Text in English / Audio in Spanish

Logos

This word is utilized when referring to the written Word of God, the Holy Bible (2 nd Timothy 2:15). In John 1:1 and 14, the scriptures speak of Jesus Christ as the “word made flesh”, the Logos of God. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever; The earth and the heavens will pass away, but the Word will endure forever.

The Logos of God is creative, truth, powerful, infallible, complete, eternal and gives life. It's the “eternal standard” of God. Every expression, revelation, doctrine, sermon or prophecy must be measured and subject to this Eternal Logos. There's nothing else in the universe, not in the heavens or on the Earth, nor below the Earth, that can hinder the Word from being everything that it claims. So we can therefore define Logos as: “ All of the counsel of God expressed in the Holy Bible, the Scriptures in all of their totality.”




Rhema

This can be defined as “ A word from the Word ”.

The expositive dictionary of the words of the New Testament by W. Vine defines Rhema in the following way:

 

“It denotes that which is spoken, that which is expressed by the spoken or written word”, in particular, a word. The meaning of Rhema (as it differentiates from Logos) is shown by the instruction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Here the reference is not to the Bible in its entirety as such, but rather to the individual passage of Scriptures that the Spirit brings to our memory for its use in times of need (with the prerequisite, of course, having a previous knowledge of the Scriptures).

As we can see, Rhema actually proceeds from Logos and is a specific and timely Word inspired by the Holy Spirit as an answer or guide for a particular situation.

“…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message
is heard through the word of Christ” 
(Romans 10:17).

In order for Rhema to fulfill its mission, it must be received in faith by the recipient. Rhema is a specific Word from the Lord that applies to us in a personal way as individuals. “Rhema always depends on Logos.” If we compare Logos to the human body and Rhema to a specific member of the body, we could say with certainty that the body (Logos) could live without some of its members (Rhema), but no member (Rhema) could live with the body (Logos).




Should we live by Logos or Rhema

Today we have the privilege of having the Holy Bible, God's eternal truth that is “the Logos”. But God, in his infinite love, has also given us “Rhema”, which provides us with the necessary Word for specific situations.

Christians must live with their lives firmly based on the Logos of God. They must also pursue an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to receive the Rhema of God that's adequate for each and every necessity or specific situation.




Clearing away doubts

Prophecy of Logos : The Logos of God never changes. The prophecies written in the Word of God have been fulfilled, are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled. Nothing can hinder the eternal purposes of God, and his plans for humanity and the universe will be fulfilled (Revelation 9: 14-15).

Prophecy of Rhema : In the Bible, we can find individuals who received the Word of God, but did not see it through to fulfillment. In all of these cases, it wasn't the Rhema of God that failed, but rather the persons who failed to obey, respond, believe, act or wait, in accordance with the Word (1 st Samuel 9:17, 10:1, chapters 13-14; and Hebrews 3:12-19).

Personal prophecy : This has to do with God's will, intentions and thoughts towards a particular family or group in particular. It's a direct and specific word from God for a person or group.

To tell the truth, Personal Prophecy is “Rhema”, but it comes to us via another person. In other words, God comes to us via the intermediary of a human vessel.

Rhema-Internal revelation:  Rhema is a direct communication from God, from his Holy Spirit to our spirits.

It can come to us in different ways: While we are reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit can supernaturally illuminate a particular word or passage in our spirit so that we can more effectively use it in our lives. This Rhema can serve different objectives: to teach us or direct us, for consolation or to place us in a particular function or ministry.

Biblical Prophecies and Rhemas that should not be applied personally to us today:

Personal prophecies found in the scriptures should not be applied universally, as they were given to particular individuals or groups for a special occasion. Some examples are:

1) Noah, when God spoke directly to him about building an ark (Genesis 6).

2) Abraham, when God spoke to him directly about sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22).

These biblical illustrations about these men of God provide us with eternal truths and lessons for our lives. In this way, we can see personal words that God spoke to his Prophets, as well as specific actions that they undertook, which were for them or the people of God a specific order at a particular time.
By observing the Prophet Ezekiel, we'll find in chapter four of his book strict orders detailing how he should lie down, cook and eat his bread. Those orders were specific for Ezekiel; therefore, no one else should say nowadays “It's in the Bible! God told me to do it!”

In order to correctly use the Word of God, it's essential that we differentiate between the Rhema and the Personal Prophecy we find in the Scriptures and the Word in general, which is the eternal Logos of God for everyone.




Jesus teaches how to recognize false prophets

Another of the important points about this ministry is the necessity of being able to recognize false prophets.

In Mathew 7:15-20, we find what Jesus himself taught about false prophets.

Characteristics:
They appear to be sheep but are really wolves. They speak, teach and preach but do not live what they preach—they're not true servants of God. Their profession is to appear like what they're not in order to deceive.

How can we recognize them?
By their fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree, bad fruit. It's necessary to observe the fruit of the life of a Prophet. In order to make a correct evaluation, it's necessary to focus on some of the transcendental points of their personal lives. These may include their marriages, ministries, maturity levels, motivations, message, moralities and how they handle finances. These aspects are keys to help biblically evaluate a Prophet.

In the Old Testament, false Prophets are clearly revealed. In Deuteronomy 13: 1-5, we find a Prophet who stands up in the midst of the people and shares a dream or prophesies a sign or wonder. This particular passage will shed some light on the subject for us.

…And if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them…" (Vs 2).

What the prophet foretells can actually come to pass and he's still called false. Why? Because he tempts the people to worship foreign gods.

“The LORD your God is testing you to find out…” (Vs 3).
God allows the work of these men in order to “test” the hearts of his people to find out if they love him with all of their heart and soul. When people accept a prophet like this, just by the fact that “his or her prophecy came true,” and without taking into account that it led them away from devotion to God and towards idolatry, then their hearts are laid bare, proving in fact, that they did not love God wholeheartedly.

“That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God…” (Vs 5).

This verse teaches us that, in spite of the fact that the prophecy or sign is fulfilled, the Prophet is considered false because he or she led the people into idolatry, and for that action, should die.
In Deuteronomy 18: 15, God raises up a Prophet who the people should listen to. The verses 18-19 teach us that it's God who puts the words in the mouths of the Prophets for them to speak. And for those who don't listen, God will bring to account.

If any Prophet speaks “presumptuously” in the name of God without having been sent by him, or speaks in the name of foreign gods, that prophet should die (Vs 20). In the case of one speaking in Jehovah's name whose predictions don't come true, its presumption on the part of the prophet. God says: “Do not be afraid of him.” (Vs 22).

These passages reveal to us a difference between the teaching of Prophets in the Old Testament.  The Prophet who announces something from God “and even if the sign or event takes place”, but his or her word leads to rebellion, he or she should die. The same fate should await him or her who speaks presumptuously, leading the hearts of the people astray and towards the worship of other gods. Nevertheless, whoever speaks from his own heart without whatever he predicts coming true, he has spoken presumptuously; people should have no fear of him or her.

With the purpose of trying not to err, we must remember that the simple fact that a prophecy comes true does not determine the truthfulness or falsehood of a prophet. For that reason, we must analyze a series of significant factors that will enable us to make a competent evaluation.




Biblical Examples

In Jeremiah 27:10, 14-16 and 18, Jeremiah speaks for God when he says that the Prophets are lying and prophesying falsely in Jehovah's name; even so, they were living in the midst of the people and no one tried to kill them. This clearly shows that not just any false word spoken by a Prophet was deserving of death, but only the case of prophesying “rebellion against God” or inciting people to “worship other gods.”

In chapter 28 of the same book, we find an account that teaches us a great lesson:

In the first verses, we see the Prophet Hananiah prophesying that the yoke of Babylon would be broken and the utensils of the House of Jehovah would be returned in two years; and that the king, Jehoiachin, would also return, along with all the exiles from Juda (Vs 1-4).
When a Prophet prophesies peace to his people, he'll be known as a Prophet of God when his words come to pass (Vs 9).

Later on, we see Hananiah breaking the yoke around Jeremiah's neck and saying: “This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years” (Vs. 11).

Jeremiah responds that the yoke that Hananiah had broken would be replaced by a yoke of iron: “You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron” (Vs 13).

And Jeremiah adds: "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies” (Vs.15).

“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.' In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died” (Vs 16-17).

As we can see from the previous passages, the people didn't have to kill the prophet Hananiah—God himself took care of him in Jeremiah's prophecy. Although Hananiah spoke presumptuously from his own heart and his words failed to come true, he could not avoid punishment due to the severity of his sin: making the people believe that were in good standing before God when in reality they were facing the wrath of God's judgment because of their sins. Hananiah not only encouraged rebellion, but his words caused God's people to be continue living in a rebellious attitude and turn indifferent to his call to repentance for their evil. This situation was very dangerous for the them, since Hananiah's words didn't openly lead them to idolatry or rebellion against God; rather it was a much more subtle form of rebellion (which is one of the most dangerous) because he prophesied an artificial peace, which wasn't born from the perfect communion of God with his people.

This enables us to see how God handles his prophets who presumptuously promote rebellion against Him. On the other hand, those prophets who only prophesy things that don't come to pass—but which don't lead to rebellion against God or to the worship of foreign gods—receive the judgment of Deuteronomy 18:22: “ That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”

With this context, Jesus' teaching in Mathew 7: 21-23 confirms a significant truth for all those who “don't practice what they preach.” “… Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” (Vs 22).

Those laborers don't produce good fruit, but rather are bad trees that are uprooted because they weren't planted by the Father God (Matthew 15:13). They don't have a true relationship with God, nor the intimate communion necessary to produce good fruit, and so have become: “… evildoers” (Vs 23).

Verses 24-29 reveal who is actually genuine. He that hears, which means “putting feet to his or faith,” that's the one who is genuine. When the house of the prudent is attacked, it will not fall. On the other hand, the house of the foolish—when attacked—is the one that will fall. But what makes the difference? The one that's of God—who bears good fruit that's manifested in his or her life—will be sustained by the Lord himself. The evildoer, on the other hand, doesn't have the life of God, and therefore, no sustenance.

When Jesus preached, the listeners were astonished at his doctrine, “… because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Vs 29).

Jesus possessed an authority, which was his sustenance, because he lived and spoke only that which the Father gave to him. In contrast, the religious leaders of the day didn't live the Word; their teachings were aimed at condemning others. “If we'll live in God, we'll have the authority of God.”




How to Distinguish the Prophecy From the Prophet

In order to be objective, we need to judge a prophecy by the content of its words in order to know if it's true or false. In the same way, we must judge a prophet by his or her quality of life to determine if he or she is true or false.

The Prophet Balaam is a clear example of this. This Prophet began his ministry as a true Prophet of God. He gave accurate prophecies by the Spirit of the Lord, and what's more, he gave the only Messianic prophecy in the book of Numbers (Numbers 24: 15-25).

Balaam was an unfair man in respect to his motives. Curiously enough, it was he who defined what happened to someone when he was prophesying: “the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened” (Vs 16).

What really grabs our attention in this passage is that in the midst of his Messianic prophecy, he begins to speak about himself as “fallen”, but even so, he remains with his “spiritual” eyes open. The prophetic gift remained intact within him, “for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).  Balaam began his ministry as a true Prophet of God, but he ended up a false Prophet. His condition of being a “false” Prophet had nothing to do with what he was prophesying, since the words were fully true. His “false” condition was caused by a heart that led him astray from the love of God and the purposes for which the Lord had raised him up.

The Word of God condemned his attitude: “…who loved the wages of wickedness” (2 nd Peter 2: 15-16).




The Word of God shows us two great Prophets: Samuel and Nathan.

In chapter 16 of the first book of Samuel, we find the moment when the Prophet Samuel is sent to the home of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king. Verses 6 and 7 demonstrate something extremely significant: upon seeing Eliab, Samuel was swayed by his looks and believed that he would be the one anointed of God to be king. In that very instant, God spoke to Samuel: The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

In the context of this story, we see that the dialogue between God and Samuel was not external or heard by those present; rather, it was a dialogue strictly between God and the heart of Samuel. Even with one of Israel's most important Prophets such as Samuel, “God had to deal with him so he would not be led astray by his heart and understanding”. If Samuel had not been sensitive to the voice of God, he would have made a mistake. This is an extremely important issue, since we're speaking about a Prophet of which the Word itself says: “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3: 19).

In 2 nd Samuel 7: 1-17, we find another example: On this occasion, David is speaking with the Prophet Nathan. In verses 2 and 3, David expresses his desire to build a temple for the Lord to Nathan.

The Lord's answer was …”Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you" (Vs 3). Judging from these words, we might deduce that God was approving David's construction of the temple. But in verse 4, we find that God speaks once again to David through Nathan. In this passage, we see that God tells David through Nathan that it won't be him who builds the house of the Lord, but rather, one of his descendents, which by the Word we know was his son Solomon (Vs 12-14).

The construction of the temple by Solomon was recorded in chapters 5 and 6 of the first book of Kings.
Once more, we witness how the human heart can be led astray by feelings and miss the perfect will of God. These great men of God were saved from their errors by their “sensitivity” to the voice of God at all times.

We see another example of this in the New Testament.
In Acts 21:10-11, the Prophet Agabus prophesies what will happen to Paul: "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles'” (Vs 11).

Upon reading the following verses, we find “the total and absolute” fulfillment of this prophecy over the life of Paul. By looking carefully at verse 33 of the same chapter, we see a “difference” between what Agabus prophesied and what actually happened.

“The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.”

Agabus said in verse 11 that “the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner,” but in verse 33 we read that it was the Roman “commander” who ordered him arrested and bound with chains. This incident reveals that, although it was the Jews who captured Paul, it wasn't actually them who “tied him up,” but rather the Romans. This slight difference in relation to what Agabus prophesied is not enough to warrant anyone discrediting him as a Prophet of the Most High, since without a doubt Agabus prophesied the true Word of God.




Infallibility

The study that we're undertaking shows us that we cannot rush to label someone a “false Prophet” simply because something they prophesied wasn't exactly perfect. We can say that they gave an inadequate or incorrect prophecy, but we cannot speak of that person as being false, since that type of judgment would disqualify him or her as a servant of God.

All of God's servants, being mere mortals, are fallible. Jesus was the only man who was, is and will be always, infallible. Regardless of the ministry or the number of years of experience, “no one” will ever reach the place of infallibility.

It's necessary to note that prophets aren't the only ones who can err when interpreting what God says.

Servants of God in any ministry can fail at one time or another in their ministry, whether in be in preaching, teaching, offering advice or prophesying. The Holy Spirit gives us a progressive revelation of the mind of Christ, and on occasion we may fail in the interpretation and application while attempting to relay the pure counsel from his mind. That's the reason that all ministers, whether prophets or not, need to be willing to admit that they're not infallible.

A Prophet can make a mistake by being immature in hearing the voice of God or get carried away by his or her zeal without the sufficient wisdom or anointing.

But those aren't reasons enough to label him or her a false prophet. If we're going to establish whether a Prophet is true or false just by the accuracy of his or her words, then the same Prophet in the same service could appear several times to be both true and false, depending on the accuracy of his words. If he or she prophesies accurately to someone, then the recipient would label him or her true; if the following person were to receive an inaccurate prophecy, then the same prophet would be declared false.

All of this should teach us to be more careful with our words and criticism, as well as enable us to more wisely distinguish between a “false prophecy” and a “false Prophet.” It's time that we really take God's advice seriously when speaking about his Prophets: "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm" (1 st Chronicles 16:22).




The Fulfillment of Personal Prophecy

In 1 st Corinthians 13:9, we read: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”

Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

These passages show us that what God reveals to man has the objective of enabling him to completely fulfill his will, walking in faith and obedience to his Word. This includes the Logos of God, as well as the Rhema of God; in other words, all of his counsel, both the specific word and personal prophecy.

God, in his infinite wisdom, knows every detail and step of our lives. Personal prophecy simply reveals to us what we must do in order to abide in his perfect will and direct us towards its fulfillment. This is as if God had a book of our lives in his hands, and through prophecy allows us to read certain pages. That's the reason that it says in the scriptures: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part…”

The different prophecies we receive over the course of our lives provide us that extra wisdom necessary to correctly follow God's plan. This shows us that God always speaks to us in a “partial” and “progressive” form. Our faith and obedience to the Rhema Word will be the deciding factor of whether the Word comes true or not. For that reason, it's known as “conditional.”




In Part

Since prophecy is “in part,” we need to realize that God's silence in reference to a particular point in our lives doesn't necessarily mean “approval.” If we're bound by something, disobedient or in sin, even those things aren't specifically mentioned in our prophecies; we can't assume that God approves of them.

We can find a conclusive example of what we're discussing in Moses. This patriarch received personal words from God about his calling to lead Israel out of Egypt and guide them to Canaan. After Moses began his journey towards Egypt to begin his mission, we then read: “At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him (Exodus 4: 24-26).

If God had called and equipped him and he was obeying the call, what motive did he have to want to kill him? The motive was the disobedience in one specific point: He failed to circumcise his son in agreement with God's pact with Abraham. By invalidating the pact, the uncircumcised child was being excluded from the family of God (Genesis 17:14). Since his son was just a baby and innocent of invalidating the pact, the judgment of God fell on his father, Moses.

Upon reading the extensive Word of God to Moses in Exodus 4, the Lord makes no mention whatsoever of Moses' sin. This story proves that God's silence in respect to sin does not signify approval.

Many Christians in different ministries make mistakes because they feel that since their prophecies didn't mention an area of sin—or the fact that their ministries are successful—God is approving of what they do. They don't understand that God, in his mercy, is working patiently to lead them to repentance. We cannot overlook what Jesus taught: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17).




Progressive

The life of Abraham is a good example of the progressive reality of the Word of God, whether it comes from a Rhema to our spirit by the Holy Spirit, or the Lord utilizes someone to give us a prophetic word.

God speaks to him the first time when he was about 50 years old: “…and they arrived in Haran.”

The second time occurred approximately 75 years later and was much more explicit, telling them to leave Haran and continue moving. God added, “...I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12: 1-5).

We find the third instance in Genesis 12:17: “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.'”

A fourth would let him know that the nation would be very large: "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted” (Genesis 13:16).
At the same time, he informs Abraham that he will have to go through the length and breadth of the land (Genesis 13:14-17).

The fifth occasion occurred when Abraham was 83 years old. God revealed to him more clearly his purpose and plan. He clarified that his servant Eliezer would not be his heir, but rather his descendents would be multiplied like the stars. He also spoke to him about Israel and its exile and explained that his own son would inherit this legacy from him (Genesis 15: 1-21).

God spoke to him on the sixth occasion when Abraham was 99 years old (Genesis 17:1-21), indicating new requirements: “Be blameless” (Vs. 1); a change of name: “No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be Abraham…” (Vs 5); To be the father of a great nation and of many nations (Vs 6): “I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you;” a new pact: “Every male among you shall be circumcised” (Vs 10). For the first time, God mentions that Sarah will give birth and become the mother of nations: “I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her" (Vs 16).

God's seventh word to Abraham is found in Genesis 18. God speaks to him about Isaac and his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaac is born when Abraham is 100 years old (Genesis 21). God once again speaks to Abraham, this time instructing him to send Hagar and Ishmael away (Vs 12-13).

And lastly, God spoke to him when he was 125. In Genesis 22: 1-14, God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. God transforms his “personal, conditional Prophecy” into an unconditional oath: and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this…” (Genesis 22: 16).
Abraham passed all of the tests of his faith and obedience, and for the first time in his life—thanks to his walking uprightly before God—he receives the blessing of his conditional word being transformed into an unconditional oath.

Abraham's obedience throughout his life was the greatest proof of his faith in what God had promised.

Abraham is one of our best examples because his life demonstrates how personal prophecies over the years are used by God to reveal his plans for a particular person.




Conditional and Unconditional Prophecies

Unconditional prophecy is related to irrevocable divine decrees. These types of decrees will be fulfilled, regardless. Nothing in heaven or earth can hinder God's universal purposes for the human race from coming to pass. Nor do they depend on the human response, but solely on the power of God. Everything comes together in these types of decrees: Rapture, the second coming of Christ, the end-times, the antichrist, the enemies of Christ beneath his feet, etc.

There are unconditional prophecies that don't see fulfillment in the person, nation or generation in which they were originally prophesied. In the Garden of Eden, God said that the seed of the woman would rise up to crush the head of the serpent; that did not occur, however, with Eve, but rather with the Virgin Mary many years later.

When a nation repents either individually or collectively, a prophecy may be postponed but not cancelled altogether.

Jonah is clear example of this. He prophesied the destruction of Nineveh, but the entire city repented as one. This repentance triggered the mercy of God, and the destruction of Nineveh was postponed. Later on we find that Nineveh returned to its evil, and God reactivated Jonah's prophecy through the Prophet Nahum, who prophesied that the judgment would 100 years later. God, in his infinite mercy, can postpone the fulfillment of an “unconditional prophecy” according to the attitude of the human heart; but we must emphasize that these prophecies cannot be canceled under any circumstances.

When we refer to “conditional prophecies, we're referring to God's declarations to individuals, which can be cancelled, altered or diminished. In 2 Kings 13:14-19, Jehoash failed to see his prophecy come true due to his poor attitude. In Matthew 19:27-28, Jesus prophesied 12 thrones, but Judas lost his due to his betrayal. In this case, the attitude of the recipient, his or her faith, obedience, behavior and cooperation can all affect whether the personal prophecy comes true or not.

All personal prophecies are conditional, although they may not specifically express explicit conditions for their fulfillment.

The people of Israel are a perfect example of this truth: Of an entire generation, only Joshua and Caleb were able to entire the Promised Land because they had a different spirit.”

When God delivers a prophetic word, he evaluates the recipient with a key expression: “BECAUSE”. “Because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son" (Genesis 22:12). “ because you have done this..” (Vs 16). For his faith and obedience, Abraham received an unconditional prophecy; he performed actions that demonstrated his faith in acts and truth. On the other hand, Saúl failed to listen to and obey the voice of God, and his kingdom was stripped away. "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command" (1 Samuel: 13:13-14). The prophecy over Saul's life was annulled by his disobedience.

What we've seen so far clearly shows us that personal prophecies require faith to be fulfilled, which also signifies an attitude of obedience in order for the recipient to see it come to pass.

Our only hope of seeing the fulfillment of what we've been prophesied is to walk in the paths ordered by the Lord. It's our responsibility to adequately respond to our personal prophetic words.

After having considered various important topics related to the function of the prophetic ministry, as well as the correct development of the prophecy, we need to also look at the relationship between the ministry of John the Baptist and the office of the Prophet today.

Just as the Prophet John prepared the way for the first coming of the Lord as the Son of Man, today's Prophets have the responsibility of preparing the way for the Lord's Second Coming, but now no longer related to the atonement for sin.

Since the work of the Prophets is so transcendental today for the Church and the world, we'll explain some of the functions and urgent labor that they have in the sight of God.  




The Arrival of the Prophets and the End of Sterility

In Luke 1:6-7 and 13, we read that Elizabeth and Zechariah are just and irreproachable servants before God, but Elizabeth is sterile. They are already old and have prayed for years for the lord to give them a child.

Today, references to the Word as far as Zechariah, Elizabeth and the birth of John the Baptist possess a significant spiritual revelation relating to the Church and the birth and development of the prophetic ministry in the body of Christ.

The prophetic ministry was born from being:

1.  Active ministers of the Lord : Zechariah and Elizabeth were from a priestly family; Zechariah still ministered as a priest before the altar.

2.  Irreproachable before God . Their submission, dedication, service and obedience to the lord were from a wholly dedicated heart.

3.  Childless due to Elizabeth's sterility : Although they were dedicated and faithful to the lord and his service and prayed and believed in God, there was no fruit—only sterility .

4.  Elderly : people who honor and hope in the Lord. Continuous long years of service, without being able to see the great manifestation of God for their lives. In spite of all their confidence and hope, they had not received what they had waited for in God: A SON.

The marriage of Zechariah and Elizabeth was like a prophetic symbol indicating and representing THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST.
Zechariah represented the leaders of the people. Elizabeth represented the SHEEP, or rather the other MEMBERS of Body of Christ. The union of these two—leaders and sheep in their totality—make up the Church.

Why do we say this? Due to the function of each one. Zechariah was a priest and performed his duties as an active and responsible minister before God's people, and so represents the leadership of the church of today.

On the other hand, Elizabeth had the function of a mother—that of procreating children—which was hindered by her sterility. This procreation of children represents the normal function of the members of the Body of Christ: the sheep are responsible for procreating and delivering strong and mature spiritual children to the Lord.

The reality of the union between leaders and sheep with the objective of procreating spiritual children in the nations has not been operating at its full potential according to God's plan, due to spiritual sterility.
En the biblical account we find a glorious manifestation of God in the ANSWER to Zechariah and Elizabeth's prayer . The angel Gabriel announces the arrival of a son to them, and not an ordinary child—God was sending this one as a PROPHET to His People.

The result of so many years of submission, prayer and service without seeing fruit or the manifestation of the powerful arm of God is an increase in the unbelief of Zechariah, and he DOESN'T BELIEVE the angel's announcement (Luke 1:18-20). As a result, God announces a punishment through the angel: “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time" (Vs 20).

Just as Zechariah, many church leaders today have prayed, labored, and believed that they were going to witness a fantastic revival, but the answer apparently has never arrived. The unaccustomed silence of God—beyond what they could have imagined— has caused them to NOT BELIEVE when God speaks. The punishment is the same—“you will be silent”, or “mute”— and a great part of the Church leadership has been lacking a Word, vision or a revelation. All their labors, service and sermons appear completely in order, but they do not flow with freshness or life, nor with the revelation and fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit in their words.

Just as Zechariah stayed mute until the birth of John the Baptist, many Church leaders had been lacking spiritual revelation until the prophetic ministry was revealed to the Church.

When Zechariah joyfully welcomed the dedication of his son, the prophet, his tongue was loosened and he was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1: 67-69). From the moment on, HIS STERILITY CAME TO AN END and he entered into a new spiritual phase: His lips and entire being were permeated by a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, making his words full of grace and power.

That's the same thing that happens to Church leaders today, when they receive the prophetic ministry as God's answer to their prayers. They're not only spiritually renewed, but they receive the invaluable blessing of having their STERILITY BROKEN in many aspects of their ministerial development.




The  actual relationship between the birth of John the Baptist
and the arrival of the Prophetic ministry is:

1. The answer to the prayer of the Church (vs. 13): Zechariah and Elizabeth's prayer was answered with the birth of a son, the Prophet. The prophetic ministry comes to the Church in the same way.

2.  Joy, happiness and rejoicing “for many” (VS 14). The raising up of the Prophets is a reason for joy, not “for everyone”, but rather “for many.” It's a source of joy for those of the Body of Christ who've been waiting for years for the resurgence of the power of the Word of God in the Spirit: a word of repentance that leads to true spirituality and breaks all the molds and religious traditions that are drowning God's people in a sterile activism that has no purpose and produces no fruit. It's an anointed word, spoken with power and authority that's rejected by the leaders of organized and hollow religious tradition.

3.  Great before God (Vs 15): The Prophets are great and loved by God. They're not necessarily considered great in the eyes of the people or by religious leaders. God considers them great because they're willing to relay the full Counsel and Word of God without ambiguity or compromise.

4. Full of the Holy Spirit from their mother's womb (Vs 15): The Prophets are born in the bosom of the Church and are persons filled with the Holy Spirit, which doesn't sit well with the religious systems or a lukewarm church. It's very difficult to understand what they feel; They don't seem to fit in well because they live their lives differently from other believers. Just like John the Baptist, they're looked upon as hermits, since they're consumed by the Word of God that burns like a fire shut up within their bones, whose purpose is to lead people to repentance and surrender to the Lord as king (Ezekiel 3: 1-3; Revelation 10: 9-11; and Jeremiah 15:16).

5. The Instrument of God by which the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL come back to the Lord (Vs 16): The text doesn't speak of converting pagans, but rather that the Prophets are sent by God for the conversion of his SONS (The Church). The Church completely surrendered and yielded to God will naturally lead the unsaved to turn their eyes to the Lord. That's the reason that everything begins and depends on the actual state of the Church.

6. The Instrument of God by which the spirit and power of Elijah comes down (Vs 17): Elijah did many signs and wonders in the name of the Lord, but where were the miracles performed by John the Baptist? Not one was recorded by Scripture. How was this power revealed in him? Just as it is now, by the true heartfelt repentance produced by the anointed Word of God, which leads to the conversion of the Church. The outsiders will be led to salvation by the Word of a holy, glorious and triumphant Church. In order to turn hearts towards the Lord, it's ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THAT THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY RESTORE THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH TO THE CHURCH. True revival cannot begin until the prophetic ministry is restored to the Church, which is responsible for preparing the Body of Christ for the glorious manifestation of the Lord in all the nations and for the final great harvest.

7. The instrument to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the rebellious to the prudence of the just (Vs 17). Prophets are sent to straighten out what the people have made messed up. Their work is to ensure that the members of the Church are healthy and cured of their hurts, aggression, divisions, lukewarm affections, unfaithfulness and carnality. This produces healing from all rebellion against God and a return to the prudence of the Lord.

8. The instrument for preparing for the Lord: A people well trained (Vs 17). The Coming of the Lord for his BELOVED, THE CHURCH, requires that the latter first “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). In that way, the Church will become a people “ready and well-prepared”. To accomplish this labor, a strong prophetic ministry that possesses the spirit and power of Elijah is essential on the earth.

God's answer: A Prophet!

Zechariah and Elizabeth asked God for a son, not a prophet.
The Scriptures say that God provides “more than all we ask or imagine” and that our thoughts and ways are not his (Ephesians 3:20 and Isaiah 55:8). Zechariah and Elizabeth were surely happy with the arrival of this child, but God in his designs decided that this son would be much more than the glad answer to the prayer of a couple of old, childless parents. This child came with the mission of transforming the religious life of the people of Israel. God gave them a son who would be hated and rejected by many of their “religious friends” from the same priestly tribe. Many times their hearts were undoubtedly grieved upon seeing these leader “friends” reject their son, although in reality they were rejecting the “Prophet” that God had raised up to denounce their sins.

Likewise, the Church has been praying, fasting, serving and hoping to see the fruit of their efforts and labor. God is responding to the prayers of his Church in His own fashion, and not necessarily like the church is expecting.

The Lord says: “…In order for there to be visible fruit, I must send prophets…”
There are many leaders in the Church who aren't pleased with “the spiritual function of this son anointed by God as the answer to their prayers.” These leaders aren't ready to accept the authority, admonition and words of these Prophets sent to destroy all of lifeless works of organized religion, which haven't produced fruit and have become sterile in today's society due to sin. These prophets produce in these leaders' organizations situations that are very difficult to handle, and everything begins to fall apart as they begin to “loose control” of what they had previously dominated effectively.

These Prophets continue performing the same work as the prophet Jeremiah: “to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant" (Jeremiah 1:10). A Prophet sent by God can't edify and plant until he has performed four actions that destroy all that's not been raised up by the voice of God in his people. John the Baptist did his work of destroying all that smacked of hypocrisy, empty religiosity and false piety among the religious leaders of the day. Likewise, the company of Prophets that God is raising up today are working to reveal all falsity, hypocrisy and empty religiosity in today's leaders.

Many of these leaders don't understand that the arrival of the Prophets are nothing more and nothing less than the answer to their own prayers to see fruit in their labors. The same thing is happening to them that happened to Zechariah, when he didn't believe the proclamation of the angel and became mute. These men have become “spiritually mute”, without revelation, anointed words from God or a vision coming from above. They only work and struggle to maintain the religious structures, in order not to fall and loose their position of leadership.




The Prophet and the Anointing

The arrival of John the Baptist, the Prophet, paved the way for the appearance of the anointed of God, Jesus Christ. Sent by God as a sort of forerunner, John was responsible for preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:76-79, 3:3-9).

Nowadays, the arrival and raising up of the prophetic ministry prepares the way for the second coming of the Lord, so that the Church will be “without spot, blemish or wrinkle” for him on the day of the rapture. The prophetic ministry today is a forerunner of the “perfect man,” assigned to prepare God's people so that they're ready to receive the Lord. It's necessary that the Church arrive at the stature of “a perfect man (Ephesians 4:13), “the Body of Christ,” “the Anointed.”

The anointing cannot come upon the Church until the Prophets are raised up to “prepare a people” so they can be a healthy vessel to receive, contain and pour out this anointing over the face of the earth.

When the Church receives the arrival of the prophetic ministry “with joy,” it will obtain the same results that Zechariah received upon the birth of John the Baptist: “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied…” (Luke 1:67). The Church will then be full of the Holy Spirit and speak the anointed Word of God.

The same thing happened to our Lord. Christ is “The Anointed One,” “The Messiah,” “The Perfect Man,” “The Greater One,” “Immanuel,” “The Head of the Body of Christ,” etc. Although all this and more is certainly true of Him, the scriptures tell us that Christ, “The Greater One,” submitted to John, “The Lesser One.”

In Matthew 3: 13-17, we see Jesus coming to John to be baptized by him. John, comprehended well the “spiritual principle” that the Word established: “And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater” (Hebrews 7:7), he resists the idea knowing that it was necessary that he, “The Lesser,” be baptized by Jesus, “The Greater,” with only the baptism that He could give: the Holy Spirit. John only yields upon Jesus' insistence that he fulfill all justice so he can further identify himself with sinful man. Up until that point, Jesus had performed no miracles. Only after being baptized by John and voluntarily submitting himself to “The Lesser,” did he receive the anointing by the Holy Spirit.
In that moment, the heavens were opened, the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove and an audible voice confirmed that God was pleased with His Son.

The Church is the Body of Christ, the Anointed. Christ is the “perfect Man,” who being the greater, he submitted himself unto the lesser. The Church, in its role as “the Body of Christ,” has the responsibility of growing into the full stature of the “perfect man.” For that reason, it's necessary that the Church follow in the footsteps of its “head, Jesus Christ.” It must cheerfully submit itself to “The Lesser” or the prophetic ministry that God is raising up. That is the way in which it receives power and ability from God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit to overcome the world.

If the Church—and above all, it's leaders responsible for its decisions—refuses to submit to “The Lesser” (the prophetic ministry), it will deprive itself of the anointing that the Lord had prepared for the Church in these last days.

God desires to give the Church the very same things that he gave to his son Jesus: the Heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descending in power upon Her to remain forever and the clear voice of the Father guiding Her in all works. All of this is so that the Church can be triumphant and victorious like Jesus Christ (Mathew 3:16-17; John 1:33).

God has not changed: He makes no exception of persons. He desires to bless his people with the greatest and the most varied of blessings. His plans for us are great and of great esteem. The Lord expects from each of us the right response in faith and obedience to which he gives us by his Spirit. Whether we're willing or not to receive the blessing of which he has spoken to us personally and to the Church as the Body of Christ, depends entirely on us.

This is the time and hour of the Spirit. For that reason, it's imperative that we diligently seek to follow the Lord in order that we do not miss the still quiet voice of his Spirit. These latter days of grace inspire us to follow a single voice and walk in one accord, which comes to us through his Holy Spirit. God has destined times of glory for his people. The strength and potency of this glory will depend entirely on the hearts and attitudes of each of those who make up the Body of Christ, the Church.

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law”
(Proverbs 29:18).

 

___________________________________________________
Related topics:
Messages & teaching of Daniel Cipolla  I  Daniel & Marta Cipolla