but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king,
and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart." Verse 30.
8. After revealing and interpreting the dream, what did Daniel say?
"The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter."
Verse 45.
9. How does God show His foreknowledge?
"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare:
before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isa. 42:9.
10. How does the Lord reveal Himself to His prophets?
"If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision,
and will speak unto him in a dream." Num. 12:6.
11. Under what influence did the prophets of old speak?
"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." 2 Peter 1:21. See 2 Sam. 23:2.
12. How are both the origin of prophecy and the means of communicating it still
further shown?
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His
servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His
angel unto His servant John." Rev. 1:1.
13. What angel revealed to Daniel his visions and dreams?
"Whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in
the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the
evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am
now come forth to give thee skill and understanding." Dan. 9:21,22. See also chapter
10, and Rev. 22:9,10.
14. What Spirit was in the prophets inditing their utterances?
"O which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the
Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the
sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." 1 Peter 1:10,11.
15. How were the Lord's words to the prophets preserved?
"Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the
dream, and told the sum of the matters." Dan. 7:1. See Jer. 51:60; Rev. 1:10,11.
16. By whom has God spoken to us in these last days?
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son." Heb.
1:1,2.
17. What was one of the offices to be filled by the Messiah?
"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee,
of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall harken." Deut. 18:15.
18. What was foretold through the prophet Joel?
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all
flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:28.
19. When did this prediction begin to be fulfilled?
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 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." Acts 2:16,17.
20. What were some of the gifts Christ gave to His church?
"When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. .
. . And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers." Eph. 4:8-11.
21. By what means did God deliver and preserve Israel?
"By a prophet
the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was
he preserved." Hosea 12:13.
22. When Moses complained of his slowness of speech, what did God say Aaron should
be to him?
"And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he
shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God."
Ex. 4:16.
23. What did God afterward call Aaron?
"And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron
thy brother shall be thy prophet." Ex. 7:1.
24. What is one test by which to detect false prophets?
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor
come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath
spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." Deut. 18:22.
25. What other test should be applied in determining the validity of the claims of a
prophet?
"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a
sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee,
saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve
them; thou shalt not harken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams:
for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and
keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto
Him." Deut. 13:1-4.
NOTE.-From these scriptures it will be seen that, in the first place, if a prophet's
words do not prove to be true, it is evidence that God has not sent that prophet. On the
other hand, even though the thing predicted comes to pass, if the pretended prophet seeks
to lead others to break God's commandments, this, regardless of all signs, should be
positive evidence that he is not a true prophet.
26. What rule did Christ give for distinguishing between true and false prophets?
"By their fruits
ye shall know them." Matt. 7:20.
27. What general rule is laid down for testing all prophets?
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.
28. How did God's prophets anciently use the words of former prophets in exhorting
the people to obedience?
"Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets,
when
Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity?" Zech. 7:7.
29. What is the promised result of believing God's prophets?
"Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe His
prophets, so shall ye prosper." 2 Chron. 20:20.
30. What admonition is given regarding the gift of prophecy?
"Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good." 1 Thess. 5:20,21.
31. What will characterize the last, or remnant, church?
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of
her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ." Rev. 12:17.
32. What is the "testimony of Jesus"?
"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. 19:10. See
Rev. 1:9.
33. What results when this gift is absent?
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law,
happy is he." Prov. 29:18. See also Ps. 74:9.
