Question of the Week

Is the Gift of Prophecy still practiced today?

Question of the Week: Is prophecy still practiced today?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is actually a question. What do you mean by prophecy? The office of a prophet, as well as the Apostles, is a specific calling with requirements that would not allow them to be practiced today. The spiritual gift of prophecy defined in 1 Corinthians 14:3 takes place whenever someone accurately and consistently teaches the Bible. Obviously that would have to still be in place in order for there to be a church. In order to properly understand and practice discernment between the two, we need to approach both topics with as much background information about them as we can. The more you know the real deal, the easier it will be to spot a counterfeit. And the more you appreciate the real deal, the less you’ll be reactionary towards those who abuse it.

Beginning with the Old Testament, the gift of prophecy belonged to those who were called to be prophets. In the broadest possible sense, it refers to someone sharing God’s word. At this time in history, however, the Bible hadn’t been written yet. Therefore the people who claimed to be speaking in His name needed to be held to a high level of scrutiny given how easy it was and is to simply claim God told you to say something. The office of a prophet and thus the person whose words spoken in the name of God were recorded as scripture, were all tested according to the pioneer of this spiritual calling. Moses was used by God to reveal His Law, as well as the history of mankind’s relationship with God as it pertained to our redemption. With Israel as the focus, Moses was sent with many miracles in order to be taken seriously. That standard going forward would not only be how future prophets were judged to be authentic, but also on his authority the crime of being a false prophet became a capital offense.

I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 (NKJV)

Going on to the New Testament, the judge of scripture going forward would be judged by what had already been revealed in the Old Testament. The eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection used the Old Testament to conclude He was the Messiah. Likewise, the individuals who made these claims were held to the same standard that Old Testament prophets would be given their calling came from the same God that spoke through Moses. The Apostle Peter points this out when they have to determine who met the qualifications to replace Judas Iscariot as an eyewitness among the twelve.

“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
Acts 1:21-22 (NKJV)

Without exception, everyone who recorded scripture in the Old and New Testament were accurate in the information they recorded, consistent in the God they presented, accountable for the things they reported, and verified by God as prophets through miracles. This is what defines for us not only what makes someone a prophet, but what a prophet was supposed to do. To prophesy means to speak on behalf of someone else. In the context of religious truths, the one you’re speaking on behalf of is God.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV)

This kind of prophecy is obviously not able to be practiced today. Anyone who could have been an eyewitness of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from the time of John the Baptist’s baptism all the way to His ascension into Heaven from the Mount of Olives died in the early 2nd century at the latest. Likewise, the need for further prophets in the Old Testament sense is no longer necessary given that we have the full counsel of God’s word in the Bible. So the question is if prophecy can be practiced today, what other kind is there apart from those who revealed scripture? The answer is those who teach it.

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 (NKJV)

Paul the Apostle is giving instructions for a church to practice the gift of prophecy and tongues properly. Like any Jewish Rabbi, he enjoyed teaching through contrasts. Tongues and prophecy both had their place, but their purpose needed to be understood as well. Tongues speak to God while Prophecy speaks to men. Tongues aren’t understood by men, while prophecy is. Tongues edifies the individual, while prophecy edifies, exhorts, and comforts the entire church. Without an interpretation, tongues serves no purpose. Prophecy is an interpretation in of itself, and serves the main purpose for which Christians are gathering together in the first place. That is why Paul the Apostle not only encourages both, but gives preference to a spiritual gift that is very much still being practiced at and beyond the time Paul wrote this letter. If prophecy only means revealing scripture in the strictest sense, then Paul should have clarified that none should prophecy apart from those in the Old Testament office of a prophet. He doesn’t. Instead, he gives instructions for the proper use of both spiritual gifts towards the church in general. Therefore it is right to conclude that prophecy can be practiced by those outside of the Old Testament Prophets and New Testament Apostles.

Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (NKJV)

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

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Is Jesus Referred to as the Pagan Deity Amun?

Question of the Week: When Jesus is referred to as “The Amen” is it referencing the pagan Egyptian deity Amun?

The word Amen is a word from the Hebrew language meaning “to agree” or affirm what you say as true. The name Amun in the Egyptian language is taken to mean many things, none of which have anything to do with the Hebrew term Jesus used to describe Himself in Revelation 3:14.

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
Revelation 3:14 (NKJV)

In order to properly understand what Jesus is referencing, we first need to understand the background to Jesus’ statement. Then once we can positively affirm what is being said, we can compare it to what we know about the pagan deity Amun in order to come to a proper conclusion about this accusation.

What does Jesus mean when He refers to Himself as “The Amen?” Alongside other references to the Old Testament that were associating Him with the God of the Old Testament, He is clarifying to a church who is speaking to them based on these particular traits. The author of Revelation, the Apostle John, frequently clarifies in His gospel and epistles that Jesus came to this world in order to show us what the Creator of the Universe is like. The beginning, or literally genesis, of the Creation of God is one example. Jesus is given credit for the sort of thing the God of Israel claimed to do in Genesis 1:1.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:3 (NKJV)

Now that we understand John’s use of language concerning Jesus, what would be accomplished by Jesus in referring to Himself as the Amen? It falls in line with the other title Jesus refers to Himself as being the Faithful and True Witness. A Witness is something or someone that has seen something. Being a witness is to be a living example of something in order to show or explain it to others. This is what John describes Jesus as when He adopted human nature in a moment of history.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NKJV)

All of these terms Jesus refers to Himself as fall in line with one common feature. He is the living example of the God of the Jewish Old Testament. We need to understand that is the culture Jesus is speaking to and from in order to properly represent what the significance of “Amen” means. Because Jesus uses Hebrew terms, familiar to a Hebrew audience, having a Hebrew background, and always in association with the God of the Hebrews, we need to conclude that this is a statement alluding to Hebrew culture. Not Egyptian. Further confirmation of this exists in the fact that the church Jesus is speaking to would be located in modern day Turkey, which was populated by Greeks. No association with Egypt or paganism is suggested in any way whatsoever. Jesus, as a Jew, is using Jewish terms to associate Himself with traits of the Jewish God.

With all of that said, Jesus’ affirmation to be the living personification of the God of Israel leaves no room for any association with Egyptian culture with one exception. The word Amun sounds like the word Amen. Therefore, does that mean we should conclude that despite being different languages from different cultures with different meanings, we should associate them both in terms of their theology and rewrite the entire Bible in the image of Egyptian paganism? Obviously not. The phonetic fallacy is when you falsely assume similar words from two different languages should be understood to have the same meaning. This accusation actually takes it a step farther. If one word can be compared to a word from an entirely different language, culture, and theology in any way, we should assume they are referring to the same deity. This is not only false on logical grounds, but historic as well.

Our understanding of Egyptian paganism is limited to the hieroglyphs and writings we have available to us which are laughably small compared to our understanding of the Jewish God in the Old Testament. Amun’s story can be understood as a development of an older god by the name of Ra. They are often referred to in ancient Pyramid texts in Thebes as Amun-Ra with Ra being the more prominent name of the two. Being referred to as “The Hidden One” and associated with water in contradiction with Ra’s association with the sun, the religion of Egypt underwent many changes from the time of Moses all the way to the time of the Assyrian conquest of Egypt in the mid 600’s BC. We don’t actually know anything about him until after this time period, and it is then that parallels with the Jewish God of Israel begin to appear. An objective historian would conclude that since Egypt had many interactions with Israel and had a demonstrably flexible religion, they copied these aspects of Amun from the Jewish God YHVH, not vice versa. And even then, his common traits actually put further distance between himself and Jesus rather than bringing them closer together. They refer to Amun as the Creator, but leave out the detail that Amun created himself from Chaos. The God of Israel is eternal, and thus never had a moment of creation. They refer to Amun as one of a series of multiple members who acted in Creation, but fail to clarify that it was an Ogdoad of eight distinct and separate deities rather than a Trinity of the one and only God. Amun had a consort to produce offspring. Jesus doesn’t. Amun at the height of his popularity was considered the most prominent of many gods in Egypt. Jews and early Christians never considered Jesus a lesser or distinct deity from the Father until the time of Joseph Smith and Charles Taze Russell. Both of which are founders of heretical cults and treated as such by Orthodox Christians even to this day. The worship of Amun in Egyptian paganism ceased in the 5th century AD. The worship of Jesus as God in Christianity continues even to this day. These are merely a handful of examples with many more available. The point is simply this. Egyptian paganism and its portrayal of Amun is in no way reconcilable with Jesus as He’s portrayed in the Old and New Testament. Anyone who would claim otherwise is depending on the ignorance of their audience in order to take these kind of claims seriously.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.com

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How do Christians deal with addictions to sin?

Question of the Week: How do Christians deal with addictions to sin?

The first thing we need to understand when dealing with sin is to understand where the issue actually is. Addiction is a very loaded term. When we use it to describe our struggle against indwelling sin, it levels the blame on our physical bodies rather than our fallen nature. Once the burden of personal responsibility has been passed off of our shoulders, we open the door for two self-defeating methods in dealing with temptation.
We either become passive in the approach, always allowing the excuse that it was a “relapse” or we just couldn’t handle going through “withdrawals.” Or we focus our attention in the wrong place. Any pursuit of purity in this life is the natural result of a pursuit of Jesus Christ. Not exclusively a change in lifestyle or psychological reconditioning.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Romans 7:14-17 (NKJV)

Paul the Apostle’s first and primary case in describing his struggle with sin describes it in terms of slavery. Being sold under something makes the case that your relationship with it is to do what you’re told regardless of how you’re feeling at the time. This conflict taking place within Paul concludes with him acknowledging he no longer relates to sin as a slave due to the redemption given to him through Jesus Christ, but still behaves like the old man who was sold under sin.

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:22-25 (NKJV)

Terms like “flesh” and “carnal” often throw people into the realm of the physical as the exclusive reason people struggle with certain sinful behaviors over others. The problem is that while the approach towards overcoming addiction may be similar in a practical sense, but that doesn’t mean they are both coming from the same source. We are creatures of habit and it is possible to develop a physical dependency towards certain sinful behaviors. Examples of this are in drug abuse and some forms of sexual deviancy. The problem is when people carry over these examples to include all possible forms of sin as something that ingrains itself in our physiology. Examples of this would be like lying, lust, or pride. Conditions like being a “pathological liar” or “sociopath” are real conditions, but don’t make up or define all sinful behavior. If an issue in the heart is wrongly diagnosed as an issue in your brain, you’ll never resolve the actual issue because you’re focusing all your attention in the wrong place.

The question still stands how we deal with sin even if the term “addiction” is inappropriate to describe it. The solution is a passionate and practical pursuit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. A change of heart will produce a change of mind. Not the other way around.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

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A Reason for Hope Question of the Week – February 5th, 2021

Question of the Week: Can we make Jesus’ Second Coming take place sooner by sharing the gospel?

The passage being referred to in this question is found in the third chapter of Peter’s second epistle. The context of the whole statement includes the Second Coming of Christ, but the focus isn’t on that event specifically. In order to properly conclude what we ought to from the passage, let’s read it in its entirety.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:11-14 (NKJV)

To begin a careful unpacking of the passage, first take notice that Peter is using the same language Jesus used to describe the End Times in the Gospels (Matthew 24:43-44). Likewise, the term Day of the Lord comes from the Old Testament prophets when God enacts judgment on the nations(Joel 2:11, Isaiah 2:12, etc). Peter is referencing both to give as broad a picture of the End Times as possible. This is further contextualized by the following verses. The End Times is going to include a lot more than the heat death of the Universe, but will ultimately conclude with that when all things are made new. Before that happens, Peter gives an exhortation for Godly living in this passage in light of that eventual fact. The things in this world won’t last forever, but the things of God will. Therefore, our priorities should be on those things that last. However, Peter isn’t making this point on its own. Leading up to this passage, as well as the verse that brought up the question, Peter clarifies why that Day of the Lord, specifically the day in which the universe (heavens) will be dissolved like Revelation 21:1 describes, is still a very far time off.

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:7-9 (NKJV)

Before Peter gives his exhortation to hasten the coming of the day of God and live Godly in light of that eventual reality, he clarifies that judgment is only being delayed because of the mercy demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Time is no object for Him. Whether it takes a day or a thousand years. “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” His priority isn’t the restoration of the Universe, but those He created to live in fellowship with Him in it. These were Jesus’ marching orders to His followers and all those who would come to believe in Him through their testimony.

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.And you are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:46-48 (NKJV)

This is the job the Holy Spirit will accomplish through us as we present ourselves available to be used by Him to lead people to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ. The question is if the answer was a simple yes, why was there a need for so much context to Peter’s words? Two reasons;
1. To clarify what was actually said.
2. To clarify what wasn’t actually said.

There are two equal and opposite errors people make when they read this passage in 2 Peter. One error is to conclude that the end of the heavens depends on our efforts. That isn’t true. Jesus stated plainly that the Father has placed these things in His own authority. He is not dependent on our efforts to hasten or prolong the length of time between now and the restoration of all Creation. (Acts 1:6-8) The other error is to conclude that Peter is specifically talking about the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ. While those events will be a part of what we refer to as the Last Days, he clarifies exactly what he meant when he refers to the Day of God in the very chapter that mentions it. More context is always clearer than less. The gospel will go out with or without us. We have the honor and privilege of being a part of the process the Holy Spirit is seeing done in calling hearts and minds back to Him before every possible chance has been given and the inevitable end this fallen world is heading towards can no longer be delayed.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.com

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

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Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

What did Jesus mean in Matthew 24:34 when He used the word “generation?”

Question of the Week: What did Jesus mean in Matthew 24:34 when He used the word “generation?”

In order to understand what someone meant when they said something, it’s important to first hear everything they said. It is also equally important not to conclude things that contradict other things that they said. And if this statement is recorded in a book (or series of books) about that person, it should also be taken into consideration where else that word is used in order to properly conclude its intended meaning.

What did Jesus say when He used the word “generation” in Matthew 24:34? First consider the fact that there are 33 verses that lead up to the 34th verse in Matthew 24, as well as 17 that come after it. Second, understand that this statement is made in the middle of Jesus using a parable. The parable of the fig tree to be exact. And third, the verse as a whole makes no sense if read in isolation. What things must take place before this “generation” passes away? It is a statement made in a much broader context that needs to be understood as a whole, rather than a doctrine that is established by a single verse.

The Immediate Context:

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Matthew 24:32-35 (NKJV)

The Whole Context: Matthew 24:3-44
Key Passages:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:9-14 (NKJV)

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:21-22 (NKJV)

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:29-30 (NKJV)

Hopefully it’s plain to see Jesus is speaking of a time in the future leading up to the parable of the fig tree that is referencing the End Times. The Great Tribulation, Jacob’s Trouble, and many other names are given to this time period. However, in order to properly recognize what “generation” is referring to, we need to first understand what things must be fulfilled before that generation passes away. If the Tribulation hasn’t happened yet, then our understanding of the word “generation” needs to be understood in light of that context lest we come to conclusions that make Jesus out to be mistaken, lying, or unintelligible. It’s fair to give Him the benefit of the doubt in those regards. Especially since this chapter began with a prophecy about Herod’s Temple being destroyed that was fulfilled in 70AD. He has the right to tell us about the future given His track record has been pretty good so far.

What can’t generation mean?
1. It can’t be referring to the generation of people hearing Jesus speak these words. The entirety of Jesus’ audience in the 1st century did not see the second coming of Christ, the Great Tribulation, or the kinds of events Jesus described as leading up to the end on a global scale. Too much of the chapter has to be allegorized a priori to the point Jesus is making, instead of letting Jesus’ point set the standard for what He’s talking about.
2. It can’t be referring to the generation that saw Israel restored as a nation in 1948. While it was certainly a fulfillment of prophecy, reading more prophecies into this event that simply aren’t warranted are how false doctrines start.
3. It can’t be a metric by which we can determine when Jesus will return. He goes out of His way to spend the next 8 verses of the chapter to clarify no man knows the day or the hour of His coming. If Jesus’ next words prevent a possible interpretation of His previous words, that’s our cue to consider other options.

What could generation mean?
1. It could be referring to the Jewish people as a whole. Generation has been used in scripture to describe a particular people living at a specific period of time. However, looking for examples are a non-starter since the rest of the information we have in the chapter don’t allow that kind of interpretation. Jesus isn’t date setting. That is why Generation, or Genea in the original language, is a term that can also be referring to a people as a whole. That interpretation would be appropriate given the fact that we are still seeing its fulfillment to this day. Despite being cut off from any common homeland, Israel has defied all rules of anthropology that determine a culture loses their cultural identity within 5 generations separated from their place of origin. In spite of this, The Jewish people have retained their traditions, history, customs, and everything else expected to be adopted from their surroundings for 2000 years.

If your interpretation of scripture makes Jesus a liar, His next words into nonsense, or contradicts other statements made in the Bible, you need to check your interpretation. If Generation can’t mean what it’s commonly advertised to, then don’t fall in line with the most common error and take the position that makes the most sense. Always follow more context to determine meaning over less.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.com

Follow Twitter: @ScottR4H

Follow on CCF Facebook: facebook.com/ccftucson
Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.

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Is the Gift of Prophecy still practiced today?

Is Jesus Referred to as the Pagan Deity Amun?

How do Christians deal with addictions to sin?

A Reason for Hope Question of the Week – February 5th, 2021

What did Jesus mean in Matthew 24:34 when He used the word “generation?”

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