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Heb 1:2 And NOW in these last days, God has spoken to us again THROUGH HIS SON. He made the whole world through his Son. And he has chosen his Son to have all things. (ERV emphasis added)
I love how in the PAST God spoke to the Hebrew people THROUGH THE PROPHETS (like Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah etc.) many times and in many different ways. In verse 2 the writer of the Book of Hebrews shifts his focus to how God speaks to us now.
He says “… NOW in these LAST DAYS (Days of the New Covenant), God has spoken to us again THROUGH HIS SON (Jesus Christ).” This is beautiful!! God no longer speaks to us through Moses or any of those prophets, but He speaks to us through Christ. Let’s test that theory:
When God spoke to the Israelites through Prophet Daniel about coming prophetic events He said:
Dan_12:4 But you, O Daniel, SHUT UP the words and SEAL the book, even to the TIME OF THE END. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.(emphasis added)
But when He spoke to John of the Book of Revelation He said:
Rev 22:10 And he said to me, DO NOT SEAL the Words of the prophecy of this Book; for the time is at hand. (emphasis added)
So even prophecy that was received by Daniel was closed “even to the TIME OF THE END”, so he was told to SEAL THE WORDS. But John was told “DO NOT SEAL THE WORDS” because the time is at hand. This is why only in conjunction with the Book of Revelation can the Book of Daniel be deciphered.
You see, Prophets in the OT are not the same Prophets in the NT. That office has evolved quite fundamentally and substantially. Prophets in the OT spoke directly from God to the people, but in the NT Prophets words must be tempered by Apostolic Doctrine and Protocol (the Bible calls this the Doctrine of Christ), and the church is allowed to scrutinize that prophecy by the Word.
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| Source: Google Images |
There is literally nothing in the OT prophets that has not been alluded to and presented to us in Matthew 24, Mark 13, 1 & 2 Thessalonians and Revelation (apocalypse).
So God NOW speaks to His church by Jesus Christ (Holy Spirit either directly or through Apostles, NT Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers).
APOSTLES: Build the church’s doctrinal foundation according to the teaching of the Cross.
PROPHETS: Provide supernatural (and sometimes futuristic) insight inline with the apostolic word.
EVANGELISTS: Herald and announce the work of the Cross according to the apostolic doctrine.
TEACHERS: Digest the apostolic doctrine of the Cross and tutor the body of Christ by feeding it systematically bite-size portions according to individual maturity.
PASTORS: Tend the flock within the doctrinal parameters set by the apostolic office. In the early church the Pastor of a particular location would have several Bishops (episcope = inspector) and deacons (diakonos = attendant) working under him. They would “inspect” the various church units/families under that pastor, and “attend” to their needs. Stephen was one of these attendants. These were also called “elders” (presbuteros) collectively.
1 Tim 5:17 Let the ELDERS that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the WORD and DOCTRINE.
Only the bishops and deacons could be voted into position. These were positions that one had to just “desire” (1 Tim 3:1). But the five-fold, Jesus Christ ordains people into those callings Himself. You cannot apply or study to be in any of these five offices... it is a gift! But you can apply and desire to be a bishop or deacon.
