Sometimes, those who are critical of these testimonies will say that such messages are inconsistent with Scripture, or that they seem to be adding to Scripture. If these revelations were inconsistent with Scripture, I can assure you I would not be giving them any attention. That's why I want to prove to you their Scriptural basis. So please get your Bible out of bring up the browser for your favorite online Bible, and let's get started!
1. The Lord has answered the prayer of the rich man of old in hell
The Lord has answered the prayer of the rich man of old in hell (Lk 16:27-28), even though Abraham initially refused his request.
Some critics cite the fact that when the rich man in hell asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers about hell, so he would not come to that place of torment, “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Well, the Lord has decided to go ahead and answer the prayer of the rich man in hell, because this is the evil generation that will not believe unless they see such a thing. You might wonder how could God send someone back from the dead, or why He would decide to answer a prayer that was initially refused. So let me demonstrate from the Bible that is not inconsistent with His Word to do so:
- He initially refused the Syro-Phoenecian woman, but later granted her request (Mk 7:25-30).
- He was initially going to end Hezekiah’s life, but then heard his cry and added another fifteen years to his life (2 Ki 20:1-6).
- He was going to destroy Nineveh in 40 days, but then heard their cry of repentance and did not destroy the city (Jonah 3:4-5).
- He was going to destroy all of the Israelites, then start over through the line of Moses, creating a holy people for His Name. But after Moses prayed, God changed His mind (Exo 32:9-14).
- In addition to all the biblical examples of God changing his mind and answering prayer, there are numerous examples of God raising the dead: Lazarus the brother of Martha and Mary, Jairus’ daughter, Eutychus, Tabitha, the widow’s son, and in the Old Testament, there was also the Shunammite’s son that Elisha raised from the dead. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? (Ac 26:8)
- He even answered the prayer of the Legion of demons to go into the pigs (Mk 5:12-13)
2. He said He’d pour out His Spirit on all mankind
He said He’d pour out His Spirit on all mankind, and we would prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions (Joel 2:28). That outpouring began on the Day of Pentecost and continues today with ever increasing glory (Ac 2:17-18).
Jesus said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (Jn 16:12-15)
This means that the Lord did not tell us during His earthly ministry everything He had to say. The disciples could not bear it all at that time. He had much more to say to us. And He indicated two ways He would say those things to us: 1) One was the Spirit of Truth, who guides us into all Truth, and makes known to us what He receives from the Lord Jesus. 2) The other way He would say those things to us was through appearances of the Lord Jesus Himself to us. “Jesus went on to say, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.’” (Jn 16:16). He promised that we would disappear and reappear to them and us. This included His death, burial, and resurrection, and the appearances He made to them during the forty days afterward. But it also includes His appearances to His disciples since then and up until today. This is the second way He reveals things to us that He did not explicitly say to the disciples during His earthly ministry.
3. We are commanded not to despise prophetic utterances
We are commanded not to quench the Spirit or despise prophetic utterances (1Th 5:19-20). We are instructed in Scripture to test them all, and correctly discern the things of the spirit. The saints are to pass judgment on the utterance (1 Cor 14:29), and all things be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Mt 18:16). We are instructed to test the fruit and verify the good character of the messenger (Mt 7:17-19; 12:33). We are to search the Scriptures to ensure that the message is consistent with the Word (Ac 17:11). If the fruit (character) and message are consistent with the Word, then we should receive it as from the Lord. We are to hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil (1Th 5:21-22). Dreams, visions, revelations, signs, and wonders always confirm the Word, but do not add to it. (Mar 16:20).
4. The Israelites had the Scriptures, but were disobeying
The Israelites had the Scriptures, but were not obeying (Heb 3:16-19; 4:2,6; Psa 81:8-12; 1Co 10:1-6; Jud 1:5), so God sent prophets to them to warn them. Those are the ways of God, and He does not change (Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8). The people of God have consistently persecuted the prophets He sends to warn them (Matthew 5:12; Luke 11:49; Acts 7:52). Please see my article, A Warning to the Nay Sayers.
5. Beware of blaspheming the Holy Spirit
Beware of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, by calling evil something that is truly done by the power of the Holy Spirit! That is an eternal sin (Mk 3:29). Please see my article, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
6. God has always had people who prophesied
Even in the Old Testament, before Pentecost, God always had people who prophesied. He had Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Malachi, and many others. In fact, some people prophesied, who were not even prophets (1Sa. 10:11; 19:20,21,24). God even spoke through a donkey (Nu 22:28-30)!
Now that He has poured out His Spirit (Ac 2:1-3,17-18), we certainly do not have less of the Spirit of God than they enjoyed during the Old Covenant. The Lord is going to do mysterious things before He comes. Because His time is short, He will use a madman, He will use a prostitute, He will even use a child that doesn't have any teeth in his mouth to testify of His coming before He comes.
7. The Bible teaches us to keep our bodies holy
The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches the need to keep our bodies holy.
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (1 Thes 5:23-24)
"And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Rom 6:13)
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." (Rom 12:1)
"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience." (Col 3:5-6)
"Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body...Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1Co 6:13,18-20)
Putting it all Together
I hope that these seven reasons have proven to you from the Scriptures that this is the Lord's message to the Church. These seven people I highlighted in my article Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations are speaking for the Lord. In fact, there are at least seven other divine revelations that I know of, in which the Lord has spoken the same message. I also recommend reading those testimonies in my articles, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, and Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus.
If this is an area where you know you have not been walking in obedience to God, then please repent and amend your ways. Change your life, so that you don't perish in hell. The Lord Jesus still loves you! But His standard for heaven is high, and He is not changing it for anybody.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
Author's note: You are invited to read or listen to the many, amazing testimonies of the supernatural realm on the Home page of this blog, a few of which are listed below. Please see my articles Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Garments of Godliness, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Restored Truth, and Clean Hands and a Pure Heart. I also recommend Beauty Unfading (a poem) and Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
What about women cutting their hair?
ReplyDeleteHey again, Yeshua Girl. I don't see in the Bible where women are prohibited from cutting their hair. My wife and girls all get their hair cut. But it is just trimmed, and sometimes shortened a bit when it gets too long. But they wear it "long". I think the issue would be if a woman wears short hair like a man, such a woman I saw in church on Sunday who had hair which was as short or shorter than mine (at least on the sides). Or a woman who wears an unnatural hairdo, such as a perm, spikes, mohawk, dyed, etc. Or one who wairs "weave-ons" or attachments, etc.. I hope that helps. Be happy with the way God made you and let your adornment come from Him within you.
DeleteAlso, just because she had short hair,doesn't mean that doesn't love God. That's judging by appearance. Something we as Christians, shouldn't do. ( John 7:24)
ReplyDeleteDear butterfly, please take a look at this article I wrote in response to your comment. http://workinggodsway.blogspot.com/2015/08/judging-with-righteous-judgment.html
DeleteRe the bit about the rich man in Luke 16, I think it's fairer to say that many of the testimonies posted on sites such as this are presented as warnings to the body of believers i.e. those who HAVE heard Moses and the prophets and believed on the One whom God raised from the dead. Testimonies like this would likely be dismissed by unbelievers so the principle of what Abraham said still stands.
ReplyDeleteAlso note that the rich man appeals to his descent from Abraham rather than the Mosaic Law hence why his brothers are said to need to "hear" Moses and the prophets.