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Weekly Message: Week 29.
Prophecy
Key Verse: Joel 2: 28
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
Prophecy means foretelling or forth telling. The above passage indicates that there will be a dramatic
increase in prophecy, dreams and visions in the last days. The church needs the specific and accurate
guidance of this ministry which parallels the New Testament.
Act 11: 9 – 10; 28 “But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. ........... “And there stood up
one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the
world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.”
Prophetic revelation will enable the church to prepare for the future needs and increased success in
missionary out reach. Prophecy functions the same way as literal watchmen did in the natural. The watchmen
were stationed on walls to give them clear visibility to watch the coming king or other members of nobility so
they could announce their coming. Ez 3: 17, “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
The watchmen were trained to distinguish between the enemy and the brethren. They had to be accurate in
their discernment and only those with vision were given these posts.
Watchmen functions include guarding and prayer. This is crucial because most of our discernment comes
through prayer. Isa 62: 6 - 7, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their
peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he
establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Watchmen function in the spiritual realm entered through prayer and worship. Prayer helps to purify what we
see and can quieten disorder.
Knowing the time - Isa 21:11-12 “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the
night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will
enquire, enquire ye: return, come.”
Timing is critical in all that we do. - 1Ch 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had
understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their
brethren were at their commandment.”
Job 24:1-2 “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.”
When we fail to see timing even our spiritual boundaries become blurred. Psa 74:9 “We see not our signs:
there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.” is a desperate
lamentation.
Word spoken in the right circumstance fits perfectly with those circumstances. Pro 25:11 “A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” And words spoken out of time lose their power. Since the Lord
moves in perfect order, the anointing is connected to timing. Be sensitive to what he wants to say and when
he wants to say it.
Jesus’ whole life on earth was a testimony of the greatest timing. He knew what to say and when to say it. E.
g. when he met the woman at the well (John 4), Nicodemus (John 3) he knew what would capture their
hearts. But we are in a time which prophetically parallels the time of Ezra.
Ezra 3: 10 – 13, “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in
their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the
ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the
LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a
great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But
many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house,
when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud
for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.”
After they laid the foundation of the church the older people cried as the younger rejoiced. The older people
cried because the foundation did not match the glory of the former temple. But despite discouragement
worship was intense. This stirred up the enemy who plotted to stop the work. Ezra 4: 24 – Ezra 5: 1-2.
The work ceased until the prophets started prophesying and inspired and assisted those who were called to
provide leadership. Ezr 6:14 “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying
of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the
commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and
Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
The eye must be single (focused) - Isa 29:10 “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”
Prophets are called the eyes. They provide the church with vision so that the church may move forward
without stumbling. Until the prophets take up their rightful place the church will continue to stumble and grope
subject to unnecessary difficulties.
Luk 11:34, “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of
light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.”
The prophet must see clearly with the eye of the heart than the physical eye. What you see spiritually must be
more real than what you see physically. E.g. Abraham saw his future and lived by that vision as if it was
present reality. Joh 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
Heb 11:19 “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received
him in a figure.”
See people as they are called to be and become. - Without vision you only see death. (Ez 37). Ezekiel only
saw the dry bones with a spiritual eye as an exceedingly great army coming together. We need spiritual gifts
for building the church of Jesus Christ and to accomplish His purpose.
Joel 2: 28 as quoted by Peter in Acts 2: 17 shows that increasing revelation was promised. One of the surest
times of true outpouring of the Holy Spirit in increasing number and intensity of vision and dreams. When the
Lord pours out his Spirit He increases His communication with us.
Levels of revelation.
1. Impression level - Most of what is called prophecy is at the lowest level of prophetic revelation called
the impression level. These are general revelations which we have to put words to. Many prophecies today
are in fact our own exhortation. These may be in the mind of the Lord but expressed in our own words.
2. Visions - Visions are an image, concept or something seen in the imagination or dreams. (Or ability to
see). Visions come at several levels viz:
i. Such as you see with the eye of your heart for example
a. Rain falling on someone meaning teaching ministry (Deut 32:2).
b. Sitting on dry ground but with a well in front meaning you are in the wrong place.
ii. Open visions – these seem like you are watching a movie screen. Open visions are higher forms of
revelations than those we see with the eye of the heart. These are clear visits and given in a way that you
cannot miss what God is saying. E.g. In Act 10: 3, “He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day
an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.”
This level is usually used by the Lord to communicate matters of great importance such as He did in using
Cornelius to open the door of faith to the gentiles.
Dreams are also a common form revelation. They can have different levels of clarity and revelation. Some are
gentle nudges and others are bold and direct. Dreams that come from the Lord are usually easy to tell even if
we do not know what they immediately mean. But most dreams are meaningless accumulations of
impressions of our activities during the day. These may reflect our mental state.
3. Trances - This is the next highest form of revelation used by the Lord to tell Peter to go to Cornelius’
house. A trance is like having a dream while you are awake. All of a sudden you are caught up in a vision that’
s so real. It feels as though you are literally there but you are wide awake and aware when you left and when
you returned. E.g. John’s revelations at Patmos, Ezekiel’s experiences, Paul’s in 2 Cor 14: 12 3 – 4.
Act 10:9-23, “On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon
the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they
made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it
had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a
voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is
common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that
call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which
were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and
asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and
get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Then Peter went down to the men
which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause
wherefore ye are come?
And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all
the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear
words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and
certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”
It helped Peter to make a critical decision, resulted in major strongholds broken down and resulted in a
difficult theological change to the doctrine held by the church then. Until then the gospel had only been offered
to the Jews only.
4. Other prophetic experiences - There are other kinds of high level prophetic experiences as hearing
audible voice of the Lord and being visited by angels or being visited by the Lord himself.
Act 23:11, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast
testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
Because we are entering a time of great outpouring of the Holy Spirit all these experiences are becoming
more common. We are commanded to seek earnestly spiritual gifts. These gifts help us in our mission.
5. Angels - No one who has seen an angel can command them. Jesus who was made a little lower than
angels while on earth (Heb 2: 5 – 9) did not presume to command them. He only said he could ask the father
to send them. Matt 26: 53, Rev 22: 8 – 9. They are ministering spirits.
6. Counterfeit prophetic ministry - There is an increase of false prophets and prophecy. Jesus warned us
in Matt 24: 11. False prophets have real power and must be recognised. The entire church is called to be a
prophetic voice to the nation. Spiritual gifts are tools that are given by the Holy Spirit to multiply our spiritual
effectiveness in our ministry. Every Christian should be able to hear a specific word from God and speak with
God.
Joh 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
God speaks to us through dreams and visions because He is trying to teach us a language of the Holy Spirit
which is greater than the human language. Symbols of dreams and visions often speak more or reveal more
than human language.
In conclusion, to counteract counterfeit prophets gifts of the Holy Spirit shall increase.
Prophecy
Key Verse: Joel 2: 28
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
Prophecy means foretelling or forth telling. The above passage indicates that there will be a dramatic
increase in prophecy, dreams and visions in the last days. The church needs the specific and accurate
guidance of this ministry which parallels the New Testament.
Act 11: 9 – 10; 28 “But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. ........... “And there stood up
one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the
world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.”
Prophetic revelation will enable the church to prepare for the future needs and increased success in
missionary out reach. Prophecy functions the same way as literal watchmen did in the natural. The watchmen
were stationed on walls to give them clear visibility to watch the coming king or other members of nobility so
they could announce their coming. Ez 3: 17, “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
The watchmen were trained to distinguish between the enemy and the brethren. They had to be accurate in
their discernment and only those with vision were given these posts.
Watchmen functions include guarding and prayer. This is crucial because most of our discernment comes
through prayer. Isa 62: 6 - 7, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their
peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he
establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Watchmen function in the spiritual realm entered through prayer and worship. Prayer helps to purify what we
see and can quieten disorder.
Knowing the time - Isa 21:11-12 “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the
night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will
enquire, enquire ye: return, come.”
Timing is critical in all that we do. - 1Ch 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had
understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their
brethren were at their commandment.”
Job 24:1-2 “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.”
When we fail to see timing even our spiritual boundaries become blurred. Psa 74:9 “We see not our signs:
there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.” is a desperate
lamentation.
Word spoken in the right circumstance fits perfectly with those circumstances. Pro 25:11 “A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” And words spoken out of time lose their power. Since the Lord
moves in perfect order, the anointing is connected to timing. Be sensitive to what he wants to say and when
he wants to say it.
Jesus’ whole life on earth was a testimony of the greatest timing. He knew what to say and when to say it. E.
g. when he met the woman at the well (John 4), Nicodemus (John 3) he knew what would capture their
hearts. But we are in a time which prophetically parallels the time of Ezra.
Ezra 3: 10 – 13, “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in
their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the
ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the
LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a
great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But
many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house,
when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud
for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the
people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.”
After they laid the foundation of the church the older people cried as the younger rejoiced. The older people
cried because the foundation did not match the glory of the former temple. But despite discouragement
worship was intense. This stirred up the enemy who plotted to stop the work. Ezra 4: 24 – Ezra 5: 1-2.
The work ceased until the prophets started prophesying and inspired and assisted those who were called to
provide leadership. Ezr 6:14 “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying
of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the
commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and
Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
The eye must be single (focused) - Isa 29:10 “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”
Prophets are called the eyes. They provide the church with vision so that the church may move forward
without stumbling. Until the prophets take up their rightful place the church will continue to stumble and grope
subject to unnecessary difficulties.
Luk 11:34, “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of
light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.”
The prophet must see clearly with the eye of the heart than the physical eye. What you see spiritually must be
more real than what you see physically. E.g. Abraham saw his future and lived by that vision as if it was
present reality. Joh 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
Heb 11:19 “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received
him in a figure.”
See people as they are called to be and become. - Without vision you only see death. (Ez 37). Ezekiel only
saw the dry bones with a spiritual eye as an exceedingly great army coming together. We need spiritual gifts
for building the church of Jesus Christ and to accomplish His purpose.
Joel 2: 28 as quoted by Peter in Acts 2: 17 shows that increasing revelation was promised. One of the surest
times of true outpouring of the Holy Spirit in increasing number and intensity of vision and dreams. When the
Lord pours out his Spirit He increases His communication with us.
Levels of revelation.
1. Impression level - Most of what is called prophecy is at the lowest level of prophetic revelation called
the impression level. These are general revelations which we have to put words to. Many prophecies today
are in fact our own exhortation. These may be in the mind of the Lord but expressed in our own words.
2. Visions - Visions are an image, concept or something seen in the imagination or dreams. (Or ability to
see). Visions come at several levels viz:
i. Such as you see with the eye of your heart for example
a. Rain falling on someone meaning teaching ministry (Deut 32:2).
b. Sitting on dry ground but with a well in front meaning you are in the wrong place.
ii. Open visions – these seem like you are watching a movie screen. Open visions are higher forms of
revelations than those we see with the eye of the heart. These are clear visits and given in a way that you
cannot miss what God is saying. E.g. In Act 10: 3, “He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day
an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.”
This level is usually used by the Lord to communicate matters of great importance such as He did in using
Cornelius to open the door of faith to the gentiles.
Dreams are also a common form revelation. They can have different levels of clarity and revelation. Some are
gentle nudges and others are bold and direct. Dreams that come from the Lord are usually easy to tell even if
we do not know what they immediately mean. But most dreams are meaningless accumulations of
impressions of our activities during the day. These may reflect our mental state.
3. Trances - This is the next highest form of revelation used by the Lord to tell Peter to go to Cornelius’
house. A trance is like having a dream while you are awake. All of a sudden you are caught up in a vision that’
s so real. It feels as though you are literally there but you are wide awake and aware when you left and when
you returned. E.g. John’s revelations at Patmos, Ezekiel’s experiences, Paul’s in 2 Cor 14: 12 3 – 4.
Act 10:9-23, “On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon
the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they
made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it
had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a
voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is
common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that
call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which
were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and
asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and
get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Then Peter went down to the men
which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause
wherefore ye are come?
And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all
the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear
words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and
certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”
It helped Peter to make a critical decision, resulted in major strongholds broken down and resulted in a
difficult theological change to the doctrine held by the church then. Until then the gospel had only been offered
to the Jews only.
4. Other prophetic experiences - There are other kinds of high level prophetic experiences as hearing
audible voice of the Lord and being visited by angels or being visited by the Lord himself.
Act 23:11, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast
testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
Because we are entering a time of great outpouring of the Holy Spirit all these experiences are becoming
more common. We are commanded to seek earnestly spiritual gifts. These gifts help us in our mission.
5. Angels - No one who has seen an angel can command them. Jesus who was made a little lower than
angels while on earth (Heb 2: 5 – 9) did not presume to command them. He only said he could ask the father
to send them. Matt 26: 53, Rev 22: 8 – 9. They are ministering spirits.
6. Counterfeit prophetic ministry - There is an increase of false prophets and prophecy. Jesus warned us
in Matt 24: 11. False prophets have real power and must be recognised. The entire church is called to be a
prophetic voice to the nation. Spiritual gifts are tools that are given by the Holy Spirit to multiply our spiritual
effectiveness in our ministry. Every Christian should be able to hear a specific word from God and speak with
God.
Joh 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
God speaks to us through dreams and visions because He is trying to teach us a language of the Holy Spirit
which is greater than the human language. Symbols of dreams and visions often speak more or reveal more
than human language.
In conclusion, to counteract counterfeit prophets gifts of the Holy Spirit shall increase.
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