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September/October 2012

A Message From
Good News Press
Good News Press is an outreach publication. The Christian
message is often referred to as
the "Gospel," which means
Connie Woods "good news." Specifically, it is
the good news about Jesuswho he is, what
he has done, and what he offers. Essentially,
the message is that Jesus was God in the flesh,
that he came into the world to reconcile humanity to himself, and that his salvation is
freely offered to each person who will respond in faith. The Gospel message explains
that salvation is only possible through the
Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Though
thousands of books have been written about
these events, the core idea is that, through his
sacrifice, Jesus paid the price for our sinfulness (rebellion against God), thus offering us
forgiveness. Then through his Resurrection he
conquered death, removing it as the penalty
for our sin and replacing it with the offer of
eternal life that is only available from him to
all those that place their faith in him.

Gods Plan of Salvation:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(Left) Governor Mitt Romney during a campaign stop in Philadelphia. (Right) Obama greets friends and neighbors as he arrives to vote at his
polling place in Kenwood. RNS photos by Roger Barone

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.

In these very difficult times politics

alone can't resolve our problems.
Many of our problems nationally are
spiritual, requiring a spiritual solution.
One such solution was often employed
by our nation's founders -- a national
day not just of prayer, but also of personal, and national, repentance. There
is a growing movement, an awakening
within the body of Christ, event after

Submit Your news or event to

Good News Press: (888)-767-2737.

In This Issue
Pres. Obama & Romneys Spiritual..

National Day of Repentance

Spike Lees Red Hook Summer

Frequently Asked Questions

The Importance of Bible Prophecy

Poetry

Advertisements

National Day of Repentance

event, in these next 90 days, pointing
out that we believers in Christ need to
pray and repent so that the Lord can
step in with His miracles, which our
nation now desperately needs. Many
prayer events are planned, but a focus
on repentance is vital for their success.
In local Christian churches and ministries across denominations and across

the nation just such a National Day of

Repentance is set to take place from
sundown Tuesday, September 25
through sundown Wednesday, September 26. To emphasize the value
God places on repentance, this date
will coincide with the 3,450-year-old
Jewish holy day of atonement, Yom
Kippur.
Continued on Page 2

Obama and Romney Offer Rare Glimpse of their Spiritual Lives

By Daniel Burke
(RNS) President Obama says its not his
job to defend his Christian faith against
doubters who suspect hes Muslim. His
GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, says
religion is integral to his life, even as
often he avoids mentioning his Mor-

mon faith by name.

In interviews published Tuesday (Aug.
21) by Cathedral Age, the magazine of
the Washington National Cathedral,
the candidates responded in writing to
nine questions about their faith.
Religion has been a tricky political is-

sue thus far for both men. A recent

Pew Research Center poll found that
only 49 percent of Americans can correctly identify Obama as a Christian.
More Americans know that Romney is
Mormon, but a significant minority (30
Continued on Page 4

s
t

Good News Press - 2

Black Churches Split Over Gay
Marriage and Obama
By Adelle M. Banks
(RNS) At Charity Missionary
Baptist Church in North
Charleston, S.C., the Rev.
Nelson B. Rivers III supports
and follows his AfricanAmerican congregations
policy: They will only conduct marriages between
one man and one woman.
But the vice president of the
NAACP also backed his civil
rights organizations recent
statement supporting
marriage equality.
We see no conflict in that,
Rivers said, because I am
the leader of the r-i-t-e at
my church, the rites, but Im
also a strong advocate of
the r-i-g-h-t-s of my members.
President Obama's support
for gay marriage, followed
quickly by the NAACP's, has
put some black clergy in a
bind, torn between their
political loyalties and their
religious beliefs. For some,
like Rivers, it's been a
both/and proposition, while
others say they can support
the president without endorsing his position on gay
marriage.
But the issue has highlighted that the black church
has never been monolithic.
The black church's response
is further complicated by
the fact that people in the
pew may not always go
along with what pastors in
the pulpit preach.Youve
got to balance religious convictions with all of your

other interests, your racial

interests, your economic
interests, said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor
of politics at Emory University who studies AfricanAmerican politics.

can-Americans remain
one of the groups most
opposed to gay marriage: 51 percent are
opposed, while 40 percent support it, according to a recent poll by
the Pew Forum on ReMost blacks still prioritize
ligion & Public Life. That
their rights as Africansupport, however, has
Americans and economic
edged up from 26 perissues over social issues, she cent just four years ago.
said.
Among black ProtesAt Charity Missionary Baptist Church in
North Charleston, S.C., the Rev. Nelson B.
tants, opposition is
Rivers III supports and follows his AfricanDrawing the same distincslightly higher, at 54
American congregations policy: They will only
tion as Rivers, the African
conduct marriages between one man and
percent.
one woman. RNS photo courtesy of Charity Miss
Methodist Episcopal Zion
Baptist Church.
Church issued a statement Pew researchers said
about their stance, said the
at its recent quadrennial
Obama's support hasn't
Rev. Cedric Harmon, comeeting declaring that its
noticeably shifted opinion in
director of the three-yearchurches cannot perform
either direction, but some
same-sex rituals. But it also smaller groups are seeking old nonprofit.
noted that while it differed to galvanize lingering black
Theyre weighing this out;
with Obama on gay marskepticism over gay martheyre considering who
riage, his positions on
riage to make it a wedge
they know, what they behealth care and student
issue for African-American
lieve, he said. They dont
loans are consistent with
voters this November.
want to be mean. They
the interests of our congredont want to be hateful.
gant members.
I would hope that the
president would become
Rivers said while his church
We do not believe in same- wise, come to his senses
doesnt sanction same-sex
sex marriage but we do not and know that he has made
ceremonies, another across
believe thats the only isa mistake, said the Rev.
town might conduct them. If
sue, explained AME Zion
William Owens, president of gay members were to reBishop Darryl Starnes.
the fledgling Coalition of
quest such a service from
There is more in the scrip- African-American Pastors, at
him, he said he would rectures about treating the
a recent National Press Club ommend they find such a
poor right and championing news conference. His group
congregation for a cerethe cause of the oppressed is circulating an online petimony because it is their
than some of these other
tion to ask Obama to
right to have one.
issues.
repudiate his assertion that
gay marriage is a civil right. On the issues of justice,
Likewise, the Pentecostal
fairness and equality and
Assemblies of the World has Still others, including the
the prophetic role of clergy
said it is in conflict with
Washington-based group
and standing up for what is
the presidents stance but
Many Voices, are working to right, there is much consenapplauds Obama for his
reshape the notion that all sus, he said. On the other
many achievements in imblack churches are against
issues, how you interpret
proving the quality of life for gay rights. Rather, many
doctrine, thats up to your
all Americans.Overall, Afri- clergy are thinking carefully
church.

National Day of
Repentance from Page 1
The purpose of the National
Day of Repentance is to
bless the body of Christ, by
focusing on repentance in
our own lives, on this one
key day; pull away from the
world, and join many others
across the nation, in local
churches, homes, or ministries. We encourage the
body of Christ to pray, to
fast, and to do one's own
spiritual inventory with God
our Creator during a National Day of Repentance.
We believe this will open
heaven for the Lord to forgive our sin and heal our
land. A website,
www.dayofrepentance.org,
has been created to foster
participation at the grassroots level.
The event is calling pastors,
priests, intercessors, church
leaders, prayer "warriors,"
those with the ability to
discern the times like the
sons of Issachar [1 Chronicles 12:32], those with spiritual discernment [1 Corinthians 12:9], those who
understand the spiritual
power of repentance individually, and for a nation.
Our Founding Fathers understood the power of repentance and declared Days
of "Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation" as a key spiritual
tool to establish and preserve this nation. When the
Revolutionary War looked
most bleak, John Adams,
asked if he believed we
could nonetheless defeat
Great Britain, said: "Yes, if
we fear God and repent of
our sins."

This National Day of Repentance is set to coincide with

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day
of Atonement. Holding this
event on Yom Kippur, is in
no way meant to preempt
or replace what Yom Kippur
means for the Jewish people, but is meant to honor
the Jewish people's divinely
mandated calendar (Lev
23:1-2), and to honor the
holiness and seriousness of
that day. It also honors the
Jewish roots of the Christian
faith in Romans 1:16. The
Lord Himself said [Leviticus
23:27-31] that the Day of
Atonement would be a
"holy convocation", a day to
"afflict" one's soul, to do no
work; a "statute forever
throughout your generations in all your dwellings."
Although 2 Chronicles 7:14
applies to Israel primarily, it
also applies to all believers
as a way to heal the nations, including our nation,
in 2012. "If My people, who
are called by My name, will
humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, and
turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive
their sin and heal their
land."
This is a nonprofit project,
for the body of Christ,
across all denominations,
initiated by a small group
of pastors nationwide. For
more information please
contact Pastor Jeff Daly,
Director, National Day of
Repentance, (707) 9879082, jdalylaw@aol.com,
www.dayofrepentance.org.

Good News Press - 3

Being A Pastor and Speaking Out in Todays Culture
moral convictions that have
been born out of a faith commitment? Because people
squirm when sin is exposed in
politics or culture, does it
mean we should refrain from
preaching? No. It may mean
just the opposite.

- Commentary by Dr. Michael

A. Milton
A pastor I know recently told
me that he was criticized for
being "too political." He has
heard such an indictment
throughout his ministry, he
said. Today he leads a major
ministry in the U.S. battling
daily for the rights of pastors
to speak so that believers can
speak. His prophetic word
upsets the establishment. His
voice is prophetic. His heart is
pastoral. Can the two coexist?
I have heard similar charges in
my ministry through the years.
I accept the critique. However,
if the matter is important, I am
compelled to address it in
preaching or writing, and I
believe that is just being pastoral to God's people. I cannot
compartmentalize the Lordship of Christ to only one area
of life. He is Lord of all.
Is it right that pastors should
remain silent about important
matters in society that are
being debated in the public
square because someone is
trying to establish in our culture that there is no place in
politics for religious beliefs or

Is a pastor solely limited to

sharing the gospel to his flock
on Sunday mornings? Or was
the late Dr. John Stott right
that one of our identities as
gospel preachers, in a faithful
biblical portrait of a pastor, is a
"herald"? The pastor is not a
prophet, yet he most certainly
does carry a prophetic voice
and speaks with biblical authority to other Beast-like
powers when there are souls
at risk or the honor of Christ
and His Church is under siege.
I have an intuitive concern that
the liberal professor who
won't let the young believer
raise her hand in a state university and speak from her
conviction is now trying to
govern public discourse. Well,
I am not governed by political
correctness that has been
born out of a liberal educational system or by the pressure of a liberal press but by
the one and only true God.
The public square is not the
university professor's classroom nor is it the TV news
studio. This is my Father's
world. Therefore, I speak, and
I speak publicly, as the Lord
gives an open door, through
media, because I am compelled
by compassion for souls that
may be victims of systems that
will ultimately enslave them.
I believe that pastors must
speak to our declining culture.
I am pastorally concerned that

that there are dangerous idols

masquerading under the banner of politics in this increasingly secularized culture. These
heaven-rejected powers prefer
that we keep quiet. But when
the powers move beyond the
Machiavellian machinations of
politics to the advocacy of
principles at odds with God's
Word we must call them out.
The prophets and church fathers of old spoke forth concerning the actions of governments, individuals yielding
power, and the idols of culture. Our Lord Jesus did when
he said of Herod "Go tell that
Fox" (Luke 13:32), St. Paul did,
the church fathers did, and the
Reformers did. In the 20th
Century I thank God that J.
Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
was not afraid to speak to the
ungodliness in his culture (read
Stephen Nichols' fine biography). And what of Bonhoeffer?
Solzenitchen? Martin Luther
King, Jr.? Today pastors like
Ugandan Archbishop Henry
Luke Orombi preach against
the powers of darkness, expose evil in government, and
even in churches in our own
nation as missionaries to
America, and warn people
while compassionately inviting
them to Christ. Why? Because
pastors are like watchmen on
the wall (Ezekiel 33) required
by God to sometimes warn of
coming danger, even if others
cry "Off limits!" To do otherwise is to be disobedient to
our calling. God says if there is
harm to his people because
the watchmen were silent they
will have the blood of the people on their hands. This is a
sobering warning to pastors
and trumps any criticism of
being "too political."

Yet the challenge of discernment is acknowledged. What must we

do?
(1) Pastors must represent no man but God
and no party but His
Kingdom. We therefore
refuse to be used as
pawns by any political
party. We are aware of
Psalms 2 that the rulers
of this world conspire
against God and His Son.
We study. We pray. We
speak, therefore, when
we must, on behalf of the
truths of God's Word to
help people.
(2) Pastors must diagnose the presenting ill to
discover the real issue
beneath it. Only then do
we speak. Diagnosis requires prayer, wisdom,
courage, and the leading
of the Lord. Speaking
requires courage and
counting the cost. If it is
a real or potential spiritual harm coming from
the presenting issues of
culture or politics, then
we must deliver the diagnosis and offer the cure
in the Person of Jesus
Christ and His Word. If I
happen to yell
"Warning!" and the demon under the cloak of
culture is a straw-man
then I have expended my
pastoral capitol, perhaps
compromising my ability
to preach into real or
more critical situations.
But if it is not a strawman, and instead an instrument of the "devil,
the flesh or the world"
that would further mar

the image of God in man for souls. That is my job.

or further distance us
And I will preach. That is
from God, then woe to my calling.
me if I speak not.
Dangers exist on all sides
So we must preach, even for the pastor. But, who
when the culture labels
said the job would be
our message "off limits." easy? Yet to silence the
We will live with that
pastor in any realm is to
criticism because we are cause the Church to
pastors and we follow
retreat into a secluded
Christ and His disciples
ghetto where we can no
who also were criticized longer be salt and light in
(and crucified) for assum- the world. And that caning an authority that
not be. We comfort the
challenged theirs.
afflicted and on occasion
may afflict the comfort(3) Pastors must pray for able, as it is sometimes
each situation that star- put. The ground of our
tles our shepherding
ministry is love from a
instincts, and weigh
pure conscience. Let us
whether a given issue is not abandon our post as
an assault on our conlong as God gives us the
science worth exposing. strength to stand. Let us
It is understood that
be silent no more.
some matters are just
politics or a reflection of Michael Anthony Milton
(Ph.D., University of
a sick culture, and a pa- Wales) serves as the
thology more ably adchancellor/CEO of Reformed Theological
dressed by other men
Seminary (one of the
and women.
largest accredited seminaries in the country), a
(4) Pastors must ground U.S. Army chaplain
their preaching in God's (instructing at the Armed
Forces Chaplain School)
Word, the Bible. We
and the James M. Baird
have no authority apart
Jr. chair of pastoral thefrom His Word. We
ology at RTS/Charlotte.
He is an author, songmust also always offer
the way out through the writer, singer, ordained
minister, former pastor
gospel of Jesus Christ.
of First Presbyterian
To do less is to be emChurch in Chattanooga,
Tenn., and he previously
broiled in the political
served as the president
debate. But preaching
of RTS/Charlotte. Dr.
with a conclusion that
Milton also hosts a naleads to freedom in
tional Bible teaching television program, Faith For
Christ is above the
Living, broadcast on the
storm, where it should
NRB Television Netbe.
work, and a radio program broadcast on sevMy pulpit and my writeral stations in the
ings are not for sale to
southeast. For 16 years
any political party. I care he served in the business
not a whit for using my
world and served as a
top-secret Navy linguist.
position to promote a
political agenda. I do care

Good News Press - 4

Filmmaker Spike Lee focuses on faith in Red Hook Summer
Adelle M. Banks
WASHINGTON (RNS) Spike
Lee is not about to give up
filmmaking but -- at least for a
moment or two -- he sounded
a bit like an expert on the
challenges facing the church as
he promoted his new movie
"Red Hook Summer."
"Any church whose members
are senior citizens and there's
no youth coming behind,
they're going to die out," Lee
said in a roundtable discussion
with reporters.
"Now that goes for synagogues, mosques, temples too
-- any institution," Lee continued. "You got to always try to
have that infusion of youth.
They might not be as smart but
youth has energy."
"Red Hook Summer" opens
Friday (Aug. 24) in cities such
as Washington, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The
movie's main character echoes
Lee's call to get young people
to church, but he also has a
particular drive to evangelize
his grandson, who traveled
from suburban Atlanta to
spend the summer in the struggling Red Hook neighborhood
of Brooklyn, N.Y.

his grandson. They never set

eyes on each other before and
he's desperately trying to get
him to accept God."
But Flik Royale, the iPad-toting
grandson, goes to the Little
Piece of Heaven Baptist
Church "kicking and screaming," said Lee.
"You embarrass me," Royale,
played by Jules Brown, told
Rouse, a character who eventually is revealed
to have a secret
past.

vibrant worship -- rollicking

organ, tambourine playing and
clapping congregation -- at the
services of the small Baptist
church. And they also reflect
the practice in some black
churches of adorning the walls
with images of a white Jesus.

fight for that one," he said.

"Jesus wept -- two words.
Can't go wrong with that,
right?"

There are aspects of some

real-life churches that clearly
disturb Lee, especially prosperity gospel ministers in "25,000Is Lee for or against that depic- seat arenas" passing around
"garbage cans" instead of offertion?
ing plates.
"Can I go scriptural on you?"
"The politics of give me your
asked Lee. "Jesus wept."

"You need Jesus in

your life, son," his
grandfather responds.
For his part, Lee
wasn't raised a
churchgoer but he
says he's not totally unfamiliar
with the black
church, having
visited congregations such as New
York's Abyssinian
Baptist Church.
"We're very reSpike Lee sits on the set of his film "Red Hook Summer" with actors Toni
spectful of the
church," said Lee, Lysaith and Jules Brown. RNS photo courtesy Variance Films
who shared
money and I'll put it in my
Lee and his siblings competed
screenwriting credits with
to recite the short Bible verse pocket," he said. "I'm going to
author James McBride.
be honest: I'm not a fan of this
McBride's mother co-founded when asked for one during
the Brooklyn church where the childhood visits to their South- prosperity. Not having it."
ern grandparents.
movie was filmed.
But he quickly adds: "I'm not

"The good Bishop Enoch

Rouse is trying to rally his
flock, his congregation, in this
cruel and harsh world," said
Lee of the character played by
actor Clarke Peters. "He's
finally getting a chance to meet He and McBride capture the

"Me and my brothers would

saying I don't love Jesus."

President Obama and Romney continued from Page 1

percent) does not believe
that the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is
Christian.

tion, Romney said: I am

often asked about my faith
and my beliefs about Jesus
Christ. I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God and
Asked about people who
the Savior of mankind. Every
question the sincerity of his religion has its own unique
faith, Obama responded:
doctrines and history. These
You know, theres not much should not be bases for critiI can do about it. I have a job cism but rather a test of our
to do as president, and that tolerance.
does not involve convincing
folks that my faith in Jesus is Both men said that political
legitimate and real.
candidates should be judged
by their works, not faith.
Answering the same ques-

A political leaders faith can

tell us a great deal or nothing, Romney said. So much
depends on what lies behind
that faith. And so much depends on deeds, not words.

Obama said.
Romney said that faith is
integral to my life. I have
served as a lay pastor in my
church. I faithfully follow its
precepts.

Both also men said that religion is central to their lives. The men differed slightly on
the role of faith in public life.
My Christian faith gives me
Obama highlighted religions
a perspective and security
contributions to the sufthat I dont think I would
frage, abolition and civil
have otherwise: That I am
loved. That, at the end of the rights movements. He also
said that faith provides a
day, God is in control,

moral framework and

vocabulary for the country in times of crisis.
Romney said the country
should acknowledge the
Creator, as did the Founders -- in ceremony and
word.
God should remain present in American currency, the Pledge of Allegiance and history lessons,
as well as nativity scenes

and menorahs in public

places, he added.
In recent years, the notion of the separation of
church and state has been
taken by some well beyond its original meaning," Romney said. They
seek to remove from the
public domain any acknowledgment of God.

Good News Press - 5

Frequently Asked Questions
How can I really know
God?
The idea of knowing the
God of the universe in a
personal way is unfathomable to the human mind. He
is God, this ethereal, elusive,
untouchable being that has
more important things to do
than be with you. Right?

talking about people who

worked so hard that they
thought they were earning
Gods favor. They never
took the time to sit at His
feet, to really know Him.

How do you do that? In the

Exodus verse above, it
shows that one way to know
God is to understand His
ways. We can do that by
studying His word and payThe truth is that there is
ing attention to the way He
nothing that will complete
works in our lives. The
your life more, or be more
satisfying to you, than hav- verse found in Philippians
asserts that we know God by
ing a personal relationship
with God. Believe it or not, sharing in His work and His
there is nothing more satis- suffering. That basically
means sharing His heart for
fying to Him, as well. 2
the lost. Daily time spent
Timothy 2:19a says, The
with God, however, is the
Lord knows those who are
most crucial way to assure
his. And Exodus 33:13
your intimacy with the Lord.
says, If you are pleased
This needs to be time spent
with me, teach me your
alone, in prayer, seeking
ways so I may know you
Gods presence in your life.
and continue to find favor
with you. And Philippians 1 Chronicles 28:9 promises,
3:10, I want to know Christ If you seek him, he will be
found by you; but if you
and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of forsake him, he will reject
you forever.
sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his
death. From those verses, What exactly is the tribulation?
we begin to see that this
relationship with God is
reciprocal. He knows us; we The word "tribulation," used
as a prophetic term, comes
know Him.
from Jesus' Olivet discourse,
during which He laid out the
We are not talking about
future course of human hisknowledge of God. Satan
tory all the way to its climax
knows a lot about God and
at His Second Coming. The
the Bible, but there is no
intimacy. Many people think Lord said, in response to His
disciples question, "What
that they know God, when
shall be the sign of thy comin reality, they know a lot
ing, and of the end of the
about Him, but have yet to
forge an intimate bond with world?"
their loving Creator. Jesus
warns about this misunder- "For then shall be great
standing in Matthew 7:22tribulation, such as was not
23, Many will say to me on since the beginning of the
that day, Lord, Lord, did
world to this time, no, nor
we not prophecy in your
ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21).
name, and in your name
drive out demons and per"Tribulation" is the term for
form many miracles? Then the general era of God's
I will tell them plainly, I
judgment on a rebellious
never knew you. Away from world of earth-dwellers. It is
me you evildoers! He was a time that will begin with

Antichrist signing a sevenyear covenant guaranteeing

Israel's peace and security
(Dan. 9:27). This era is
kicked off, symbolically,
beginning with the first
horseman of the Apocalypse
(Rev. 6:1).
"Great Tribulation" is considered to be the last three
and one-half years of that
seven-year period known as
"Daniel's seventieth week."
The last three and one-half
years is called "the time of
Jacob's trouble" in Jeremiah
30:7, when God's most horrific, but totally righteous,
wrath is poured directly
upon the rebels of planet
Earth. These judgments are
portrayed and precisely outlined in Revelation, chapters
6 through 19. The Tribulation will end when Christ
returns from Heaven to defeat God's enemies and set
up His Millennial Kingdom
on earth (Rev. 19:11-16).
What will happen to members of non-Christian
faiths?
If the Word of God is true,
Christianity is the only way
to achieve eternal life. Accepting Jesus as your personal savior is the only way
to obtain salvation. It may
not be politically correct to
say this, but if Jesus is truly
the Son of God, then neither
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,
nor any other faith can redeem your eternal soul.
In John 14:6, Jesus made it
very clear that He is the only
mediator who can span the
sin-rift that exists between
God and man: "I am the
way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me."
(Frequently asked questions
this issue courtesy of Raptureready.com)

Good News Press - 6

The Importance of Bible Prophecy
A Playground for fanatics or Green Pastures for Disciples?
By David R. Reagan
Although prophecy constitutes almost one-third of
the Bible, its importance is
constantly downplayed by
those who dismiss it as
having no practical significance or by those who object to it on the grounds
that it is a "fad" that takes
people's eyes off Jesus.

of that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The

Bible contains hundreds of
fulfilled secular prophecies
pertaining to cities, nations, empires, and individuals. Jeremiah predicted
the Babylonian captivity
would last 70 years
(Jeremiah 25:11-12). Isaiah
stated that the children of
Israel would be sent home
Revelation 19:10 says that from Babylon by a man
"the testimony of Jesus is named Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28;
the spirit of prophecy."
Ezra 1:1). Daniel prediThus, if prophecy is prop- cated the precise order of
erly taught, there is no rea- four great Gentile empires
son for it to divert any(Daniel 2 and 7). The deone's attention away from struction of Babylon was
Jesus. In fact, it should
foretold by a number of
serve to emphasize the
the Hebrew prophets
centrality of Jesus.
(Isaiah 13). In the New TesIs prophecy practical? Con- tament, Jesus predicted
sider that all the New Tes- the complete destruction
of Jerusalem 40 years betament writers testify to
fore it actually occurred
the fact that the study of
(Luke 21:6).
prophecy will motivate
holy living. What could be 2) Validator of Jesus The
more practical than that? Bible contains more than

that the Messiah's hands

and feet would be pierced.
That prophecy was written
by David about a thousand
years before the birth of
Jesus. It was written 700
years before the invention
of crucifixion as a form of
execution. The literal fulfillment of so many prophecies in the life of one individual transcends any
mere coincidence and
serves to validate that Jesus was who He said He
was the divine Son of
God.

has the mind of man

conceived, what God
has prepared for those
who love Him. But in
the next verse Paul
says those things have
been revealed to us by
God through His Spirit
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

4) Tool of Evangelism
Prophecy can be
used as a very effective tool of evangelism, as illustrated in
the story of Philip and
the Eunuch (Acts
8:26ff). Philip used
Isaiah's great suffering
lamb passage (Isaiah
53) to teach that Jesus
is the lamb who was
3) Revealer of the Future
slain for the sins of the
Prophecy serves to tell
world. Matthew and
us some things that God
Peter both used fulwants us to know about
filled prophecy in the
the future (Deuteronomy
life of Jesus as one of
29:29; Amos 3:7). God
their basic evangelistic
does not want us to know
tools. In fact, Peter
everything about the fureferred to prophecy
ture, but there are some
constantly in his first
things we must know if we
gospel sermon on the
are to have a dynamic
Day of Pentecost (Acts
hope. Thus, prophecy as2:14-39). He preached
Prophecy does not have to 300 prophecies about the sures us that Jesus is com- that Jesus had been
first coming of Jesus, all of ing back, that He will resurbe either faddish, othercrucified and resurwhich were literally fulrect us, and that He will
worldly, or impractical if
rected in fulfillment of
take us to live forever with
taught properly. Nor does filled (see Appendix 1).
Hebrew prophecies.
it have to be a playground Every aspect of the life of Him and God the Father. In Later, Peter referred
Jesus was prophesied
this regard, Peter likens
for fanatics. It can and
to fulfilled prophecy as
should be green pastures the place of His birth, the prophecy to "a lamp shinone of the greatest
nature of His birth, the
ing in a dark place" (2 Pefor disciples.
evidences that Jesus
quality of His ministry, the ter 1:19). Paul makes the
was truly the Son of
Reasons for Study
purpose of His life, and the same point in 1 Corinthians
God (2 Peter 1:16-19).
agony of His death. Conchapter 2. He begins by
1) Validator of Scripture
sider, for example, the
observing that no eye has
5) Tool of Moral
Fulfilled prophecy is one of
prophecy in Psalm 22:16
seen, no ear has heard, nor Teaching People
the best evidences I know

often overlook the fact

that the Hebrew
prophets were
forthtellers as well as
foretellers. In fact, the
prophets spent most
of their time using
God's Word to spotlight societal problems. They called their
listeners to repentance, true worship,
social justice, and personal holiness. One of
the great recurring
themes of the prophets is that "obedience
is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22
and Hosea 6:6). That
statement means that
in God's eyes, obedience to His commands
is more important
than outward religious
practices such as offering sacrifices. Prophecy is thus a great repository of moral
teaching, and those
moral principles are
still relevant today.
(See Amos 5:21-24;
Micah 6:8; Isaiah 58:39.)

(Titus 2:11-14). The

result is holy living.
Paul exhorts us to
"behave properly as in
the day," because the
time is at hand when
the Lord will return
(Romans 13:12-13).
Likewise, Peter calls us
to gird up our minds
and be sober and holy
as we look forward to
the revelation of Jesus
(1 Peter 1:13-15).

Advice & Counsel

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Paul writes that all of
God's Word is
"profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for
training in righteousness." That includes
God's Prophetic Word.
In 1 Thessalonians
5:20 the apostle Paul
pleads with us to treat
prophecy with respect.

Peter warns us in his

second epistle, that
one of the signs of the
end times will be the
6) Generator of Spiri- appearance of
"scoffers" who will
tual Growth Prophetic knowledge en- cast scorn and ridicule
courages patient wait- on the promise of our
ing (James 5:7- 8); pro- Lord's return (2 Peter
vokes earnest watch- 3:3ff). The great tragedy of our day is that
ing (Matthew
many of the loudest
24:36,42); inspires
scoffers are religious
dedicated work (2
leaders who profess to
Timothy 4:7-8); and
follow Christ. Such
enhances our hope

Good News Press - 7

leaders crucified Jesus the
first time He came. They
now scoff at His promise to
return.

who read it (or hear it read)

and who obey it
(Revelation 1:3). It is the
only book of the Bible to
promise such a specific
A good example of what
blessing, but all God's
I'm talking about is the
Word is designed to bless
"Jesus Seminar" that has
us spiritually (Psalm 119),
been operating for the past and that includes the Profew years. It is composed
phetic Word.
of forty New Testament
"scholars" from a great va- Key Scriptures about
riety of Christian seminar- Prophecy
ies in America.
Let's conclude with a reThe seminar has been
meeting every six months minder of what the Word
of God itself says about the
to vote on the sayings of
value of prophecy. In this
Jesus as recorded in the
four gospels. They hope to way we can be assured that
the effort we expend in
produce a new version of
looking at the prophetic
the gospels in which the
Scriptures will be time exsayings of Jesus will be
color coded: red, if He said tremely well spent.
it; pink, if He may have said "The secret things belong
it; grey, if He probably did to the Lord our God; but
not say it; and black, if He the things that are revealed
definitely did not say it.
belong to us and to our
When they voted on the
sayings of Jesus regarding
His Second Coming, they
voted that all the sayings
were spurious and had
probably been "made up"
by His disciples. What apostasy!

sons forever."
(Deuteronomy 29:29)
"Surely the Lord God does
nothing, unless He reveals
His secret counsel to His
servants the prophets."
(Amos 3:7)

that I have come to abolish

the Law or the Prophets; I
did not come to abolish,
but to fulfill.'" (Matthew
5:17)
"[Jesus] said to them,
'These are My words which
I spoke to you while I was
still with you, that all things
which are written about
Me in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the
Psalms must be fulfilled.'"
(Luke 24:44)
"Of Him [Jesus] all the
prophets bear witness that
through His name everyone
who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
(Acts 10:43)
"The prophets who prophesied of the grace that
would come to you made
careful search and inquiry,
seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of
Christ within them was indicating as He predicted
the sufferings of Christ and
the glories to follow." (1
Peter 1:10-11)

"But know this first of all,

that no prophecy of Scrip"I am God, and there is no ture is a matter of one's
Spiritual Food
other; I am God, and there own interpretation, for no
is no one like Me, declaring prophecy was ever made
God's Prophetic Word is
the end from the beginning by an act of human will,
food for our spiritual
growth. We need to take it and from ancient times
but men moved by the
things which have not been Holy Spirit spoke from
off the shelf. We need to
open it up and feast upon done. . . I have spoken;
God." (2 Peter 1:20-21)
truly
I
will
bring
it
to
pass.
I
it, and we need to do so
have planned it, surely I
"The testimony of Jesus is
with believing hearts.
will do it." (Isaiah 46:9-11) the spirit of prophecy."
The book of Revelation
(Revelation 19:10)
"[Jesus
said]
'Do
not
think
promises blessings to those

A Hero by Kevin Tyner

(Romans 8:38-39)

The one who makes the day will save, and who he saves
will praise and worship him (Psalm 118:24).
If you call his name you will always be heard and in return you will find safety in his word (Acts 2:21; Proverbs 1:33).
His reward is not fame, silver, nor Gold, he not only
saves lives, He saves souls (Luke 9:56).
He will come and bring light in the darkest hour and
love, truth, and righteousness is his power.
No weapon formed against him shall prosper and all his
enemies shall be conquered (Isaiah 54:17).
If you have faith, love, and hope in him and it never
waivers, you will know hes not only a hero, but Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior (Romans 3: 22 to 26).

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