Old Testament Prophets Speak to Evangelicals

The Prophets Speak to Evangelicals

What if a group of Old Testament prophets were dropped in Washington, D. C. today, February 19, 2024? Imagine that God sends a delegation of three prophets to speak to our nation? And imagine the delegation selected is Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Amos. As Ezekiel puts it, “Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them” (Ezekiel 2: 5)

Cornel West, in Democracy Matters, argues the prophetic witness is one of the major voices our nation needs to hear. West says, “In the face of callous indifference to the suffering wrought by our imperialism, we must draw on the prophetic. The Jewish invention of the prophetic commitment to justice—also central to both Christianity and Islam—is one of the great moral moments in human history. This was the commitment to justice of an oppressed people.”

Isaiah – Mistreatment of the Poor, Minorities, Immigrants, and Others

Ah, sinful nation,
people laden with iniquity,
offspring who do evil,
children who deal corruptly,
who have forsaken the Lord,
who have despised the Holy One of Israel,
who are utterly estranged!

When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
Your new moons and your appointed festivals
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow

Amos – Christian Nationalism

For three transgressions of America,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,
and push the afflicted out of the way;
father and son go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge;
and in the house of their God they drink
wine bought with fines they imposed.

Fake Worship

I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Ezekiel – False Prophets

Ezekiel speaks to false prophets, especially self-proclaimed prophets of America. Ezekiel clearly sees the false prophets are handsomely rewarded with money, status, and access to more power.

Mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying; say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: “Hear the word of the Lord!” ³ Thus says the Lord God: Alas for the senseless prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ⁴ Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. ⁵ You have not gone up into the breaches or repaired a wall for the house of Israel, so that it might stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ⁶ They have envisioned falsehood and lying divination; they say, “Says the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word! ⁷ Have you not seen a false vision or uttered a lying divination when you have said, “Says the Lord,” even though I did not speak?

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have uttered falsehood and envisioned lies, I am against you, says the Lord God. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations; they shall not be in the council of my people nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord God. ¹⁰ Because, in truth, because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a flimsy wall, these prophets^[a] smear whitewash on it.

Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, “Thus says the Lord God,” when the Lord has not spoken. 22:28

Here’s looking at you, Lance Wallnau, Cindy Jacobs, Paula White, and the Independent Network Charismatics collection of prophets. John Fea, in Believe Me, describes the prophets of this ilk: “They believe they have been anointed to serve as God’s agents in ushering in his future kingdom …. They are wrapped in the ideology of Seven Mountains Dominionism believing God will put them in charge of seven mountains: family, government, arts and entertainment, media, business, education, and religion. Fea says, “In the political sphere, INC prophets promote ‘kingdom-minded’ candidates who will defend Christian values, reclaim the United States as a Christian nation, and ultimately serve as God’s instruments for ushering in the kingdom.”

Ezekiel’s prophecies discombobulate the INC prophets as surely as Elijah once routed the prophets of Baal.

Let those who have ears to hear, hear what the prophets say to America!