Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: prophesy

Prophesying the unseen future
Prophets predicted the Messiah of God, Christ Jesus

Acts of the Apostles 21:
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Dr. Luke continues his account of their return to Jerusalem and Paul's stay with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea.
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Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

And as we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says:

Now some of you are NOT going to believe this

STOP
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BEFORE we hear 'what the Holy Spirit says' to the Apostle Paul through Agabus, LET'S take a quick look ahead at PROPHESY, Prophets and Prophetesses and SEE if YOU even believe in such predictions. 
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προφητεύω – Strong’s G4395 – Prophesy

to prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict

Luke has already used this same word describing a scene back in Ephesus.

And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

Now there were in all about twelve men.
Acts of the Apostles 19:5-7 LSB

Here Luke reveals that Philip, one of the seven deacons who had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and was later sent out with the Apostles’ teaching, had four daughters known as prophetesses.

In fact, prophesy is not so much given as positive prediction but more frequently as WARNING of some unseen future event.

And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”

And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Gospel of Matthew 21:10-11 LSB

The Greek New Testament word used here for prophet is prophētēs.
- in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things
- one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation
προφήτης – Strong’s G4396 – prophētēs

JESUS had been received as a PROPHET and King by the Jews. It was Christ as Priest and SACRIFICE for our sins they rejected.
Roger@Talkofjesus.com

ARE PROPHETS TRUE? CAN THEIR PROPHESY PREDICT?

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him while they beat Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying,

“Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?”

And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.
Gospel of Luke 22:63-65 LSB – Prophesy g4395 prophēteuō

“Prophesy G4395 to us, O Christ; who is the one who hit You?”
Gospel of Matthew 26:68

And some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy G4395!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
Gospel of Mark 14:65 LSB
- Jesus the King is opposed by the Herod’s.
- Jesus the Prophet is opposed by those adorned in false robes of righteousness.
- And Jesus the Priest is opposed by the false intercessors claiming coins of indulgence before altars of idolatry.
And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy G4395 of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,

BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
Gospel of Mark 7:6 LSB

THE APOSTLE PAUL PREACHES CHRIST CRUCIFIED AND RISEN!

‘..Bind the man who owns this belt..’

Once again, true prophesy through the Holy Spirit provides a vision of further suffering awaiting the Apostle who had been blind even as Philip had received the Holy Spirit years before.

a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea

“The Holy Spirit says,
‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
Act of the Apostles 21:11b – NIV
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Luke, who of course is traveling with Paul by now records an account of his own reaction:
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When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart!

I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 21:12-13 NLT

hyper ho onoma ho kyrios iēsous
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The King James Version is even a bit more pointed in its rendering from the Greek:
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for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 21:13b King James Version

YES, these early apostles and many disciples of Christ Jesus proclaimed their faith in ‘the Name of the Lord Jesus – kyrios iēsous.

This beloved apostle to the Gentiles, as one drawn later to his faith had asked the risen Christ on a road to Damascus,

“Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [Acts 9:5 excerpt KJV}

As all disciples traveling with Paul knew, he had once sought the deaths of many brothers and had been present at the execution of Philip’s fellow deacon and friend, Stephen.

And they stoned Stephen,

calling upon God, and saying,

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 7:59 KJV

NOW their beloved apostle to the gentiles pleads with them that he too may accept Stephen’s fate ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus.’

14 When he would not be dissuaded,

we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.

Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Acts of the Apostles 21:17 KJV

A.D. 52-57

Acts of the Apostles – To Be Continued… – in Jerusalem
April 22, 2024
A Python of Prophesy Stalking Paul in Philippi
Who is this soothsaying python of Philippi?

Luke mentions this woman in Acts 16 who follows Paul, Silas and Timothy around as they frequent a place of prayer down by the river.

She may not have had such a nickname but her presence foretells the inevitable upcoming skirmishes between good and evil in Europe.
Acts of the apostles 16:16
Who is this girl?
Mythical and 1st c. Greece
pneuma python – the spirit of divination
The Witch at Endor
Previously, on Cypress
More of Greek Myths & false gods
A cultural ACT against idolatry.
Acts of the apostles 16:16

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out,

“These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”

She’s right!

Who is this girl?

Why is a slave girl following these apostles sent out by the Holy Spirit of the Most High God?

Luke continues by telling the reader:

¹⁸And this she kept doing for many days.

This Philippian slave girl continually followed them back and forth between the wall of Philippi and their place of prayer down by the Krenides River near town.

Mythical and 1st c. Greece

Many first century cultural subtleties escape our 21st century eyes. This is especially true of 1st century Greece.

Paul understands the people of Macedonia much more than we will.

Luke reveals more about Paul’s challenge ahead in this first European missionary battle about to take place in Philippi between good and evil.

Philippi is an important Roman city unlike the small mountainous towns we just left. This incident is central to events about to take place.

This girl is a slave. In the Roman empire her role is ordinary where more than one in ten people (perhaps more than 10% in Philippi) are slaves owned by and performing their labors for someone in town.

Roman men, their families and slaves settled here in Macedonia live their everyday lives steeped in the myths and idolatries of a Hellenist lifestyle foreign to our 21st century cultural-inclusiveness and geometrically opposed to the Lord God and Christ Jesus.

Mysteries of a higher and spiritual plane impact men and women in unknown and partially evident ways.

Certain messengers of darkness, seers of the divine such as this young girl, become actors of revelation in the unseen battles between good and evil. These diviners of the oracles of darkness typically shun exposure to the Very Light of The Most High God.

pneuma python – the spirit of divination

Luke’s account of Acts begins with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, of course — and therein lies the battle in the heavenly places between that which is HOLY [hagios] and that which is unholy.

πύθων – pythōn

From Putho (the name of the region where Delphi, the seat of the famous oracle, was located) – source: BlueLetterBible.org

Parnassos, son of the nymph Kleodora – source Wikipedia.org

Python – myth & mystery of the oracle

DIVINATION .. a spirit by which she predicted the future

.. by supernatural means. ..a fortune teller,

μαντεύομαι –manteuomai from a derivative of G3105 (meaning a prophet, as supposed to rave through inspiration); to divine, i.e. utter spells (under pretense of foretelling:—by soothsaying.

The young slave girl in Philippi is a soothsayer for her owner.

“These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
Acts of the apostles 16:17b Legacy Standard Bible

Since as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve we have partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, what conclusion must we draw from the source of her magical insight?

Paul understood her evil and super-natural source of knowledge. He may have been familiar with Greek mythology of the Oracle of Delphi (as are some of us).

The Apostle certainly knew Scriptural instances of such knowledge, even one by his Hebrew namesake.

The Witch at Endor

1 Samuel 28:

³Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land…

⁶And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. ⁷Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”

Previously, on Cypress

And Paul was more recently familiar with encountering such spiritual battles as the Apostle engaged a Jewish magician on Cypress.

Elymas the magician, AKA Bar-Jesus

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said,

“You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.”

Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand..
Acts of the Apostles 13:9-11a

Opposed to the Gospel at the Gate: Bar-Jesus
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READ more about this earlier incident above.
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THESE Biblical encounters challenge the 21st century view of all mystery being explainable by science and logic. Even Christians struggle to image the higher reality of powers and principalities of the heavenly places.

More of Greek Myths & false gods
We will return to 1st c. Philippi shortly, but first some more background into the culture of these Roman cities in Greece.

Oracle of Delphi

source: ehistory.OSU.edu

Source: Britannica.com
The world famous Oracle of Delphi played an influential role in ancient history. For fourteen centuries it helped determine the course of empires. The prophesying was abolished in the 4th century as it conflicted with Christian beliefs that were at that time being embraced by Rome.
Preston Chesser, Professor Dept of History, The Ohio State University

A booming industry grew up around the Oracle. Temples were built and rebuilt, priests were trained, rituals evolved and sacrifices were performed. Priests interpreted the incoherent utterances of the Pythia. Presents were brought to both placate the deity and in the hope of influencing a positive prophesy. The Delphic temple itself became one of the largest “banks” in the world. Delphi became a center for banking and commerce.

oracle, (Latin oraculum from orare, “to pray,” or “to speak”) – source Britannica.com
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DO NOT MISS THIS! Paul, Silas, Timothy and others have gone down to the river to pray. 
So has the young slave girl who speaks revelation of the identity of these apostles of God. 
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The most famous ancient oracle was that of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus above the Corinthian Gulf. Traditionally, the oracle first belonged to Mother Earth (Gaea) but later was either given to or stolen by Apollo.

Oracles delivered through incubation were believed to come from chthonian (underworld) powers..

A cultural ACT against idolatry.

¹⁸And this she kept doing for many days.

Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit,

“I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
And it came out that very hour.
Acts of the Apostle Paul [16:18b ESV]

SO WHAT HAPPENS when a soul is freed from an evil spirit who has given mysterious knowledge by the powers hidden in the recesses of life’s light?

The slave girl no longer posses the power that has possessed her and therefore can no longer give oracles of value to her owner.
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You don't believe in such power beyond your 21st century scientifically enlightened knowledge, do you? 

I have encountered such evil attached to a place or person. 
Perhaps you have as well, yet were deceived by angels (messengers) of darkness in the unseen places or even the pulpit of false teaching.

Jesus and the Apostles warned the Church against such evil. Paul acted against it by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
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¹⁹But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

ACTS of the apostles Paul and Silas — To Be Continued — in the town square of Philippi…
March 7, 2023
Ezekiel An Unbelievable Scene
Ezekiel 1:

the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel
Ezekiel 1:3a Darby translation
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Context: TIME ~570 years Before Christ; PLACE - Tel-Abib in Babylonia, [later Persia, then Seleucid Empire (Greek) in 21st c. Iraq; PROPHET - yᵊḥezqē'l, captive priest and prophet of Israel taken to Babylon while in his 30's along with his wife and family, the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah (who are in their 50's) and some 10,000 jews.
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Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 1 :: Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)

וַיְהִי בִּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה בָּרְבִיעִי בַּחֲמִשָּׁה לַחֹדֶשׁ וַאֲנִי בְתֹוךְ־הַגֹּולָה עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָר נִפְתְּחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וָאֶרְאֶה מַרְאֹות אֱלֹהִים׃

Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 1 :: Septuagint (LXX)

καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ ἔτει ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ μηνὶ πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Χοβαρ καὶ ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί καὶ εἶδον ὁράσεις θεοῦ

Do you believe this?

Take a look at this scene Ezekiel describes:

CLICK to read NASB20 Translation of Ezekiel 1: OR LISTEN to Ezekiel 1 ESV [4’19”]
- a high wind .. a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it,
- in the midst of the fire something like gleaming metal
- And within it there were figures resembling four living beings.
  - they had human form.
  - Each .. had four faces
    their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward.
    each had a human face;
    the four of them had
    the face of a lion on the right
    the face of a bull on the left,
    and.. the face of an eagle.
  - and four wings.
    their wings touched one another
    were spread out above; each had two touching another being,
    and two covering their bodies.
  - Under their wings on their four sides were human hands.
  - Their legs were straight
  - and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like polished bronze.
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.
Ezekiel 1:12 NASB20

In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.
Ezekiel 1:13 NASB

This is Ezekiel’s description of just the glorious creatures!

Do you believe it?

IF you are a Christian or a Jew — perhaps.

But IF you are like most other twenty-first century human beings, you probably DO NOT believe such fantastic scenes from the Bible.

And their actions are even more fantastic!

14 [ESV] And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl.

And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.

20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body.

24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

But wait, there’s more; you sceptical (believer?) of the Bible!
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(MORE Scripture to read in the LINK below.)
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Ezekiel’s Vision of Divine Glory

And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.
Ezekiel 1:25 NASB20

.. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
Ezekiel 1:28b NASB

Tell the truth (in your comment to this post)
- Suppose you gave this fantastic detailed description of events to just ten (10) of your closest friends or family?
- OR imagine that you read the scroll of Ezekiel 1 to a gathering of one hundred (100) citizens of your town?
- HOW MANY WOULD BELIEVE YOU?
One, perhaps?

Even if some cannot believe this Scripture a few may believe you because of your own integrity.

THAT is the burden of the Prophet — his Word from God will be difficult to receive.

a caution to Pastors & Prophets

IF you speak any word NOT from God, claiming that God spoke it, no one with ears to hear should believe what you preach.

Do you swerve from Scripture to substitute your own visionary words? Good luck convincing your viewers that Ezekiel spoke the very word of the LORD.

Are you quite selective in how much of the HOLY BIBLE you preach? By all means, let us know how your church responds when you preach that this experience of Ezekiel really happened.

And IF you are a Pastor unwilling to confirm that all Scripture is ‘God-breathed,’ your gathering will never have ears to hear Ezekiel or even Christ, who revealed a similar vision to the Apostle John.

The Prediction and Predicament of the Prophet

“SO WHAT?” say the rulers of this world.

What IF I do not preach the WORD OF THE LORD as GOD has said it?

Place Ezekiel into the year of our Lord 2022, or the Lord Christ Jesus into our contemporary ‘evangelical christian‘ church and you will encounter the same predicament.

God has chosen a faithful remnant to receive his testimony with eyes to see and ears to hear. The others of the multitudes have heard the Word of the LORD through you AND rejected it.

Ezekiel 2:

Then He said to me,

“Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day. So I am sending you to those who are impudent and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the LORD [YHWH] GOD says:

As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 2:5 NKJV

7 “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

Ezekiel 3:

NLT 3:10b

“Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

3:12

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD rose from its place, I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me.

It was the sound of the wings of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels beneath them.
Ezekiel 3:13 New Living Translation

But will Your Hearers have ‘ears to hear?’

— Ears to hear Scripture spoken by the LORD — ears to hear the Word of the Lord Christ Jesus — eyes to see the same glory of Heaven revealed by Jesus Christ to the Apostle John — ears to hear the scene of heaven as the LORD showed and spoke to the prophet Ezekiel?
July 7, 2022