“Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”” (Revelation 19:10)
Prophecy authenticates the Bible. Prophecy authenticates Jesus Christ. It comes from another dimension, an eternal dimension that spans time and scans time.
The prophet is an agent of God, an ordinary human gifted to hear from God and speak what he hears. Prophecy is a gift from God, letting mortals know what is happening or going to happen in our dimension, on earth and in time.
In the Bible we have an incredible, or should I say credible, array of prophecies and prophets whose words demonstrate the validity of the Bible and it’s main subject, the Messiah, the Christ, the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings.
It’s true also that prophecy increases in frequency and volume when there is some major move of God afoot. That seems to be the case in our day, but that’s a discussion for another time.
It was certainly the case as the Holy One announced the advent of His Son in the stars and through His servants the prophets.
It’s also a sad and interesting aside of history that many don’t get it. They don’t hear it. They don’t see it. Thus they miss it’s life changing and eternity changing implications, to their own detriment.
This was the case of King Herod the Great as he heard the Magi, who were king makers from the east, and reported to him they had ridden some seven hundred miles to bring gifts and worship “He who has been born the King of the Jews.”(Matt 2:2) Herod had to ask them about the sign and when the indicator star had appeared. Then he had to ask those familiar with the Scriptures where the King would be born. “Bethlehem in Judah” they replied according the prophet Micah seven centuries ago. These signs in plain view had been missed by Herod, just like they are by many in our day and our place.
Indeed there was a long litany of prophecies, spoken, written and preserved over hundreds and thousands of years concerning the coming King of Kings, beginning in the the Garden of Eden [Gen 3:15], and extending through Abraham, four thousand years ago, David, three thousand years ago, and until time of Herod in Israel during the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago. These were prophecies of incredible specificity and accuracy, as we shall see.
Some of these include:
[1] He will be the seed of woman (Gen 3)
[2] He will be the seed of Abraham (Gen 12)
[3] He will be the seed of Judah (Gen 49)
[4] He will be the seed of Jesse (Isa 11)
[5] He will be the seed of David (IISam 7)
[6] He will be the seed of a virgin (Isa 7)
[7] He will be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5)
[8] There will be a special anointing of the Holy Spirit on Him (Isa 11:61)
[9] There will be a messenger that will go before Him (Isa 40 & Mal 3)
[10] He will be crucified (Isa 50 & 53)
[11] He will rise again from the dead (Ps 16)
[12] He will make a new covenant (Jer 31)
[13] He will receive the kingdom from the Father (Dan 7 & Isa 9)
[14] He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh; sons and daughters will prophesy (Joel 2)
And as we approach Christmas, let’s look anew at some of the prophecies immediately preceding His birth. And as noted before, there is an increased activity when God is getting ready to do something special.
[1] God sent His angel Gabriel to Zacharias the old priest. “You will have a son. Name him John.”
[2] God sent His angel Gabriel to Mary. “You will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
[3] God told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant.
[4] God told Elizabeth that Mary was pregnant with her Lord.
[5] God told Simeon he “would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ”
[6] God told also at the same time an eighty-four year old prophetess named Anna that Jesus was the Christ.
[7] God told Joseph to take the Child and his mother and flee to Egypt for safety, later leading him back to Nazareth where Jesus would grow up.
“He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”” (Matthew 2:15)
“and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”” (Matthew 2:23)
And on it goes. Amazing, and reassuring. Our God is the God of the ages, and the God of eternity. Much more could be said of His prophets and His telling, or speaking forth what He is about to do. But let’s just pause on Christmas Eve, ponder the wonder of it all, and Worship, with the Wise Men, “He who is born the King of the Jews.”
“And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.” (Luke 1:46–50)
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11)
““For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”” (Acts 2:39)
Christmas Shalom to you and those you love,
Dwayne
Much of the above material comes from a sermon by Charles Simpson, “The Spirit of Prophecy.”