Prophetic Words & Scripture Readings at Live Stream October 30, 2024

The following are words given by participants at the streamed meeting.  1 Corinthians 14:29 says that "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others weigh carefully what is said."  1 Thess 5:19-21 tells us not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and retain what is good.

Scripture Reading at beginning of meeting John 14:19-21 - "A little while now and the world will see me no more but you will see me as One who has life and you will have life.  On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.  He who obeys the commandments he has from me is the man who loves me.  And he who loves me will be loved by my Father.  I too will love him and reveal myself to him."

Scripture Reading Sirach 1:1-8 - "All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever.  The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the days of eternity: who can number these?  Heaven's height, earth's breadth, the depths of the abyss: who can explore these?  Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity.  To whom has wisdom's root been revealed?  Who knows her subtleties?  There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring, seated on his throne: It is the Lord; he created her, has seen her and taken note of her.  He has poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends."

Scripture Reading Romans 8:14-17 - "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, "Father!"  The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." 

Scripture Reading Psalm 103:19-22 - "The Lord placed his throne in heaven; he is king over all.  Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels, who obey his commands, who listen to what he says.  Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers, you servants of his, who do his will!  Praise the Lord, all his creatures in all the places he rules.  Praise the Lord, my soul!"

I was thinking about we face violence, war these days in any part of the world.  It seems like impossible that the world would ever change.  But then I'm thinking about what God promises.  He promises that by his mercy and healing that we will have peace.  Peace will come.  I don't know when it will come but it will come.

In one of the songs, "Holy Spirit, you are welcome here," that refrain made me think about this prayer group, about everybody here.  It really fits in about the Holy Spirit and we long for his presence within us.  And I think it's somehow fitting for this group tonight.  

Prophecy - "My children, you are living in dark times and it will get much darker.  But remember my promise, I am with you and through it we will be victorious.  My little ones, do not be afraid.  Do not worry.  I will provide for all your needs.  I will pour out my Spirit on you like never before, and in this dark world you will shine.  Be at peace but know that it will be difficult times.  And I chose you for these times.  I have prepared you myself.  I am with you every step of the way.  Let me lead you and I will guide you on the right path."

Prophecy - "My children, I love you so much.  I desire that you know me in a deeper, deeper way.  And the way to know me is to have your faith increase, have your hope fulfilled, and know that the promises that I have given you will come true in good time.  My children, tonight I desire that you come to learn and know me in the eternal life.  It is in the eternal that's where your hope and faith stand.  It is in the eternal life that your journey here on earth will lead you to.  So my children, when you focus on the promises of eternal life, you will be set free from what is of the earth and in there you will experience my peace.  My children, tonight I desire to bless you in a very special way."

Prophecy - "Pray, pray my people for peace.  My heart is grieving for all the suffering that is taking place on the earth, but do not be afraid, but just pray.  Pray for my grace to fill people's hearts.  I am God, your Father and will look after you.  Believe in my power.  Believe in my love and believe in my provision for you.  I love you, my people."

Confirmation of that last word.  The Lord is calling us to keep our eyes focused on him.  Don't focus on the darkness, focus on Jesus, focus on our relationship with Jesus.  Invite the Holy Spirit in daily.

Scripture Reading Joel 2:28:32 - "Then afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.  I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.  The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved," 

 I just would like to say, "Thank you Lord.  Thank you for your promise that you are always with us and give us eyes to see you in every single day of our lives.  And thank you Lord for calling us to pray, to pray for peace.  Thank you Lord for your many, many blessings and for all your promises because I know that you are with us now and you will continue to be with us.  Thank you, Lord."

Scripture Reading John 15:5-7 - "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me, he's thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned.  If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you."

Scripture Reading John 16:33 - "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world."

Word of Knowledge - Somebody, he or she is going to be released today.  I got this song, "Peace is flowing like a river, flowing out of you and me, flowing out into the desert, letting all the captives free."  I really believe it could be for one or more people tonight, but somebody is getting free from some very hard time.

Scripture Reading during the Sharing Time, Matt 28:18 - "Jesus came forward and addressed them in these words, 'Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.  Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you and know that I am with you always, until the end of the world."

Teaching

A priest from the Fathers of Mercy gave a homily on "Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation."  Situation today, "The blind leading the blind."  Spiritual blindness is the order of the day. 

Two of the most important things that set Christianity apart from other religions are:

1) The fulfillment of Messianic prophecy.  The coming of one man, Jesus Christ, was foretold for more than a 1000 years before he came.  The prophets were able to foretell so many of the exact events of his life with such accuracy because the Holy Spirit revealed these to them. 

2) The reality of our Lord's miracles.  In the history book, The Antiquities, Flavius Josephus called Jesus Christ, "The Miracle Worker of Palestine." Jesus performed miracles in his divine power as God through his human nature on earth.  Our Lord associated his teaching with miracles.  Those miracles were necessary to make God's revelation believable, our Lord's words credible.

When the Pharisees accused our Lord of making miracles by the power of the devil, they committed the unforgiveable sin:  the sin against the Holy Spirit.  Why unforgiveable?  Because they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to the work of the devil.  When they did this, it revealed the malice in their heart, the hardness that was in their hearts.  They knew that the devil cannot make miracles.  The devil can generate signs and wonders and illusions but he cannot command the forces of nature.  Only God can do that.  Only God can make true miracles.  Jesus said to the Pharisees, "If you don't believe in me, believe in the works that I do."

The Gospel shows that there is something that is far worse than physical blindness.  It is the spiritual blindness of those who will not open their minds and their hearts to the truth.  Jesus Christ is the Way and the Truth and the Life.

In the story of the blind Bartimaeus, Jesus heals his blindness and says, "Go your way, your faith has healed you."  It says in the bible that he followed Jesus on the way.  The meaning:  on the way to salvation, on the way to heaven.  

Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  He did not say a way, one way.  Some people say one religion is as good as another.  Different ways to get to God.  

There is a divinely established means of salvation.  God's way:  a new and everlasting covenant.  Faith is not a matter of doing your own thing.  True faith is a matter of doing God's thing.  Worshipping God in the way God wants to be worshipped.  How many times in the Old Testament does God come down on the Israelites because they were unfaithful to the covenant he made with them.  They did not follow the way he set out for them.  They turned away from him, began to worship false gods.

Mark 16:15-16 - Jesus said, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.  Whoever does not believe will be lost."

We should thank God every day for the gift of faith.  Faith is the greatest gift that God can ever give through his Holy Spirit because with it we have the beginning of our salvation.  God's free gift. 

Spiritual blindness is an interior disposition.  It is a hardness of heart.  A heart that is closed to the love of God, a mind that is closed to the truth and it always leaves the human soul in darkness.  St. Paul said this about spiritual blindness:  "The God of this age, Satan that is, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they may not see the light of the Gospel or the glory of Christ."

What about the people who never hear the Gospel?  The people who would believe if they heard the gospel.  St. Paul said, "Those who have never received the law will not be judged in accordance with it.  They will be judged according to the law of conscience."  This is what the Church calls the possibility of baptism of desire.

Catechism 1260 - "Since Christ died for all and since all men are in fact called to the one and the same destiny which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.  Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved.  It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity."

Nobody is going to get a raw deal from God on judgement day.  God is the just judge who sees into the heart.  God never left this world in darkness.  God left us all the facts, all the evidence we need to be able to recognize the true faith.  God sent a light into the world.  He showed that light for the whole world to see in the wisdom, in the prophecies and the miracles of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  There is no salvation in any other name.