
because of where your stars
00:16:54.38\00:16:58.01
were organized?
00:16:58.05\00:16:59.55
I dunno.
00:16:59.58\00:17:00.95
Friends, that's not of God.
00:17:00.98\00:17:02.45
And I think you almost put
yourself on the devil's ground
00:17:02.48\00:17:05.62
when you start
looking into that.
00:17:05.65\00:17:07.92
Will God's end-time church
have the gift of prophecy?
00:17:07.96\00:17:11.53
Yes, you read in Revelation
12:17, says: "The dragon was
00:17:11.56\00:17:15.40
wrath or enraged with the woman,
and he went to make war with the
00:17:15.43\00:17:19.33
remnant of her seed," this
is down to the end of time.
00:17:19.37\00:17:21.54
It's the remnant.
00:17:21.57\00:17:22.87
What are those characteristics?
00:17:22.90\00:17:24.21
"Which keep the commandments
of God and have the TESTIMONY of
00:17:24.24\00:17:28.51
JESUS Christ."
00:17:28.54\00:17:30.01
Well, we know what the
commandments of God are.
00:17:30.05\00:17:31.61
What is the
testimony of Jesus Christ?
00:17:31.65\00:17:33.78
You go to Revelation 19:10, John
falls down to worship this angel
00:17:33.82\00:17:37.99
that's giving him a message, and
the angel says, "See that you do
00:17:38.02\00:17:40.32
not do that."
00:17:40.36\00:17:41.79
He said, "For I am of your
brethren who have the testimony
00:17:41.82\00:17:45.49
of Jesus.
00:17:45.53\00:17:46.83
Worship God!
00:17:46.86\00:17:48.20
For the testimony of
Jesus Christ is the SPIRIT of
00:17:48.23\00:17:51.13
PROPHECY."
00:17:51.17\00:17:53.17
So here the dragon is angry with
the church in the last days.
00:17:53.20\00:17:57.31
Goes to make war, and whatever
00:17:57.34\00:17:59.54
the two
outstanding characteristics?
00:17:59.57\00:18:01.91
Keep the commandments of God as
the testimony of Jesus Christ.
00:18:01.94\00:18:06.05
What is the testimony?
00:18:06.08\00:18:07.52
Spirit of prophecy.
00:18:07.55\00:18:08.85
Is God going to still
have the spirit of prophecy
00:18:08.88\00:18:10.39
at the end of time?
00:18:10.42\00:18:11.89
And of course, that means the
law and the prophets, but God is
00:18:11.92\00:18:14.66
going to still be speaking
to and through His people
00:18:14.69\00:18:16.96
in the last days.
00:18:16.99\00:18:19.49
"Surely the Lord
God does nothing."
00:18:19.53\00:18:21.03
I'm repeating this
verse just for reinforcement.
00:18:21.06\00:18:24.23
Amos 3:7: "The Lord God does
nothing, unless He reveals His
00:18:24.27\00:18:27.50
secret to His
servants the prophets."
00:18:27.54\00:18:29.97
That verse was not
canceled out with the cross.
00:18:30.01\00:18:32.54
That is still true today, that
God speaks through His prophets.
00:18:32.57\00:18:36.28
And I should add that while
someone might not have all the
00:18:36.31\00:18:39.45
qualifications of a prophet,
God has spoken through a lot of
00:18:39.48\00:18:42.42
inspired people through history.
00:18:42.45\00:18:44.79
I mean, I've read
things that Spurgeon said
00:18:44.82\00:18:46.86
that I believe were inspired.
00:18:46.89\00:18:48.46
I've read things that Luther
said, John Calvin, John Wesley,
00:18:48.49\00:18:52.66
some of these great reformers.
00:18:52.69\00:18:54.20
They were in
inspirational statements.
00:18:54.20\00:18:56.87
God still speaks through people.
00:18:56.90\00:18:58.60
I would hope that God
still speaks through pastors
00:18:58.63\00:19:00.80
from time to time.
00:19:00.84\00:19:02.47
Well, I got a couple of
"Amens," one from my wife.
00:19:02.50\00:19:06.01
"Behold, in the last days--"
Malachi chapter 4, one of the
00:19:07.11\00:19:09.94
last prophecies in the Bible.
00:19:09.98\00:19:11.85
"Behold, I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the coming of
00:19:11.88\00:19:15.65
the great and
dreadful day of the Lord."
00:19:15.68\00:19:18.12
Now this is a prophecy that has
a dual application, because the
00:19:18.15\00:19:21.76
disciples came to Jesus and they
said, "When is Elijah coming?"
00:19:21.79\00:19:26.36
And Jesus said, "Elijah has
come, and Elijah will come."
00:19:26.39\00:19:31.07
He said, "Elijah has come in the
ministry of John the Baptist."
00:19:31.10\00:19:34.27
But that wasn't it.
00:19:34.30\00:19:35.60
Not only did John come to
prepare the world for Jesus'
00:19:35.64\00:19:37.74
First Coming, I believe God is
going to send another Elijah or
00:19:37.77\00:19:41.04
Elijahs, an Elijah
message, in the last days before
00:19:41.08\00:19:44.51
the Second Coming.
00:19:44.55\00:19:45.91
I mean, don't we need
it in the world today?
00:19:45.95\00:19:48.28
We need that power of prophecy
in the last days before the
00:19:48.32\00:19:52.52
climax of the world's history.
00:19:52.55\00:19:54.89
Question number five:
In what way does God speak
00:19:54.92\00:19:58.76
to a true prophet?
00:19:58.79\00:20:00.76
What does the Bible say?
00:20:00.80\00:20:02.46
Numbers chapter 12, verse 6 and
8: "If there's a prophet among
00:20:02.50\00:20:06.63
you, the Lord will make--I, the
Lord, will make Myself known to
00:20:06.67\00:20:10.77
him in a VISION; I'll
speak to him in a DREAM.
00:20:10.81\00:20:14.71
I will speak to
him face to face."
00:20:14.74\00:20:17.38
Now Peter had a vision while he
was on the roof, and God spoke
00:20:17.41\00:20:20.85
to Joseph in a dream, and
God spoke to Moses and Abraham
00:20:20.88\00:20:25.22
face to face or --
00:20:25.25\00:20:26.72
God the Son, spoke to him that
way because no man has seen God
00:20:26.76\00:20:29.39
the Father, the Bible says.
00:20:29.42\00:20:31.49
Not only that, says, "Now
the ANGEL talked with me."
00:20:31.53\00:20:34.46
So you've got visions
and dreams, face to face,
00:20:34.50\00:20:36.60
and angels.
00:20:36.63\00:20:37.93
What are some of the
ways God speaks to prophets?
00:20:37.97\00:20:39.57
These are supernatural ways
when God speaks to His prophets.
00:20:39.60\00:20:42.97
And at Zechariah
chapter 4, verse 1.
00:20:43.00\00:20:45.61
There's numberless places in
the Bible where God spoke to His
00:20:45.64\00:20:48.64
prophets, Daniel, John, Ezekiel,
through angels that appeared to
00:20:48.68\00:20:53.11
them, and gave
them special guidance.
00:20:53.15\00:20:56.25
Are miracles definite
evidence of a true prophet?
00:20:56.28\00:21:00.82
Can false
prophets feign miracles?
00:21:00.86\00:21:03.69
You read in the New Testament
about Simon who seduced people
00:21:03.73\00:21:07.23
with his signs and
wonders and miracles.
00:21:07.30\00:21:09.90
And the magicians of Pharaoh.
00:21:09.93\00:21:12.73
They would do signs and wonders.
00:21:12.77\00:21:14.70
Moses threw down his serpent.
00:21:14.74\00:21:16.44
They'd throw
down their serpents.
00:21:16.47\00:21:18.17
Moses made frogs.
00:21:18.21\00:21:19.51
They said, "We can make frogs."
00:21:19.54\00:21:20.84
Moses turned the water to blood,
they said, "We can do that."
00:21:20.88\00:21:24.85
Finally, when it came to
lice, they told the Pharaoh,
00:21:24.88\00:21:27.32
"We can't do lice.
00:21:27.35\00:21:28.65
This is the hand of God."
00:21:28.68\00:21:31.99
But it says: "They're the
spirits of DEMONS, performing
00:21:32.02\00:21:34.29
SIGNS, that go out to
the kings of the earth
00:21:34.32\00:21:36.56
and the whole world."
00:21:36.59\00:21:38.06
There and this is
Revelation chapter 14.
00:21:38.09\00:21:39.63
Before the end of
time, is the devil going
00:21:39.66\00:21:41.56
to manufacture miracles?
00:21:41.60\00:21:43.70
So signs and wonders and
miracles are not proof that a
00:21:43.73\00:21:46.10
person is a prophet of God.
00:21:46.13\00:21:48.44
What's the most
important test of a prophet?
00:21:48.47\00:21:52.41
What does the Bible say?
00:21:52.44\00:21:53.98
"To the LAW and
to the TESTIMONY!
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.44
If they do not speak according
to this word, it is because
00:21:56.48\00:21:59.55
there is no light in them."
00:21:59.58\00:22:01.38
And you might be thinking,
"Well, Pastor Doug, but if
00:22:01.42\00:22:03.15
somebody has a vision that
they write a book and they say
00:22:03.18\00:22:06.02
they're a prophet, wouldn't that
be on the same parallel, the
00:22:06.05\00:22:09.62
same plane, as the Bible?"
00:22:09.66\00:22:11.03
No, have you read in the
Bible about some of these other
00:22:11.06\00:22:13.80
prophets that had books
that are not part of the Bible?
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.97
Joshua 10:13: "Is this not
written in the book of Jasher?"
00:22:18.00\00:22:21.77
Do any of you have
the book of Jasher?
00:22:21.80\00:22:24.31
Says he's a prophet.
00:22:24.34\00:22:25.74
1 Chronicles 29:29: "The book of
Nathan the prophet and the book
00:22:25.77\00:22:29.84
of Gad the seer," a seer and
a prophet are the same thing.
00:22:29.88\00:22:32.91
Anyone here have the book
of Gad or the book of Nathan?
00:22:32.95\00:22:36.55
No.
00:22:36.58\00:22:38.52
2 Chronicles 12:15: "Now
the acts of Rehoboam, first and
00:22:38.55\00:22:41.76
last, are they not written in
the book of Shemaiah the prophet
00:22:41.79\00:22:44.36
and Iddo the seer?"
00:22:44.39\00:22:45.93
So here, you've got, like,
five different people that are
00:22:45.96\00:22:47.96
mentioned that wrote
books but God did not have them
00:22:47.96\00:22:50.23
included in Scripture.
00:22:50.27\00:22:51.57
Sometimes, prophets
give specific messages
00:22:51.60\00:22:54.14
for a specific time.
00:22:54.17\00:22:55.70
Noah's message about getting
on the boat was a very important
00:22:55.74\00:22:58.37
message, but our message
today is not "Get on the boat,"
00:22:58.41\00:23:01.54
except as an
allegory for coming to Christ.
00:23:01.58\00:23:04.55
What's the second
test of a prophet?
00:23:04.58\00:23:07.85
"By this you will know
every--know the Spirit of God:
00:23:07.88\00:23:10.99
Every spirit that confesses
that JESUS CHRIST has come
00:23:11.02\00:23:14.99
in the flesh is of God."
00:23:15.02\00:23:17.36
So when somebody says
that "I am a prophet and I'm a
00:23:17.76\00:23:20.43
reincarnation of Jesus,"
they're not a prophet of God.
00:23:20.46\00:23:24.23
I remember when I was going
through my Eastern religions
00:23:24.27\00:23:28.67
that people were saying, "Well,
yeah, Jesus was one of the
00:23:28.70\00:23:31.34
manifestations of God, but he's
on the same level as Buddha and
00:23:31.37\00:23:35.44
maybe Muhammad was another
manifestation," and everybody
00:23:35.48\00:23:38.55
says that they've got,
you know, that they're just
00:23:38.58\00:23:40.75
on an equal plane.
00:23:40.78\00:23:42.08
Jesus was God incarnate.
00:23:42.12\00:23:44.89
And there's no
other God above him.
00:23:44.92\00:23:47.06
He's, you know, you've got
God the Father, the Son, and the
00:23:47.09\00:23:49.32
Holy Spirit, and Jesus
Christ was the Son of God.
00:23:49.36\00:23:54.46
What's a third
test of a prophet?
00:23:54.46\00:23:56.73
Says, "You'll know
them by their fruits."
00:23:56.77\00:23:59.93
This character here, Jim
Jones--I actually baptized a
00:24:00.04\00:24:03.04
girl that had escaped from
Jonestown--and, of course, his
00:24:03.07\00:24:08.78
organization was here in
northern California, led those,
00:24:08.81\00:24:12.31
what, 600 people or more,
committed suicide down there
00:24:12.35\00:24:16.12
in South America.
00:24:16.15\00:24:17.75
Started out preaching from
the Bible, gradually gave up the
00:24:17.79\00:24:20.52
Bible and said his teaching was
more important than the Bible,
00:24:20.56\00:24:23.59
and it led the wrong direction.
00:24:23.63\00:24:25.39
What's the fourth
test of a prophet?
00:24:25.43\00:24:27.86
"When the word of a prophet
COMES to PASS, the prophet will
00:24:27.93\00:24:30.53
be known as one whom
the Lord has truly sent."
00:24:30.57\00:24:33.50
So what's a clear way of
knowing if a prophet's true?
00:24:33.90\00:24:36.34
Do their prophecies come true?
00:24:36.37\00:24:38.74
Are they accurate?
00:24:38.77\00:24:40.48
What three things does Paul
recommend regarding prophecy?
00:24:40.51\00:24:43.31
Does he command
regarding prophecy?
00:24:43.35\00:24:46.15
One, "Do NOT despise prophecies.
00:24:46.18\00:24:49.75
TEST all things; HOLD
fast to what is good."
00:24:49.78\00:24:54.09
So if someone says, "Oh, there's
a prophecy here," check it out.
00:24:54.12\00:24:57.66
I've had a lot of people say
that, you know, so-and-so's a
00:24:58.46\00:25:00.96
prophet, and I'll say, "All
right, well, let me read it."
00:25:00.96\00:25:03.03
I'm open-minded if it's a
message from God, but then it's
00:25:03.06\00:25:05.73
got to pass the test of
following Scripture and the
00:25:05.77\00:25:08.84
other criteria,
and the personal life.
00:25:08.87\00:25:11.77
You know, one of the
things we didn't talk about
00:25:11.81\00:25:13.14
was the personal life.
00:25:13.17\00:25:14.64
So many people say they're
prophets, but their personal
00:25:14.68\00:25:16.58
lives are a little bit strange.
00:25:16.61\00:25:19.28
And so, do not
despise these prophecies.
00:25:19.31\00:25:21.85
Check it out.
00:25:21.88\00:25:23.18
Whose counsel do we
reject when we reject the words
00:25:23.22\00:25:26.09
of a true prophet?
00:25:26.12\00:25:28.59
What does it say in
Luke 7, verse 28 and 29?
00:25:28.62\00:25:31.43
"There was not a greater prophet
than John the Baptist; And when
00:25:31.46\00:25:34.83
all the people heard
Him, even the tax collectors
00:25:34.86\00:25:37.90
justified God.
00:25:37.93\00:25:39.50
But the Pharisees and the
lawyers rejected the WILL of GOD
00:25:39.53\00:25:42.97
for themselves."
00:25:43.00\00:25:45.41
Jesus, you know
what His accusation was?
00:25:45.81\00:25:49.18
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," the
people of God He's talking to.
00:25:49.21\00:25:52.51
"The one who kills the
prophets and stone those
00:25:52.55\00:25:55.55
who are sent to her!"
00:25:55.58\00:25:56.95
How often it is true in history
that it seems like God's people
00:25:56.99\00:26:01.12
reject the true prophets
and we follow the false ones.
00:26:01.16\00:26:04.66
You've got to make sure that
it's following and staying with
00:26:04.69\00:26:07.66
the biblical
criteria for what is true.
00:26:07.66\00:26:10.80
Let me just give you a couple
of reasons here in closing.
00:26:10.83\00:26:13.47
Why do we need the gift
of prophecy in the last days?
00:26:13.50\00:26:15.90
What do prophets do?
00:26:15.94\00:26:17.24
Here's a few
reasons, seven reasons.
00:26:17.27\00:26:18.71
One: prophet must uplift Christ.
00:26:18.74\00:26:21.74
They don't point to themselves.
00:26:21.78\00:26:23.38
Any prophet that's exalting
himself, not a prophet of God.
00:26:23.41\00:26:27.55
They need to understand the big
battle between good and evil.
00:26:27.58\00:26:30.69
We need prophets
because they give spiritual,
00:26:30.72\00:26:33.15
devotional blessings.
00:26:33.19\00:26:35.46
They can also teach us about the
practical things of life such as
00:26:35.49\00:26:38.66
health and those advantages.
00:26:38.69\00:26:40.16
They uplift the Scriptures and
point people to the Scriptures.
00:26:40.20\00:26:43.40
They impact the church
institutions and then they'll
00:26:43.43\00:26:46.63
give us guidance and
predictions that will help us
00:26:46.67\00:26:49.24
to understand what's coming.
00:26:49.27\00:26:51.61
And then my question for you
would be: since God still speaks
00:26:51.64\00:26:55.58
through prophets and since
a true prophet's words are the
00:26:55.61\00:26:59.08
personal "testimony of Jesus"
to you, are you willing to test
00:26:59.11\00:27:03.35
modern prophets by the Bible
and follow the counsel of those
00:27:03.39\00:27:06.99
who agree with Scripture?
00:27:07.02\00:27:08.72
I believe the gift of prophecy
is still alive and we may see
00:27:08.76\00:27:11.23
prophets in the future.
00:27:11.26\00:27:12.59
How are we going to
know the true from the false?
00:27:12.63\00:27:15.86
We've got to use the
Bible, friends, amen?
00:27:15.90\00:27:17.83
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