The Voice of God- part one

'Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a PROPHET unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I [am] a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak...Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I HAVE OUT MY WORDS IN THY MOUTH.' {Jer 1:4-7, 9}

When God raises up a prophet, He always speaks through them His messages. The words that they speak are the words of God. We see the same thing in the call of Moses. God promised to speak through him, but Moses was fearful of his speech impediment, so God said:

'And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, [even] he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and THOU SHALT BE TO HIM INSTEAD OF GOD.'{Exodus 4:16}

Moses was to stand in the place of God, to his brother Aaron. In other words, as God would put His words in Moses' mouth, Moses would be as God to Aaron's mouth. This is how God is: He speaks through His prophets:

'It is the VOICE OF CHRIST that SPEAKS THROUGH PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS, from the days of Adam EVEN TO THE CLOSING SCENES OF TIME.' {DA 799}

'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.'{Hebrews 13:8}

This is how Jesus deals with all of His prophets. What's also the same, is that in every great reformatory movement, in the Bible, the characteristics of the prophet, are always the same:

'The work of God in the earth presents, from age to age, a STRIKING SIMILARITY in EVERY great reformation or religious movement. The principles of God's dealing with men are ever the same. The important movements of the present have their PARALLEL in those of the past..'GC 343.1}

Throughout the Bible, in all these great reforms that God was seeking to bring among His people, we see:

1. A Proclaiming Prophet, at the beginning of a time prophecy. This is the prophet whom is raised up to proclaim the prophecy.

2. A Gathering Prophet, at the close of the time prophecy. The message of this prophet is LIFE OR DEATH. Their message always is received by just a remnant.

3. Their names correspond with their ministry.

NOAH

The very first time prophecy found in the Bible, is the 120 years of probation until the flood would come.

1. The Proclaiming Prophet was Enoch; which means 'Teacher'. His name corresponds with his ministry:

'Enoch was a public TEACHER OF THE TRUTH in the age in which he lived. He taught the truth; he lived the truth; and the character of the teacher who walked with God was in every way harmonious with the greatness and sacredness of HIS MISSION.'{Upward Look, 228}

He proclaimed the prophecy of the coming flood, through his son, Methuselah. Methuselah means, 'When he dies it shall come'. Sure enough, when he died, the flood followed straight after. Oh what a funeral service that must have been to those who knew the significance of his death! More than likely, it was Noah who preached at the service; and what a most solemn sermon that must have been.

2. The Gathering Prophet was Noah; which means 'Rescue, Comfort, Rest'. For 120 years, Noah faithfully preached the approach of the flood; and only a remnant were gathered together in the ark, as a result of receiving the message. His message was life or death, because those who did not heed the call to get on board the ark, found themselves on the other side of the door, shut out with their probation closed:

' Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their evil deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterward did from Nineveh...The period of their probation was about to expire. Noah had faithfully followed the instructions which he had received from God...And now the servant of God made his last solemn appeal to the people. With an agony of desire that words cannot express, he entreated them to seek a refuge while it might be found. Again they rejected his words, and raised their voices in jest and scoffing...The massive door, which it was impossible for those within to close, was slowly swung to its place by unseen hands. Noah was shut in, and the rejecters of God's mercy were shut out. The seal of Heaven was on that door; God had shut it, and God alone could open it.'{PP 98}

ABRAHAM

The second time prophecy we see, is the 400 years of Israelite captivity in Egypt, found in Genesis 15.

1. The Proclaiming Prophet was Abraham; which means 'Father of a multitude'. He was the father of both the Ishmaelites as well as the Israelites. His name, prior to its change from Abram, means 'The Father is exalted.' Everywhere that he dwelt, he would erect altars unto The LORD, so that the heathen would understand the worship of the true God.

2. The Gathering Prophet was Moses; which means 'Drawn out of the water; Rescue'. We know the familiar story of him being drawn out of the water, by Pharoah's daughter. At the end of the 400 years, when it was time for God's people to be delivered out of bondage, he gathered a remnant who obeyed his voice. Was his message life or death? Definitely. Those who did not take heed to separate from the Egyptians, were slain

........to be continued, with more time prophets, leading up to the time of Mrs Ellen G. White, where we will see clearly from God's Word, that to reject her writings, is to reject the voice of God to His people in these final hours!! Stay tuned.....................