But any church could say that they have a messenger of God.
24H.1 How
then could the genuine messenger of God be identified?
No professing
Christian today would ever contest the truth that Jesus is sent by
God. But what did He point to us that which
testifies of His commission?
In John 5:39, Jesus said:
"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of
Me. (NKJV)
The Scriptures testify that Jesus is sent by God.
What kind of
Scriptures testifies of our Lord Jesus Christ?
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that!
I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.''
(Revelation 9:10, NKJV)
The prophecies written in the Holy Scriptures (not manufactured
prophecies in other books) testify that Jesus is sent by God.
24H.2 But does it mean that,
if
one can pull out a prophecy from the Bible and use that prophecy in claiming
that he is a messenger of God, he is really God's messenger?
When is Biblical prophecy proof that one is sent by God?
Jesus said in John 5:36:
But I have more proof than
John's--the deeds that I do. The deeds prove that the Father sent me! (IEB)
Scriptural prophecy is proof that one is sent by God if everything
contained in the prophecy was fulfilled in him. The
prophecies of God cannot be faked or forged. The genuine
messenger of God is the one whom the prophecy found fulfillment.
24H.3
What are some of the
biblical prophecies and their fulfillment testifying
about
messengers of God?
1.
About the Lord Jesus Christ:
The
prophecy of Prophet Isaiah about Jesus:
1. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to
preach good tidings to the poor; He has
sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and
the opening of the prison to those who
are bound;
2. to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all who mourn,
3. to console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes, the oil
of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness; that
they may be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that He may be glorified.'' (Isaiah
61:1-3, NKJV)
The
fulfillment of the prophecy:
16. So He came to Nazareth, where He had
been brought up. And as His custom was,
He went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17. And He was handed the book of the
prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened
the book, He found the place where it
was written:
18. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to preach the
gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to
heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives and recovery
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,
19. to preach the acceptable year of the
Lord.''
20. Then He closed the book, and gave
it back to the attendant and sat down.
And the eyes of all who were in the
synagogue were fixed on Him.
21. And He began to say to them, "Today
this Scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.'' (Luke 4:16-21, NKJV)
2.
About John the Baptist (John 1:19-23;
Isaiah 40:3)
The
prophecy:
The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: "Prepare the way of the
Lord; make straight in the desert a
highway for our God. (Isaiah
40:3, NKJV)
The
fulfillment of the prophecy:
19. Now this is the testimony of
John, when the Jews sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
"Who are you?''
20. He
confessed, and did not deny, but
confessed, "I am not the Christ.''
21. And they asked him, "What then? Are
you Elijah?'' He said, "I am not.'' "Are
you the Prophet?'' And he answered,
"No.''
22. Then they said to him, "Who are you,
that we may give an answer to those who
sent us? What do you say about
yourself?''
23. He said: "I am `The voice of one
crying in the wilderness: "Make straight
the way of the Lord,'' ' as the prophet
Isaiah said.'' (John 1:19-23, NKJV)
3.
About Apostle Paul (Acts 13:47, Isaiah
49:6).
The
prophecy:
Indeed He says, `It is too small a thing
that You should be My Servant to raise
up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore
the preserved ones of Israel; I will
also give You as a light to the
Gentiles, that You should be My
salvation to the ends of the earth.' ''
(Isaiah 49:6, NKJV)
The
fulfillment:
"For so the Lord has commanded us:
`I
have set you to be a light to the
Gentiles, that you should be for
salvation to the ends of the earth.' ''
(Acts 13:47, NKJV)
__________________
Therefore, if anyone says that he is a messenger of God, but is not
testified to by biblical prophecy, he is merely a self-proclaimed
messenger. And even if there be any who cites a prophecy in the
Bible but it was not fulfilled in him or it pertains to someone else, he
is not God's messenger.
______________________________________________________________________
End Of Lesson
■
Thank You For Your Time!
We hope the
lesson "Identifying
The True Religion Or The True Church" was made clear and meaningful to you by the
verses of the Holy Bible.
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