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The Abiding Gift of Prophecy

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    Many Aspects of Service

    The special and responsible service to which a prophet is called is very clearly and forcefully expressed in the instruction given the prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.” Ezek. 40:4.AGP 27.4

    Thus “the central idea of the word [prophet] is, one to whom God reveals Himself and through whom He speaks. The revelation may or may not relate to the future. The prophet is aAGP 27.5

    forth-teller, not necessarily a fore-teller. The essence of the prophetic character is immediate intercourse with God.” “Word Studies in the New Testament,” Vol. I, pp. 325, 326. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906.AGP 28.1

    Volumes have been written by eminent Christian scholars who have given exhaustive study to the prophetic gift and its varied manifestations. Their writings present very clearly and fully the many aspects of the service to which prophets have been called. Helpful articles by these writers abound in standard reference works, from which we draw freely in this volume. Note the following:AGP 28.2

    “The true prophet is one who is lifted up by the Spirit of God into communion with Him, so that he is enabled to interpret the divine will, and to act as a medium between God and men.” “Dictionary of the Bible,” James Hastings, art., “Holy Spirit,” Vol. II, p. 403 (1899 edition).

    “The prophet is a speaker of or for God. His words are not the production of his own spirit, but come from a higher source. For he is at the same time, also, a seer, who sees things that do not lie in the domain of natural sight, or who hears things which human ears do not ordinarily receive.” “International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,” Vol. IV, art., “Prophecy,” p. 2459. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company, 1915.

    “In both the Old and the New Testament the prophet is the divine messenger who communicates to man the revelation which he has received from God. Peter and Paul and John are ‘among the prophets’ as well as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, while our Lord Himself stands at the head of the glorious company.” “The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia and Scriptural Dictionary,” Vol. III, art., “Prophecy,” p. 1391.

    The following passage sets forth the great service the prophets rendered mankind wherever their lot was cast and in whatever generation they acted as mouthpieces for God.AGP 28.3

    “The prophets were the moral and religious teachers of their nation, authoritative preachers of righteousness. Statesmen who guided the religious life which lay at the foundation of the nation’s welfare, the counselor of kings, revivalists and reformers who awakened the religious life of the people, forewarners of the certainty of the divine judgment on sin, proclaimers of the divine ideals, the golden age toward which theAGP 28.4

    nation was to move.” “The International Bible Dictionary,” art., “Prophets,” p. 532. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1912.AGP 29.1

    “I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” This direct statement by the Lord in Numbers 12:6 gives visions and dreams an approved place in the revelation of the gospel, and also in its proclamation and ultimate triumph.AGP 29.2

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