A Sure Word of Prophecy
2 Peter 1:19 -21
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:(2 Peter 1:19)
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.(2 Peter 1:20)
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.(2 Peter 1:21)
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:(1 Peter 1:10)
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.(1 Peter 1:11)
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.(1 Peter 1:12)
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:(1 Corinthians 1:7)
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.(1 Corinthians 2:16)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.(Matthew 22:29)
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.(Revelation 19:10)
1. All prophecy is given of God, and established by God.
2. All prophecy comes from the Spirit of Christ who is the Spirit of prophecy.
3. The infallibility of the word of God in its entirety is under the complete control of the Almighty God because it is the word of His power.
Christ: The Embodiment of the word of God
God establishes His word on the power of the Spirit of Christ who is the eternal Word of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:2)
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
Christ is the establishment of the very word of God for He is the Creator and the upholder of all revelation given to man in the form of written language which is contained and upheld within Himself. He upholds it by the very power of His word for He is the very embodiment of the word of God. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;. (Hebrews 1:3) Christ is the power within the very power of His word, and one cannot know the power of the word of Christ except the Spirit of Christ who dwells within each believer. Error comes when the natural man tries to presume that he is a spiritual man without the Spirit of Christ. Error comes because the Spirit of Christ is not present. A man in his natural environment (under Adam) is subject to his natural intellect with the mind of Adam and all it’s frailties; thus, he reasons with the ability and spirit of man. In the divine realm one must live in the environment of Christ. In this environment in the new birth, separated from Adam, one has the mind of Christ. It is the Spirit of Christ that puts the flesh aside. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9) The Spirit of God impresses on us in this verse that there is a distinguishing mark between the children of the world, and the children of faith. The children of faith have the Spirit of Christ, and those without the Spirit of Christ are not His. The elaborate ploy of the devil and his hosts of Nicolaitans is to convince man (in Adam) that he can know the Scriptures without the Spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ. These (the Spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ) are inseparable, the Spirit of Christ is not going to be separated from the mind of Christ, however, trying to discuss this divine thought with the man in Adam is like trying to talk with Nicodemus so that he would understand that a man must be born again, and that he would have understanding that this supernatural birth is not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God in the Spirit of Christ.
Christ: Inspiration
Inspiration is not stagnant, understanding scriptures in the proper order and with divine intelligence is inspiration as well. For inspiration comes from the mind of Christ, in which His mind does not change, it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As inspiration came by the mind of Christ it has been passed down to us by the Spirit of Christ. This leaves no private interpretation by man or of man. There is only one interpretation of the holy word of God, and that must come from its Author, the Spirit of Christ, which also ministers to those who have not only the Spirit of Christ, but the mind of Christ which is one and the same.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.(1 Corinthians 2:15)
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Within the word of God the Spirit of God has no problem qualifying the spiritual mind. The spiritual mind must be the mind of Christ, and of course, this is directed by the Spirit of Christ. It is quite evident that the natural man does not possess and cannot possess the mind of Christ except he be born again, born of God. It is because of man’s sin nature, his pride of life, and his self-professed wisdom that he believes he knows more than God, and therefore, should be able to rule over God’s word, and the people of the world by his religious systems. He is void of all spiritual understanding because he does not have the Spirit of Christ, nor the mind of Christ. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
The Jews in the day of Christ stated that they were of God and they like Abraham their father knew the Scriptures and could interpret them, however, the Lord Jesus rebuked them for He knew what was in man, and in the heart of man. He told them with this sharp rebuke found in Matthew 22:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Both the Lord Jesus and Paul (1st Corinthians) were verifying divine intelligence through the word of God, through the Spirit of Chris revealed by the mind of Christ. Paul was bold to say that we have the mind of Christ, to rebuke the intelligence of the man of Adam and the world. He was establishing a division: the division between the world and the mind of Christ. The Lord Jesus being the Author of the word, told the Jews that their authority was not based on the Scriptures (for they knew not the Scriptures nor the power of God). This separation has never changed, however, because of world religion we have a system of unbelief believing the doctrines and teachings of man and Adam, or the Nicolaitans (which thing the Lord hates). But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:6) So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:15)
We should remember that the Spirit of Christ speaks expressly, He speaks exactly, He leaves nothing for man to figure out in man’s own intellect. In Philippians 2:5, it is the voice of the Spirit of Christ that reaffirms to us the mind of Christ within us who are born of the Spirit of God. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:. The Spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ is an absolute in every believer. The Spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ is an absolute in every believer.
Christ: His Mind
In Philippians 2:5 the Spirit of God is exact, He declares Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:. The Spirit of God gives us the divine connection, it is the exact mind of Christ, not a similitude, but the mind that was in Christ Jesus. Here lies divine revelation and interpretation of the Scriptures, it is following the footsteps of divine inspiration by the Spirit of Christ. We only see the light that is within the Scriptures by the Light who is the Author of the Scriptures. Continually throughout the holy book, we have the mind of Christ showing us and revealing to us His divine mind through prophecy. He also reveals the mind and heart of man consumed by his sin. One mind is of the world and belongs to terra, the other mind is a celestial mind which belongs to Christ and is in the Man in heaven for us.
Every newborn babe desires the sincere milk of the word, they are like baby birds in the nest, they chirp for their food and as they are newborn the parent bird bring food that they may grow thereby. There is never a question in the little birds’ heart of the authenticity of the food that the parent bird supplies. The Spirit of Christ is the same, He will not bring or present to a newborn creature (that He has redeemed by His blood) error; He will never present to that creature error or erroneous doctrine without presenting the correction and His mind. The young bird in the nest always recognizes the parent bird, so through the Spirit of Christ, we recognize the truth through our divine parent and Creator, Jesus Christ. It is the sincere milk of the word that gives growth and enables the child of God to go on to greater truths. From the cross we are redeemed from the world; we see our Savior as the resurrected Man for us. Then, the Spirit of God places our affection on things above, and the Person of the Man in heaven for us. All the questions that are asked concerning the Scriptures by the man of the world (the man that has the spirit of Adam) are only to confound them in their unbelief as faith answers to grace, so in the mystery of God grace answers to faith, and thereby, we receive both in the Spirit and mind of Christ. The world will never understand this, how can they? They don’t have the mind of Christ. They might profess their religion, but they still cannot see or believe that a child of God can have the mind of Christ. When the Lord Jesus was speaking to the Jews, they boasted in their law of Moses, and in their boast they had no divine belief in the law of Moses. The Lord Jesus over threw their system with the word of God, and the mind of Christ. The One who had divinely given the law of Moses, and the ordinances overthrew their unbelief. As grace and truth came by Jesus Christ that same grace and truth is upheld by the Spirit and mind of Christ. Without the divine mind of Christ working within man, man chooses his own interpretation of the holy book. As those who refuse the word of God altogether there are also those in the same unbelief who choose their own interpretation of the Scriptures. I repeat, there is only one divine interpretation and that belongs to God and not to man. Only God can reveal His truth within the pages of His holy word. This offends man’s natural intelligence and overturns the scholar’s pride. As the birds of the nest had 
complete faith in the food the parent bird brings, so the child of God (with the mind of Christ) receives his divine manna by faith in His redeemer.
The divine book is there to continue the path of faith for the believer. Which one of us by our own reasoning, by our own intellect, or by our own work could have brought about our salvation? We see the work of faith in Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Many fail to see the impact of this verse. They simply see that if one believes he then comes to God, but they don’t see the miracle of grace that God has drawn them to Himself. Many have told me they believe in God, what God I do not know? for they do not act nor relate to the mind of Christ.
Christ: Root and Rooted
Faith is a divine gift from God. I have no divine faith in me at my natural birth, as I grow I don’t have any faith in my natural being. Faith is a gift from God. Faith draws me to the Person of God. Faith causes me to seek God, and faith presents to me a belief in God. I must believe that He is my Redeemer, my Savior, I must believe that He will reward me with the fruit of my salvation which the great I AM has given me. Faith is the embryo of belief and must come from above. It is the quality or substance in the spiritual which belongs to Christ Jesus. He imparts His faith, and this faith begins or starts that process of the new birth. Faith must be the root in the spiritual soul and heart. Faith must transform the creature into God’s marvelous grace. And in this process the Spirit of Christ creates a whole new being with divine roots in heaven. Our roots are in the Man Christ Jesus. It is Christ who is the divine seed that produces and brings forth fruit for God. The divine seed of faith has called multitudes from the world to dwell with Christ.
Faith Measured
The division in man: we see the man of faith like Abraham, we see the man without faith (Cain), the man without faith marches through the world killing and conquering, stealing and profiteering on the back of his fellow man. How many times does he (the man without true faith) tell his confederates in the world that they must have faith, he credits his riches as his measure of faith. He credits his power and his glory as the measure of his faith. He credits his dominance over others, and even the very creation, all because he has an imaginary faith that means absolutely nothing in the light of the divine Scriptures and the mind of Christ. Man’s faith belongs to him, he will tell you about it, he will tell you what it does, and when you examine it you will only find the works of terra because there is nothing celestial in it. This is one of the delusions that Satan has instilled in the heart of Adam; for Adam (mankind) believes that the mere religion of man separates him from the rest of mankind in a position of superiority over his fellow man. This, of course, is the deception of the Devil and of the world. It is only God Himself that can separate the goats from the sheep. Religion of man refuses faith in a omnipotent divine Creator. They deny faith from above that has the power to separate you from your sin nature or DNA, and your sins. Instead, religion works to separate you from God! Separate you unto their own belief systems; however, the gospel of the Lord Jesus separates you out of the world, separates you from your sin, separates you from the evil, separates you from Adam, and separates you from your own flesh. Divine faith separates you unto God, and only God. Even in the company of other believers we are separated individually unto our God. We are joined to each other by the Spirit of Christ. Each one of us is seen by God in our individual standing in the blood of Christ. It is Christ, Himself, who intercedes and upholds each individual Christian. Each one of us has a name, our name is written in stone never to be removed.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)
The names that are given in the Book of the Revelation are to show us the preeminence of the individual relationship of the believer with His God. The world would tell you that the authority and the power comes from the collective meeting to the individual. When God has told us that the power comes from the individual to the collective meetings. The Lord Jesus wants every believer to understand that where two or three are gathered in His name the divine power of His Spirit is present with them. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) The world of religion denies this truth; however, the Spirit of God gives us these Scriptures in the Book of the Revelation to show us the value that God holds on each individual Christian; He places a name on every believer that no other knows only God and the one who receives the name have a joint intimacy. This is divine separation, and it is based on God’s own righteousness.
Christ: Servant of Servants
When the Lord was asked who would sit on His right and on His left, He declared that those positions were in the hands of the Father.
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. (Luke 22:24)
And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. (Luke 22:25)
But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. (Luke 22:26)
For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. (Luke 22:27)
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. (Luke 22:28)
And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;(Luke 22:29)
That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30)
But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.(Mark 9:34)
And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. (Mark 9:35)
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.(Mark 10:35)
And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?(Mark 10:36)
They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. (Mark 10:37)
But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38)
And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: (Mark 10:39)
But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. (Mark 10:40)
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. (Matthew 20:20)
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. (Matthew 20:21)
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. (Matthew 20:22)
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. (Matthew 20:23)
Every Christian Called to Serve
Once again the Spirit of God is examining the heart of man. They have trouble among themselves in regard to their vanity. The one who they should be serving, who is their great example of humility they reason within themselves and among themselves about who is going to be greatest. and who is going to sit on the right hand and on the left hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Christ is the servant of servants He put Himself in the place of servitude although He had created both heaven and earth. If you examine the servitude of the Lord Jesus Christ: a servant of the Lord has no earthly station in regard to the vanity, pride, and rule of man. A servant should not even consider his servitude and the value of it in his own eyes. The master of the servant should be the value of that servant. The servitude of a servant must start within his heart; without motives his only desire is to serve his master. This was the lesson James and John and the others had to learn, and that was also shown to us by the examples that Paul passed down to us at the end of the age. What greater place of servitude could the created creature experience, but to serve his own Creator. In the divine call, it is not a call for gifts, although some may come, it is a call of servitude to be a faithful and just servant to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.
The natural man, of course, would like to choose, he would like to appoint, he would like to take the divine authority away from God, and place it in his own pulpit, or in his own committee, or in his own organization. What is obvious today is that the majority of so-called Christendom does not believe in divine appointment. Thy rush to find a candidate to put on their own personal throne so that they can rule over men and take or usurp the divine authority away from God. Every believer, every child of God is responsible for his servitude to the Lord Jesus Christ, and this servitude, like the stars in the sky, differ from one to another. There is no canned appointment every one is set on their own course by God to work within the divine counsels of God. No born again believer is without a call of service. And it is the Lord Jesus who has put every believer in this position. We are called to serve Christ first, and through our service for Him we are to serve His body. This service, however, comes from God the Father, and it is not directed by man. We serve in the love of the Father, we serve as children, we serve as sons, we serve as heirs, and our call is a divine call that only God can perform. As a child we want to please God the Father, as sons we want to be obedient to God the Father, as heirs we want to enrich our inheritance by glorifying our Savior. And as servants our total desire, our total reward is but to serve. The true servants of Christ will overcome any obstacle for he has the divine guide, and the divine drive to serve and complete his Father’s will. God the Father will give all that is needed to fulfill the life of the servant and to finish the servant’s course. Just as the stars are not alike one servant is different from another. His call is not a duplicate of the past. He is responsible for the course that God has set him on. He is not subject and does not need to answer to the will of man nor to man’s organizations. No matter how good man in his organization presents himself, the servant is bound to God and not to man. The worse thing for any servant is to try to serve two masters. The Lord was profound in this when He stated that it was impossible for a man to serve two masters; for he would love one and hate the other. In the fullness of this thought his servitude would not be compatible with the will of either master. The servant in the first stage of his servitude is to acquire and learn the word of God. It is his guide, and the Spirit of God drives the word within the servant. It is the servant’s responsibility to first learn the word of God for himself and apply that word to himself. The servant must take the word of God to the center of his soul eating the word like ‘manna,’ and living within the glory that the word beholds. Once the Lord Jesus Christ lights the lamp of the soul it is His word that becomes a burning and shining light within the new creature in Christ. Although the brightness is not visible to others the very soul glows with the words of Jesus Christ.
God Rules
The world, as we know it today, has many different rules and different social structures which will never admit to the divine origin of the word of God. They will never consider through all the turmoil, the fires of hate that fuels the wars of humanity (both in Old Testament history and into our modern age) that these fires of the world and Satan have not been able to put out the light of the word of God. God has kept His word unblemished without and within like the Son of the living God who is the Living Word, who upholds all things by the word of His power.
The mighty king Nebuchadnezzar sat on his throne lifting himself up as God, built an idol of dominance to his own image, and God without displaying Himself took that man from the throne into the woods and fields away from man, away from his power, and it was there where Nebuchadnezzar ate grass (like a beast) for seven years. This would have continued, but at the end of the seven years Nebuchadnezzar saw that the most high God rules in the kingdoms of men. There is no principality or power that God cannot move according to His own will. God’s government is continuous, it is the wheel within a wheel as it travels through time and history it is God’s government that determines all the governments of men. He counts the hairs upon the heads, He raises up man and puts them upon their throne or station. Some of the basest of men have ruled in power; yet they are locked into history to bring about God’s divine will. Where we are in the history of man today is not an accident of fate, it is the divine will of God to show us (as God has throughout history) that the wicked and evil heart in man’s quest is to be the basest of sinners.
Power
It is not in the power of man to verify or even authenticate the word of God. The word of God needs not the voice of man, it is given to man so that man may see the lowest of his estate. The God of truth does not need man to verify His truth. Verifying the truth is the divine right and not man’s. God has upheld His word and kept the breathe of life within it in the most darkest of times in man’s history. They buried it, they burned it, they have ripped it to shreds, and when they think that they have cast God out of the world He simply rains His word upon men as He rained manna on the children of Israel. Man has a small image within him, this image is what he thinks of the Almighty, he describes God as a God with no power; a God with little intelligence; a passive God who would not dare to judge man, and yet God in His goodness, in His mercy, in His grace, in His love has given to man His beloved Son, His only Son, and watched while this horrible creature (man) crucified the Son of His love. The word of God gives every facet and every account of the life of the Lord Jesus, He has been given all power in heaven and in earth because of His own servitude to God the Father. He laid His life down to take away sin, death, and the flesh. All three of this trinity of evil were destroyed at the cross. The word of God condemns man, condemns the world, condemns the evil and the demonic realm, condemns Satan himself, and yet, in that hammer of judgment we see the nails that pierced His Son. God loved, He loved His Son, and yet, in that love He sent His Son into the world to die and to suffer, and to bring forth a new man worthy of heaven. Christ took Adam out of the way, He delivered Adam to the chains of death, and in His resurrection brought forth a new man who would give life and set the sinner free.
The child of God receives his path of life, this new life above in Christ Jesus. This is the point of all his blessings, all blessings must come from this wonderful Man in heaven. The child of God receives his path from the Spirit of Christ, and from the divine pages of the word of God. Even though our citizenship in heaven is sealed with the blood of Christ, it is the word of God that authenticates our citizenship. We have a passport into the Father’s love. Our birth is completely brought forth by the Spirit of Christ and on the authority of His blood. Our path is in the word both Living and written, both are one, and belong to the infallible God in whom there is no shadow of turning.
The sure word of prophecy is upheld by the divine writer, and so, each word of prophecy is and will be completely fulfilled. The word of God has the will and power of God behind it. The word of God has fulfilled it’s very writing, it has verified itself far above the philosophies of man, and the writings of man. Over and over the word of God has exposed man for what he is. And God will continue to expose man by the sure word of prophecy. By the word of God He will convict, condemn, and judge the children of men. By the same word He will send faith, and grace, and justify those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. He will save them to the outermost without limitations on His marvelous grace. Christ will verify by His Spirit, and His word the salvation that He has given to each and every soul who believes in Him. He will give the wonderful knowledge that judgment is past because of His work of eternity on the cross of Calvary, and will confirm it by His Spirit and the mind of Christ. I often think of those few words, It is finished. This was spoken by the word of His power, and we will never be able to search out the suffering, the mind, the grief, and the darkness that the Son of God entered into for us; and yet, He could declare that the battle for the souls of man was over, It is finished. Again, He took sin out of the way, He put to death death itself, and in His own flesh He made the end of all flesh. The new Man in heaven for us is the Man of heaven, all heaven’s glory is within His bosom, and He delights in reaching down with His Spirit and taking men out of the world. Man on the other hand has rejected the word of God and likes his own system of sin and abuse concerning the word of God, and likes to create doubt. He will take the eyes of man off the word of God and place those eyes on his own authority. Man will never admit that before God he has no authority.
The Word
Power — Pure — Permanent
Man was a vessel in the process of the written word of God. It was not the mind of man that gave us the holy book, it was the mind of God, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of Christ which is the Spirit of prophecy. Moses listened to the very voice of God and wrote what God told him to write. He did not deviate from what God had said. He did not have his own opinion, and he was not about to deny anything that God told him. The purity of heaven surrounds the purity of the man who is in heaven, Jesus Christ. It is His Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, that keeps the very words of God pure. The same Spirit that gave the word, and the purity of the word, is the same Spirit that keeps the word. He keeps the word in a pristine volume, and this word has been kept from before the foundation of the earth. (Psalm 119:89) LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Notice the Spirit’s breath in this verse, For ever, is not the conclusion, but the beginning. It is For ever first, then it’s place in heaven. For ever surrounds before the foundations of the earth and covers the expanse of time till God creates a new heaven and a new earth. God will never give up His word both Living and written. It is His testimony and divine revelation of His divine Person, His divine will, and His divine authority over man. The word of God is more secure than the foundations of the earth. It has been given by the Spirit of Christ to an unbelieving world. The Lord Jesus Himself declared that the Scriptures could not be broken.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?(John 10:34)
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; (John 10:35)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.(Matthew 24:35)
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Mark 13:31)
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Luke 21:33)
In John Chapter 10, the Scriptures cannot be broken; in Matthew Chapter 22, it is the intelligence of God and the power of God; then three times the Lord Jesus declared that Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. As we read through the Scriptures, we find that the Father establishes the word, that the Son verifies the word, and that the Holy Spirit preserves the word. Three times we have the voice of the Godhead: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. The declaration from the Lord Jesus Christ is that the word of God is more enduring, and will last longer — forever, and heaven and earth will become dust in the cosmos, but the word of God will endure.
Inspiration
The scriptural word ‘inspiration,’ is not linked to man in man’s knowledge or man’s wisdom. The inspiration of biblical thought must come from the divine mind of Christ. This includes the divine inspiration one receives from Scripture. There are many voices that deny and manipulate this word ‘inspiration.’ Inspiration in the divine sense must be given by God Himself. There is nothing in Adam to bring forth any inspiration of a godly nature. Inspiration comes with the voice of God. The voice of God through His Spirit gave the word to man that they might pen them by the divine hand; therefore, in the interpretation of Scripture one must have the divine mind as well, as inspiration from God is still viable today. If you have ears to hear, you will recognize both the voice of prophecy, and the voice of inspiration. The purpose of God speaking to us through His word is to mold us into complete obedience to His will. As I said, God has given each one of us a course, a course in our faith, and only God can give the true map which is His word. The true compass is His Son Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the true north star. We get all our bearings from Him in our path of faith.
Have you ever noticed all the voices crying out Jesus is here, Jesus is there. How many ever point to heaven and tell us that the Man in heaven for us is Jesus Christ. This is the only Man that we are to cling to. He is the only one who sets the requirements of heaven.
1. He has established God’s word, Thy word is truth.
2. The Spirit of Christ enacts the new birth, Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
3. In the new birth we have the mind of Christ, this gives the new creature a thirst for the word of God. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1 Peter 2:2) These three together give the true interpretation of the word of God.
We have been writing about the work of the Spirit of Christ. Scripture gives us a reference to the actual work of the Spirit of Christ and the result of that work using the word of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the mind of Christ. We find all three in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch.
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.(Acts 8:26)
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,(Acts 8:27)
Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.(Acts 8:28)
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.(Acts 8:29)
And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? (Acts 8:30)
And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:31)
The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:(Acts 8:32)
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.(Acts 8:33)
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? (Acts 8:34)
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (Acts 8:35)
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (Acts 8:36)
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Acts 8:37)
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:38)
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.(Acts 8:39)
But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:40)
The Lord moved Philip by His angel. His angel determined the path that Philip would take. This is the divine mind working in the spiritual realm, working out the will of the Omnipotent God. God had already determined the meeting place; it would be in a desert. He had already determined and chosen the two participants; both were to fulfill the divine will of God. Like a fine jeweled watch, every tooth on every gear match in the determinate counsels of God. Philip never asked where or how. Like a good soldier he simply said in his inner being, Yes, sir. And Philip followed after the Lord. What is so amazing is that God used a desert place, completely apart from the eyes of men, and yet, everything was prepared for the Ethiopian eunuch. God provide the Scripture, God led him to Isaiah 53, and then through divine guidance God brought Philip to the exact place and Philip answered the eunuch’s question, And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? The answer to the eunuch’s question was the preaching of Christ. The prophecy of Isaiah was expounded by Philip. What do we have here? We have the word of God, we have the mind of Christ leading to Isaiah 53, we have the Spirit of prophecy which is the Spirit of Christ, and we have divine inspiration and divine interpretation by the mind of Christ through Philip. And then, to really show us the will and purpose of God we have the provision of water in the desert so that the Ethiopian could be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Then Philip was whisked away by the Spirit of God. What did this Ethiopian eunuch take with him. He took the word of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the mind of Christ, and he was continually directed by the will of God.
Side Note: God’s Purpose on a Texas Interstate – Traveling through Texas many years ago at 3:00 am our car suddenly died while going up a rise on a bridge on an Interstate. We were pulling a trailer full of books, a baby grand piano, my tools, and household items. Our vehicle had slowly coasted to a stop about 400 yards past an off road. (We both noticed this road even in the darkness as we sped by; Interstate systems do not have narrow unmarked roads attached seemingly without any purpose). This is where the fun began. Because we were on a rise, I told my wife Mary that I would try to coast back to that off road, she thought that was amusing and laughed, and I jokingly said, Alright Sarah, we can do this. So, we began our 400-yard journey backwards off a bridge on a Texas Interstate in the darkness of night with only a few light structures. Our concern was that any vehicle approaching from behind would not realize until too late that we were at a complete stop. At first, we began to move slowly backwards, this was a bit difficult for now, you see, the trailer was driving us, and our slow coast became a quicker coast. I’m sure there was divine intervention as the angels of God kept us on track. We made it to the off road and the off road went down a slight hill; with a little coaching and pushing and help from the angels the car and trailer no longer was a hindrance or danger to others traveling on the Interstate, and we were safe on the side of a road. When we finally rolled s-l-o-w-l-y to a stop, we looked at each other and simultaneously acknowledged that God had a purpose for us to be here at this exact point in place and time. God had brought us here for a divine reason, and all we had to do was to pray and to wait for His reason to be revealed.
Everything was closed at that time, all the houses and buildings in the area were dark and we appeared to be on a lonely stretch of road. However, this was years ago, and it was a little bit safer then. We patiently waited to see what God was going to do. Oh, I forgot to mention our dog Zork; he was very impressed by the way that his daddy and the angels moved the car being powered, pulled and driven backwards by the weight of a heavy trailer. Back to time and time, as we sat it wasn’t before long that out of the darkness there appeared the form of a man slowly walking towards us on the side of the Interstate. He turned into the road where we were parked. I said to my wife, This is the reason for all this.
I opened the car door, walked up to the stranger, stuck out my hand to shake his hand, and said, Hello, I’ve been waiting for you, the Lord Jesus Christ sent me to meet you. And before he could run away in fright, I preached the gospel to him with the greatest news that he had ever heard. We didn’t get on our knees, nor recite a canned prayer, he held my hand with a fervent grip and our eyes spoke to each other. He believed what I had said. We talked together for a while and shared. He was tired, a man beaten by life walking home from a hard job with hard hours without any form of transportation except his feet. He wanted to know the reason that we were parked at that particular place, as his home was at the end of this very odd off road. (Most Interstate highways, that I am familiar with, do not have narrow unmarked roads leading off their highways systems.) I told him that my car had stopped running and that I needed to find a place to purchase a fuel pump. After giving me directions to an auto part store about three miles off the Interstate my ‘Ethiopian eunuch’ went on his way. I never saw him again, but I am sure that everything was according to God’s plan.
In God’s divine mind he was there for me, and I was there for him. We fail to see the wonder in God’s infinite plan that He has every detail in His divine wheel within a wheel. His watch is moving through time, and all we have to do is follow the steps that He has marked out for us. Philip was brought to the desert for one purpose, to explain the Scriptures and to present Christ as the Savior of men.
To finish my story on a Texas Interstate, when the sun came up I followed the man’s directions, walked about three miles to an auto parts store. I bought a fuel pump and started to leave the store when another man coming out of the store had heard my story and offered to give me a ride back to my car. Was this another Ethiopian eunuch? I expounded the gospel as he drove me to my car. There was no decision only a bewildered look on his face. He ended our conversation with, I will think about it. I said, Don’t think too long, and then I thanked him for his kindness in providing me with a lift back to my car. I installed the fuel pump on the car, and we were back on the road to Colorado once again, singing and praising God for His goodness and greatness, as Zork (attempted to join us in our singing) howled from the back seat. How great is our God! All of us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ need to realize His hand upon us each and every day, and every footstep in the path of faith. We need to see and be aware of the tangible world and its pitfalls, but we also need to be aware of those things that are invisible. The ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14) ♦ End of Side Note.
If we, as Ezekiel, see the divine hand of God’s government in a wheel within a wheel, we will understand the movement of His government through the history of man. Think of God controlling the hour hand of history; think of God controlling the minute hand of each day; think of God controlling each tick of life and government in this world all bringing about His divine plan and fulfilling His determinate counsels. He has kept His word for us, and yet, so many times we have heard messages on divine inspiration only to deny that very inspiration. When men talk about divine inspiration, they never include the Spirit of Christ, for Peter tells us that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (1 Peter 1:10)
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:11)
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.(1 Peter 1:12)
Now, if they had the Spirit of Christ, they would also have the mind of Christ. Why do men leave this divine link out of divine inspiration? You would think that they would see the link between all three: inspiration, the Spirit of Christ, and the mind of Christ. Every believer has this same divine link, this is how the Creator of all things keeps His word in an unblemished form in the mind and heart of all His children. As soon as I hear the word ‘inspiration’ it is usually accompanied by words that deny that very divine inspiration and the ability of God to keep and preserve His word throughout the history of man. How many times have you heard ‘scribal error,’ or ‘copyist error’ or ‘the original language really says’ or ‘we can only believe the words of the original documents,’ or the deceiver inserts another word, and this word detracts from the word of God, and from His Son Jesus Christ. Cannot the God who gave the word, authored the word, keep and preserve His word? Once again, I will ask you a question, Who brought the Ethiopian eunuch to a place in barren desert where there was water for his baptism. Who opened the word of God to the place in the book of Isaiah, Chapter 53 so that the Ethiopian eunuch might ponder? And who brought Philip to the very spot in the desert? Now, I know who brought him, do you? Amen.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:17)
© Copyright 2017, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)
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