Prophecy, Prophetic Prayer and Your Eschatology

This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Running with Horses, a podcast devoted to inspire you, concerning a relationship with Almighty God that empowers you to accomplish things you never thought possible.

Shirley Weaver wants to take you there. And now here's today's episode. I've learned that people have various understandings of the Bible terms prophecy and prophetic. And since understanding usually equates to belief, one reason for that, I think, is we all individually are in a learning process, Holy Spirit always growing our understanding of the ways that we perceive things and are therefore able to apply those things based on His leading to our own everyday life, since everyday life is where we see real fruit. In other words, the real results of the truths we've learned, something of value to say, something to some way to trumpet, to sound, express God's love and His plan.

And really I am sympathetic and therefore never want to run roughshod over individual perceptions of various pros and cons regarding prophecy in general. And that kind of desire means it is worthwhile to me and to lots of people I know actually, to craft your words carefully so that they can be understood easily. Let me say that again, craft your words carefully so they are understood clearly as much as possible and to the extent that we speak clearly, we can move into a foundational principle in teaching and discipleship. And that being, just encourage everyone to test everything you hear, everything spoken, taught, heard, read, because it is really not enough to follow the bouncing ball and just blindly get into step.

The responsibility for the individual is to test all things. Prove all things, one translation says, prove means test there, and you then hold on to, retain and continue to use the things that are true and right. Something Paul laid out in Ephesians 6 and actually again in Colossians 4, that his and our influence within the sphere that God gives us needs two things, both one, an opportunity or open door to say something, and secondly, something to say once you're inside the door, the right thing to say, well said. The key to both of these passages is the context and that context is prayer. Ephesians 6, Colossians 4, the context is prayer. The more prayer, the more the way that we rightly discern and hear the Lord, the more prayer, the more self-discipline.

So you can't go wrong, a combination, a daily regimen and routine of prayer and God's Word. And if you use the prayer plus model given by the Holy Spirit, we can look at two things. Two things, first of all, the importance of prophecy and equally important in my view, prophetic prayer. Prophecy and prophetic prayer are so valuable, the tools God gives us through or rather in these ways is just unlimited. I've been so blessed by the ministry of the Spirit in these ways. And in my view, prophecy is especially important right now. The context for us presently, our lives, we are in the end times. We are not living 10 years in the past 50 or 100, but for the individual and the congregation, which the two together make up the church, prophecy and scripture directs us now because prophecy and scripture directs our interpretation of current events. All prophetic expression comes directly from the Holy Spirit's enablement and authorization.

We know so because of 1 Timothy 4, verse 14. And so I just want to give this suggestion, this high recommendation actually. It's more than a suggestion.

It is a high recommendation. If you know someone who is prophetic, have prophetic gifts or giftings, a prophetic bit, God uses them prophetically, listen to them. You don't have to do what they say or imply. You don't have to agree. But if you listen, you'll be amazed. They know things you need to hear.

I've learned that. It's really true because the gift works that way. Again, 1 Timothy 4, 14, prophetic expression comes directly from the Holy Spirit.

He enables and authorizes the credibility of it. And if you discern the Spirit, you can discern the prophetic influence that you are around. It is such a blessing.

I don't want you to miss that. I don't want anyone to miss prophetic influence in their lives. And secondly, and I think equally important, prophetic prayer, very important right now. And we draw again from Scripture, plus anything that the Holy Spirit speaks to you or me. Prophetic prayer engages in a way that's unique. And the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, is the source of prophetic utterance.

So think about it this way. Jesus is Lord. And as Lord, he speaks through the Holy Spirit, giving you specifics that you need, instruction, what to do, what not to do, anything important to establish your life in a foundational and righteous foundational way, while also building his kingdom externally. So it builds you on the inside and cues you up, equips you to build the kingdom outward from you. The kingdom of his will is a powerful, powerful benefit of being able to discern this gift, benefit from it yourself, and then also release it beyond yourself. There's a principle in the Word of God that I love. It's Hebrews 1 13, and I'll read from the New Living Translation.

God the Father said to God the Son, come sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. See, this is a prophetic scripture, has not been fulfilled, is a principle throughout the Word of God. It is an eternal prospect. It is not currently the case in many situations, has been fulfilled in some, but you and I both can think of things that have already become moved into the breakthrough category.

Others remain waiting for that status. So God the Father said to God the Son, you, the Son, as Lord, come sit in the place of honor at my right hand until, there's the operative word, until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. We know that at the time of the millennial reign and beyond is when we will see the ultimate, complete fulfillment of this scripture, for right now it is progressively taking place to the degree that we believe God because we know this truth, believe this truth, and apply this truth to any given situation, large or small. Because we know God's plan, including His end game, how things are going to conclude, knowing that the end is better than the beginning, we are moving toward an ending, a culmination that will exceed anything we can ask or think. So here's the principle you see out of Hebrews 1 verse 13. Scripture speaks to us a principle that we apply to our life and we wait for the ultimate, complete fulfillment.

We're always in that process, always on that progressive line. Another principle to build understanding here of all things prophetic, I think, because this has been true in my life, so I just pass this along as experiential knowledge, to build understanding of prophetic things, prophetic scripture, prophetic prayer, prophetic anything, you need to get your eschatology straight. And the way we do that is with the Word and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We know that amazing passage in Mark 13, when you see these things happen, and the writer here is speaking to or referring to, see Israel is the fig tree in this passage, and so we're being pointed to Israel and what takes place with Israel in a progressive outworking, not completely fulfilled yet, but on the way to being completely fulfilled.

So we see where we are right now, and we put our finger there and we go, this is it. This is where we are in the outworking of the end times. And verse 28 begins this way. Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.

Again, learn a lesson from Israel. As soon as its branch becomes tender and it puts forth its leaves, you recognize and know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, you may recognize and know that he is near at the very door. Verse 30, surely I say to you, this generation, the whole multitude of people living at that one time, positively will not perish or pass away before all these things take place.

So we can read here that at the time things begin to move in to an end time setting within Israel, we know that we're within the timeframe where things will speed up and ultimately be performed. We will be able to see it. Verse 29, when you see these things happening, you don't have to use your faith. You don't have to envision.

You don't have to wonder. You see it. You see it with your own eyes.

The key of course is to recognize and to know what that means. It means the Lord's return is near literally at the door. So if there is a knock at your door, you're inside your home.

Someone is on the other side of the door. How near is that person? Well, they're very near. They are more near than anyone else outside your door, right?

So this becomes the priority. Who is at the door? And it is the Lord. Verse 30 is this actual promise. Really I say to you this, and you could insert there your generation. The whole group of people living at this time will not perish or pass away before all these things take place. And there's more understanding that is helpful there about what that means generation, what that means by everyone in that generation.

All of these things are just pointing to a specific time, a specific period of time, what will take place, what you can expect, what you can look for. So again, whatever your understanding of terms like prophecy and prophetic prayer, know that the two, both prophecy, the prophetic word, prophetic utterance and prophetic prayer, both are so helpful to the individual believer, to the church congregation, to the whole body of Christ, because we have a message. We put the trumpet to our mouth as David Wilkerson echoed from the scriptures.

We put the trumpet to our mouth. We sound the words and communicate the message God gives to me, to you, and believe me, he has the hearer lined up. You never know who that might be. As a matter of fact, you seldom know who that might be, because people are all around you by the agency of the Holy Spirit. They are in your path. His direction arranged them to be in your path, and they are already prompted to hear and to listen. Don't be moved by their faces or what they say.

Very possibly, the ear is listening very closely. And as we said, a principle, every enemy foe will ultimately submit to the Lord. May not look that way right now, but we're on that path. We are on that sure path of the lordship of the one that you have made Lord, his lordship to be established completely in every way. So make sure, make sure your eschatology is straight. Know what you believe about this amazing time in which you live, because bottom line, you were born for this time.

You were. If your heart is established in the Lord Jesus, these things are for you. If you haven't made that decision yet, I invite you. What better time to invite the Lord into your heart, make him Lord of your life, savior and Lord, and to live this time filled with hope and expectation of his soon return. That joy, it is the greatest joy the church has, you know, the great expectation of his return. And you will belong in that number, not to mention being delivered out of the darkness that is ahead. And believe me, the darkness is ahead. The darkness ahead is intensely dark, more so than any other time.

It will be so fierce. You need to be in the Lord. So pray with me, Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness for my sin. I thank you that you are savior and Lord because of the price you paid at Calvary. Because of your great love and vast provision for me before I was ever even born, you have made a way for me to live, be filled with life, delivered out of darkness.

I invite you into my heart, into my life, and I ask you to take the reins of power. I thank you for this miraculous gift of salvation. Thank you, Lord. In your name I pray, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.