Why we need the Spirit of Prophecy

Confirmed in the testimony of Christ – coming behind in no gift – why we need the spirit of prophecy

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and [in] all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

This is more relevant for us today than it ever was in the past of all the people who are waiting for the coming of the Lord. It says that the testimony of Christ was to be confirmed in you, so that you come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus. What does he say the testimony of Jesus is meant to do?

1 Corinthians 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are to reach the goal of being as holy as He is holy. As we are waiting for the coming of Jesus, and need to be blameless like Him, He is going to give us the testimony of Christ to confirm us so that under this gift we might be confirmed unto the end.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God [is] faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus wants to have that fellowship with us so that through that fellowship with Him, He may be able to present us blameless. You need a very strong influx in your life of the testimony of Christ so that you can hear Him speaking to you. You will know exactly what He wants you to do to be blameless when He comes.

Matthew 28:20 … and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

This text in 1 Corinthians re-emphasises that promise. You’re going to have me with you at the end of the world; and I am going to give you my testimony, my personal communication with you, my fellowship.

The testimony of Christ must be confirmed in you so that you come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He shall confirm you unto the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. For those who live at the end of the world, they must be blameless; they must be like Him at the coming of Jesus.

Hebrews 12:14 … and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

1 John 3:2 … we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

What special gift is this according to 1 Corinthians? That gift of the testimony of Christ so that through the testimony of Christ He may confirm us and show us through His fellowship that we will be blameless.

That special gift, that testimony of Christ, what is the testimony of Christ that is here spoken of? John the revelator who was himself receiving a vision falls down at the feet of the one who was in his vision and this person says don’t worship me.

Revelation 19:10 … I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:

The testimony of Christ, what is it? What does he say it is?

Revelation 19:10 … worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

That you come behind in no gift.  What is one of the gifts that are given to the church?

1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets

Prophets is one of the gifts and we must not come behind in this gift of prophecy as we come close to the very end because this gift of prophecy is necessary for us so that we can stand blameless before the Lord. In other words, it’s a detailed wording of Jesus to us that we might know exactly what He wants me to do and how close He wants to be to you and me so that we can actually welcome Him when He comes in person.

We do not need any man to tell us when it comes down to the fine detail because He will help us in the last days.

The company of people who live in the last days are identified here. In Revelation 12 is the story of the birth of Jesus and how He was snatched up to heaven and Satan wanted to devour Him but He was snatched away.  Then came the history of the church through to the very last days. We are here:

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

We now have two texts together. The testimony of Christ and the testimony of Jesus. Put them two together you have the testimony of Jesus Christ. They have the testimony of Jesus Christ which is the Spirit of Prophecy which is the gift that is going to prepare us to stand blameless when Jesus comes.

The Spirit of Prophecy has been given to us to render us blameless at the day of the Lord.

Elijah

The Lord will give us the prophet.

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he 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.

We would expect then that ever since the Bible has identified the end of the world, we would see a powerful manifestation of the Spirit of Prophecy in the likeness of Elijah the prophet.

Have you ever read any Bible book entitled “Elijah”? That’s a very important little point because many people today say I will only go by the Bible and the Bible only!  What about Elijah the prophet that will come to the people in the last days?

Are you going to reject Him because it’s not written in the Bible what he says?

If God was to send us the Spirit of Prophecy in the last days, we would expect then that we are going to hear a prophet speaking to us.

When you study Revelation, what are the dates that have to do with the end of the world? What is the first date that comes to your mind?

1798 The Time of The End

From 1798 we would expect that somewhere in the days we would discover a rising of such a prophet. What’s another date that connects with the end of the world?

1844

Daniel 8:17 …Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.

Between 1798 and 1844 we would expect Elijah the prophet correct?

We would expect the revelation of that promise of the Spirit of Prophecy.

History

The Christian church in 1798 to 1844, was the church of Sardis that was addressed in 1798 which were the Protestant churches. Therefore, you would expect that that church that existed in that time as God’s church would receive some visions of prophecy.

2300

We know the movement that began at the proclamation of the 2300 days prophecy in the first angel’s message. It was proclaimed after William Miller had studied it. In 1833 he began to preach and there was a great movement of Protestant people who were realising that now is the time of the end.

• William Miller
• William Foy
• Stockman
• It was a whole team of them.

Many people say it was just William Miller. No, it was a whole team of ministers.

As these preachers were preaching the coming of 1844, they believed it was the coming of Jesus. You can appreciate why they thought this because 1798 was the time of the end.

1798 to 1844 they thought it must be that it is in 1844 that He is coming. They expected that, and they preached that in that company. We would then expect that the Lord will then bring them a message through prophecy, through the Spirit of Prophecy. That is precisely what happened. 

In the year 1842 there was living in Boston, Mass., a well-educated man by the name of William Foy, who was an eloquent speaker. He was a Baptist, but was preparing to take holy orders as an Episcopal minister. The Lord graciously gave him two visions in the year 1842, one on the 18th of January, the other on February 4. These visions bore clear evidence of being the genuine manifestations of the Spirit of God. He was invited from place to place to speak in the pulpits, not by the Episcopalians only, but by the Baptists and other denominations. When he spoke, he always wore the clergyman’s robe, such as the ministers of that church wear in their services. {1905 JNL, GSAM 145.4}

Mr. Foy’s visions related to the near advent of Christ, the travels of the people of God to the heavenly city, the new earth, and the glories of the redeemed state. Having a good command of language, with fine descriptive powers, he created a sensation wherever he went. {1905 JNL, GSAM 146.1}

What an experience, to hear somebody firsthand having had visions.

By invitation he went from city to city to tell of the wonderful things he had seen; and in order to accommodate the vast crowds who assembled to hear him, large halls were secured, where he related to thousands what had been shown him of the heavenly world, the loveliness of the New Jerusalem, and of the angelic hosts. When dwelling on the tender, compassionate love of Christ for poor sinners, he exhorted the unconverted to seek God, and scores responded to his tender entreaties. {1905 JNL, GSAM 146.1}

His work continued until the year 1844, near the close of the twenty-three hundred days. Then he was favoured with another manifestation of the Holy Spirit, -a third vision, one which he did not understand. In this he was shown the pathway of the people of God through to the heavenly city. He saw a great platform, or step, on which multitudes of people gathered. Occasionally one would drop through this platform out of sight, and of such a one it was said to him, “Apostatized.” Then he saw the people rise to a second step, or platform, and some there also dropped through the platform out of sight. Finally a third platform appeared, which extended to the gates of the holy city. A great company gathered with those who had advanced to this platform. As he expected the Lord Jesus to come in a very short time, he failed to recognize the fact that a third message was to follow the first and second messages of Revelation 14. Consequently the vision was to him unexplainable, and he ceased public speaking. After the close of the prophetic period, in the year 1845, he heard another relate the same vision, with the explanation that “the first and second messages had been given, and that a third was to follow.” Soon after this Mr. Foy sickened and died. {1905 JNL, GSAM 146.2}

There we had the Spirit of Prophecy being appealed upon the heart of a man. What did this man do? This man couldn’t understand the vision and to what it would relate. They expected Jesus to come so he refused.

If this man would have received the vision and proclaimed it, and the thousands of people heard that it was yet another step to take, what a disappointment would have been prevented. But this man wouldn’t because he didn’t like what he heard in the vision. The Lord was very eager to make sure that the people got it so there was another man that He came to visit, his name was Hazen Foss.

About this time there lived in Poland, Maine, a young man by the name of Hazen Foss, who firmly believed the Lord would come on the tenth day of the seventh month. He was a man of fine appearance, pleasing address, and quite well educated. A few weeks before the “midnight cry” ended, the Lord came near and gave him a vision, in which he was shown the journey of the advent people to the city of God, with their dangers. {1905 JNL, GSAM 182.1}

What a confirmation of 1 Corinthians. That the Spirit of Prophecy would come to confirm you in these last days.

Some messages of warning were given to him,which he was to deliver, and he had also a view of the trials and persecution that would consequently follow if he was faithful in relating what had been shown him. {1905 JNL, GSAM 182.1}

He was going to be persecuted for it.

He, like Mr. Foy, was shown three steps by which the people of God were to come fully upon the pathway to the holy city. Being a firm believer in the Lord’s coming “in a few more days” (as they then sang), the part of the vision relating to the three steps onto the pathway was to him unexplainable; and being naturally of a proud spirit, he shrunk from the cross, and refused to relate it. {1905 JNL, GSAM 182.1}

This was a few days before the disappointment. God gave them provision in the Spirit of Prophecy.

The vision was repeated the second time, and in addition he was told that if he still refused to relate what had been shown him, the burden would be taken from him, and be given to one of the weakest of the Lord’s children, one who would faithfully relate what God would reveal. He again refused. Then a third vision was given, and he was told that he was released, and the burden was laid upon one of the weakest of the weak, who would do the Lord’s bidding. {1905 JNL, GSAM 182.1}

The Spirit of Prophecy came upon two men; and if the first one would have received it we would have been illuminated today by that man, under the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy. But because he rejected it, there came a second man; and this man might have been the one who would have done what a prophet should have done, but he again rejected. What was God left with? Someone who would. I hear many times God only speaks through men, He doesn’t speak through women.

 Well, He tried; He tried to speak through men, but these men, like men are, tended to be very cocky sure of themselves, and they didn’t believe what God was telling them to do. God would then come upon the weakest of the weak. What does the Bible call a woman? She is a weaker vessel.

1 Peter 3:7 … giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,

Not only was this woman the weaker vessel, but she was the weakest of the weak, that He would rest His vision upon.

Miss Harmon was at that time in a very critical condition of health. For a number of weeks she had scarcely been able to speak above a whisper. One physician had decided that her trouble was dropsical consumption. {1905 JNL, GSAM 202.2}