Supernatural RSM Series – Part 6
Refton Student Ministry Series:
Supernatural Part 6: The Prophets
Who were the prophets in the Old Testament and what did they do and say? As we get into this we will begin to make the transition into Jesus’ mission in the New Testament. Let’s begin by watching a 5 minute video from The Bible Project that explains who the prophets were and how Yahweh God used them. This is the video that I used during RSM…
The Prophets
Prophets in the Old Testament had a radical encounter with Yahweh God and were commissioned by Him to confront Israel of their sin. Their radical encounter was them being swept up into the throne room of God through a vision. We’ve talked about Micaiah’s vision in a previous lesson, but today we will focus on a more well known Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. Their visions would then help to remind Israel of the covenant (promise) between them and Yahweh God. TBP says that they would do this in three steps…
Accusation – They would call out the nation of Israel by exposing their sin.
Repentance – They would strongly encourage them to turn from their sin, but Israel didn’t always listen!
Judgment – They would often remind Israel of The Day of the Lord. This is where Yahweh God acts in human history to bring judgment upon them for their sin. It also sometimes refers to the future day of judgment which ultimately points toward a new heaven, new earth, new city of Jerusalem, and a Messianic King that would rule all of the nations.
Regarding their prophecies about the future Messianic King, some scholars argue (and I agree) that the plan of Yahweh God was there, but sort of in parts of a whole. We wouldn’t be able to find any passage in the Old Testament that includes all of these elements: Yahweh God coming down to earth as a human being (Jesus), living a perfect life, dying for the sins of the world, and defeating death shortly after. Some might point to Isaiah 53, which we will talk about during RSM, but even there the word “messiah” is never used, and it comes on the heels of many texts talking about Israel/Jacob being the servant, which would lead ancient readers to conclude that Israel/Jacob is the identity of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. The reason we see Jesus in Isaiah 53 so clearly is because we read the New Testament into the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 is definitely a messianic passage, but its clarity is only fully revealed in hindsight.
God was keeping secrets!?
You bet He was! This is a key theme that I trace through the book of Luke in my audio blog series, Taking the Nations Back. So, why would Yahweh God keep secrets? That seems contrary to His nature, doesn’t it? Consider this:
1 Corinthians 2:6-8, Paul says, “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Who are “the rulers of this age?” If we survey when Paul uses the word “ruler(s)” we see that except for two instances, Paul is talking about the spiritual forces of darkness. Moreover, Satan is referred to as the ruler of this age! Catch what Paul is saying – If the rulers of this age [rebellious spiritual beings] knew that Jesus was going to conquer death, they would not have crucified Him! This is why Yahweh God’s plan in it’s entirety needed to be kept secret.
Read Luke 9:18-45 closely and take note to what Jesus is actually doing:
9:18-20 – Peter confesses Jesus is the Messiah
9:21-22 – Jesus predicts His death and resurrection
9:23-27 – “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
9:28-36 – Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah and God the Father speaks [the Transfiguration]
9:37-43 – Jesus comes down from the mountain and casts out a demon
9:44-45 – The disciples didn’t understand that Jesus had to die
What you won’t see without some study is this: When Peter confesses Jesus is the Messiah, they are standing at the foot of Mount Hermon, the place known to the Jews as the gates of Hell because of the pagan worship that occurred there. This mountain was considered to be the place where the evil spiritual forces would congregate! So what does Jesus do? He and a few disciples go up this mountain! The transfiguration happens, Jesus and crew walk down the mountain, and then Jesus casts out a demon that had been afflicting a little boy. Jesus then tells His disciples that the time is coming when He will be given into the hands of those that will kill Him. Luke lets us know that His disciples didn’t understand what He was talking about – why? Because there’s no verse in the Old Testament (their scriptures) that explains it plainly! [for more on the Mount Hermon discussion, click here] Luke tells us in a later chapter that they had to have their minds open to understand all this!
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44-47)
So what does all of this mean?
Jesus was instigating the forces of evil to kill Him so that He could fulfill the plan of His father – dying and then conquering death. The fact that Jesus conquered death means that “death” [Satan] no longer has a rightful claim over those who put their trust in Jesus! This is why Paul says, “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Another take away from this lesson is that the spiritual forces of evil don’t know everything. However, they are smart. They’ve been around a lot longer than you and I, and therefore we need to be careful of being deceived. We can be thankful that they are not omniscient [all-knowing] like Yahweh. More than that, we can be thankful that Yahweh God actually knows what He is doing, and He cares about us!
Looking Forward
This will lead us into the next three lessons which will talk about exactly who Jesus is and claimed to be, what Yahweh God did for us, and in light of all that, who we are and our purpose in life.