Is God dispensing new revelation today?

                                           

There are many that say God has given them a “fresh word” for today. Or that “the word of the Lord came until them saying”….

Point being is many believe God is talking to them just like He spoke to the prophets of old.

Is this true? Is God speaking to us just like He spoke to them? Many say, “Of course He is! Why wouldn’t He?” While others are saying “He is not”, while others are perhaps not so sure.

The reason why I believe it is important we discuss this is because if God is giving prophetic words like He gave in the Old and New Testaments, then we would have to conclude that God is providing new revelation in the 21^st century.

While I am not going to argue if God spoke to someone (either in their own spirit they believe or audibly)  privately for their own benefit and direction; for only the individuals know whether they heard from the Lord or not. What I will challenge is the idea that God is giving a predictive prophetic word for us today.

God does everything for a reason. And with the nation of Israel, it was revealed to them clearly what He thought.

Deuteronomy 18:15,18 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst from your brethren. Him you will hear…I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put my words in their mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”

This prophecy was in reference to the Messiah that would come to the world 1400 years later according to the time of Moses’ prophecy. Peter recalls this prophecy in Acts 3:22.

Isaiah 9:6-7 – For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end (Daniel 2:44). Upon the throne  of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Jeremiah 25:11 – Talking about Judah’s impending capture and deportation by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, “And this whole land will be a desolation and an astonishment and those nations shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years.

This literally happened. Starting in 605 B.C. the Babylonians began the first of three sieges on Jerusalem. The second happened in 597 B.C., and the third and final invasion occurred in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar burned the city to the ground (Read Jeremiah chapter 52 and 2 Chronicles 36:19).

The seventy years began in the year 605 B.C. The first Israelite refugees returned to Jerusalem under the degree of King Cyrus to build the house of God in 536 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:1-3).

Daniel 9:26 – The angel Gabriel tells Daniel that Jesus would be killed about 500 years before it actually happens. As a matter of fact, we know the date. According to history, when the decree was made for the Hebrews to rebuild their holy city Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince was April 9^th 32 A.D. This occurred on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

Of course we know five days later Jesus was crucified.

Matthew 23:37-39 – O Jerusalem Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The similar passages occur in Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2 and Luke 19:41-44.

Jesus predicted the destruction of the nation Israel by the Roman Emperor Titus. The epic fatal event took place in 70 A.D. when four Roman legions broke through the walls and burned the city to the ground. 1.1 million Hebrews were killed; many were crucified, while other were taken away prisoner to Rome as slaves to be paraded in the streets in defeat, and to help rebuild the city since Rome had suffered three-fourths damage to their city due to civil war.

The point I want to try to drive home with these prophecies are they all had specificity. All of the prophecies mentioned have come to pass in part, or in full. For instance, the Isaiah 9:6-7 prophecy has been partially fulfilled. The part where unto us a child is born, unto to us a Son is given was fulfilled in Christ’s first coming. The part about Him receiving the throne of His father David has yet to be fulfilled – it will occur at His second coming in the future at the end of time and into eternity.

You will not hear a prophecy from anyone today with the preciseness of the ones mentioned above. Because there is not a need for it anymore. Scripture tells us that the Lord will not do anything unless He reveals his secret to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

Any prophesying that anyone can do today is solely based on known recorded revelation, not new revelation. Our prophecies are no longer foretelling which has the predictive element in it – in others words we do not need a prophecy today that will predict the future; rather our prophecies are forth telling – meaning we are exegeting the text of scripture.

I am convinced since the canon (i.e. the whole of scripture) is complete, and we have received revelation all the way to the end of time into eternity, there is nothing else for the Lord to reveal. Why would God began to now deliver to us a brand new word after nearly two thousand years? Yet, there are numerous modern day “prophets and prophetesses” who insist God has a fresh prophetic word for us today as individuals, local church congregations and as a nation.  Also, if these individuals are convinced the words they are speaking are from God, why aren’t they being recorded as Holy Scripture as the OT and NT writers’ words were? Did they really hear from God?

I am admittedly skeptical.

So, when or if someone approaches you and declares that, “The Lord told me to tell you thus and so”, be very careful. They may mean well, but they are also on a slippery slope. We are commanded not to believe every spirit, but rather test (emphasis added) those spirits whether they are from God. Why? For being many false prophets have gone into the world (I John 4:1). The scripture also commands us to test all things (italics mine). Hold fast to that which Is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You know what that means? It means we are to judge (yes I know, we hate the J-word) what someone says against the word of God. If what they say does not comes to pass, they are a false prophet and cannot be trusted (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). They also have proven that the “prophecy” they gave to you did not come from the Lord – they are deluded and should keep quiet. Every word the prophets of old spoke came to pass precisely as they declared it proving they were authentic servants who truly heard from the Lord.