ReligionThink

For Who Hath Stood in the Counsel of the LORD?: A Look at Modern Prophesy.

With all the tension occurring in the Middle East many are happy to jump on the prophesy bandwagon. We all run and buy the “Left Behind” books and movies, huddle in the corner with our bibles open to the texts of Daniel and Revelation in one hand and our newspapers in the other. We need to stop and ask ourselves how relevant is prophesy and why do so many cling to that particular gift rather then to something more practical like healing the sick, or raising the dead. Perhaps prophesy is easier, because if one is wrong about a prediction, it is easier to rework the math rather then calling forth a loved one from the grave and still have them stay in their eternal slumber. Less embarrassment I surmise.

In the next few essays I would like to delve into what it required to be a prophet in the Old Testament. Yahweh hated the false prophet as we will see in a future essay. A few questions we will look at are; how many times could you be wrong and still be considered to be a mouth piece of Yahweh? What were the requirements of a prophet? Are the biblical texts road maps on what will occur in the future? and lastly, Why did Pat Robinson need to write “Planet Earth 2000.” if he wrote the widely popular “Late Great Planet Earth.” previously?

To start off we will explore what Yahweh said the Jeremiah concerning such people. Below we read:

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. (Jer 23:15-19 KJV)

So we can see one of the very first requirements of a prophet with is this text is a simple one. Yahweh asks Jeremiah : For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? In this text most think well if I am in tune with God, I will be able to be his mouth piece. This assumption is wrong. This verse asks the question who has stood in the heavenly court and witnessed the proceedings of heaven and who has been told what to say, and who wrote it down. As we know, many have, Ezekiel, Daniel, John, Jeremiah, and the list goes on. So that puts the question to us, For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Not many.

And how many times can a prophet be wrong? In the Old Testament Yahweh did not give one to many tries as some are given today. Being wrong one time clearly was an indication that you were in fact not a prophet. We read this in the text below:

The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. (Jer 28:9 KJV)

So the result comes in Ezekiel 13:8-9:

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

As we see those who are wrong are cut off from God, the temple, family and nation. In the next few essays we will try to iron out a few issues concerning prophesy and possibly by doing so we may be less gullible to ride every prophesy theory that lumbers by. Also, possibly we might gain more respect for the writings of the prophets if we understand them in a different context then we are use to.