God took me to Old Testament scriptures to show me things a New Testament prophet of God does in the church.
Primarily we work to turn the church back to God when we see the church going in a way opposite to God's way.
Ezekiel 3
We are sent to the church: to ministers and to individuals, often to bring correction and to try to turn them, when God shows us they are going the wrong way.
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
(Often they go the wrong way today because they have hardened their hearts to what God has tried to speak to them and they try to figure out what to do without turning to God. God certainly uses us, HIS prophets today to try to wake them to what they are doing when they fall asleep and sleepwalk through issues of this life which can eat them alive.)
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. 11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. 11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
In the NT church, all who belong to God have been given the Holy Spirit that they may know the way to go. But I've found in the midst of extreme pressure they fail to seek God on details and panic and begin to grab at worldly straws which will destroy them. Often God will send us prophets to try to turn them. Often they fight us and resist us, but when God has trained us, we keep hammering at them to awaken them from disaster!
God often gives me open visions to show me a "word of knowledge" (spiritual gift: I Cor. 12:8)
Here is an open vision God gave me in July 2023, of a woman in our own little church group.
There was a very big giant prehistoric type snake, about 5 times the size of a big alligator. This church woman was 1/2 way in the snake's mouth. She was already 1/2 swallowed, up to her waist. Only her legs were out of snake's mouth ... Then she completely disappeared. She was in the belly of the snake. Swallowed whole like Jonah. The snake was licking his lips ... Then the snake had turned around and was wagging the tip of his tail like a satisfied dog. End of open vision.
God gave me understanding of this open vision. This church woman was surrounded by unbelievers. No one in her family was born again. She panicked over her husband's illness and began to plead with God with a doctrine of "works", pleading for his salvation based on his own goodness. (Rev. 5 Only Jesus is worthy.) God had given her a dream showing her husband reading the Bible but she failed to cling to this word from God and she turned to another doctrine of her own mind which was a doctrine of goodness of man by man's own works. (When I sent her Rev. 5, she awoke and replied, "Of course!")
She also began to put her hope in physical therapy and turned from Bible which says: "Bodily exercise profiteth little." I Tim. 4:8
She was 1/2 way into the mouth of the serpent with setting up false doctrine and turning from 2 truths of Bible and even beginning to speak her "doctrines" to others and think in her heart opposite to what the Bible shows us.
Ezekiel 3 (Work of a prophet)
(God showed me the seriousness of giving all the counsel of God when presenting the warning by showing me the following scriptures.)
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
(I asked God if there was any example in the New Testament Bible where a minister was held accountable for the blood of another person and I was reminded of the following words of the apostle Paul. Acts 20 (Paul speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus) Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. By this, I was highly motivated and convinced of my responsibility to speak that which God had put into my heart when I saw a church person going opposite from scriptures, and to try to warn them and turn them back to scripture if possible.)
Ezekiel 3
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
I was completely convinced by God to speak and not hold back anything that I believed to be from God.
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In a recent writing, you can witness my dealing with the church woman who was being swallowed whole by the giant reptile in the open vision given to me by God.
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Are there prophets in the New Testament church today?
According to the New Testament Bible there are:
Ephesians 4:8;11-12
8 Wherefore HE (Jesus) saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 11 And HE (Jesus) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Here are examples of New Testament prophets working in the New Testament Bible:
Acts 11:27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
Acts 15:32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
(This is not Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus but another man named Judas who was a NT prophet. Silas, another NT prophet often travelled with the apostle Paul as he worked in the NT church.)
I Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
I Corinthians 14:29 (Paul gives instructions for NT prophets as they work in the NT church) Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
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Here is another example of the work of a NT prophet: A letter which I wrote to a church woman.
8-8-23
Perhaps I should report this to you. I have seen in you what I view as a great spiritual deterioration. I have prayed that you be saved but unless your life is changed considerably, I really believe you are being swallowed alive by allowing people and thoughts to affect your "beliefs" in the doctrine of Christ and you are allowing your own flesh to take over.
I write this to warn you so you can make proper adjustments.
I do not solicit any verbal explanation from you.
But if I failed to warn you it might damage you.
One main thing: There has been no mention at all by you concerning God showing you anything. That leads us to believe that you are not hearing from God or that you have chosen not to tell us if you are.
Either way, it shows you to be "in trouble." and that greatly troubles us.
The end of the lives of most people is very bad. I see that for you too, but it could be turned around.
Written in true love and caring,
Joan
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