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Prophecy in the Last Days
Study by: Elder Abraham Juma

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True Prophet vs. False Prophet

A prophet is anyone who bears the message of God and conveys it to others.

The messages of God can never contradict one another. The Spirit that inspired the writers of the Bible inspires every true prophet, and brings to clear view the thoughts of God revealed in the Bible instead of contradicting it. Those who contradict the Bible are under the inspiration of another spirit. We call them false prophets.

God’s thoughts in the Bible are complete and clear, without any contradictions. Though the thoughts of God were written in human language by human beings, they show a clear purpose of God’s love. Sometimes they appear to contradict, but if read ‘precept upon precept’ and ‘line upon line’, ‘hare a little and there a little’ all apparent contradiction is dissolved, and a perfect harmony seen.

God’s word is perfect. Those who teach principles contradicting the Bible are not better than the Bible; they are actually being inspired by Satan. God cannot contradict His word; see the story of the prophet in 1Kings 13:1-28.

God communicates through the Bible. If He must send a prophet, the prophet cannot contradict the Bible. Again I say, if he contradicts the Bible, he is a false prophet. God has not sent Him.

Christ has a message to the world, and He puts His Spirit in a person who communicates that message to the world. That is how it works. God communicates to the prophet in dreams and visions.
That is the Spirit of Prophecy.

In the last days, in connection with signs in the moon, sun and stars, the Spirit of Prophecy is to be seen (see Joel 2:28-32). It was fulfilled after the great Advent disappointment through Ellen Gould White. She ever exalted the Bible instead of contradicting it. Everything she spoke and wrote is Biblically supported.
So, in the last days, true prophecy would be seen in the world. It would be seen in the Israel of God, and would be a blessing to the whole world, exalting Jesus as the Savior of the world and calling all people to worship Him in truth and in spirit.

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Elijah who is to come

Prophecy speaks of great events in the end times. For instance, God promised to send Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day. Let us examine these verses.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:” Malachi 4:5.

God’s promises never fail. Elijah must indeed come. How does Elijah come, and how are we to know that it is indeed Elijah? This prophecy must be fulfilled in the last days. Is it being fulfilled around us? Have you seen Elijah the prophet?

It was clear that Before the Messiah comes to Israel, Elijah would appear. So, in connection with the coming of the Messiah, Elijah was expected to appear in Israel. Was this fulfilled?? And what would be the work of this prophet?? Let the Bible speak

“And he (Elijah) shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:6

The major work of Elijah is to turn hearts!
So, was there a heart turner in Israel before the Messiah was anointed? Was there someone preparing the way for the first advent of Christ? Let the Bible answer that question.

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,” Luke 3:1

“Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;” Luke 3:2, 3

“As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways [shall be] made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Luke 3:4-6.

These verses talk about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was cousin to Jesus, and was only 6 months older than Jesus. But the ministry of John was preceding that of Jesus. John only came to prepare the people to benefit from the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah had prophesied that there would come someone to prepare the way for Jesus i.e, the voice of him crying in the wilderness (see Isa 40:3-5).

The ministry of John was powerful. He rebuked sin in its name, and called on the people to prepare their hearts for the salvation that Jesus was about to preach. Jesus was never a public Messiah until He was anointed by the Holy Spirit after baptism in River Jordan. So, though they were almost the same age, their ministry did not start at the same time.
Of John the angel Gabriel declared to Zechariah,

“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”
“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.”
“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:13-17

When John finished his fearless ministry, he was beheaded in prison for rebuking the sin of Herod (see Matt 14:3-12). He had done the work of preparing the hearts of many to receive Jesus. Then he was given rest in the dust till the resurrection.

Later, the disciples of Jesus asked Jesus a question concerning the prophecy of Elijah’s coming before the coming of Messiah:

“And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” Matthew 17:10-13 (KJV)

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So, we can make the following deductions from John’s ministry:
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1. Jesus wills to come to the earth and meet a people prepared to receive Him.
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2. John the Baptist fulfilled the promise of the Elijah who was supposed to come before the Messiah.
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3. It was not the actual Elijah who was to come from heaven, but someone would be given the Spirit and power of Elijah.
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4. Elijah is a turner of hearts (not just a miracle worker). He calls sin by its name, warns of the results of apostasy and tells people to serve the true God.

But the great day of the Lord has not yet come, it is just ahead of us. So we expect to see the Spirit and power of Elijah on earth, warning people in love, turning hearths from false religion like Elijah did.

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21

The Last Day’s Church
The Lord established a unique church on earth as His instrument in the last days. The church has a message of grace to preach all over the world, calling back people to truly worship God. The church also teaches the law of Jehovah as ‘holy, just and good’-Romans7:12, forever immutable. This church has been blessed of God to be a movement on earth and to prepare a people who will be sealed to be able to stand before the Coming of Jesus.

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“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
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“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks,
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Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

The day of the Lord is going to be very terrible. Very few people will be able to stand in that day, and they are shown in Revelation 7 as having the seal of God. Many will want even the mountains to hide them from the face of Christ because they cannot stand. Lest that day come without warning, the merciful God said He will send Elijah to warn the people and prepare those who may stand before the Lord at His coming. It is not Elijah the individual, but “the spirit and power of Elijah” as it was in the time of the first advent of Christ when John the Baptist prepared the way.

People with such a spirit will come in the last days with a sealing message. These people are the Last Day Church of God. This church is to turn hearts with the everlasting gospel in preparation for the great day of the Lord God. Those who hear the message will receive the seal of the living God.

We are not to expect an individual prophet to fulfill Elijah’s role in the last days. The last day church will do the work in the spirit and power of Elijah. See what Joel says concerning the last day church’s work:

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“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: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
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“And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
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“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” Joel2:28-32.

This prophecy is speaking about what will happen on earth before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Surely, this message is similar to that of Malachi 4:5, 6.

God will empower His people (male and female) by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Great wonders will be seen and the world will be prepared to stand before the LORD in the terrible day. This message will fully fulfill the sealing of Revelation 7. A people will be prepared to stand in the terrible day before the Lord
This church will be very unique, even from the name. It is on a prophetic mission. It is a movement. The mission of the Seventh-Day Adventist church is simple, “To preach the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14:6-12.”

I am saying, the Seventh-Day Adventists are to be the Elijah of the last days. Not just the church, but the individuals in the church. By thorough understanding of the Scriptures as aided by the Spirit of prophecy, our church members are to be missionaries in this world, showing people the truth as plainly as it is in the Bible. This is the work which must be done in the last days.

The world is hungering for the coming of the Lord, but lest they be found unprepared, God has sent us to prepare them to receive Him even as John the Baptist did. Their hearts must be transformed by the Holy Spirit or they will be found wanting when Christ comes.

We must all understand the Prophecy of the Bible to be able to preach the present truth. We must not preach the easy common messages while fleeing from the prophetic facts, but we must preach Jesus in the Truth of the matter. Let us not boast about our plight as a church, let us work. And our characters must not deny Jesus. Remember the Lord does not look at the group church, but at the individuals who make up His church. We must all individually do the work the Lord has appointed us, and when the warning has gone all over the world as a witness to the nations, the end will come. Christ is not coming before the world is warned. God will empower the church in the last day crisis by an outpouring of the Spirit called by many “The Latter Rain”. Are you doing your part in warning the world?

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SUMMARY:
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*First Elijah {was in Israel in the days of Ahab the king}
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*Second Elijah {John the Baptist, prepared the way for Jesus Christ’s first advent}
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*Third Elijah {the last day church of Christ with a mission to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus}.
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Counterfeit last day prophecy

Because of genuine prophetic gift in the true church of God, there will be a counterfeit prophetic mission in the world in the last days. There can never be a counterfeit without a genuine. Satan will counter the influence of true prophecy in the last days using counterfeits. False prophetic ministries and revivals will come in these last days. We must be warned.

Jesus, speaking of the last day events says, “For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24 (KJV)

False prophets must come. There are three things revealed in the verse above: *1.Great wonders and signs *2.Deception *3.The elect. The work of false prophets is to deceive. Satan is a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). It is he who sends false prophets to deceive the world.

But the elect of God will have developed such a character that can endure the great wonders and lies. Are you an elect of God? Have you settled in the truth?

There are many spirits claiming to be genuine spirits in these last days. John’s advice is required here. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1. We need to test the spirits. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (KJV)

We need therefore an instrument of testing, so that we can distinguish truth from error. It is the Bible, and the Testimony. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20 (KJV)
No matter what miracles they may perform, if they contradict the teachings of the Bible, they are false prophets. Because the Spirit that inspired the Bible is not the same Spirit as the one in them. Miracles prove nothing if they contradict the word of God.

The second Elijah (John the Baptist) was powerful in preaching the truth. But he performed no miracles. The Bible says, “And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.” John 10:41 (KJV)

So, if God perform no miraculous sign through us, it doesn’t mean God is not with us. And miracles are not an indication of God being with us. Even Satan is able to work miracles. Remember he is an angel fallen. Even in the time of the Exodus before Pharaoh, he sought to counterfeit the miracles of God.

Satan knows there will be a glorious end of the gospel work through the influence of the Latter Rain, therefore he is seeking to hold back several people from accepting the plain truth through the Remnant people. He works miracles on their part, hence making them feel peace and safety in false religion.

The elect of God are always lured to the so called ‘mighty prophets’ who provide temporary solutions to their problems. Satan is especially targeting the Sabbath keepers. We need to know the Bible, or we will be deceived also.

If God gives us the miracle working power, His will be done. But if not, we must preach the word to do the greatest miracle, and that is ‘turning of hearts’ and preparing them to meet Jesus. We are told that during the ‘Latter Rain’ miracle working power will be given to us like the apostles after Pentecost.
Those who will receive the three-angels’ message as presented in the Bible are to be sealed. Revelation 7 is an answer to Rev 6:17. It shows us that those who will be able to stand need a special seal of God.

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The following are quotes from the Spirit of Prophecy

As one of the signs of Jerusalem’s destruction, Christ had said, “Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” [Matthew 24:11]. False prophets did rise, deceiving the people and leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them into the mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken also for the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent.—The Desire of Ages, 631 (1898).

We shall encounter false claims, false prophets will arise, there will be false dreams and false visions, but preach the Word; be not drawn away from the voice of God in His Word.—Selected Messages 2:49 (1894).

The sick will be healed before us. Miracles will be performed in our sight. Are we prepared for the trial which awaits us when the lying wonders of Satan shall be more fully exhibited?—Testimonies For The Church 1:302 (1862).

Men under the influence of evil spirits will work miracles. They will make people sick by casting their spell upon them, and will then remove the spell, leading others to say that those who were sick have been miraculously healed. This Satan has done again and again.—Selected Messages 2:53 (1903).

Wonderful scenes, with which Satan will be closely connected, will soon take place. God’s Word declares that Satan will work miracles. He will make people sick, and then will suddenly remove from them his satanic power. They will then be regarded as healed. These works of apparent healing will bring Seventh-day Adventists to the test.—Selected Messages 2:53 (1904).

Satan can, through a species of deceptions, perform wonders that will appear to be genuine miracles. It was this he hoped to make a test question with the Israelites at the time of their deliverance from Egypt.—Selected Messages 2:52 (1907).

We must not trust the claims of men. They may, as Christ represents, profess to work miracles in healing the sick. Is this marvelous, when just behind them stands the great deceiver, the miracle worker who will yet bring down fire from heaven in the sight of men?—Selected Messages 2:49 (1887).

It is the lying wonders of the devil that will take the world captive, and he will cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men. He is to work miracles, and this wonderful, miracle-working power is to sweep in the whole world.—Selected Messages 2:51 (1890).

“He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do” (Revelation 13:13, 14). No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived by the miracles which Satan’s agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.—The Great Controversy, 553 (1911).

I have been shown many who will claim to be especially taught of God, and will attempt to lead others, and from mistaken ideas of duty they will undertake a work that God has never laid upon them. Confusion will be the result. Let everyone seek God most earnestly for himself that he may individually understand
His will.—Selected Messages 2:72 (1893).

Go to God for yourselves, pray for divine enlightenment, that you may know that you do know what is truth, that when the wonderful miracle-working power shall be displayed, and the enemy shall come as an angel of light, you may distinguish between the genuine work of God and the imitative work of the powers of darkness.—Selected Messages 3:389 (1888).

The way in which Christ worked was to preach the Word, and to relieve suffering by miraculous works of healing. But I am instructed that we cannot now work in this way, [Miracles will accompany the ministry of God’s people under the loud cry, but they will not have the significance they did in Christ’s day. The performing of miracles will no longer be a proof of divine endorsement.] for Satan will exercise his power by working miracles. God’s servants today could not work by means of miracles, because spurious works of healing, claiming to be divine, will be wrought.—Selected Messages 2:54 (1904).

God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will counterfeit the miracles that will be wrought.—Testimonies for the Church 9:16 (1909).

If those through whom cures are performed are disposed, on account of these manifestations, to excuse their neglect of the law of God and continue in disobedience, though they have power to any and every extent, it does not follow that they have the great power of God. On the contrary, it is the miracle-working power of the great deceiver.—Selected Messages 2:50, 51 (1885).

The Bible will never be superseded by miraculous manifestations. The truth must be studied, it must be searched for as hidden treasure. Wonderful illuminations will not be given aside from the Word or to take the place of it. Cling to the Word, receive the engrafted Word which will make men wise unto salvation.—Selected Messages 2:48 (1894).

The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.—The Great Controversy, 593 (1911).

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Be warned my dear brothers and sisters. Test the prophets if they are genuine first before you accept them. The woman Ellen G. White has been proven from the beginning. She was not a miracle worker, but she spoke the word of God without fear or favor. God used her to make it easy for the last day church to survive the perils of this age. She says:

“Men may get up scheme after scheme and the enemy will seek to seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White and has given her a message will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days.—Selected Messages 3:83, 84 (1906).

Even some among us will claim to have dreams and visions. There is actually more danger to the servants of Satan who are in our church. They may slowly lead us to error when we trust them to be our teachers. We must be careful. Ellen says:

“There will be those who will claim to have visions. When God gives you clear evidence that the vision is from Him, you may accept it, but do not accept it on any other evidence, for people are going to be led more and more astray in foreign countries and in America.—Selected Messages 2:72 (1905).

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See the following additional points about prophecy.

How to test the prophetic gift
1. Does the prophet’s message agree with the Bible? (Isaiah8:20).
2. Do the predictions come true? (Deut18:21, 22 Jer28:9)
3. Is Christ’s incarnation recognized? (1John2:1-3) {Some miracle workers are not Christians. They deny His Divinity, saying He is not the Son of God. These cannot be prophets of Jehovah}.
4. Does the prophet bear good or bad fruit? (2Pet1:21, Matt7:16-20, Gal5:19-23)

Role of Prophets in the Church
1. They assisted in founding the church (Eph2:20, 21).
2. They initiated the church’s mission outreach (Acts13:1, 2 Acts16:6-10)
3. They edified the church (1Cor14:3, 4 Eph4:12)
4. They united the church and protected it against heresies (Eph4:13, 14)
5. They warned of future difficulties (Acts11:27-30, 20:23, 21:14,10-19)
6. They confirmed the faith of believers in times of controversy (Acts15:32).

A prophet in vision experiences the following manifestation:
*First loses physical strength (Dan10:8)
*Then the prophet receives supernatural strength (Dan10:18, 19)
*No breath remains in the body—they don’t breathe while in vision (Dan10:16)
*Can be able to speak (Dan10:16)
*Is not conscious of his surroundings (Dan10:5-8, 2Cor12:2-4)
*The eyes will be open (Numbers24:4).

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Ellen G white exhibited all these physical manifestations while in vision. God allowed many people to examine her during vision to establish confidence that she had been sent by God. You can research about this. When they accepted that she was a true prophet, God gave her less open visions and more night visions.

Titles given to prophets in the Bible
Prophet (1sam9:9), Son of man (Eze4:1, 5:1), seer (2Chron16:7), Messenger (Malachi3:1), Servant of God (1Chron6:49, 22:9), Man of God (2Kings4:21, 22), Watchman (Eze3:17), Voice of One crying in the wilderness (Matt3:3).

Names used to call false prophets
Diviner-fortune teller
Astrologer-observer of times
‘Enchanter’-magician
Witch/Wizard-male or female psychic
Consulter with familiar spirits-spirit medium
Necromancer-one who supposedly consults with the dead
Sorcerer-the modern counterpart of sorcery is spiritism
Charmer-one who casts spells/uses charms.