Page 110 - Pentateuch - Student Textbook

land (33:50-36:13). The land, land that they do not yet possess, is God’s land. The people of Israel are
granted rights, but they will never be owners. Despite their sin and the death of a generation they will
arrive in the land and have inheritance rights. Their goal is still waiting,

What are we to make of modern prophets? Do these qualify?

111
1.) In 1979 John Todd identified U.S. President Carter as the Anti-Christ.
2.) In 1979 a group living in Illinois, U.S., predicted Doomsday on May 5, 2000. Six of the nine
planets in our solar system would line up causing cataclysmic effects wiping out 90 per cent of the
112
world’s population.
3.) A Los Angeles, CA, pastor claimed that God told him: “On Thursday, June 9, 1994, I will rip
113
evil out of this world!” The revelation was confirmed by several high-profile Christian leaders.
4.) The following prophecy appeared in a publication between references to scripture in
Matthew and 2 Samuel: “In January 2002, the Word of the Lord came, saying, “I am raising up a global
Bridegroom fast; ask Me to release one hundred million believers worldwide to come before Me in one
accord for three days each month until I return.”
114
5.) “This is written out of love and concern, and even though you don’t believe this now, God
spoke these words through me. Someday you’ll understand, and that day is sooner than you can
imagine.”
115

The list could go on indefinitely. Modern prophets inside and outside the church exist all around the
world. The issue is a basic, essential part of healthy Christianity. How has God revealed himself over the
centuries? Are the scriptures clear and complete or does God continue to speak today as he did to the
prophets in the OT or the apostles in the NT? The Pentateuch gives us some guidelines. Moses warns us
about not following God’s laws on the topic of revelation. It seems to be crucially important to
distinguish between God’s spoken revelation and his daily guidance. We cannot do without either.
When we confuse one for the other, we stray from the truth and, especially as leaders, potentially lead
many others in the wrong direction.

111 E. E. Plowman, “The Legend(s) of John Todd,” Christianity Today (Feb. 2, 1979), 38.
112 M. McCabe, “’End is near’ – and they get ready,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 12, 1979, sec. 1, 4.
113 This comes from a copy of a letter in my files. The prophecy is well documented on various websites.
114 International House of Prayer website, Jan. 2010.
115 This was written in a personal letter from a young woman to me.

109