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The Word of the Lord! A Wicked and Adulterous Generation
The Word of the Lord! A Wicked and Adulterous Generation
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A Wicked and Adulterous Generation
"Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them … ‘You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’ ” (Matthew 16:1-4) Scripture makes it clear that signs and wonders will be an important component of the last days and it will be critical for believers to discern between the signs God gives to us and those intended to mislead us. Throughout history, God has often confirmed His Word with miracles. Scripture tells us that Moshe (Moses) performed signs to confirm to the enslaved Israelites that God had indeed sent Him to lead them from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 4:29-31). Later, God performed signs and wonders through the early disciples to confirm that God had indeed sent Y’shua the Messiah to deliver us from our sins (Mk 16:20, Acts 2:43). Yet it should also be noted that, almost from the beginning, the Adversary has consistently tried to confuse and deceive by providing his own signs and wonders. When Moses and Aaron first went in to Pharaoh, Aaron’s rod was transformed into a serpent before the king and his servants. Not to be outdone, Pharaoh called upon his sorcerers Jannes and Jambres to perform the same miracle. The Bible records that their rods did indeed become serpents, although they were soon swallowed by Aaron's rod (Exodus 7:10-12). Later, as Paul and Barnabas were carrying the Gospel into other lands, at one point they were opposed by a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet called, oddly enough, Bar Y’shua (Acts 13:6-8). Though his influence was strong, his efforts to undermine the gospel eventually cost him his sight. Still, the point is that there have always been and will always be false prophets through whom the Adversary has the ability to provide signs and wonders that spawn deceit and confusion. They will always, however, be exposed for what they are. False Prophets and Lying Signs 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The Bible is clear: at the end of days the Adversary will employ the miraculous in an effort to deceive the world. Yeshua (Jesus) warned that false prophets would arise, showing signs and wonders intended to deceive, if possible, “even the elect” (Mark 13:22). John the Revelator recorded that the false prophet will perform very impressive albeit deceitful signs (Revelation 19:20), even causing fire to fall from heaven (Revelation 13:13). The Bible also makes it clear that the reason these lying signs will be so effective is because the people did not want the truth but “had pleasure in unrighteousness” willing even to take the mark of the beast. What distinguishes a true prophet from a false one? How can I know if the sign is from God or not? The Bible is very specific about what a prophet is. According to the Word of God a true prophet will never speak presumptuously or entice God’s people to turn away from His commandments (Deut. 13:1-5, 18:20-22). In short, a prophet of God will always call the people of God to teshuvah (repentance). Teshuvah (repentance) is what Elijah called for, as did others including John the Baptist. Even Yeshua (Jesus) initiated His ministry with a call to “Repent!” (Matthew 4:17). God’s prophets have indeed supported this message with the demonstration of signs and wonders, even predictions of future events. However, these supernatural manifestations were always intended to serve as evidence that the one speaking had indeed been sent by God. Thus, a true prophet is one who calls the people to return to God and His Torah. In contrast, a false prophet is one who seduces God’s people away from His Word, and by that I mean, any part of it. The Spirit of Truth will never speak or operate in contradiction to anything written in the Word of Truth. Notice, however, that God makes it clear these false prophets will sometimes make accurate predictions of the future (Deut. 13:2) and will perform signs and wonders (Mark 13:22). The only way to detect if they are false or not is to listen to (hear) what they say and observe what they do and determine if their “hearing” and “doing” (their lifestyle) lines up with the Scripture. Yeshua (Jesus) said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) and the fruit will always reflect the seed that brought it. In other words, a true prophet will faithfully exhibit fruit that is borne of the seed of the Word of God (Mark 4:14). They will in no wise teach as God’s Word anything that is plainly contradictory to the Word. So then, even if they make blind eyes see or deaf ears hear; even if they accurately predict a future event or call fire from heaven, those things in and of themselves DO NOT OFFER CONCLUSIVE PROOF that they are a prophet of God. The measuring stick is what they say and what they do - is it in harmony with God’s Word or no? Furthermore, we need to understand that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). When God imparts a gift or calling upon someone – in this case, that of a prophet – He doesn’t revoke that gift just because that person is not walking in accordance with God’s will. Sadly then, the gifts of God can be mis-appropriated. For example, consider Balaam the son of Beor and King Saul. In both cases these men possessed a genuine gift from on High. Yet, in both cases, they possessed character flaws that neither could overcome, but that overcame them. In the end, they misappropriated both their anointing and gift. In the case of Saul, the Bible says that he was a very attractive man anointed of God to be king (1 Samuel 10:1). Furthermore, Scripture tells us that the Spirit of God would come upon him and he would prophesy even to the point that men wondered if Saul was one of the prophets (1 Samuel 10:10-11). Saul apparently possessed or grew to possess a great deal of pride and that is what eventually led to his downfall. In time, God removed His Spirit and permitted an evil spirit to come upon Saul and trouble him (1 Samuel 16:14). Still, even when the evil spirit came upon Saul, the king continued to prophesy even if the unction came from a different source (1 Samuel 18:10). Understand, the gift and calling of God is without repentance and so we must be spiritually discerning and scripturally sound if we are to detect the true prophet from the false one. Remember, Paul warned against being as children, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). Signs Following Believers or Believers Following Signs?
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18). Does God still perform miracles in this era? Absolutely, yes! In fact, I strongly believe that the greatest days of miracles may yet be in the future. Yeshua (Jesus) told His disciples that they would perform even greater works that He had (John. 14:12). When the message of the risen Messiah first went forth, God was faithful to this promise and confirmed with signs and wonders that the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) were speaking the truth. I believe the call to return to the Hebraic roots of our faith and the Torah of God will be confirmed with signs and wonders! I say all this in order to make clear to the reader that I believe God does heal and that He confirms His word with supernatural manifestations because these things “will follow those who believe.” We must, however, define what it means to “believe.” What It Means To Believe In our culture, if we, in general, accept something intellectually, we “believe” it. Many Americans DO NOT believe in God, yet, how many of those who DO BELIEVE --- DO WHAT GOD SAYS? Here is what Scripture has to say on the subject. “You believe that "God is one"? Good for you! The demons believe it too -- the thought makes them shudder with fear! But, foolish fellow, do you want to be shown that such "faith" apart from actions is barren? In other words, your works is dead without faith....(James 2:19-20, Complete Jewish Bible). It is NOT ENOUGH to say that you believe in God; what matters is, do you believe in Him enough to do what He requires of you because faith without works is dead! We are told that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews. 11:6) and so it seems that true faith – the means by which we please our Father – requires more of us --- than just saying, “I believe.” From a Hebraic point of view, faith or believing is with “hearing” the Word of God and “doing” the Word of God. In fact, Paul tells us that it is not the hearers of the law who are justified but the doers of the law (Romans 2:13). So then, do legitimate signs and wonders necessarily follow those who say they believe in God or is it more appropriate to say that those who believe in God and live according to His Word will see signs and wonders following them? Understand, we cannot always assume that signs and wonders are indicative of someone who believes; we must first understand what a believer truly is. Remember, a prophet of God or, for that matter, anyone who considers themselves a believer is going to speak and live in harmony with the Scripture. They will “hear” and “do” what the Word has to say. That is not to suggest they are perfect because, as Scripture tells us, there are no perfect people – no not one (Romans 3:10). However, a true prophet understands their primary purpose and must always OBEY God's instructions, not sometimes, but ALWAYS (realizing they must please the Heavenly Father) not because they are seeking supernatural manifestations, or recognition for themselves; but because they understand their call. Many believers today run to and fro, following every “move of God,” seeking after signs and wonders. In other words, the movement is in the wrong direction – signs and wonders should follow believers, not the other way around. Is it wrong to desire spiritual gifts, healings? According to Paul, we should desire these things (1 Cor. 14:1). We must remember that Scripture tells us: “He sent His word and healed them.” (Psalms 107:20). HE SENT HIS WORD What does that mean? In part, that if we were to live according to His Word, we could live a healthy and prosperous life. For instance, if we ate only what He says is clean to eat and, abstained from what He says is unclean, I firmly believe that some of our ailments would disappear or, at the very least, be lessened. Moreover, who is to say what actually happens to our physical bodies when we choose to walk contrary to His commandments? If the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and sin is defined as “transgression of the law” (1 John. 3:4) then when we walk contrary to His commandments, are we not edging ever closer to death? Considering, our physical well-being is very likely dependant on “hearing” and “doing” the Word of God. I am convinced that if people actually appropriated all of God’s Word to their lives, much of the disease and sickness that plagues us would start dissipating – “He sent His Word and healed them!” Unfortunately, NOT UNDERSTANDING HIS WORD, this approach goes against the prevailing mindset in the believing world and, so, many well-intentioned people end up running from city to city seeking their healing and other signs and wonders. According to the Bible, this is not a recent development among the people of God. Yeshua (Jesus) made it clear why many people in His day were following Him and it wasn’t for all the right reasons. Just look at what He had to say. “Then Yeshua (Jesus) said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’ ” (John. 4:48) This is an extremely important point! According to the words of the Messiah, these people were following after the signs because the condition of their heart would not permit them to believe on Him otherwise. Consequently, this begs the question: Were all the signs Y’shua performed an indication of His approval of that generation or an indictment against them? When He performed certain signs, is it possible that His motive was to expose their hardened heart? For instance in Matthew 8, a leper came to Yeshua (Jesus) desiring to be healed. Indeed, Yeshua (Jesus) responded to the individual’s faith but then instructed him to tell no one “but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moshe (Moses) commanded, as a testimony to them,” that is, the priests of the Temple (Matthew 8:4). In the very next chapter we see that scribes are in the Galilee - probably sent from Jerusalem by the Temple leaders - to investigate this man’s ministry. While they watched, Yeshua (Jesus) forgave a paralytic of his sins and immediately perceived their reaction and thoughts toward Him. He said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matthew. 9:4). Then, to prove He had the power to forgive sins, He healed the paralytic man. True, He had compassion on the man who needed healing but He, in part, used the demonstration to reveal the true condition of those who were supposedly men of God. The point is, just because God performs a miraculous sign, don’t assume He is providing evidence of His approval of the direction people are taking – it may be the exact opposite. In John 5, Yeshua (Jesus) went to the pool of Bethesda and, among the multitudes of sick, blind and lame, found a paralytic who hoped to be healed when the waters of the pool were stirred. According to the Gospel, the man was healed and, at first, didn’t even know who was responsible for his miracle. Understand, all of the scores of people waiting to be healed, how many of them recognized that the Word made flesh was in their midst? Including the man who was healed, no one recognized that the only One who had the power to make them whole was walking among them. So then – their motive for being at the pool is clear but what does this say, potentially anyway, about their heart? Considering the uproar this incident caused among the Temple leaders – it occurred on the Sabbath - perhaps the more poignant question would be: what was Y’shua’s motive? Was He, once again, performing a sign in order to expose the condition of the people’s heart? Why is this so important to consider? If in Y’shua’s day signs were given in order to reveal the waywardness of His people, then I believe it is possible, if not probable, that when legitimate signs are manifested today, the purpose may be the same - to expose the true condition of the Body of Messiah. Without a doubt, there are times when the Father compassionately and mercifully responds to the desperate needs of people, yet, should we automatically assume that this is evidence of revival? Perhaps we should consider that it is evidence that we are in need of revival! I trust you see there is a big difference between the two positions. I fear, however, that the former opinion will prevail among many and the Body will continue to run to and fro looking for a sign.
Finally, it needs to be pointed out again that this subject matter is very much an end time topic. Just like political developments and natural occurrences have to be scrutinized in the light of Scripture, so too does anything that gets labeled as “a move of God.” As I noted earlier, John warned that we should be careful to observe these things before arriving at hasty conclusions. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 Jn. 4:1) Remember, God’s Spirit always works in concert with His Word. So, even if someone is performing signs and miracles, even if someone is being aided by an angel, you should compare what they say to the Scripture before you make a decision as to whether it is of God. Paul admonished us that: “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians. 1:8) Does God heal? Absolutely, Yes!! Father God use His people to perform signs and wonders? Yes. Will He respond to the faith and prayer of a desperate individual in spite of all? In my opinion, yes He will. Is every sign that God sends an indication of His favor? Again, in my opinion, it is not. Does everything that is deemed miraculous indicate the handiwork of God? No. Thus we see the necessity to accurately discern the signs of the times. Two thousand years ago, most people failed to recognize the very one they had been trained to look for and, primarily, because they were looking for the signs rather than the One who provides them. According to the Messiah, a wicked and adulterous generation seeks signs but, in the end, will only get one – the sign of the prophet Jonah. Consider, then, that Jonah was sent to that great city Ninevah to call them to teshuvah (repentence). Ironically Jonah was sent to call others to repent and was in need of repentance himself. Once he determined to fulfill his commission – after a fair amount of prodding - this Hebrew prophet went to the Gentiles to, in effect, provoke them to turn to the God of Israel and to follow His commandments. People of God, know that God has made it possible for you to discern the true signs of the times? Shalom.
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