Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Andrea Endries, Carl Preval, Levi Longoria
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000020
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00:01 God's Word, the Bible is full of stories of people
00:04 who claimed they had encounters with God. 00:07 Moses at the burning bush. Joshua outside Jericho. 00:14 Elijah in the cave on Mount Horeb. 00:17 Yes, the Bible is full of encounters with God, 00:21 a God who knows the end from the beginning. 00:25 When God speaks to an individual telling that person 00:29 what will happen before it happens, 00:31 that person and those who hear the message 00:34 are faced with a choice. 00:37 Will they listen? Will they believe? 00:40 Will they like Noah, act in faith? 00:44 The prophetic word like any thunderstorm 00:46 always causes a disturbance. 00:49 For it changes the trajectory of our lives, 00:52 as well as the course of history. 01:48 Today, we are investigating the Spirit of Prophecy. 01:52 These encounters with divinity 01:54 are not something out of the ordinary. 01:57 I believe the reason the Bible is full of them 02:00 is because God actually wants us to know Him, 02:03 to experience Him. 02:06 Jesus believed in prophecy. 02:08 He believed in the foretelling of history. 02:11 He embraced the prophetic words of the prophet Daniel. 02:15 He quoted from the prophet Isaiah. 02:18 Jesus embraced the prophetic ministry 02:21 of John the Baptist. 02:23 In fact, this whole book could not be here 02:26 without the Spirit of Prophecy. 02:29 It was the Spirit of God 02:30 that inspired the men and women 02:32 with the truths and knowledge recorded in these pages. 02:36 Paul echoed this truth 02:38 when he wrote these words to Timothy. 02:41 "All scripture is given by inspiration" 02:44 that is they were inspired. 02:47 This is the spirit of prophecy at work. 02:51 All scripture was given by a God who knows everything in advance. 02:57 But this gift of prophecy is like fire, 03:00 a wonderful thing, a powerful thing. 03:02 But it needs to be understood 03:05 and it needs to be used properly. 03:08 Let's join our reporters as we investigate 03:10 this prophetic gift of Revelation 03:12 that comes from God Himself. 03:16 Thanks, Charles. 03:18 When many people think of prophecy, 03:20 they may think of Nostradamus 03:22 or perhaps the Mayan Calendar Prophecy. 03:25 These prophecies have been popularized in the media. 03:29 In fact, a short trip to the web and you can find many 03:33 who claimed to have a prophetic word. 03:36 But careful investigation reveals the Bible 03:39 as the only source with a perfect track record. 03:44 And that makes perfect sense, 03:46 if you realize who is behind the prophecies of this book. 03:50 The creator God, 03:52 this God can do something that none of us can do. 03:55 Accurately predict the future. 03:58 Isaiah 46:9, 10 says, 04:01 "Remember the former things of old, 04:04 for I am God, and there is none else, 04:07 I am God, and there is none like me, 04:09 declaring the end from the beginning, 04:12 and from ancient times 04:14 the things that are not yet done." 04:16 Not only can He declare the end before it even happens, 04:21 but according to Amos 3:7, 04:23 God wants to tell us what is going to happen. 04:27 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, 04:30 but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." 04:35 God wants people to know what He's up to. 04:39 He wants folks to know Him and that is the reason 04:43 why God has gifted some people with the Spirit of Prophecy. 04:48 God wants people to see that he is interested 04:52 and involved in the details 04:54 and power plays of earth history. 04:57 And Deuteronomy 18:18, 05:00 Moses explains why the prophecies of the Bible, 05:03 though spoken through humans have proven to be so accurate. 05:08 "I will raise up a prophet 05:11 and I will put my words in his mouth, 05:14 and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." 05:19 The Spirit of Prophecy proves true, over and over again 05:24 because it is the Lord 05:26 who is speaking through the human agent. 05:29 And this phenomenon shows up over and over again 05:34 in the chronicles of human history. 05:37 At this point, we need to notice 05:38 a very important teaching of Jesus. 05:41 Our friend and Savior made it clear 05:43 that along with true prophets, 05:45 there would arise false prophets. 05:48 This would not be just a little problem that might crop up. 05:53 Jesus told us there would be many false prophets 05:56 and they would deceive many. 05:59 In fact, three times in the Book of Matthew alone, 06:03 Jesus warned us to be on our guard 06:05 against these counterfeits. 06:08 "Beware of false prophets," Jesus warned us in Mathew 7:15, 06:12 "which come to you in sheep's clothing, 06:14 but inwardly they are ravening wolves." 06:18 False prophets don't have your best interest at heart. 06:22 So how can you tell the difference between 06:24 a true prophet of God and a false one? 06:27 Levi is standing by with a biblical answer. 06:31 The first test of a true prophet can be found in Isaiah 8:20, 06:36 "To the law and to the testimony, 06:38 if they speak not according to this word, 06:41 it is because there is no light in them". 06:44 If I want to know how long in inches, I get a ruler. 06:49 This then becomes the standard by which, I measure an inch. 06:52 The Bible with its laws and testimonies is our ruler, 06:57 the standard by which we measure 06:59 new revelations for truthfulness and integrity. 07:04 While conflicting doctrines and theories abound, 07:07 the Law of God is the one unerring rule 07:10 by which all opinions, doctrines and theories are to be tested. 07:15 And let me share one reason 07:17 this is important by way of example, 07:19 Jim Jones was a college educated pastor 07:22 who built up a 900 member interracial church. 07:26 But at some point along the way 07:28 he became more important in his own eyes. 07:31 It's reported that at one service, 07:33 he threw the Bible on the floor and stamped on it saying, 07:36 "The problem is that people are reading this book 07:39 instead of, listening to me." 07:41 This is the Jim Jones who led over 900 people 07:45 in a mass suicide in Guyana, after assassinating 07:48 Congressman Ryan and some reporters. 07:51 Of course, every false prophet 07:53 doesn't necessarily lead people to an early demise, 07:57 but rest assured that anyone who claims to speak for God 08:01 will never dismiss God's Word. 08:05 And this brings us to the second test 08:07 of the true prophet found in 1 John 4:2, 08:10 "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God, 08:13 every spirit that confesseth 08:15 that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 08:20 Anyone claming to speak for God will affirm 08:23 that Jesus came as a man in the flesh. 08:27 Yes, He was Immanuel, "God with us." 08:30 Yes, He is the Christ, the anointed one, 08:34 but He was also fully human. 08:37 He came as a man walked in our flesh, 08:39 knew what it was like to be tempted. 08:42 And thus, He can encourage us, 08:44 guide us and strengthen us in our human flesh 08:47 and to live righteous and obedient lives. 08:51 Yet another test of a true prophet 08:53 is found in Matthew 7:20, 08:56 Jesus said, "Wherefore by their fruits 08:59 ye shall know them." 09:01 All who join themselves to Christ 09:04 will develop a godly character that is what is meant by fruits. 09:10 God's true spokesperson will exhibit the fruit, 09:13 the character of godliness, temperance, patience, kindness, 09:18 love, and charity in their lives. 09:21 Thus, their example will point others to the truth 09:25 as it's found in Jesus. 09:27 You can't counterfeit truth. 09:31 There is one more test of a true prophet, Levi 09:33 that we need to look at critically. 09:35 It's found in Jeremiah 28:9, 09:38 "When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, 09:41 then shall the prophet be known, 09:42 that the Lord hath truly sent him." 09:46 Makes sense, if what's predicted doesn't happen, 09:49 then God didn't send the messenger. 09:52 For example, Noah told the antediluvians 09:54 the whole world would be destroyed. 09:57 It came to pass 09:58 and now we think of Noah as a true prophet. 10:01 Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom would not last, 10:04 that it would be followed by three world kingdoms 10:07 and then be divided into many kingdoms, 10:09 partly strong and partly weak, never to be united again. 10:13 Once more history faithful records 10:16 that God's prophetic word to Daniel 10:18 was absolutely true and accurate. 10:21 By contrast psychics or prophets 10:23 so-called have a very poor track record. 10:27 There is one exception to the rule of prophecy coming to pass. 10:31 Some of God's predictions are conditional. 10:33 That is He'll do X, if condition A is met. 10:37 Like the one found in 1 Chronicles 28:9, 10:40 "If you seek Him, He will be found by you, 10:43 but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever." 10:48 If this, then that a conditional prophecy. 10:52 However, sometimes 10:53 the conditions of a prediction are not stated, 10:56 but understood because of some overarching truth. 10:59 For example, a dominating truth of the Bible 11:02 found in 1 John 4:8 is, "God is love." 11:06 As a result of that love, 11:08 He shows great mercy and forgiveness. 11:12 "The Lord is longsuffering and of great mercy, 11:16 forgiving iniquity and transgression." 11:19 This is what happened in the Book of Jonah. 11:21 God told him to go to Nineveh 11:23 and cry against it with the words 11:25 that He would put in His mouth. 11:27 "And he cried, and said, in just forty days, 11:29 Nineveh' shall be overthrown." 11:32 Now the people in Nineveh chose to repent saying, 11:36 "Who can tell if God will turn and repent, 11:38 and turn away from his fierce anger, 11:40 that we perish not?" 11:43 God did repent and let them live, 11:46 but this troubled Jonah 11:48 because he thought this would change his credibility. 11:51 He told God that this was why he didn't want to go to Nineveh 11:54 in the first place because God might forgive 11:57 and then he would be seen as a false prophet. 12:00 But Jonah wasn't a false prophet. 12:02 He just served a loving God. 12:06 Good news, indeed, Andrea. But the choice is ours. 12:11 We can take the one thing we possess 12:14 choice and embrace the words, 12:16 God sends us through His chosen messengers. 12:20 Through the prophetic gift, 12:21 we can open ourselves to the God who actually cares about us-- 12:26 our pain, our fears, our joys, and our hopes. 12:32 At this point, of our study we need to make 12:35 an important change in our focus 12:37 because the Bible has a very interesting prophecy 12:40 that actually impacts our lives today. 12:44 Check it out in Joel 2, 12:46 "And it shall come to pass afterward 12:48 that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, 12:52 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 12:55 your old men shall dream dreams, 12:57 your young men shall see visions. 12:59 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids 13:03 in those days will I pour out my spirit." 13:06 When the Apostle Peter quoted this verse in Acts 2:17, 13:11 he said it this way, "And it shall come to pass 13:14 in the last days, saith God, 13:17 I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh 13:20 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." 13:25 So here is the prophecy. 13:26 In the last days, God has every intention 13:29 of pouring out His Spirit of Prophecy on lots of people, 13:33 on our sons, on our daughters 13:37 and even on the nobodies, the servants. 13:39 In fact, Jesus told John in Revelation 12:17 and 19:10, 13:45 that one of the identifying marks of His remnant people 13:48 was the Spirit of Prophecy 13:50 that would be poured out on many people. 13:53 And there is one more absolutely profound insight 13:56 about the modern manifestations of the Spirit of Prophecy, 13:59 we can glean from the pages of sacred read. 14:03 Let's join Carl for this crucial point. 14:06 Thanks, Charles. 14:08 From my study, I glean an insight 14:10 that directly impacts my understanding 14:13 regarding modern manifestations of the Spirit of Prophecy. 14:18 I've discovered that biblical prophecies 14:20 repetitively come with the following pattern. 14:24 There is the one who makes the prophecy 14:27 and at the time of the fulfillment, 14:30 God puts another prophet on the ground 14:32 that point's people back to the author of the prophecy 14:36 and its present fulfillment. 14:39 Let me illustrate, in Genesis 5, 14:42 the patriarch Enoch prophesied 14:44 through the naming of his son Methuselah. 14:48 According to the exhaustive dictionary of Bible names, 14:52 his name means "when he is dead it shall be sent." 14:57 Friend, 849 years later, the prophet Noah, 15:01 the grandson of Methuselah 15:03 announced there would be a flood. 15:05 And the year that Methuselah died, the flood came. 15:10 Thus, the name Methuselah. 15:13 When he is dead it shall be sent. 15:16 Enoch makes the prophecy and the prophet Noah 15:19 is on the ground, at the time of its fulfillment. 15:23 Abraham is told by God in Genesis 15, 13, 14, 15:27 that his descendants would be in a country not their own 15:30 and would be afflicted 400 years, 15:33 but then they would come out with great substance. 15:37 And at the time of fulfillment, the prophet Moses 15:40 shows up in Egypt where God's people are being afflicted, 15:44 tasked with slave labor. 15:46 Moses announces their deliverance 15:49 and they leave Egypt with great wealth. 15:53 In Jeremiah 29:10, he prophesied that Israel would be 15:57 in Babylonian captivity for 70 years 16:00 and 70 years later God put the prophet Daniel 16:03 on the ground to call attention to 16:06 and to aid in the prophetic fulfillment. 16:10 In Daniel 9:25, we discover a 70 prophetic week prophecy 16:15 that will lead to the Messiah. 16:17 Then in Mark 1, we find that right on time, 16:21 the forerunner of the Messiah, 16:23 John the Baptist appears announcing 16:25 the time is fulfilled. The Messiah has come. 16:30 So many patterns so little time. 16:33 But we must look at one more and Daniel 8:14, 16:37 we have the longest time prophecy in the Bible 16:39 that began in 457 BC and ended in 1844. 16:46 We have a clear pattern in a consistent God. 16:49 So a modern prophet would need to show up around 1844 16:53 to announce the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. 16:57 What does history reveal? 16:59 During this time, there were scores of movements 17:02 that captivated the attention of many people. 17:06 Joseph Smith who started Mormonism, 17:09 or Siyyid Ali Muhammed who founded Babism, 17:13 and its successor the Baha'i Faith. 17:15 There was the spiritualist movement 17:18 the launch of Jehovah witnesses, 17:20 scientology and the New Age Movement. 17:25 It was in 1844 that Marx's published 17:28 the communist manifesto 17:31 and Darwin set forth the origin of species, 17:34 but none of these movements point us back 17:37 to Daniel's prophecy. 17:40 None of them announce the fulfillment 17:41 of Daniel's prophetic timeline, 17:44 the longest time prophecy in the Bible. 17:49 So I'd like us to consider another possible candidate, 17:53 Ellen G. White. 17:57 With the many movements and prophets 18:00 which arose around the time Daniel's prophecy was to end. 18:03 How can we know who is the true prophet 18:06 sent to usher in the fulfillment of the 2300 prophetic day 18:09 or literal year of prophecy? 18:12 Now I believe, the answer is very simple 18:14 because there is only one prophet that fits, 18:18 Ellen G. White. 18:19 And precisely on time, she had her first vision 18:23 in the year 1844 and from that time 18:25 until she died in 1915, 18:28 she continued to preach by word and pen, 18:32 the fulfillment of the 2300 year prophecy, 18:34 along with many other wonderful Bible truths. 18:38 Out of this truth filled movement, 18:40 arose the Seventh-day Adventist Church 18:42 that has continued to carry forward 18:44 this message to the present day. 18:47 Now if Ellen White is not the prophet 18:50 who was sent to announce 18:51 the fulfillment of the 2300 years 18:53 and the cleansing in the sanctuary 18:55 and soon coming of the Messiah, then who is? 18:59 If you don't choose her, then who? 19:02 And throughout history God has been faithful 19:05 to raise up prophets at the open and close 19:08 of every major event, relating to His people. 19:11 And the most recent being Ellen White 19:13 at the close of the 2300 year prophecy, 19:16 but don't take my word for it. 19:17 Let's go back and compare her life 19:20 with the biblical tests of a true prophet. 19:23 We learned that a true prophet 19:25 will never contradict the Word of God. 19:28 Mrs. White uplifts the Bible and all her writings 19:31 with words like this, "Cling to your Bible as it reads 19:35 and stop your criticism in regard to its validity 19:38 and obey the Word, and not one of you will be lost." 19:43 Jeremiah 28:9 tells us that, 19:45 what a prophet predicts must come to pass. 19:49 Here's one of Mrs. White's prophecies, 19:52 in 1902 she warned that San Francisco and Oakland 19:55 would be visited by the Lord 19:57 because they were becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20:00 In 1906 the terrifying rumble of an earthquake 20:03 shattered the early morning silence of April 18 at 5:15 AM. 20:08 The San Francisco quake lasted only 28 seconds 20:12 but caused the 2nd worst natural disaster 20:15 in the nation's history with loss of life 20:17 between 3,000 to 6,000. 20:20 Modern analysis estimates 20:22 it registered 8.25 on the Richter scale. 20:26 The next biblical test was found in 1 John 4:2 which says, 20:30 "Anyone claiming to speak for God will affirm 20:33 that Jesus came as a man, in the flesh." 20:37 Does Ellen White take that stand? 20:39 Most certainly. 20:41 And she writes "Having taken our fallen nature 20:44 Christ showed what it might become, 20:47 by accepting the ample provision He has made for it, 20:50 and by becoming partaker of the divine nature." 20:55 And finally "A true prophet will keep the commandments of God." 21:00 And what did she teach about obedience? 21:02 "Profession of religion which though in itself good 21:06 is too often unaccompanied by saving faith in Jesus 21:10 or living obedience to the commandments of God." 21:15 Ellen White embraced all ten 21:16 of God's commandments including the fourth. 21:19 And so check, check, check and check, 21:23 she passes a biblical test. 21:25 Very fascinating, Levi. 21:27 Thanks to the biblical tests and the patterns of prophecies 21:30 beginning and ending with a living prophet 21:33 sent by God to guide His people. 21:35 We can be sure Ellen White was one 21:37 to whom God gifted the Spirit of Prophecy. 21:41 This prophetic gift led to a life of travel 21:43 for Ellen White and her husband James. 21:45 But for seven years, they made Battle Creek, 21:47 Michigan their home base, 21:49 living in this home on Wood Street. 21:52 Just inside the upstairs windows is the room where Ellen White 21:55 received many of her visions and dreams. 21:58 When I was first introduced to the idea 22:00 that Ellen White was a prophet, 22:02 it seemed a little weird. 22:04 Honestly, my attitude was 22:06 "Hey, we've got the Bible. That's enough." 22:09 But when I understood God's pattern 22:11 and when I compared her life to the biblical tests. 22:15 I was compelled to take a second look. 22:17 And when I did, I was pleasantly surprised. 22:20 I didn't find a woman on an ego trip, 22:23 using her prophetic status 22:24 to excuse her lapses and character. 22:28 I discovered a young woman, a teenager 22:31 who was pushed by the Spirit of Prophecy 22:33 into a lifetime of selfless service for others. 22:37 And she didn't try to seek attention, 22:39 but kept pointing others 22:41 to the light of God's word, the Bible. 22:45 Listen to this humble self evaluation, 22:48 "Little heed is given to the Bible, 22:50 and the Lord has given a lesser light 22:52 to lead men and women to the greater light." 22:56 Here Mrs. White states that it is 22:58 because the Bible has not been studied 23:00 and delved into us as it should, 23:02 that God sent a lesser light to bring people 23:05 back to the greater light, or the Bible. 23:09 Her desire was to lift up Christ 23:11 and, "Oh, how she did." 23:14 In the precious books, "Steps to Christ," 23:16 "The Desire of Ages" and "Christ's Object Lessons" 23:19 I have gotten such a revelation and experienced 23:22 such an encounter with Jesus as a Savior and as a friend. 23:26 Her writings have made me dig deeper 23:28 and look more critically at the Bible. 23:31 Some have erroneously thought and I used to be one of them, 23:35 if the Bible is the greater light just skip Mrs. White 23:38 and go directly to the source. 23:40 But this attitude misses the point for two reasons. 23:44 One, God sends a Spirit of Prophecy. 23:47 He tells us they will be a marked manifestation 23:49 of the prophetic gift in the last days. 23:52 The second reason this attitude misses the point 23:55 is God has something more to say. 23:58 Israel had the Bible, but God still sent John the Baptist. 24:02 Likewise, His remnant people have the Bible. 24:05 But He still sent Ellen White. 24:08 Because of her writings, the Seventh-day Adventist Church 24:10 operates the largest 24:12 Protestant parochial school system in the world. 24:16 Because of her prophetic insights 24:18 guided by the Spirit of Prophecy, 24:20 Seventh-day Adventists are all stars 24:22 of Longevity producing a high number of centenarians, 24:26 according to the November 2005 National Geographic. 24:30 Ellen White's insights regarding our physical wellbeing 24:33 are a boon to those who desire a long and healthy life. 24:37 The question we should be asking is, 24:40 are we going to listen to what God has to say? 24:44 Good question, Andrea. 24:46 You know, so much of religion today is just a form. 24:50 We go through the emotions of saying the Lord's Prayer, 24:53 making the sign of the cross, 24:54 attending Holy Communion or visiting holy sites. 24:59 But what God is most interested in? 25:01 What He most longs for? 25:03 Can be found in this doctrinal statement 25:05 by Jesus Himself in John 17:3, 25:10 "And this is life eternal, 25:12 that they might know thee the only true God, 25:16 and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." 25:19 Jesus came here to help us know God. 25:23 We're not talking about knowing some simple fact 25:26 like who is the current President of the United States? 25:30 We are talking about knowing the president, 25:33 being invited to the White House, 25:34 having the first family over to your house for a barbeque. 25:39 The word know that Jesus used here is, 'ginosko.' 25:43 It means, of course, to know, to understand, 25:46 to perceive or have knowledge, but it means more. 25:51 It means to know all the way to your feelings. 25:54 In fact, this word 'ginosko' 25:57 is a Jewish idiom for marital intimacy. 26:02 We're talking about really knowing God 26:06 in a spiritually intimate and committed way. 26:11 This is the experience that a prophet has 26:13 when God communes with them, face to face as with a friend. 26:18 And if you had such an encounter with divinity, 26:21 it would be so easy to think of yourself 26:23 as special, above others. 26:26 But Ellen White taught that this experience, 26:28 this personal encounter is something 26:31 God is willing to do with anyone, with everyone. 26:35 The prophet in the Psalms was David encountered God 26:38 and through David God calls to us, 26:42 "Be still, and know that I am God, 26:46 I will be exalted among the heathen. 26:48 I will be exalted in the earth." 26:51 When we take the time to be still, 26:54 to listen to God through the Bible 26:56 or through other manifestations of the Spirit of Prophecy 26:59 such as God revealed in Ellen G. White. 27:02 We will encounter Him through this gift. 27:06 God fully intents to lead His people 27:09 all the way into His kingdom. 28:11 I hope you enjoyed today's Bible study 28:14 regarding this special gift of God 28:16 to His remnant church, the Spirit of Prophecy. 28:20 As a special edition to this study, 28:22 we visited the widest state in Silver Springs, Maryland. 28:25 Check out that short interview at QLP.tv. |
Revised 2014-12-17