"Where there is no vision, the people perish."
Proverbs 29:18
IN TIMES LIKE THESE, GOD GIVE US MEN OF VISION!
"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel:
Therefore, hear the Word at my mouth, and give them warning from me."
Ezekiel 3:17
"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding
of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;"
I Chronicles 12:32
by Charles A. Jennings
In each age God has sent forerunners to announce the coming of each
succeeding dispensation.
In tracing the steps that God has taken in leading His Israel people,
three principles are evident.
God has revealed His program in progressive manner.
God has always used a select few to announce the coming of the next
order.
God has always announced His program in advance.
As God dealt with His chosen nation of Israel, truth was revealed
progressively. Isaiah the prophet declared that truth is received
"precept upon precept and line upon line." Isaiah also stated that we
learn "here a little and there a little" (Isaiah 28:9-10).
From the time of Adam, it has been God’s will that His Law be
established in the earth. Though rejected by His people and fought by
Satan, God is still determined to establish His law and set up His
kingdom on earth. He will soon bring this to pass!
The knowledge of that coming Kingdom has been received little by little
by God’s prophets down through the ages. Peter declared that the
benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection "and the glory (or
deliverance) that will follow" were not fully understood by the former
prophets. He said, "The prophets have inquired and searched
diligently" (I Peter 1:10-11). However, truth and knowledge have
increased and today we have received greater vision than any preceding
generation. The prophets of today have received the revelation of God’s
Kingdom. They are now announcing its coming.
God revealed the coming flood to only two people, Enoch and Noah. This
was revealed through Methuselah, Enoch’s son, whose name means, "the
flood shall come when he dies." God warned His people through the
meaning of this name. God repeated this warning through Noah who obeyed
and was delivered. Noah was the prophet, or forerunner, for his day.
Moses was the only man at the burning bush to receive God’s instructions
to deliver Israel. Moses delivered the Israelites and led them to the
Promised Land. "He (God) made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto
the children of Israel" (Psalms 103:7). Moses understood the program,
or ways of God, but the people understood only the daily events. Moses
was the prophet for his day.
The world is looking for scientists,
The church is looking for theologians,
But God is looking for Prophets.
Though Noah and Moses knew the ultimate plan of God, the people resisted
God’s plan to their own destruction. The people in Noah’s day drowned in
the flood. The followers of Moses died in the wilderness.
Though the Israelites experienced the miracles of God, they cried to
return to Egypt. Millions of Israelites saw the outward acts of God, but
only Moses comprehended the plan of God.
Prophets today call for the destruction of the present anti-Christ
controlled Babylonian system while the people yearn for the ‘good ole
days’. The prophets cry for the Law of God to become the law of the
land; while the people hope the present situation will improve. True
prophets pray for the Kingdom of God to come to earth, while the people
blindly elect a new leader. God has selected only a few to announce His
soon coming Kingdom.
The prophet Amos declared, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He
revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). God
always announces His program in advance. Again, Noah and Moses serve to
illustrate this point. God told them what He was going to do. Isaiah,
Jeremiah and Ezekiel received revelations not only for their day but
also for the days yet future. Isaiah prophesied the birth of Christ.
Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel foretold the
awakening of Christian Israel in her ‘valley of dry bones’. God does not
keep His plans secret, but reveals them to ‘His servants the prophets’.
While the ignorant bemoan the collapse of this evil world system, the
prophets rejoice over the terminal cure by which God will purge His
kingdom nation. God named these men of vision centuries ago and called
them His ‘servants the prophets'. They see beyond today’s turmoil. They
see God’s eternal Kingdom on earth. To these men of vision, God reveals
not only His outward visible acts, but also His ultimate plan.
Blessed are these ‘servants the prophets’ who proclaim the destruction
of Babylon and the establishment of God’s Kingdom.
Blessed are these men who proclaim that the present Satanic system will
be replaced by a righteous government where Jesus Christ will rule
supreme (Revelation 11:15).
The trumpets of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are being blown again by
God’s modern day prophets. As these men stood alone in their day, so
prophets today stand alone in understanding the plan of God. Many
ministers, scientists and politicians see the ‘acts’ but fail to
understand the plan of God. They bewail the ills of our nation yet fail
to see and understand God's ultimate plan for His people. God will soon
liberate this earth from the stranglehold of Christian Israel's ancient
enemies (Exodus 17:14-16; Numbers 24:20). Satan's chaos will then be
replaced by the ultimate plan of all the ages, which is God's Kingdom
on earth.
Just as sure as "The Lord spake by his servants the prophets" (II
Kings 21:10) in ancient Israel, even today He is proclaiming His Word of
warning to our nation. In keeping with His justice, "The mystery of God
should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets"
(Revelation 10:7).
WHEN PEACE BECOMES SIN
"When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win
the day, then battles is your calling, peace has become sin; you must,
at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend
and enemy, with all the fire of your faith."
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
Dutch pastor, theologian & statesman
"Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established, that
unless we love truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
WANTED
"God, give us Men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor;
Men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps."
Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881)