Is Your Baptism Valid?

By

Lee

KJV Ephesians 4:5

 5.  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

According to scripture there is only one baptism not two or more just one and this one baptism is into the one true faith by belief in the one true gospel and in God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Upon hearing the true gospel a person is to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

KJV Acts 2:36-38
 36.  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
 37.  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
 38.  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

There are some who say that baptism is not a requirement for salvation yet every person in scripture regardless of circumstances was baptized and you will find no exception.

Now when you were baptized did the preacher use the scripture in Matthew 28?

KJV Matthew 28:19
 19.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

This trinity baptism in Matthew 28:19 is the only place in scripture where you find all three members of the trinity used to baptize.  The problem with this is that there is no trinity and neither the Father or the Holy Spirit died for you.

KJV Romans 6:3
3.  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

KJV Romans 6:5
 5.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

If you were baptized using the corrupted scripture of Matthew 28:19, that was altered after the Nicean council to support the trinity, then your baptism is not valid.  Perhaps you think the baptism in the church you came out of was valid, guess what, its not.  I came out of a church called the Worldwide Church of God a legalistic church that by its very belief system based on the law and denied the grace of Jesus.  The WCG also taught a binary God, that is that the Father was the greater God and Jesus the lesser God.  I was involved in blasphemy and idolatry and had to repent of these things when I did come to hear the true gospel.  I also realized that my baptism was invalid and was not the real one true baptism mentioned in Ephesians 4:5.  If anything, I was baptized into Moses and not into Christ.

KJV 1 Corinthians 10:1-2
1.  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
 2.  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

I do not care what worldly church you came out of your baptism was a lie, a fake and totally invalid; you need to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ ONLY and receive the Holy Spirit that you do not yet have though it is working with you.  You are like the man Apollos in Acts 18 & 19

KJV Acts 18:24-28
 24.  And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
 25.  This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
 26.  And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
 27.  And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
 28.  For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.


KJV Acts 19:1-6
 1.  And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
 2.  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
 3.  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
 4.  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
 5.  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
 6.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Even the disciples did not have the spirit in them until Jesus ascended to heaven.

KJV John 14:17
17.  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

KJV Luke 22:31-32
31.  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
 32.  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

When I came out of the WCG it took me a while to realize that I needed baptized in the name of Jesus but I did not know any minister who had the Holy Spirit.  There were five of us at that time and we all agreed that we would ask the Father to baptize us in His sons name, to reach His hands down from the heavens and immerse us in the water and that when we came up out give us His Holy Spirit.  That is what we did and from that moment on our growth accelerated and our understanding grew.  Fear, doubt and being overly discouraged ended for us and we began to be taught by Gods spirit wonderful things, deep things that lifted us up and we gave glory toGod.

I do not know if any others from the WCG ever repented of what we were doing under Armstrong or that Anthony Buzzard ever saw and understood what I have written about here but I can testify here and now, as well as the others who were with me, that we did not have the Holy Spirit while in the WCG and when we left the WCG, after coming to hear the true gospel, we knew that we needed to be baptized and this time for real.  

If you have had a similar experience then you need baptized too.  You can do the same thing we did, repent and ask the Father to baptize you.

KJV Mark 1:14-15
 14.  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
 15.  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

God will know if your heart is sincere and if it is His will for you at this time and you obey the command of Jesus you will repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.

I will also say that at this time that when we five came to see that we needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus there were seven of us total but two of them did not agree with the other five and refused to be baptized.  These two went off on their own becoming entangled in the world and have let themselves be lead into the broad way.  Later on the fifth departed and also went back to the world.  Now there are only four of us left who have remained faithful and committed to the things God has given to us.  It is the parable of the sower.

KJV Matthew 13:3-9
 3.  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
 4.  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
 5.  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
 6.  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
 7.  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
 8.  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
 9.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

I also say at this time that it is possible that you, the reader, may be like the house of Cornelius, the first gentiles brought into the faith. In this case it was needed to show the Apostles that God had given grace to the gentiles and Cornelius and his house received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized.  Even though this was a very rare thing baptism was not left out, they all were later baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

KJV Acts 10:44-48
 44.  While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
 45.  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
 46.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
 47.  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
 48.  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

There are different situations people may face in their lives but there is only one true baptism into the name of Jesus only regardless of when the Holy Spirit is given.  Examine your baptism, was it valid?  If not, then you now know what to do.


KJV Galatians 3:27
27.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Making Sense of Life

By

Lee 

In this article I will attempt to show the difference that exists between how we look at ourselves and how God sees us.  Some of us, as human beings, look at each other and conclude that there are some good people who do good things and there are some that do evil things.  We then think of those who do good as people who are Godly and those who do evil as people that are of the Devil.  It is that good part that needs to be examined more closely.  In the gospels Jesus says that there is none good but one and that is God. 

KJV Matthew 19:17
 17.  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God:

God is good because God is righteous.  The quality of righteousness is the state of being pure from evil and always doing what is good.  This is why Jesus said that only God is good.  Paul says that there is no such thing as a righteous human being.

KJV Romans 3:10
 10.  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Human beings are not good and they are not righteous and this is a biblical fact.  The way God sees all of humanity is that there is no difference in us when it comes to sin.  You may think some people are better than Adolf Hitler is but God puts no difference in sin.  A mass murderer is no different than a liar or a thief or an adulterer in God's eyes. The only way someone can be righteous in God's eyes is to have His Spirit that imparts God's own righteousness to the one of faith in Jesus as a free gift.  This process is called salvation.  In order for anyone to have the promise of salvation through Jesus they must come to understand the gospel of Jesus.  The gospel is the message that explains what salvation is and answers the questions of who, what, when, where, how, and why that inform us of how the salvation process works.  Without knowing the truth of the gospel it is impossible to know what salvation is.  People in the world's churches believe in a very different gospel than the one Jesus preached.  Therefore any good you or I may see in them is of them and does not come from God.  Remember that God is the only one who is good.  Anything that people do of their own selves which we may think is good, is actually nothing more than their own works or righteousness that God views as filthy rags.

KJV Isaiah 64:6
 6.  But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.


Isaiah describes above the condition all people are born into; the very fact we are born into the world makes us sinners and by our own good can none of us be saved.  We all need God's good or God's righteousness so that we can be made in His image and not our own.  Mother Teresa is viewed by many to be good and Adolf Hitler evil but God sees them both as sinners in need of grace. There is no one sin worse than another, all types of sin are sin and sin is evil. Jesus died for Adolf Hitler as well as Mother Teresa. People have a difficulty distinguishing between God level good and human level good.   The human level of anything is nothing compared to the God level.  To obtain the promise of salvation we must become as good as God is. The knowledge of good and evil exists in all of us because that was the tree in the garden Adam and Eve ate from.  While we have this knowledge we cannot control it as God can.  God never does evil, but humans do.  Through the prophet Jeremiah God describes what you and I are like.

KJV Jeremiah 17:9-10
 9.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
 10.  I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

You and I have evil present within us; this is a biblical fact.  There are people who put up a front, a false picture of themselves that shows no appearance of any evil.  The bible declares that these types of people are like leaves blown away by the wind. 

It is the human spirit that God works with to change this carnal nature of a sinner into a nature that is like God's.

KJV 2 Peter 1:4
 4.  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Those who have been given the Holy Spirit begin to take on the very nature of God, who is righteous and good and never does any evil.  The importance of understanding the true gospel of Jesus Christ is paramount in order to begin this process of acquiring the nature of God and the hope of salvation.  The world's false gospel teaches those who follow it to believe in Jesus but fails to give an accurate account of the message contained in the gospel Jesus preached.  They believe in the messenger but have not heard His message.  Jesus put no difference between His words and Himself and this makes Jesus and His gospel the same thing.

KJV Mark 8:35
 35.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

KJV Mark 8:38
 38.  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

I have written many articles that show from the scriptures how the world's churches believe in many of their major doctrines things that are totally false and these false doctrines are what they base their version of the gospel on. 
False doctrines are the very foundation of the gospel being preached today by the churches of the world.  Preachers today will say, "if you died today would you be sure that you will go to heaven?"  I have proved in my writings from the scripture that this type of statement is a lie based upon a false gospel.  The foundation of the world's false gospel are things like the immortal soul, the rapture, everlasting life to sinners who are said to be burning in hell fire and judgment at the moment of death rather than at a future judgment day.  Jesus taught that the only way for anyone to have everlasting life was through faith in Him.

KJV John 3:16
 16.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This widely quoted verse says plainly that you must believe in Jesus and His gospel, because that is the message He preached, in order to have everlasting life.  If someone does not believe or has a false gospel and does not know the truth, then they cannot have the promise of everlasting life.  If a person is an evil unrepentant sinner who does not believe, do they receive everlasting life?

KJV 1 John 3:15
 15.  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

If a murderer does not have everlasting life then how can he live in hell forever?

John's words agree with those of Jesus.

KJV John 3:36
 36.  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus was saying that those who do not believe in Him and His gospel would not have life at all.
The wrath of God that abides on this type of person cannot be everlasting life in hell fire if they will not see life at all.  Everlasting life is a promise to the faithful only and not to sinners.

KJV 1 John 2:25
 25.  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

The "us" in this verse are the saints John was writing to.
The promise of everlasting life is the hope all the saints have and they will receive the promise at the return of Christ and not before.  The world's gospel has sinners being tortured forever in hell fire but Christ's gospel has them totally without life but awaiting the second resurrection wherein they will receive their first chance to know the truth of that gospel.

This is only one false doctrine the world's churches teach that destroys the true gospel message of Jesus.  This lie and all the other lies they believe and teach to their followers is their version of the gospel and no matter how good you or I may think they present themselves to the world the truth is they are preaching lies in the name of the Lord.  The world follows after them in awe thinking they are the people of God, millions believe them to be doing the Lord's work. 

If you take the time to look into things for yourself and make a comparison of the two gospels, the true and the false, it becomes obvious that the condition of the world at large is of being caught up in the mass deception of Satan.

The world's gospel goes like this; if you are good when you die you are instantly judged worthy of going to heaven because you are an immortal soul and during your life you have believed that Jesus was your savior.  You live forever in heaven because heaven is salvation.

The true gospel goes like this; if God calls and chooses you to receive His Holy Spirit your mind is enlightened to see that you are a sinner who can do nothing to save yourself. You realize that you are not good, but evil and need the power of God to change.  You realize that Jesus became sin for you and paid the penalty for your sin in your place.  You believe in faith that God has promised to you a resurrection to immortality when Jesus returns to Earth to establish His kingdom.  When Jesus returns you will live forever, but not before, and you will reign on the earth with Him and not in heaven.  A saint lives in this life with this hope, this promise, and submits to God who will work through you in His love fulfilling all righteousness.  You know that salvation is everlasting life in the kingdom of God at the return of Jesus Christ.

It is a very hard thing to come into the knowledge of this reality, to see the world deceived, to see Satan's successful deception upon what claims to be the church of God. 

KJV Revelation 18:4
 4.  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

God says, "come out of her my people", I have, will you?

If you were to read all the scriptural accounts of what the last days are like you would find an entirely different scenario than that which is believed by the carnal false churches.  According to scripture it is not multiple millions who are saved in this age but few, it is not the many who are saved but the few.

KJV Matthew 7:14
 14.  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

KJV Matthew 20:16
 16.  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

KJV Luke 13:23-24
 23.  Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
 24.  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

The many and the few, many do not make it but a few do.  In this age it will be this way but in the age to come after Jesus returns those who live into the millennium and those of the second resurrection will have their first opportunity to come to know the gospel and have a hope of salvation.  God will not give His Spirit to someone in this age that He knows would not be successful.  This current age is evil with Satan and the demons running loose in the world causing mass deception and it is not an easy thing for any human being to face all these challenges but God knows who will with His Spirit be successful.  God wrote all their names in the book of life before the foundation of the world.

KJV Ephesians 1:4-5
 4.  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
 5.  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

KJV Revelation 17:8
 8.  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Notice it is only those names not in the book of life that are deceived and follow the beast.  This will be the vast majority of people who are living in these days. 
The message of The Savior Jesus Christ is the gospel He preached and that gospel is Himself.  The gospel is the power of God that makes salvation possible.

KJV Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Satan does not want people to understand the true message of the gospel. Satan will allow the belief in Jesus as a person but separates the person of Jesus from the message He preached and in this way deceives and hides the true message.

KJV 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
 3.  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
 4.  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Unconverted people who do not have the Holy Spirit have invented the gospel heard in the world's churches today.  This was done over many years and directed by Satan who is the evil spirit that works in those who disobey and pervert the true gospel of Christ.  If the gospel of the world is 99% true and contains 1% lies you should not believe or follow after them but rather come out of them and ask, seek and knock to find the 100% true gospel.  A mixture of lies and truth is all a lie and no lie will provide salvation for anyone.  It is the truth that sets you free not of mixture of truth and lies.  What spiritual fellowship should a saint have with anyone who does not even understand the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Those who compare themselves to other people for the better or the worse fail to see whom they must measure up to.

KJV Ephesians 4:13
 13.  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

It is Jesus that we have to be as good as and not each other.  It is not good enough to be good in our own eyes.  When we can come to this understanding then we can begin to make sense of life.

The Christmas Gospel
By
Lee
Sunday, December 18, 2011

Professing Christians today view the Christmas story as the message of the gospel; the baby Jesus born in Bethlehem in a manger with Joseph and Mary, the three wise men and their gifts along with the angels proclaiming the birth of the savior to the shepherds.  The birth of Jesus was indeed a very important event but to make it the focus and complete message of the gospel is a tragic mistake.  When understood, the traditional idea of Christmas as the gospel message actually destroys the true message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was the messiah, the savior, whose life was to be an example to us and whose death the payment for our sins.  The birth event was only the very beginning of things that would provide the hope of salvation.  It would be how this child would live, die and live again that is the true message  of the gospel.  The true Christian hope is being born into the kingdom of God when Jesus returns and at that time receive incorruption and immortality. The Christmas gospel that focuses only on the birth of Jesus does not include the redemptive work he did that provides the hope of salvation to us.  The gospel is a message about how we can attain the kingdom of God but if all we know, understand and believe is a message focused entirely on his birth that contains nothing of his life, words and deeds or of his death and resurrection then the message, the gospel, goes unknown being replaced with a beginning of life as a baby while ignoring the saving work of the man.  Your life will not be defined by your infancy but by your adulthood and what you did with the life God gave you, the same is true of Jesus.  A baby did not die for you, Jesus a man did.  A baby will not judge us, Jesus the son of man will.  A baby does not frighten us or threaten us if we sin and do evil but Jesus the man will.  When Jesus returns he will not be a babe in a manger but a glorified spirit who will have much to say about how we have all lived our lives and will have the power to reward or punish us.  Jesus is not a baby in a manger anymore but your judge.  Think about these things as you celebrate your Christmas gospel.

If you like to study history look up the ancient pagan festival called Saturnalia and you will find that it was brought into false Christian churches and renamed Christmas.  This is something God does not like at all.

KJV Jeremiah 10:1-4

 1.  Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

 2.  Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

 3.  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

 4.  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

KJV Luke 16:15

15.  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Christmas customs are very deeply rooted into professing Christians and a strong emotional feeling is attached to this day so much that if a true Christian does not keep it they are accused of not believeing in Jesus. The truth is that Christmas is of pagan origin and was known as the Saturnalia long before Jesus was born.  There is no command by God to observe the birth of Jesus but rather his death and there is no exact date in scripture of the birth of Jesus.  Scripture does indicate that Jesus was born in the fall and not the winter.

KJV Deuteronomy 12:29-32

 29.  When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

 30.  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

 31.  Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

 32.  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Christmas is a man made invention added to Gods words and commands that God forbids us to do.  We are not to incorporate the practices of pagans into the worship of God.  Yet Christmas does exactly that. 
 

KJV 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

 3.  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

 4.  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan  is the author of Christmas/Saturnalia in what has been a successful attempt to blind your eyes from the true gospel of Jesus.  This is a false gospel and anyone keeping it or preaching it is under a double curse.

KJV Galatians 1:6-9

 6.  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

 7.  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

 8.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

 9.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

If all you have ever known is the Christmas gospel then you have not heard the true gospel.

All of Gods Elect are Prophets

Friday, November 16, 2012

KJV Numbers 11:29
29.  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

If you truly have Gods Holy Spirit then you are a prophet or prophetess.  The Holy Spirit of God is to be your guide and teacher leading you into all truth.

KJV John 16:13-15
13.  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
 14.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
 15.  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This is the spirit and power of Elijah that Jesus said would come and restore all things.

KJV Matthew 17:10-11
 10.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
 11.  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

John the baptist was the first saint of God in the first century AD to come and speak by the Holy Spirit about Jesus the messiah.  The Holy Spirit was the power that inspired and worked in John as well as the Elijah of the old covenant.  The Holy Spirit of God is the power that works in all the saints of God.  If a person does not have the Holy Spirit they cannot know the truth.

KJV 1 Corinthians 2:7-16
 7.  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
 8.  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
 9.  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
 10.  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
 11.  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
 12.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
 13.  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
 14.  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.
 15.  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
 16.  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.


A prophet or prophetess of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to understand the truth of God.  God is the teacher of all who come to Jesus.

KJV John 6:45
45.  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

KJV Acts 2:14-18
14.  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
 15.  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
 16.  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
 17.  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
 18.  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

To be a prophet is not to be a fortune teller or predictor of the future as you have seen on television by false Christains.  A new covenant prophet is bound by the words spoken by the prophets of old, they add nothing to or take anything away from what God spoke through the old covenant prophets.

KJV 1 Corinthians 14:31-32
 31.  For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
 32.  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

KJV 2 Peter 1:20-21
 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.

It is always Gods Spirit that makes understanding possible.  The Apostles and prophets spoke the words but without God they would fall on deaf ears.  God is the one who gives the increase of understanding of spiritual truth.

KJV 1 Corinthians 3:5-7
5.  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
 6.  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
 7.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

God is able to teach with or without the aid of an Apostle or prophet.  Once a person is converted and reaches a level of spiritual maturity they can help other converted people who are yet babes in Christ.  The goal is for all to grow in the spirit so as not to have any need that some man teach you.

KJV Romans 14:1
 1.  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

KJV Romans 15:1
1.  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:14
14.  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

KJV Hebrews 5:12-14
12.  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
 13.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
 14.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

KJV 1 John 2:27
 27.  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

All of Gods saints are to grow in the Holy Spirit to become prophets and prophetesses.  This is so that they might teach the truth of God to newly begotten saints who are babes.  The goal of any prophet is to bring the new born babe to adulthood so as to be an equal and not a lord over Gods people.  The mature saints, male and female, can all teach the revelation God gives to them.  There will be differences in the style and manner but the truth will be the same.  The carnal people of the world will not hear the truth of God but will follow the churches of the world.  A prophet does not speak his own words, he speaks the words God gives him to speak.  These words will all be truth and agree with the old covenant prophets, Jesus and the Apostles. 

God does not and will not give His Spirit to anyone who uses it to lord over people, to make himself feel important or superior.  The gift is not for a show off or to do a “song and dance” to rob people of their money.  It is not the false things you see on TV or in your local false churches. It is to become a servant of God and Christ and the saints God has chosen.  It is a power that can overwhelm and move to tears because of the power and glory of the great God moving in you.  It should humble you greatly, it should cause love to grow, it should cause unity, joy and peace.  This is the way of a true prophet or prophetess of God and Christ.