Could it be that the words of the prophets really are written on the subway walls? Is it possible that God’s seers today are overlooked, ignored, disdained, excluded, and ostracized by the prevailing institutional religious community?
Absolutely.
The testimony of scripture and the words of Jesus make this abundantly clear for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
But for those blinded by selfish ambition,1 seeing “godliness” as a means of financial gain;2 for those who have appointed themselves “defenders of the faith” and “champions of orthodoxy,” obsessed with separating the wheat from the tares,3 sowing seeds of discord4 and making their disciples twice the children of hell as they are,5 God’s prophets are experiencing at their hands exactly what Jesus promised they would -
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
A false narrative is being fed to many followers of Jesus in the church today. In sermons, tweets, and “news” interviews, institutionalized, ambitious, and worldly Christian leaders are leading God’s flock away from the good news of the Kingdom of God6 and into what the Bible calls the “dominion of darkness,”7 that is the sinful and broken kingdom of this world.
It’s nothing new. We shouldn’t be surprised.
Consider the words of Jeremiah about the worldly religious leaders of his day -
And among the prophets of Jerusalem, I have seen something horrible: they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.8
In other words, the politically savvy, ambitious, religious leaders were in bed with Israel’s wicked secular leaders: “strengthening their hands.” And the result of these adulterous religious leaders who chose to sleep with those leading the nation astray?
How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who was once great among the nations! 9
Ezekiel puts it this way -
Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.10
And what are these scavenging jackals doing? Whitewashing, that is, covering up, the foolish decisions and policies of their political leaders.
Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash.11
When the misguided shepherds fleecing the sheep in Jesus’s day asked him about the coming of God’s Kingdom, Jesus gave them a lesson in worldly kingdoms and the heavenly kingdom he taught and preached:
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.12
In other words, God’s Kingdom is not seen in worldly structures, institutions, or any of the visible ways we define and think of kingdoms here on planet Earth. It is “in your midst,” “within you,” or “among you,” depending on your Bible translation.
But whatever translation you use, the meaning is the same; God’s Kingdom is wholly other, completely different from the kingdoms of this dying world. It’s here. It’s among and within His people. It’s seen in relationships, in compassion, and kindness. It can’t be elected, legislated, or built by human hands.
And like a tiny seed, it grows in lives and communities where mercy-givers, peacemakers, and those who follow the Royal Law are found.13
All of this to say that God’s prophets today are found in the same place they’ve always been. Their words are indeed written on the subway walls. They aren’t celebrities. Not movers and shakers. They are (mostly) not found among the religious institutionalized.
They are found among the simple but wise. The marginalized and misunderstood. Like Jesus, they are angry and grieve over the hard-heartedness of the lost religious shepherds.14
But they are alive and well. They are here among us. And you, my friend, may be one of them.
More on that later.
In Christ,
Dan
I’m back! I’ll be sharing about the prophets leading up to my soon-to-be-released book, Where is the God of Elijah: Overcoming Spiritual Drought in Our Lives and Churches.
Philippians 1:17.
I Timothy 6:5.
Matthew 13:29.
Galatians 5:20.
Matthew 23:15.
Matthew 4:17.
Colossians 1:13.
Jeremiah 23:14.
Lamentations 1:1.
Ezekiel 13:1-4.
Ezekiel 13:10.
Luke 17:20-21.
James 2:8 “If you really keep the Royal Law found in scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.”
Mark 3:5.
True words! One might justly say prophetic.
Thank you! Great word 🙏