The World Ahead, Part 3

More than 200 years before God warned Judah through Jeremiah, Amos and Habakkuk of their captivity, He had already pronounced their rescue through the prophet Isaiah.

"Pay attention, O Israel, for you are my servant. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget to help you. I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this wondrous thing. Shout, O earth! Break forth into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel. The Lord, your Redeemer and Creator, says: 'I am the Lord, who made all things.

I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it. I am the one who exposes the false prophets as liars by causing events to happen that are contrary to their predictions. I cause wise people to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! When they say Jerusalem will be saved and the towns of Judah will be lived in once again, it will be done! When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Be dry!' they will be dry. When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem is rebuilt and the Temple be restored. (Isa. 44:231-27). (Emphasis Mine).

Now pick up the story in chapter 45: "This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to be shut against him. This is what they Lord says: 'I will go before Cyrus and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness-secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name." (Isa. 45:1-3)

Take note that God gave Isaiah this prophecy to write down more than 200 years before Cyrus was born. Now notice how specifically God fulfilled the prophecy.

"In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy by stirring the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation into writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: 'This what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in the land of Judah. All of you who are His people may return to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Those who live in any place where Jewish survivors are found should contribute toward their expenses by supplying them with silver and god, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a freewill offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem." (Ezra 1;1-4)

With that background, let's pick up the story in the book of Daniel, where God begins to reveal a general overview of what will happen for the next 3000 to 4000 years in human events, even unto The World Ahead.

During one of his earlier sieges of Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar captured a number of the most promising-looking young men of Jerusalem, took them to Babylon and enrolled them in a three-year training program to prepare them to serve as the king's advisers in the royal palace. Four of these young men were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. God worked through these four young men, particularly Daniel, for more than 100 years, providing him prophecies that if God's people could correctly recognize the signs of the times, we would know more about where we are in God's plan.

What is prophecy and how can we understand it?

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2Peter 1:19-21).

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant john, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." (Rev. 1:1-3) (See Revelation 19:10 for the definition of the testimony of Jesus Christ).

"Surely the Lord God does nothing , unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

Therefore, we see that prophecy is God revealing his secret and strategic plan to His servants the prophets who are to share God's plan with God's servants so people assigned to the work of God can work in alignment with God's plan, rather than doing what they believe is right. We also see that prophecy does not require and will not adhere to private interpretation. Rather, God explains prophecy in the Bible. Remember, prophecy is revelation. Therefore, there's no need for interpretation!

Now, let's ask: did God provide His people with a way to identify His prophets from false prophets? Jesus, Himself, warned that our time-the time of the end-would be rift with false prophets: "And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ (God's anointed),' and will deceive many.'" (Matt. 24:4-5). Paul issued a similar warning to the elders at Ephesus: "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things (false prophets and preachers of a false gospel), to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20:29-30).

Finally Peter also warned the church about the plethora of false prophets: "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." (2Peter 2:1).

Paul issued a later warning to his protégé Timothy: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2Tim. 4:3-4)

Well what about right now? Who are the prophet among us? How can we recognize them? How can the apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers trust the guidance of today's prophets so that the ministries of reconciliation align correctly with God's plan?

How we can recognize authentic prophets?

Back in Deuteronomy 18:22, God provides the criterion by which we know if prophets are sent by God: "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." On the other hand, if a prophecy occurs as the prophet says, then you know that God spoke through this prophet.

In his definitive work-Dispensational Truth-the late Clarence Larkin wrote the following: "The Bible is unlike all other 'scared books' in that it bases its 'Authenticity' and "Authority' on PROPHECY. (Emphasis Larkin). "All other 'sacred books' contain no predictions as to the future. If their authors had attempted to foretell future events, their non-fulfillment would, long ere this, have discredited their writings. Fulfilled prophecy is stronger evidence for the 'Inspiration' and 'Authenticity' of the Scriptures than miracles. Prophecy is not a 'haphazard guess,' nor a 'probability' made up on uncertain data like our 'weather probabilities.' Prophecy is history written in advance."

Continuing, Larkin provides a cogent warning to God's people today: "It was because the religious leaders of Christ's day were not students of the Prophetic Scriptures that they failed to recognize Him when He came, and if the religious leaders of our day despise and reject the study of Prophecy, they will not be Ready (Emphasis Mine) for Christ's Second Coming."

God defines Ready in Rev. 19:6-9 "Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a huge crowd, or the roar of mighty ocean waves, or the crash of loud thunder. 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 'Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white line.' (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.). And the angel said, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' And he added, 'These are true words that come from God.'"

Consider these same verses as rendered in the New International Version: "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself Ready. (Emphasis Mine). Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, 'Write: 'blessed are those whoa re invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! These are the true words of God.'"

So who is this bride? Who is the bridegroom? What is this wedding and wedding supper? Where does it take place? What does it mean to be READY? Who are the saints and what are the righteous deeds they do represented by the linen, bright and clean? Finally, what has all this to do with prophecy?

First of all, recognize that Revelation is the only prophetic book in the Bible where God's presents His plan in chronological order. Read this: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place? He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-that is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this PROPHECY (Emphasis Mine), and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

Notice now the similarity between this prophetic book-Revelation-and the opening of the gospel ministry of Jesus the Christ. "Later on, after John was arrested by Herod Antipas, Jesus went to Galilee to preach God's Good News 'At last the time has come,' he announced. 'The Kingdom of God is near. Turn from your sins and believe this Good News.'" (Mark 1:14-15).

So the Good News, or the Gospel, is about the Kingdom of God-A World Ahead. Information about the immaculate birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ certainly exists as key elements of the Gospel. Nevertheless, if someone preaches about those issues-the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and omits the good news of the coming Kingdom of God-A World Ahead-according to Paul, this person preaches "another gospel,." (See Gal. 1:6-9).

During the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, the Assyrian King Sennacherib, whom God had used to conquer the Northern Kingdom-the House of Israel-turned his attention to Judah to threaten to overthrow this nation, too. But that was not part of God's plan. Judah was to be conquered about 200 years later by the Babylonians. Confronted by this superior military force, King Hezekiah prayed to God and sent for the prophet Isaiah to hear a word from God.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard. This is the word that Lord has spoken concerning him . . .Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city (Jerusalem), nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with a shield, nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came. By the same shall he return; and she shall not come into this city,' says the Lord. 'For I will defend this city, to save it. For My own sake and for My servant David's sake. And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eight-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses-all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home and remained in Nineveh." (2Kings 19:20, 32-36).

Consider now Jeremiah's "local"or "recent" pronouncement. "The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying . . .'Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the Lord, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.'" (Jer. 25:1-2,8-11). You can read the fulfillment of this prophecy in Jeremiah 52:1-29). This happened in Jeremiah's lifetime, and establishes him as an authentic prophet of God.

Now consider a prophecy that God gave Daniel concerning Nebuchadnezzar that God fulfilled in short order. You find this prophecy in Daniel, chapter four. Let's pick up the story in verse 24: "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven and seven times (years) shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and give it to whomever He chooses . . .That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and at grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagle's feathers and his nails like birds claws." (Dan. 4:24-25, 33)

Early in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, God provided a night vision to warn the Babylonian king not to become too big headed, but to recognize that he was merely part of God's plan as the Sovereign God of Israel moved through worldwide circumstances to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, both as Savior and as Sovereign. Therefore, Daniel's prophecy covers, not only events currently considered historical, but also world conditions ahead of us, conditions that presage the return of Jesus the Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

In this night vision, Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron and finally feet composed of iron and clay. To establish his prophet Daniel in the Babylonian kingdom, God did not allow Nebuchadezzar to remember the vision. Therefore, the king was frustrated when his " . . . magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers could neither tell him the dream nor explain its meaning. Enraged, Nebuchadnezzar ordered every member of that "profession" to be slain. This execution order included Daniel-aka Beleshazzar-and when the executioners came to arrest him and his companions-Hananiah, Shadrach; Mishael, aka Meshach; and Azariah, aka Abednego-Daniel asked: "Why has the king issued such a harsh decree. So Arioch told him all that had happened. Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time so he could tell the king what the dream meant. Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven, saying, 'Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power. He determines the course of world events, he removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he himself is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you God of my ancestors, for you have given me the wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded." (Daniel 2:12-23).

Notice Daniels absolute confidence in God. He had a dream. Yet he knew that the dream answered their prayers. He knew, with total faith, that when he told Nebuchadnezzar this dream, the king would recognize it as the same dream, and would therefore accept the interpretation.

We resume the story in verse 24 of Daniel, chapter two: "Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, who had been ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, 'Don't kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.' Then Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, 'I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell Your Majesty the meaning of your dream!' The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), 'Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?' Daniel replied, 'There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians or fortune-tellers who can tell the king such things. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed." (Daniel 2:24-28).

So Daniel told the king about this great image he had dreamed about. Then in verse 36, Daniel continued: " 'That was the dream; now I will tell Your Majesty what it means. Your Majesty, you are a king over many kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power , strength and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold. But after your kingdom comes to an end, another great kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third great kingdom, represented by the bronze belly and thighs, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth great kingdom, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw that were a combination of iron and clay show that this kingdom will be divided. Some parts of it will be as strong as iron, and others as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But this will not succeed, just as iron and clay do not mix. During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain by supernatural means, crushing to dust the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has shown Your Majesty what will happen in the future. The dream is true and the meaning is certain.'" (Dan. 2:29-45).

Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, contemporary prophets with Daniel, were also given prophecies consider how time today and during the years ahead of us.

In his book-Thru the Bible, Vol. 3-J. Vernon McGee provides a detailed overview of the overthrow and eventual destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Here's what McGee wrote: "Johoiakim was placed on the throne of Judah by Pharaoh Nechoh to succeed his brother, Jehoahaz. Both of these evil men were sons of Josiah, the godly king who led in the past revival in Judah (see 2Kings 23:31-37). Johoiakim's name was actually Eliakim.

During his reign, Nebuchadnezzar first came against Jerusalem. The year was about 606 BC; he took the city in about 604 BC. The city was not destroyed, but the first group of captives was taken to Babylon. Among these were Daniel, his three friends, and literally thousands of others. When Johoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin came to the throne. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who, in 598 BC again besieged Jerusalem. Once more Jerusalem was not destroyed, but the king, his mother and all the vessels of the house of the Lord were taken away to Babylon, along with an even larger group of captives. Evidently among this latter group was Ezekiel (see 2Kings 24:6-16). Zedikiah, the uncle of Jehoiachin, was subsequently made king and also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. This time Nebuchadnezzar came against the city, destroyed the temple, and burned Jerusalem . . .All this, by the way, was in fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 25:8-13." "Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the Lord, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing and perpetual desolations.

Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will come to pass, when 70 years (beginning about 605 BC and continuing until about 536 BC) are completed that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the Lord; and I will make it a perpetual desolation. So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations.'"

Notice how precisely God explains what He will do and when He will do it. Remember, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, God's prophecies about our day and beyond include similar precision, both in terms of details and time.

Now, let's notice how long God foretells his plans so that no one will be mistaken when these things occur that God brought them about. No one-human or idol-can make these type of predictions and fulfill them. Only God can!

In his book-Dispensational Truth-quoted earlier, Clarence Larkin explained the elements a prediction must include to be a prophecy from God: "It must have been made known prior to its fulfillment. It must be beyond all human foresight. It must give details. A sufficient time must elapse between its publication and fulfillment to exclude the prophet, or any interested party, from fulfilling it."

Now notice how much earlier than its fulfillment that God predicted the capture and the desecration of Jerusalem. King Hezekiah reigned in Jerusalem, over the land of Judah, from about 716 BC until about 687 BC. Between 722-721 BC, just before Hezekiah's reign began in Judah, God removed the House of Israel from the land (the Northern Kingdom) at the hands of the King of Assyria. That king, known as Sennacherib in the Bible, then turned his attention to Judah and Jerusalem.

Read in Isaiah 37:33-38 what happened, how God kept His word to Hezekiah by Isaiah. Next, King Merodachadan, king of Babylon moved against Judah, during Hezekiah's reign. Again, God promised to protect Jerusalem, but this time He added another prophecy: "Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, 'Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 'Behold the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left,' says the Lord. 'And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be enunchs in the place of the king of Babylon.'" (Isa. 39:1-7).

So you see, God predicted what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem about 200 years before it happened. Simultaneously, and through the same prophet-Isaiah, God predicted the downfall of Babylon, and the return of the Jews to their homeland by edict of Cyrus.

Thus, we see God's words through Isaiah and Jeremiah fulfilled.

In Part 4 of this series, we will see that God gave the prophet Ezekiel a prophecy for the House of Israel--all twelve tribes--that absolutely could not have been fulfilled so far, because the prophecy was never delivered to the people for whom it was intended. Remember, according to God's promise in Amos "The Eternal God does nothing unless He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets." Therefore, a prophecy as yet undelivered to the people for whom God intended it--the House of Israel--cannot be fulfilled until it is delivered.