Values Education 4 - Gift of Prophecy

Module 2

Heaven's Means of  Communication

Read for these Module’s study Gen. 18:1-15, 32:30, Exod. 4:10-17, Ps. 19:1-6, John 1:14, John 3:16, Col. 2:9.

Memory Text:

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last
days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
worlds" (Hebrews 1:1, 2, NKJV).

2.1 Introduction

There are two basic ways in which God has revealed Himself to humanity: general and special revelation. General
revelation is God’s revelation of Himself to all people through nature and conscience (see Ps. 19:1, Rom. 1:20). God’s
revelations through the prophets as recorded in Scripture, especially His revelation through Jesus Christ, is special
revelation. Through this means, God appeared to the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets in order to make His will
known. He revealed His power and purpose through Israel’s history. Then, later, He sent His Son, Who, in the garb of
humanity, revealed the Father in a unique and powerful way.

2.2 Objectives

By the end of this module, student should be able to:

1. Understand the concept and aspects of Prophecy

2. Identify means of communication through prophecy

2.3 Discussion

2.3.1 In the Beginning

In the Garden of Eden God spoke with Adam and Eve face to face. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in
the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8). However, after that fateful day, when they blatantly disobeyed their Lord, they
no longer were allowed to enjoy His presence (Gen. 3:23, 24), and their face-to-face communion with Him ended.

Frequently the Old Testament identifies the Angel of God or the Angel of the Lord with God Himself. Jacob refers to God
and the Angel in the same way (Gen. 48:15, 16); the Angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush, yet, it is God
who speaks to him (Exod. 3:2–6); the Angel who appeared to Gideon is identified with God (Judg. 6:11–14); and the same
is true of the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:11-22). Whenever God manifested Himself
to human beings in a bodily form, it was always in a humanlike manifestation.

In John 1:18 John says, “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him.” The Divine being, therefore, Who appeared to the people in the Old Testament must have been Jesus,
not the Father. Ellen G. White tells us that “after the transgression of Adam, the Lord spoke no longer directly with man; the
human race was given into the hands of Christ, and all communication came through Him to the world. It was Christ who
spoke the law on Mount Sinai.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 237, 238.

2.3.2 In Nature

The Bible tells us that the world that God created was perfect in every way (Gen. 1:31). But Scripture also reveals that sin
has altered the natural world (Gen. 3:17, 18). Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth.
God “never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan’s work, the result of degeneration.” —Ellen G.
White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186. Nevertheless, there is still great beauty in the changing of the leaves in
autumn, in a vivid sunset, and in the opening of a rosebud on a sunny morning.

Bible writers often refer to the phenomena of nature as a revelation of God’s majesty and greatness (Psalm
8 and 104). Consider the universe! On a clear night one can see with the naked eye thousands of stars. However, our Milky
Way galaxy has about two hundred billion stars–and that’s only one galaxy among several hundred billion galaxies that we
now can see. Who knows how many more are beyond our telescopes!

Distances in the universe boggle the mind: Apart from the sun, the nearest star to our earth, Alpha Centauri, is 4.28 light-
years away (one light year is the distance light travels in one year—5.9 trillion miles). A spaceship traveling 100,000 miles
per hour would require about 29,000 years to get there. In contrast, our Milky Way has a diameter of 100,000 light-years!
The largest galaxy known thus far is Markarian, with a diameter of 1.3 million light-years.

Similar awe-inspiring facts would come to light if we used an electron microscope to study the tens of thousands of genes
each individual possesses. Our finite minds are simply unable to comprehend all the wonders of the created world.

Yet, nature alone isn’t enough to reveal the fullness of God’s character (Rom. 1:25). Many of the fundamental questions
about God cannot be answered through a study of nature. We will find it hard to see God’s love reflected in how cats and
killer whales play with their prey before killing them. And while we can see God’s power and majesty in creation, nature
does not tell us always that God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exod.
34:6, NKJV).

2.3.3 Through Prophets

The word prophet (in Hebrew nabi’) means “one called (by God)” or “one who has a vocation (from God).” The prophet is
a person who proclaims Divine messages. These may relate to the past, the present, or the future, and may consist of
exhortation, instruction, consolation, or prediction.

The English word prophet comes from the Greek prophetes, a combination of the preposition pro, “for,” or “on behalf of,”
with the verb phemi, “to speak.” Thus the idea being “to speak for.”
Here Moses objects to God’s call for him to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh, claiming that he is “slow of speech and of a
slow tongue.” (vs. 10). Even after God reminded Moses that He had made man’s mouth and would enable him to speak
before Pharaoh, Moses still objected. Then God told Moses that He would send Aaron to go with him. “He shall be your
spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God” (vs. 16, NKJV). As
Moses was to be the spokesperson for God, so Aaron would be the spokesperson for Moses. Thus, a prophet speaks for
someone.

The prophet may speak to humankind on behalf of God, or vice versa. The primary task of a biblical prophet was not to
predict the future but to declare the Divine will. Throughout the history of Israel, the prophets’ main task was to guide
God’s people. Particularly during the time of the monarchy, when the kings often “did that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord” (2 Kings 13:2), the prophetic institution was the guardian of the theocracy. The prophets upheld the law of God and
taught it to the people.

2.3.4 Through the Word

Basic to the claims of Christianity is that it is a revealed religion, the record of which we find in Scripture. During the first
few millennia of humankind’s existence, God revealed Himself to individuals through dreams, visions, or epiphanies
(appearances). From the time of Moses (fifteenth century B.C.) and onward, many of these revelations were written down.
As a result, we have today 66 books in the Bible, containing all the knowledge necessary for salvation.

There are a number of important characteristics of the Bible that should hold our attention. 1) Its unity: The Bible at first
sight appears to be merely a collection of ancient literature. However, considering that it was written by approximately 40
authors over a period of nearly 1,600 years, its unity is amazing. The plan of salvation is revealed progressively from
Genesis to Revelation. There is unity in its theme: The Messiah is promised throughout the Old Testament, and declared in
every New Testament book to have come in the person of Jesus Christ. And there is complete harmony of teaching: The
doctrines of the Old and New Testament are the same. 2) The history it portrays: The Old Testament embodies the oldest
history of any people in the world. William F. Albright, the greatest archaeologist of the twentieth century, wrote, “Hebrew
national tradition excels all other in its clear picture of tribal and family origins. In Egypt and Babylonia, in Assyria and
Phoenicia, in Greece and Rome, we look in vain for anything comparable. There is nothing like it in the tradition of the
Germanic peoples. Neither India nor China can produce anything similar.”—The Biblical Period From Abraham to Ezra, p.
27. 3)

Its survival: The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any other piece of
classical literature–in spite of early attempts by Roman emperors to destroy it. For example, there are more than 5,000
known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence. Homer’s Iliad is second with only 643 manuscripts that have
survived.

The reason for this phenomenon is the Holy Spirit, the real author of God’s Word, Who inspired all the human authors. He
ensured that the biblical historians presented an accurate picture, and He watched over the history and preservation of the
Bible.

2.3.5Through Christ

The center and substance of God’s revelation is the person of Christ, God in human flesh. When in God’s plan the time was
right, Jesus was “born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4, NKJV). He lived for about thirty-three years in Palestine,
died on the cross, rose from the tomb, and ascended to His Father.

The Bible far surpasses the revelation of God in nature, yet, no written record can equal the personal presence of the Son of
God. The Bible is God’s tool to accomplish His purpose in our lives. However, it has no lasting value if we regard it only as
an interesting history book. Unless it leads us to the One it reveals, our study of the Bible will be of little benefit. The Bible
was written, above all, to give to us the revelation of God presented to the world through the life and death of His Son,
Jesus.

The NIV English translation catches the idea best: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
This does not mean that every person receives this light, only that if a person is illuminated at all, it must be from
Jesus (Acts 4:12). The true light shines on all humankind in the same sense that Jesus died for everyone, but not everyone
will be saved. As John goes on to say, many will not accept this light (John 1:10–12).

2.4 Reflection and Activity (Minimum 0f 50 words)

1. When you do something that you know is wrong, that you know is sinful, how does that
impact your relationship with God?

First off look at the ten commandments and see if your sin is listed. And if not then think about
what Jesus said about loving God first and your neighbor as yourself. Is this something that falls
under either the ten commandments or Jesus is 2? if so ask Jesus to forgive you and ask him to
send you the Holy Spirit to help you quit sinning. But know that God and Jesus are very
forgiving of our humanness. The Holy Spirit which is God with us will help you in your sin. But
also know that we will continue to send throughout our lives that’s why Jesus had to die because
it’s impossible to be perfect. So be easy on yourself if its nothing really big.

2. What aspects of nature truly talk to you about the love and power of God? At the same
time, what things do you find disturbing, and why? What do your answers tell you about
how limited nature is in revealing the fullness of God’s love and character?
The plants, animals and also nature cause I assume that Gods show her love to human by
providing our need and a beautiful morning. I find disturbing is the angry sea, bolt of
lightning, and of course the calamity cause I know that the example Gods strength. Nature
have a lot to teach to a human but there are more powerful that show God’ and character in
that are the Holy Bible.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10