The Perfect Prophecy, The Bible
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous two messages we shared with you some thoughts about man's greatest need. In those messages we read and quoted quite a number of verses from the Bible. Before proceeding further in this series of messages, we need to pause briefly for the benefit of any new believers in Christ or those who may not have met the Lord, and share with you some truths about the Bible.
When I use the phrase, "The Bible," I refer first of all to the original manuscripts and secondly to the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible, which consists of 66 books, 39 in what men call the Old Testament and 27 in what men call the New Testament. There are many different translations of the Bible. No English translation is perfect but some are worse than others. In a number of cases there are two or more different Greek words which are translated into only one English word. We will look at several examples of this from time to time. We believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the preferred translation for us to read. The Bible is the supreme and only perfect Book, the written masterpiece of God, divine in origin and authorship, human in penmanship, infallible in authority, infinite in scope, timeless in duration, personal and immeasurable in power, inestimable in value, unsurpassed in literary beauty, and unequaled in simplicity of expression. Moreover, the Bible is profound and unique in continuity. Although various books of the Bible were written over a period of some 1600 years, the agreement and continuity of the message is so amazingly the same that no parts of the Bible could have been copied from one man to another.
Jesus Himself acknowledged the complete authenticity of the Bible when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He said, in Matthew 4:4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth [or is proceeding] out of the mouth of God."
Every author of every book in the Bible wrote what they were told by God to write. Although I have not done an exhaustive search, the Bible says explicitly that the word of the Lord came to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Solomon, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Then they tried to understand what they had written. The Lord told Isaiah, in Isaiah 51:16, "I have put my words in thy mouth."
Of course, some theologians and academics claim that the Bible is fiction, or the product of men's minds, and is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. We believe that the only contradiction concerning the Bible is in men's natural or carnal minds, because the natural mind (no matter how "smart") cannot understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:14). Further, the Bible itself says that it was written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:20-21). If there is any error or contradiction or inaccuracy in the Bible, then the whole Bible becomes of no value (James 2:10). As a matter of fact, the Bible is the only accurate history book ever written. Every other writing is biased by the natural mind of man.
Why then do so many professing Christians argue about the meaning of so many different doctrines? Certainly the leaders of every church at every level which professes to be Christian will say that they believe every word in the Bible is true. What they are really saying is they believe their interpretation of the Bible is true. Otherwise, how can you explain the hundreds and thousands of denominations, sects, Spirit-filled churches, house churches, etc.? Only the Spirit of God can rightly interpret what the Spirit of God has written. Moreover we Christians like to argue about the meaning of some scriptures that really are insignificant compared to our personal walk with the Lord. We will no doubt mention several examples of this in later messages.
Does it matter which translation of the Bible we read and use? My answer is YES! Ken Bennett was a very close friend of mine and a solid man of God. Ken, now with the Lord, wrote a book in 2001 titled, "Why Would God Write Two Bibles?" His answer was that God wrote only one Bible. He did much research prior to writing that little book. He also had a genuine deliverance ministry. He said that during one instance of a deliverance, a demon spoke out and said that they (the demons) had written one of the original texts, namely from Nestles Greek, which is the basis of the NIV, New American Standard, and NKJV bibles. Ken makes very convincing arguments as to why we should avoid those translations as well as most "modern" translations. If you have any doubts, let me mail you a copy of his book, free, read the book for yourself, and then make up your mind. Furthermore, could there ever be any doubt that Satan would want to muddle up the true word of God?
The Christian community today is greatly fragmented and divided based on different understandings of scripture in general. Why? We are aware of at least seven specific reasons:
(1) too many believers try to understand the Bible with the natural mind; that will always lead to a swamp of misunderstanding;
The Bible says that what is contained therein is true and is the inspired word of God. It also states why scripture was given.
The word, "inspiration," means Divinely breathed in or breathed into. God Divinely breathed His Word into His chosen servants. Then God breathed out the Bible through those servants. Now we know that God settled everything before the foundation of the world. Jesus was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Concerning Jeremiah, the Lord said, "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" (Jeremiah 1:4-5). God foreknew you and He foreknew me. God is omniscient. He knows everything about each one of us before we were ever born into this world. The word of God is eternal. Moreover, God gave the very words of the Bible before the foundation of the world. The Bible was written in heaven in the mind of God before it was written on earth.
A true prophet of the Lord (102 years old this past July) once said: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the religious system." Man has NO oars in the Kingdom of God; no man can steer His ship.
A question, please. How do we know that George Washington was the first President of the United States? Did you know George personally? Was he a friend of yours? No! You believe that to be true because you were taught that in school and because you read about it in some history book. How do you know that the history book was accurate? By faith! By the same token, the New Testament was written by men who walked the earth with Jesus. They have handed down what they saw and heard and experienced in their personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus, in the Gospel according to John, said that He is the way, the truth, and the life; and that no man comes to (God) the Father but by Him. In other words, there is only one way to God, not many ways. Jesus said that, not me. How do we know that the Bible is true? By faith!
The following is basically quoted from a website written by a true prophet of the Lord (name supplied upon request) whom I have been privileged to know for at least 45 years:
In other words, the natural man, those that are without the Holy Spirit, cannot understand the Word of God and therefore they cannot be forgiven and their sins cannot be forgiven.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament point to Jesus, Who is both the Son of God and God the Son. That fact is clearly stated in John 1:1-2. After the resurrection of Jesus, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene. Then He appeared to two of His disciples, one of whom was named Cleopas, on the road to Emmaus, which was about 7 miles from Jerusalem.
The two disciples were talking and reasoning about why Jesus died. They had no understanding. Unless the Lord opens our eyes, we cannot know who Jesus is. Unless the Spirit of God opens our eyes we cannot understand the significance of the Bible.
All the scriptures at that point in time were what men call the Old Testament. So even the Old Testament was written to point prophetically to Jesus. In reality, I have received more light from the Old Testament concerning Jesus than I do from the New Testament.
Yet as important as the Bible is, no man can understand what is written therein unless the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning.
However we must be careful. Jesus said,
In other words, the Bible is not an end in itself. It is a means toward the end. That end is life and life is in Christ. Christ is life.
From Verse 18 it seems clear that Peter, James, and John heard the audible voice of God. What made that mount holy? the presence of Jesus. There was nothing special about the rocks, dirt, and vegetative growth on that mountain. The rocks and dirt in my back yard are just as good as the rocks and dirt in that mountain. The Lord said, "Be ye holy for I am holy."
But then, in Verse 19, Peter says that we have a more sure word of prophecy than what they experienced when Jesus was transfigured before them. The living word of God always trumps our experience or our natural senses. Verse 20 says that no man is the ONLY person to understand some part of the Bible. Verse 21 says that the Old Testament, the written word, came by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The New Testament had not been written at that time, but the same truth applies therein. Moreover it is not comprehensible to me that the God who made man and flung the sun, moon, and stars into space would not also leave man with a written book describing Himself and His will.
Many long years ago I attended a believers' gathering in the home of a couple who lived near us. The scheduled speaker (from out of town) said that instead of him teaching, we would all read 2 Peter, Chapter 1. The twenty or so believers went around the room, each one reading one verse in that chapter. After we had read the whole chapter, the visiting minister said, "What did anyone hear as we read that chapter?" Several believers said different things but I had heard nothing. So while the rest in the room were sharing I went back and re-read the entire chapter. When I read Verse 19, the word "until" jumped off the page to me and then I shared the following word with everyone: I said that I had seen a lot of Christians who were taking heed, taking heed, and taking heed, but that is Judaism. What the Lord is looking for is the Day Star to arise in our hearts. Our purpose as Christians is not simply to understand the meaning of Scripture. What the Lord is after is that the Word become flesh within us ... "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27), i.e., Does the word change your life?
None of the above can resonate with you unless it is revealed to you by God the Father and His Holy Spirit. You cannot reason it out because the carnal (natural) mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7).
How do I know that all of the above is true? because I have been greatly blessed, by the grace of God, that He has touched my life, made me whole, and revealed these things to my spirit both from the Bible, from personal experience, and from the testimony of literally hundreds of others. I am no better than anyone else. I am not smarter than you; I am not stronger than you; I am not wiser than you; I am not better looking than you; and I am certainly not richer than you. But I know Whom and what has been revealed unto me. I know what I have experienced. I also know that when the Lord Jesus Christ made Himself real to me, it was like I entered a world that I never knew existed. I remember on that day saying to myself, "Surely this is the peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Reading now from 2 Corinthians 3. Verse 5,
Verse 18 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. From Genesis, the Lord's purpose for man is that we might be changed into His image. How does the Holy Spirit change us? by beholding with an open face the glory of the Lord. In other words we must be teachable. We cannot rely solely on what we have heard men teach; nor can we rely on the traditions of men.
May the Spirit of God open our spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us today and every day! And then may we be obedient to every word that has proceeded and is proceeding out of His mouth.
In our next message we hope to share with you the answer to the question of how we can fulfill our greatest need. That should be a message of vital interest to anyone who has questions concerning the meaning of life. Hopefully, we will also share a few nuggets of interest to some of you who are already born again.
When I use the phrase, "The Bible," I refer first of all to the original manuscripts and secondly to the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible, which consists of 66 books, 39 in what men call the Old Testament and 27 in what men call the New Testament. There are many different translations of the Bible. No English translation is perfect but some are worse than others. In a number of cases there are two or more different Greek words which are translated into only one English word. We will look at several examples of this from time to time. We believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the preferred translation for us to read. The Bible is the supreme and only perfect Book, the written masterpiece of God, divine in origin and authorship, human in penmanship, infallible in authority, infinite in scope, timeless in duration, personal and immeasurable in power, inestimable in value, unsurpassed in literary beauty, and unequaled in simplicity of expression. Moreover, the Bible is profound and unique in continuity. Although various books of the Bible were written over a period of some 1600 years, the agreement and continuity of the message is so amazingly the same that no parts of the Bible could have been copied from one man to another.
Jesus Himself acknowledged the complete authenticity of the Bible when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He said, in Matthew 4:4, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth [or is proceeding] out of the mouth of God."
Every author of every book in the Bible wrote what they were told by God to write. Although I have not done an exhaustive search, the Bible says explicitly that the word of the Lord came to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Solomon, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Then they tried to understand what they had written. The Lord told Isaiah, in Isaiah 51:16, "I have put my words in thy mouth."
In Jeremiah 1:9-10 we read: "And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Then in Jeremiah 36: 1-2 we read: "And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day."
When the first part of that roll was read in the court of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Jehudi "cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth" (Jeremiah 36:23).
Jeremiah 36:27-28 - "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned".
Now do you believe that Jeremiah had a photographic or perfect memory such that he could re-write precisely what the Lord told him to write the first time? I do not believe that. Do you think that God forgot what He had told Jeremiah to write on the first roll? Impossible. Jeremiah may have forgotten but God never forgets His word to anyone.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:1831 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me?33 The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?35 If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;36 Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.38 But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. John 10:31-38
Of course, some theologians and academics claim that the Bible is fiction, or the product of men's minds, and is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. We believe that the only contradiction concerning the Bible is in men's natural or carnal minds, because the natural mind (no matter how "smart") cannot understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:14). Further, the Bible itself says that it was written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:20-21). If there is any error or contradiction or inaccuracy in the Bible, then the whole Bible becomes of no value (James 2:10). As a matter of fact, the Bible is the only accurate history book ever written. Every other writing is biased by the natural mind of man.
Why then do so many professing Christians argue about the meaning of so many different doctrines? Certainly the leaders of every church at every level which professes to be Christian will say that they believe every word in the Bible is true. What they are really saying is they believe their interpretation of the Bible is true. Otherwise, how can you explain the hundreds and thousands of denominations, sects, Spirit-filled churches, house churches, etc.? Only the Spirit of God can rightly interpret what the Spirit of God has written. Moreover we Christians like to argue about the meaning of some scriptures that really are insignificant compared to our personal walk with the Lord. We will no doubt mention several examples of this in later messages.
Does it matter which translation of the Bible we read and use? My answer is YES! Ken Bennett was a very close friend of mine and a solid man of God. Ken, now with the Lord, wrote a book in 2001 titled, "Why Would God Write Two Bibles?" His answer was that God wrote only one Bible. He did much research prior to writing that little book. He also had a genuine deliverance ministry. He said that during one instance of a deliverance, a demon spoke out and said that they (the demons) had written one of the original texts, namely from Nestles Greek, which is the basis of the NIV, New American Standard, and NKJV bibles. Ken makes very convincing arguments as to why we should avoid those translations as well as most "modern" translations. If you have any doubts, let me mail you a copy of his book, free, read the book for yourself, and then make up your mind. Furthermore, could there ever be any doubt that Satan would want to muddle up the true word of God?
The Christian community today is greatly fragmented and divided based on different understandings of scripture in general. Why? We are aware of at least seven specific reasons:
(1) too many believers try to understand the Bible with the natural mind; that will always lead to a swamp of misunderstanding;
(2) too many believers try to reduce all scripture to the natural level, but God is Spirit;
(3) traditions of men have replaced seeking the mind of the Lord;
(4) too many believers use the NIV, NKJV or New American Standard translation of the Bible;
(5) too many ministers are trying to function in a place where they have not been called;
(6) the lack of both the existence and recognition of true apostles and prophets within the Church today; and
(7) the lack of true intercessors who have spiritual understanding and wisdom.
We will have much more to say about all seven of those lacks in later messages. Concerning the second reason ... reducing all scripture to the natural or literal level ... that is particularly true of what is called Evangelical Christians. About ten years ago I heard a noted Evangelical minister say on his television show that when he gets to heaven he will wear a literal crown and a literal robe. At that point in time he had TV airings on 220 different TV stations. I assume he also believes that he will wear a crown of gold because that phrase also occurs in several places in scripture. I believe he will be greatly disappointed. Again, reducing scripture to the natural level.
We will have much more to say about all seven of those lacks in later messages. Concerning the second reason ... reducing all scripture to the natural or literal level ... that is particularly true of what is called Evangelical Christians. About ten years ago I heard a noted Evangelical minister say on his television show that when he gets to heaven he will wear a literal crown and a literal robe. At that point in time he had TV airings on 220 different TV stations. I assume he also believes that he will wear a crown of gold because that phrase also occurs in several places in scripture. I believe he will be greatly disappointed. Again, reducing scripture to the natural level.
Concerning the traditions of men, in December 28, 1979, a true prophet of the Lord sent us a very encouraging letter. He also included the following allegory.
Many years ago a certain man was walking through a beautiful, well-kept garden. He was not only admiring the gorgeous floral array but carefully observing the various forms of life therein.He found himself preoccupied with a company of caterpillars whose characteristics were very unique and quite different from all others. They were called, "The Procession Caterpillar." They traveled in great companies, in single file and in straight lines. The feelers of each one rests on the hindquarters of the one immediately in front. In this, they have no sense of individuality and are completely lost when they fall out of line.The man picked up a dead stick and slowly maneuvered the lead caterpillar until its feelers made contact with the end caterpillar. Hour after hour he periodically returned to watch them. He saw them march in a circle until they perished for lack of nourishment. A beautiful creation, with a unique function, foiled by a dead stick in the hands of a man experimenting with a life that could never be fulfilled through manipulation. They who have an ear, let them understand this Word.
The Bible says that what is contained therein is true and is the inspired word of God. It also states why scripture was given.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.2 Timothy 3:16-17
The word, "inspiration," means Divinely breathed in or breathed into. God Divinely breathed His Word into His chosen servants. Then God breathed out the Bible through those servants. Now we know that God settled everything before the foundation of the world. Jesus was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Concerning Jeremiah, the Lord said, "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" (Jeremiah 1:4-5). God foreknew you and He foreknew me. God is omniscient. He knows everything about each one of us before we were ever born into this world. The word of God is eternal. Moreover, God gave the very words of the Bible before the foundation of the world. The Bible was written in heaven in the mind of God before it was written on earth.
A true prophet of the Lord (102 years old this past July) once said: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the religious system." Man has NO oars in the Kingdom of God; no man can steer His ship.
A question, please. How do we know that George Washington was the first President of the United States? Did you know George personally? Was he a friend of yours? No! You believe that to be true because you were taught that in school and because you read about it in some history book. How do you know that the history book was accurate? By faith! By the same token, the New Testament was written by men who walked the earth with Jesus. They have handed down what they saw and heard and experienced in their personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus, in the Gospel according to John, said that He is the way, the truth, and the life; and that no man comes to (God) the Father but by Him. In other words, there is only one way to God, not many ways. Jesus said that, not me. How do we know that the Bible is true? By faith!
The following is basically quoted from a website written by a true prophet of the Lord (name supplied upon request) whom I have been privileged to know for at least 45 years:
Every imaginable device has been used to destroy the Written Word of God. It has been burned, ridiculed, misconstrued and commercialized. There have been ceaseless attempts to put down or eliminate its precision of truth with words less offensive to the carnal mind. The Word of God is recorded on highly combustible material. One would never choose parchment or paper to go through such a volatile environment. Nevertheless, the words of the prophets were preserved in the midst of the people who slew them because of their utterance.
Whether written or spoken, the Word of God is indestructible. It is the revelation of Jesus the Eternal Word. It stands by Divine decree; every jot and tittle will be fulfilled to the dotting of the "i" and crossing of the "t".
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-18
The Word of God is a unique document because of what appears to be un-recorded. The Holy Spirit reveals the unwritten magnitude and glory of Jesus and then confirms it in the Written Word, the Bible. We then see it was written there all the while.This is the Lord's Way to enfold the macrocosm in the microcosm. He puts the mighty oak tree in the acorn and the bread of life in a single corn of wheat. He enfolds the Infinite within the finite. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels." There is great potential in concealment; it provides the site for revelation. End quote.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2
11 And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. Mark 4:11-12
In other words, the natural man, those that are without the Holy Spirit, cannot understand the Word of God and therefore they cannot be forgiven and their sins cannot be forgiven.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament point to Jesus, Who is both the Son of God and God the Son. That fact is clearly stated in John 1:1-2. After the resurrection of Jesus, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene. Then He appeared to two of His disciples, one of whom was named Cleopas, on the road to Emmaus, which was about 7 miles from Jerusalem.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. Luke 24:13-16
The two disciples were talking and reasoning about why Jesus died. They had no understanding. Unless the Lord opens our eyes, we cannot know who Jesus is. Unless the Spirit of God opens our eyes we cannot understand the significance of the Bible.
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:27
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;4 And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:5 And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:6 After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.7 After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles.8 And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.1 Corinthians 15:3-8
All the scriptures at that point in time were what men call the Old Testament. So even the Old Testament was written to point prophetically to Jesus. In reality, I have received more light from the Old Testament concerning Jesus than I do from the New Testament.
Yet as important as the Bible is, no man can understand what is written therein unless the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning.
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
However we must be careful. Jesus said,
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. John 5:39-40
In other words, the Bible is not an end in itself. It is a means toward the end. That end is life and life is in Christ. Christ is life.
Pity poor Abraham. He never had a Bible to read, never had Christian books to read, no DVDs, no Christian conferences, no pastor to listen to every Sunday. He had to depend upon what the Lord told him. So did Adam, so did Noah, so did Job, so did Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, so did Moses, so did a myriad of Old Covenant saints. How did all of those mighty men of old hear the voice of the Lord? Scripture does not tell us. But it is quite possible that they heard the audible voice of the Lord. Peter said,
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.17 For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount.19 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:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.21 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 1:16-21
From Verse 18 it seems clear that Peter, James, and John heard the audible voice of God. What made that mount holy? the presence of Jesus. There was nothing special about the rocks, dirt, and vegetative growth on that mountain. The rocks and dirt in my back yard are just as good as the rocks and dirt in that mountain. The Lord said, "Be ye holy for I am holy."
But then, in Verse 19, Peter says that we have a more sure word of prophecy than what they experienced when Jesus was transfigured before them. The living word of God always trumps our experience or our natural senses. Verse 20 says that no man is the ONLY person to understand some part of the Bible. Verse 21 says that the Old Testament, the written word, came by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The New Testament had not been written at that time, but the same truth applies therein. Moreover it is not comprehensible to me that the God who made man and flung the sun, moon, and stars into space would not also leave man with a written book describing Himself and His will.
Many long years ago I attended a believers' gathering in the home of a couple who lived near us. The scheduled speaker (from out of town) said that instead of him teaching, we would all read 2 Peter, Chapter 1. The twenty or so believers went around the room, each one reading one verse in that chapter. After we had read the whole chapter, the visiting minister said, "What did anyone hear as we read that chapter?" Several believers said different things but I had heard nothing. So while the rest in the room were sharing I went back and re-read the entire chapter. When I read Verse 19, the word "until" jumped off the page to me and then I shared the following word with everyone: I said that I had seen a lot of Christians who were taking heed, taking heed, and taking heed, but that is Judaism. What the Lord is looking for is the Day Star to arise in our hearts. Our purpose as Christians is not simply to understand the meaning of Scripture. What the Lord is after is that the Word become flesh within us ... "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27), i.e., Does the word change your life?
None of the above can resonate with you unless it is revealed to you by God the Father and His Holy Spirit. You cannot reason it out because the carnal (natural) mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7).
How do I know that all of the above is true? because I have been greatly blessed, by the grace of God, that He has touched my life, made me whole, and revealed these things to my spirit both from the Bible, from personal experience, and from the testimony of literally hundreds of others. I am no better than anyone else. I am not smarter than you; I am not stronger than you; I am not wiser than you; I am not better looking than you; and I am certainly not richer than you. But I know Whom and what has been revealed unto me. I know what I have experienced. I also know that when the Lord Jesus Christ made Himself real to me, it was like I entered a world that I never knew existed. I remember on that day saying to myself, "Surely this is the peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Reading now from 2 Corinthians 3. Verse 5,
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
[Note that the Holy Spirit must make the letter real to us]
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.2 Corinthians 3:5-6, 13-18
Verse 18 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. From Genesis, the Lord's purpose for man is that we might be changed into His image. How does the Holy Spirit change us? by beholding with an open face the glory of the Lord. In other words we must be teachable. We cannot rely solely on what we have heard men teach; nor can we rely on the traditions of men.
May the Spirit of God open our spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us today and every day! And then may we be obedient to every word that has proceeded and is proceeding out of His mouth.
In our next message we hope to share with you the answer to the question of how we can fulfill our greatest need. That should be a message of vital interest to anyone who has questions concerning the meaning of life. Hopefully, we will also share a few nuggets of interest to some of you who are already born again.
Until next time, may our gracious and merciful Lord keep you in the shadow of His wings. And may the God of all peace give you His peace in the forthcoming days of these perilous times.
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