A Time For Purging The Prophets

The Minor Prophets Speak To Today

The Marks of A Prophet:

Zechariah 13:2b-6 NLT

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2b I will remove from the land both the false prophets and the spirit of impurity that came with them. 3 If anyone continues to prophesy, his own father and mother will tell him, ‘You must die, for you have prophesied lies in the name of the Lord.’ And as he prophesies, his own father and mother will stab him.

4 “On that day people will be ashamed to claim the prophetic gift. No one will pretend to be a prophet by wearing prophet’s clothes. 5 He will say, ‘I’m no prophet; I’m a farmer. I began working for a farmer as a boy.’6 And if someone asks, ‘Then what about those wounds on your chest?[a]’ he will say, ‘I was wounded at my friends’ house!’

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THE MARKS OF A PROPHET:

What are the marks of a prophet today? Ask any number of people and you are bound to receive any number of thoughts and ideas. Ask the other religions and they too have their definitions. Ask the various theologians and the many false teachers of today and they will assure you they have the definition of the prophets of today or in some cases deny that prophecy and prophetic voices can even exist today.

How convenient for the religions... How convenient for the theologies... to claim that God refuses to speak to them anymore. How convenient to be confident that no prophet can bring a message from God to correct their misinterpretations and evil ways.

The common denominator to the deniers and the definers is that men today get to speak for God. We, in nearly all our religions, and nearly all of our belief systems, have in reality substituted the words and mind of the creature for the receipt of the living words and heavenly minds only God can activate within us. (And he says he wants to activate them as the norm in those who believe in him.)

BACK THEN ... AND SOME PLACES TODAY:

It must have been convenient when you could tell who claimed to be a prophet by the "marks" of the prophets. Prophets wore specific clothes. Even John the Baptist conformed to this style of dress as did some of the Old Testament Prophets. Where did you think the false prophets got the idea?

But, over and over, and still sometimes today, the marks of the prophet became literal scars they self-inflicted or received at the hands of their fellow prophets. These were their proofs of being bonified prophets and still are among some religionists today.

These scars are what God refers to in Zechariah when the false prophet get confronted about denying being a prophet.

And what would happen? They would be taken out and killed. What would happen if he still spoke words of prophecy or exhibited signs of ecstasy? Their own family members, their own fathers and mothers would kill them to purge their false beliefs and prophecies from the land.

DEFINING A DREAM:

Our family has been pursuing a dream for twenty years now - THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS.

This blog has grown from that pursuit. So have a non-profit status, an organization, an outline of the teachings, the mentorship, the multiple locations/setting for learning the spiritual disciplines of listening to God for the what, the who, the when, the where, and the mean related to the message. No prophecy can be rightly given without out every detail of the message and its delivery having come from God himself.

The rise of the prophetic voice among God's people has clearly begun over the last two decades. The times, the state of the churches, the conditions of the world, all cry out for a message of God for today.

But, despite the dream, despite the growing reality, the School of the Prophets continues to work to define what are the marks of a true prophet, a God anointed and empowered message bearer.

We are aware of the scriptures that partially answer that question. We are aware of the continuity found in the prophets since the beginning of time through the Old Testament record, in the life and words of Christ, and on through the New Testament and the early church, and down until today.

However, the answers are not simple. The presence of false prophets is always with us, especially in the churches. The New Testament witnesses that these pseudo-prophets will become more powerful and common as The Day approaches. And many, millions upon millions will be led away from the faith.

Many religions clearly have been founded on the words of false prophets and have grown strong and powerful. Words that have produced the total opposite of what God has revealed prior to those false prophets. It is as if they listened to fallen angels who true goal was to undermine the very teachings of God and the definition and authority of God. 

IN THAT DAY THE FALSE WILL BE PURGED AWAY:

When God reveals himself beyond the shadow of a doubt, when he destroys the enemies of Israel by his own clear hand, when Isreal - the old genealogical one and the new sons of God - repent and are transformed... 

When He removes the impurity which has come through the false prophets, the purging of the prophets themselves will also occur. The false prophets will be silenced and seek anonymity, no matter how boldly and confidently they operate today. No matter how much airwaves and print and media they control now.

Our incomplete theologies will melt away. Our contrived lifestyles will be outed. The false religions will be terrified when the real God does not come and produce the lives and finale they have for centuries pursued. 

And many of the false prophets will be killed.

I know that sounds harsh. I know that we want to think that having been intimidated into silence they will have repented and be saved. But, there is no biblical prophecy that alludes to a repentance of the false prophets. Not even this one in Zechariah.

OH HOW I LONG FOR THAT DAY

Even though given the dream of the School of the Prophets, I face it with fear and trembling before the Lord.

Photo Credits:
Scar by m kasahara, some rights reserved @ flickr.com
70: Daily Inspirational Bible Verse by Tito & Eva Marle Balangue
I Am Determined To Bless You by Wayne M. Anson, all rights reserved.