Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of the Mosheus for Zion's 4. The implication is that these
books were the product of those prophets which occupied a second
tier of importance, or were not quite as useful as the major
prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. This same
notion is quite popular in today's man-centered religious world
as various preachers become famous because of their oratorical skills,
and they take on the air of being experts and indispensable spokesmen
for God by the earthly success of their book sales, informative
seminars, and burgeoning congregations. They are, for the most part,
able to scratch the ears of their followers. but they seldom unequivocally
preach and exalt the glory and purpose of God in the redemption
of His elect bride. They prefer to apprise men of
their duties and ought-tos. They sometimes preach grace,
yet it is seldom without a but, which segues into the sovereignty
of man's supposed free will. There are no unimportant or minor
tellers of the truth of God. The declaration of the gospel
is not committed into the hands of a favored few, but rather
is given to those whom he sends. There are no experts of Bible
knowledge, nor are there any who have the answer to every
question which can be raised by men. There is no class of
men who occupy a favored position among the saints simply because
they can dazzle their hearers with speechifying and theatrics. Paul declared as much when he
declared his own weakness in the area of public speaking,
yet pointed out that the power of preaching lies not in the
gift of gab, but rather in the power of the truth which is set
forth as the Spirit moves upon the hearers. And my speech and
my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. We can
see this very principle demonstrated on the day of Pentecost as the
Lord caused the mixed multitude of many languages and dialects
to hear in their own language or tongue. There is some indication
that those followers of Christ who were gathered there that
day actually spoke in languages which they had not heretofore
learned or conversed in. Yet there is no doubt that many
heard what was said in their own native tongue. There are
some who will tell us that men can learn to speak in these tongues,
yet there is no indication of such anywhere in the scriptures.
This ability must be bestowed by the power of God, quite apart
from the will and purpose of men. I don't suppose it is any
stranger for those who revel in free will to believe that
men can learn to speak in tongues than it is for them to believe
that men can learn to preach the gospel by going to Bible
school or seminary. These are gifts bestowed by the
Spirit, the power of which cannot be enhanced by the will and ways
of men. The husk of outward babbling
or oration can certainly be produced by man, but that power which
accompanies the true preaching of the gospel must come from
a source quite outside the realm of man's learning or his gyrations
of the flesh. Peter declared that what was
being manifest on the day of Pentecost was the fulfillment
of Joel's prophecy. This is the manifestation of
the most momentous event to occur in the course of human history.
This was the ushering in of the fullness of the last days. There
are many Johnny Come Lately prophets who tell us that the last days
are coming, or perhaps they think this time we are living in are
the last days. The reality is that the last
days were ushered in by the outpouring of God's Spirit on His people.
As John said, it is the last time. We are not waiting for
the last days. These are the last days. What
Joel prophesied has been demonstrated. We are not waiting for some new
message or mystery which is to be delivered to us by the mouth
of some anointed prophet. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds.