Prophetic Prayer-Did G3D Reinstate Prophecy?
For decades, there has been contentious questioning about whether the full five-fold ministry & spiritual gifts, including prophecy, has been reestablished in the modern age after a long period of inactivity following the 1st Century Church. What if He never stopped talking; we just stopped listening?
The argument that G3D suspended miraculous spiritual signs and wonders, including spiritual gifts and the office of Prophet after the events recorded in Scripture, comes from the fact that they expected G3D to fit their limited definitions of projected communication and behavior. There’s a similar dispute by Jewish Tradition, which states that prophecy ended after the Destruction of the First Temple, despite numerous examples of G3D communicating to His People.
Priest Zechariah, Father of John the Baptist, was confronted by Archangel Gabriel about his future son’s birth, while performing the incense offering. He remained in the Temple for an extended period of time and after exiting and being unable to speak, the other priests recognize that Priest Zechariah had received some kind of revelation, though they believed through a vision (ref. Luke 1: 8-23). After John’s birth, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied (v. 67-79).
Mary was also informed by Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth despite being a virgin. When Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth, the wife of Priest Zechariah, baby John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth recognized that Mary was carrying the promised Messiah and gave praise for Mary’s faith (ref. Luke 2:26-45).
When Joseph, the fiancé of Mary, discovered that she was pregnant, he quietly considered divorcing her, but was visited by an angel of the Lord in a dream informing Joseph that the child was the Messiah (ref. Matthew 1: 18-25). After Jesus’ birth, Joseph was again visited by an angel of the Lord, informing him that they needed to flee to Egypt to avoid the massacre that King Herod had planned.” After Herod’s destruction of the Innocents, he died and again Joseph was visited by an angel of the Lord in a dream, informing him that was safe to return to Israel. In yet another dream, Joseph was told to move to the district of Galilee in a city called Nazareth where Jesus grew up (ref. Matthew 2:13-235:2), that Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. After this, they again were able to follow the star to find Jesus and were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and to go back home another way.
When Christ was brought to the Second Temple in Jerusalem, so his parents could perform the redemption of the firstborn son, there were people waiting for the “consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25, 38). This is a reference to an additional ritual that occurred on or after the Yom Kippur animal sacrifice ceremony. First seen during the leadership of High Priest Simeon the Righteous, half of the red ribbon tied around the goat sent into the Wilderness was taken and hung on the Temple door. When the animal finally died, the scarlet threads would turn white. This miracle was meant to be a sign that G3D had not only forgiven the sins of the nation of Israel, but had also purified them.
According to Jewish Tradition, the red ribbon would turn white on Yom Kippur during the time of High Priest Simeon the Righteous, but after his death, many of the associated miracles during his tenure began to stop and sometimes it took days or weeks after Yom Kippur for the red ribbon to turn white after the death of the sacrificed goat in the wilderness. It is fitting that devoted men and women gathered at the Temple to wait for this miracle, this “consolation of Israel”, through which G3D spoke to His People.
Unsurprisingly, “the Rabbis taught that forty years prior (starting at Jesus’ Crucifixion in 30 A.D.) to the Destruction of the Temple (in 70 A.D.) [expected miracles related to Yom Kippur failed to occur such as] the lot did not come up in the [High Priest’s] right hand nor did the [ribbon] of scarlet wool become white…” (ref. Talmud, Tractate Yoma 39b). A definite clear statement by G3D to His People.
While the family of Jesus was at the Temple, a righteous and devout man, fittingly named Simeon, who had the Holy Spirit upon him, came to see the Christ Child as the Holy Spirit had said that Simeon would not die before he had seen the Messiah. After praising G3D, Simeon the righteous man, prophesied to Mary about Jesus’ role in the world (ref. Luke 2: 22-33).
In addition to Righteous Simeon’s blessing and prophecy, an elderly prophetess named Anna who had also been waiting in the Temple, fasting and praying day and night, recognized that Christ was not only the True Redemption of Jerusalem that the crowds had been waiting for but also the Messiah. This prophetess had the clarity to recognize both and gave thanks to G3D and spoke to the crowds about who Christ was and how He had come to redeem them permanently.
G3D has been in continual communication with Man in some way since the Creation of Adam. Though Jewish tradition holds that Prophecy ended some 2,500 years ago and some modern Christians contend that G3D’s Voice was strangled 2,000 years ago, they are both wrong because they refuse to recognize all the Ways G3D is able to communicate to us.
Whether by visions as Zechariah’s fellow priests anticipated. Or by visits by angels as Zechariah and Mary were blessed by. Both Joseph and the Wise Men from the East had dreams informing them of coming danger and G3D’s intentions. The Wise Men followed a star to Jerusalem and the Chief Priests and Scribes were able to locate Christ’s location through the writing of minor prophet Micah. Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, recognized Mary as the Mother of Christ after her baby leapt in her womb. High Priest Simeon the Righteous instituted prophetic signs of Redemption associated with the Yom Kippur sacrifice and the people of Jerusalem used the scarlet ribbon turning white as a message from G3D, that He had purified Israel. Simeon the righteous man, waiting for the Redemption of Jerusalem, was covered by the Holy Spirit and told that he would see the Messiah before his death and even prophesied to Mary. And Anna, an aged Prophetess, received direct revelation from G3D that this was the Christ and told everyone waiting for the Redemption of Jerusalem that this child would be the Final Sacrifice.
Many well-meaning preachers claim that the gifts, positions, and power have been reinstated in this Modern Age. They are incorrect, but not in the same way the first century Jews were wrong. They expected Him to communicate in their specific ways, so they ignored all the signs and ways He spoke to them. G3D never stopped talking, we are just finally learning to listen.
Prepared by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet & Eric Sepulveda, PMT Administrator
For more prophetic media groups click here
Apostolic Prophet, Kent Simpson
Click above Picture to read “Interview with a Prophet”
Prophetic Ministries Tabernacle
Tax Exempt Status
Prophetic Ministries Tabernacle and Prophetic Ministries Today is approved by the IRS as a 501(c)3 Tax-Exempted Non-profit Corporation and is listed as a Digital Electronic Church and a Brick and Mortar Congregation.