PROPHECY True and False

An enthusiastic young Christian man in his first year at university had lunch with us. During the conversation he told us confidently,

“The Lord has told me that every one in our hall of residence is going to be converted next year. We are very excited about this.”

He did go on to tell us that in his church the dead are raised, the lame walk and the blind get their sight back. When this was questioned he admitted that he had never witnessed these happenings himself but he has been told about them by his church leaders. There was not a revival in his hall of residence that year either.

There are disturbing trends in what is called ‘prophecy’ in some modern churches. They may or may not turn out to be true or they may be so vague as to be meaningless.

In the Bible, prophecy is the gift of God that brings the Word of God to people. It is non negotiable and utterly reliable. It is the word of God. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh he repeatedly said, “This is what the Lord says. . “ (Exodus 4:22) and ever since this was a key phrase of true prophets. Thus God said to Jeremiah,

“Now, I have put my words into your mouth.”

False Prophets

In the Bible there were certainly false prophets. In 1 Kings 22 the kings of Israel and Judah proposed combining forces and attack the Syrians who had captured the Israelite city of Ramoth Gilead. Before finally committing themselves to battle, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah wanted to have the Lord’s advice and a prophet was sought. Ahab, the king of Israel produced four hundred local so-called prophets of the Lord who confidently asserted,

“Go, for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

Jehoshaphat was clearly suspicious because he asked,

“Is there not a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can enquire of?”

There was one man, Micaiah, son of Imlah. After much hesitation by Ahab, Micaiah was presented to the two kings. There was a showdown between Zedekiah, the leader of the four hundred, and the solitary Micaiah. Micaiah had previously been warned by Ahab’s messenger,

“Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably.”

Micaiah had robustly replied,

“As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me”.

Micaiah bravely warns of the death of the king in the coming battle. He goes further and tells of his vision where the Lord is discussing how to entice Ahab to his death. One spirit said,

“I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.”

Zedekiah was furious and slapped Micaiah in the face. Ahab had Micaiah put in prison to be fed on bread and water until he returned from battle safely. To this Micaiah, who clearly feared the Lord more than for his life, replied,

“If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.”

Then he added,

“Mark my words, all you people”

The prophet Moses had said that God would raise up a prophet that the people of God must listen to. Listening was not optional. Such prophets were clearly different from those of the false religious leaders in the heathen nations around who sought the will of their gods by divination.

A prophet was someone through whom God spoke his words. They regularly used the words, “Thus says the Lord,” to remind people that what they said had the authority of God himself. They were God’s ambassadors.

To be a false prophet was very serious indeed and warranted the death sentence. Moses warned God’s people that they must not to listen to diviners and soothsayers to foretell the future. He alone would tell his people what they need to know.

It appears that the usual way for God to speak to his prophets was through visions or dreams but this was not always the case. God spoke face to face with Moses. He foresaw that the people of Israel would be tempted to use heathen means to guide them as to what they should do. Instead they were to rely on God’s word given by a prophet. Moses said,

“15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die."

“The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."

“You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy18:15-22

How were those who claimed to be prophets to be tested? Not by their fervour or winsomeness but by whether their prophecies come true. It was by the test of truth that the prophet was to be authenticated. Another test was whether what the prophet said was coherent with the rest of God’s revealed message. So if a prophet were to say, “Let us go after other gods” (Deut 13:2) then he was not speaking from the Lord and deserved the same awful penalty.

It is significant that in the Bible the prophets were not ambivalent about whether what they said was from God. A prophet did not say “I think God might be saying . . .” It was because God had clearly spoken that listeners were expected to act on what was said. Today there are some who claim the same prophetic ministry for themselves. Perhaps those who readily proclaim in our churches that they have received a direct message from God should have all their ‘prophecies’ recorded in a book so that their prophetic claims may be tested! To be a false prophet is very serious.

New Testament

The New Testament writers clearly held a very high view of prophecy also. The events in the gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles are frequently seen as being fulfilments of the old Jewish prophecies. One very conservative count has shown that there are over 295 separate references to the Old Testament in the New Testament. Nearly five per cent of the New Testament is made up of these references.

Jesus himself clearly taught that the Old Testament prophecies were God’s words and criticised his disciples for not recognising that these were being fulfilled in himself.

"How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Luke 24:25

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Luke 24:46

True Prophets

Zacharias, the elderly priest who fathered John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied” (Luke 1:67). He foretold that God was about to “redeem his people”.

“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago).” Luke 1:69-70

He also prophesied that his baby son,

“. . . will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him”. Luke 1:76

When Jesus was forty days old he was consecrated to the Lord in the temple, so as to fulfil the the Old Testament law. There was an elderly man in Jerusalem who had been told by the Holy Spirit to expect God’s Messiah to appear shortly. When he saw Jesus in the temple courts he was overjoyed and said,

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 1:30-32

There was Also an elderly widow called Anna who spent all her time in the temple. She also recognised that this baby would be the redeemer of Israel.

John the Baptist himself became a prophet when “the word of the Lord came to John” (Luke 3:2). He described the unknown Jesus with the astounding words,

“Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Jesus later discussed who John was,

“. . . A prophet? Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet.” Luke 7:26

About 200BC the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek by a group of seventy learned rabbis who met in Alexandria. The Greek version was called the ‘Septuagint’ after the seventy translators. There is therefore no doubt that the specific prophecies given by the Old Testament prophets could not have been inserted later.

In the Septuagint the usual Hebrew word for prophet is translated with the Greek word προφήτης (prophḗtēs). This word is used in the New Testament to refer to all the Old Testament prophets that are quoted so widely. It is this same root word that is used in the gospels to describe the prophecies of Zacharias (Luke 1:67, 76-79), Anna (Luke 2:36) and John the Baptist (Luke 3:2, 7:26) These all spoke with the same authority as the Old Testament prophets. Jesus himself was described as a mighty prophet and he happily accepted this title.. He did teach with the full authority of God himself. The significant difference between Jesus and all other prophets was that instead of saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ he used the phrase, ‘I say to you.’

In the church at Antioch there were “prophets and teachers”; four are mentioned who included Barnabus and Saul. (Acts 13:1). We know that Paul was a prophet as he passed on in his writings the word of God and this fact was recognised by the other apostles and the early church. He was also a teacher of the early churches. Whilst the church in Antioch was worshipping,

“. . . the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabus and Saul for the work for which I have called them’, So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and set them off.” Acts 13:2

We are not told how this direction came from the Holy Spirit, perhaps one prophet spoke out. However it is clear that the whole church considered the matter closely over some time before acting on this prophecy and together they ordained the two to this new ministry.

Agabus was another New Testament prophet. When Paul returned from his third missionary journey he stayed with Philip the evangelist in Caesarea. When he had been there just a few days “a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea (Acts 21:10). Taking Paul’s belt he tied both his hands and feet and with it and said,

“The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.” Acts 21:11

As a result of this prophecy both Paul’s team and the local church urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem but he refused to change course. Perhaps this was because this situation was reminiscent of the one Jesus faced when Jesus prophesied about himself.

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31

In Jerusalem Paul was seized by the Jews who delivered him to the Romans. There is no suggestion that he was tied with his own belt in Jerusalem but the essence of this prophecy was fulfilled.

The apostle John was a prophet who gave the church the word of God. At the beginning of his book called ‘Revelation’ he says,

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy . . .” Revelation 1:3

At the end of this book come similar words,

“Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” Revelation 22:7

The clear understanding is that these New Testament prophets were continuing the same authoritative role of the Old Testament prophets. What they said was both coherent with other Scriptures and came true.

False Prophets

Just as in the Old Testament, the presence of false prophets was also recognised. Jesus himself warned his disciples,

“Beware of false prophets . . .” Matthew 7:15-20

John recognised that the church would have the problem of false prophets,

“Test the spirits . . . because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 1:4-6

At the end of the last book of the Bible there is another warning about adding to or taking away from the word of God. This clearly refers to the book of Revelation but coming as it does at the end of the Bible it could well refer to the whole Bible. The plagues referred to are the plagues of God’s judgement.

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19 

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews begins in a very interesting way.

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in many ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2

This also suggests that God’s revelation has ceased with Jesus, though the writer must include himself as being under the authority of Jesus. The apostles’ role was to pass on the message of Jesus.

Jude, who was probably the half brother of Jesus, wrote his letter because ‘dreamers’ had infiltrated the church and were warping the apostolic gospel.

“I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude 1:3

Paul

A problem appears to come when the letters of Paul to the church in Corinth are studied. This church was also beset with false leaders who were taking the church away from apostolic teaching. Their services were disorderly, several people spoke at the same time, sometimes in languages others couldn’t understand. There was also drunkenness, elitism and false teaching. Paul, in a pastoral manner, is trying to bring them back from what he calls ‘childish behaviour’ to the apostolic way. In that cosmopolitan maritime city some individuals were speaking strange languages in the services that were unintelligible so he asks them to think of the reaction a visitor would have to such activities.

“Will they not say that you are out of your mind?” 1 Corinthians 14:23

Paul urges them to cease such strange practices so that visitors who join them will hear God’s message clearly explained. Then they can both understand God’s word and be convicted. It is significant that Paul uses the word ‘prophecy’ here.

“But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, explaining, “God is really among you!” 1 Corinthians 14:24-25

What does ‘prophecy’ mean in this context. Clearly Paul wants people to proclaim the word of God so that people would both understand and be convicted. They could either have been sharing the Scriptures with others or they could all be coming up with a ‘new word’ from God. It is more likely that expounding the Bible is what Paul would want to encourage. Elsewhere, throughout the New Testament, the apostles are always bringing people back to the authority of Scripture.

1 Timothy

When Paul writes to Timothy, at the end of his life, he keeps stressing the need for God’s truth. He considers that the greatest need of the church is a knowledge of the Scriptures and this necessitates good teaching. Nowhere in his two epistles to Timothy is a search for subjective experiences encouraged. Those who felt that they had received further insights from God were rocking the church on its foundations. So Paul begins his first letter,

“. . . so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer not to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.” 1 Timothy 1:3-4

These false teachers “promoted controversies rather than God’s work – which is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:4). They were encouraging people to seek experiences and not the obedience of faith.

Prophecy was a feature of the early church but such prophecies appear to be about the role of individuals and will always be harmonious with upholding apostolic teaching. This happened when Paul and Barnabus were selected to go on the first missionary journey by the church at Antioch. When Timothy was appointed to full time Christian ministry it appears that leaders in the church recognised Timothy’s gifts and then together they made the decision to ordain him.

“Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding onto faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:18-19

“Holding onto faith” must in this context mean holding onto the ‘apostolic faith’. This faith will always be evangelistic. A little later Paul reminds Timothy what it is that “pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). It is God’s truth and obedience to it that matter, not experiences. Paul himself was appointed as “a teacher of the true faith” (1 Timothy 2:7) and he wants his successors to have the same emphasis.

This letter suggests that the false prophets in the early church were claiming that the Spirit was speaking to them. It is no coincidence that this has been the favoured technique of Satan throughout the generations. So Paul reminds his hearers of what the Spirit is really saying,

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars . . .” 1 Timothy 4:1

Here Paul is very specific, undermining ‘the faith’ takes people away from the saving work of Christ. The remedy is to keep teaching the apostolic faith as found in the ‘word of God’ (1 Timothy 4:5).

“If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather train yourself to be godly.” 1 Timothy 4:6-7

It is perhaps the greatest tragedy of the church today that we have failed to train up our young people to know the Scriptures, to learn key passages by heart and to study them daily. This is not just an option for Christians, it is fundamental. Paul says to Timothy,

“Command and teach these things.” 1 Timothy 4:11

Then comes a reminder of what his ministry must concentrate on.

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” 1 Timothy 4:13

If only this were the priority of Christian leaders today. This statement is followed by another reference to prophecy but again the ‘prophetic message’ is clearly the agreement of a group of church leaders about this young man who, with their support, was ordained to full time ministry.

“Do not neglect your gift which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” 1 Timothy 4:15

Prophecy here is not the subjective feelings of an individual in the church. Corporately the elders had a vision for the future of the church in which God would use Timothy. The teaching ministry which he was ordained to would involve then, as now, a lot of hard work in preparation.

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” 1 Timothy 4:16

The role of the Christian leader is to teach God’s truths – but to be effective in this he must live what he teaches.

“Watch your life and doctrine closely.” 1 Timothy 4:16

Paul does not deviate from this emphasis on good teaching.

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17

What should they teach? The next sentence makes this abundantly clear – it should be the exposition and teaching of Scripture. To emphasise this point Paul quotes from his authority, the Scriptures,

“For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain.” 1 Timothy 5:18

Paul cannot leave this vital theme because the early church was being undermined by these false teachers.

“If anyone teaches the false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has . . . robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:3

By whatever means these false teachers obtained their new understandings or emphases they were to be rejected if their teaching was not clearly that of Jesus and his apostles, and this will always be in accord with the Old Testament writings.

2 Timothy

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he again emphasises that he himself had the prime role of passing on Christ’s teaching. This certainly did not make him popular. He was appointed as,

“. . . a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.” 2 Timothy1:11-12

This teaching priority was not just for first generation Christians. Timothy had to pass on this priority to others.

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching with love and faith in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13

So the Holy Spirit’s priority is passing on the apostolic message, as this is the only way to guard the message. Subsequent generations were also expected to follow this example even though they will need to e tough to do so. There will be much opposition.

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Gospel ministry has always been costly. It was costly for Jesus, it was costly for Paul but it is by people being willing to pay this price that the gospel goes out and people are saved for eternity.

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. . . . This is my gospel for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” 2 Timothy 2:3, 8-9

Modern prophetic ministry is no substitute for such a work. All true Christian leaders should have this Bible teaching priority. This role involves hard work in order to excel at it.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

It is clear that in the early church, as today, there were those whose leadership was very popular but whose emphases were not those of Jesus and his apostles. Church leadership that ‘affirms people’, satisfies them where they are but demands little will always be popular. In contrast the Bible’s teaching is that the Christian way is hard and costs much.

“Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:17-18

Then comes an interesting phrase where the emphases of these false teachers is described.

“They say that the resurrection has already taken place and they destroy the faith of some.” 2 Timothy 2:18

There emphasis must be on experiencing God in the here and now, with less of a focus on the reality of heaven later. This is not the emphasis of Scripture so Paul reminds Timothy of this by quoting from the Old Testament,

“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription, “The Lord knows those who are his.” 2 Timothy 2:19

Paul just cannot get away from this stress on the need for Christian leaders to be teaching the Bible. It is only by understanding the mind of God that will prevent people drifting from God.

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach and not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:24-25

Paul foresaw that churches would be seduced by apparently godly leaders who appear attractive to unstable people. These false teachers offer to satisfy worldly needs by offering experiences and power but they are not majoring in explaining the teaching found in God’s prophets and his apostles.

“But mark this. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud . . . having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. . . . so also these men oppose the truth – men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected..” 2 Timothy 3:1-2, 5

Such deviations from apostolic teaching are very serious. In contrast Paul reminds Timothy of the only way he should fulfil his ministry. He must follow both the apostles teaching and his way of life. He urges Timothy to continue living according to the Biblical doctrines that he had been trained in.

“. . . and how from infancy you have known the Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15

Our decisions in life must be based on the principles of Scripture, not on fickle, whimsical dreams.

I well remember a very intelligent young doctor who taught in a London medical school. He became captivated by the idea that God speaks directly to people today and he thought that some ideas he had were directly from God. One day he announced that God had told him to leave his wife and young children and live with another girl who happened to be both younger and prettier. He obeyed what he took to be the voice of God and left his old family distraught. Not long after this I noticed that his Bibles had been put up for sale in the school’s second hand book store. When asked why he had done this he gave the astonishing reply, “God speaks to me directly now, so I have no need of them.”

Peter

The apostle Peter reminded his readers that people both grow as Christians and become Christians by hearing and obeying “the truth”, the message of the Word of God.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth . . . For you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:22

Most people become Christians by hearing the message of the Bible explained to them in words they can clearly understand and these words resonate with them and they respond to Jesus. People grow as Christians by living as God has taught us in the Bible. Ou spiritual food is the word of God. It may be more exciting, and seem to give quicker returns, to offer other means to Christian growth. Prophecy can become divorced from teaching the Bible’s message. Experiences are offered that seem to bypass the need for getting to know the Bible and living as it teaches. But Peter reminds us that the Bible is God’s word and is therefore relevant for all generations. We will all die and our experiences and ideas will die with us – the only safe foundation is apostolic teaching which relay God’s promises and this is given to us in Scripture. Peter continues,

“All men are like grass, and their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fail, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

Peter does refer to prophets in his second letter.

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain.” 2 Peter 1:19

Who is he referring to, the ancient prophets or some contemporary prophets? The following verse makes it clear who this authority is. He, like other Jewish people, held that the Scriptures were the ultimate authority.

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” 2 Peter1:20-21

This verse is fascinating. Note firstly that he includes the phrase “of Scripture” when talking about prophecy. He knew full well that there were other prophets around who did not speak the word of God. Secondly note the tense Peter uses. It is the past tense. He could have said “prophecy never has” so that the door was left open for contemporary prophets but he specifically does not do so. It is as if he wants to say that that era of authoritative prophets has passed.

Peter goes on to contrast those ancient prophets who “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” with false prophets. Even back then he recognised the real danger such people were to the church.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies . . .Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.”

It is clear that these leaders said that God had spoken to them and encouraged others to follow. Is this not how Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Christian Science and most post Christian religions have started? Peter says that such leaders “will exploit you with stories they have made up (2 Peter 2:3), they have left “the straight way” (2 Peter 2:15).”

Peter wrote this second letter shortly before he was executed, probably by crucifixion. His desperate plea is to bring the churches back to rigorous thinking so that they are clear as to what was authoritative. He mentions only two means by which God speaks supernaturally.

“Dear friends this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.” 2 Peter 3:2

Note that Peter again defines prophecy very carefully. These “holy prophets” spoke “in the past” – they were clearly the prophets who gave us the Old Testament. He will not allow a contemporary prophet to be authoritative; the ones he knew were misleading God’s people away from God’s word. Peter’s focus, in common with the other apostles, was not the here and now but the there and then, heaven. He relied on the promises of God for his future. To emphasise this point Peter then mentions the word of God or quotes from the Old Testament in each of the next seven verses. God’s word in Scripture or told them by Jesus was more secure that the promise on a five pound note.

“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13

Peter then reminds his readers that the writings of Paul carry the same authority of Jesus as he himself had.

“ . . .our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16

This clearly confirms Paul’s authority. It is interesting to speculate which verses and passages these false leaders twisted or took out of context to try and justify their strange teachings. Peter clearly taught that the way to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” involves understanding the Scriptures, applying and obeying them in every aspect of our life. That is the only way to give Jesus “glory both now and for ever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

So what did Peter mean when he quoted from the book of Joel in his first sermon at Pentecost?

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:17-21

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