Is there a scriptural example of a non-believer speaking on God's behalf?
Upvote:9
In the book of Ezra, God speaks to the King of the Persians, who were holding the Israelites in exile:
1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
“ ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.
Numbers 22 tells the story of Balaam, who was a non-Israelite prophet with whom God communicated directly, although he ended up betraying his role.
In the New Testament, there are occasions in the Gospels (Mark 5:7) and in Acts (16:17) where people under the influence of spirits are able to correctly recognize Jesus and his followers. There is also the case of Pontius Pilate's wife (Matt 27:19) who was warned in a dream not to persecute Jesus. Finally, there is the case of the person who was casting out spirits in Jesus' name, yet without being allied with the disciples, of whom it was said "he who is not against us is for us" (Mark 9:38-40)
On the other hand, there are also ample cases recorded in the Old Testament of false prophets who preached lies under the guise of religion (see Jerimiah 23), similar to the people referred to by Jesus in the New Testament who will be rejected by God despite their public displays of religiousity:
Matt 7: 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
See also the failed exorcists of Acts 19 who found that simply invoking the name of Jesus was not enough to give them the powers of faith.
It's common in modern America to see Christian iconography used as an avenue for marketing. Which category this falls in is open to debate, although perhaps the most relevant example from scripture is either the money-changers who Jesus threw out of the temple (Matt 21:12), or Simon Magus (in Acts 8) who was cursed by the Apostles for attempting to purchase the powers of faith.
More post
- 📝 Were the Waldensians like a Protestant Church in the Middle Ages?
- 📝 Is 'sola gratia' as a soteriology traceable in the period leading to the Protestant Reformation?
- 📝 Did Lucifer’s sin in Heaven defile the Heavenly Sanctuary?
- 📝 Are there video recordings of humans said to be possessed by demons?
- 📝 What is the difference between original sin and a sin nature?
- 📝 How do Swedenborgians understand Jesus' words on marriage in the resurrection in Matthew 22:30?
- 📝 How are teachers culpable for scandal?
- 📝 How do Biblical Unitarians understand what some theologians refer as the Kenosis in Philippians 2?
- 📝 Why the name Evil-merodach
- 📝 What is a "Daud of Sons" as stated in Definition of Faith of the Council of Chalcedon?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, how does God expect us to realize the truth of Christianity?
- 📝 Does "Positive Christianity" still exist?
- 📝 What do Christianity and Judaism have in common?
- 📝 How do 'soul sleep' adherents explain reports of astral projection, out-of-body experiences (OBE) and near-death experiences (NDE)?
- 📝 Of the 1752 Catholic Canon Laws, how many does the average Catholic need to be aware of in order to practice faithfully?
- 📝 Is the Dog-Headed icon of Saint Christopher canon in the Orthodox Church?
- 📝 External reference of Jesus's resurrection?
- 📝 How did John the Baptist have the "spirit and power of Elijah"?
- 📝 How do proponents of eternal conscious torment/separation reconcile their beliefs with Luke 13:3, 5?
- 📝 According to Young Earth Creationism, how did carnivores come into existence?
- 📝 Who was the first to reject the historicity of Adam?
- 📝 What is Ken Ham's opinion of denominations that allow for evolution and an old universe?
- 📝 Why do some traditional Catholics choose Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form over going with their parish Confirmation?
- 📝 Curious re: Scientific evidence
- 📝 The Catholic Perspective concerning the Four Hors*m*n
- 📝 Are there any Christian groups or denominations that make a distinction between the gift of healing and just praying for the sick to get healed?
- 📝 What happened to the sandals of Jesus?
- 📝 What is the reason that nuns always cover their hair?
- 📝 Why did the disciples cast lots when the Holy Spirit was promised
- 📝 Looking for a passage about God forbidding that a census be taken
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Is there a scriptural example of a non-believer speaking on God's behalf?
- 📝 Does taking communion break the fast? Is there a Scriptural or Traditional case to be made either way?
- 📝 Is there any scriptural support for the belief of convulsions/seizures being a sign of the Holy Spirit's presence?
- 📝 Is there a scriptural basis for treating the non-Gospel books of the New Testament as scripture?
- 📝 What scriptural arguments are there, if any, that there is hell but it is not eternal?
- 📝 Are there non Catholic/Orthodox churches that use a Crucifix?
- 📝 Is there any Biblical reference strictly speaking about God being timeless?
- 📝 What is the scriptural basis for the Holy Spirit speaking to you through other people's words?
- 📝 Is there an example in the Bible of a human ever praying [a prayer] to someone other than one assumed to be God/god?
- 📝 St. Peter Speaking on Behalf of All the Apostles
- 📝 Is there a good example of believers seeking out advice from other believers in the Bible, especially one that is a story children would understand?
- 📝 Are there any scriptural objections to using Ignatian Spiritual Exercises according to Protestants?
- 📝 Are there any denominations that do NOT practice "laying on of hands" with the specific goal of having a new believer receive the Holy Ghost?
- 📝 Are there example writings of general refutation from Jesus' time?
- 📝 Is there any Scriptural support for claims about Jesus appearing to Muslims in dreams and visions?
- 📝 Is there scriptural basis for spiritual 'growth'?
- 📝 Do mainstream believers believe there was a large interval of time that elapsed between the fall of angels and God speaking creating the universe?
- 📝 Is there Scriptural Evidence that Moses had a command that made it Lawful for a Man to Divorce his Wife?
- 📝 Is there a scriptural support for "man are ‘half animal, half angel’"?
- 📝 Is there scriptural basis for feelings such as "electricity", "fire", "heat" or "burning all over" reported in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles?
- 📝 Can there be free will in heaven?
- 📝 Why are there so many translations of the Bible?
- 📝 What evidence is there that Jesus was a carpenter?
- 📝 Is there any Biblical Basis for 400 years of silence between Old and New Testament?
- 📝 Why are there different divisions of the Ten Commandments?
- 📝 What reasons does Christianity give for "Why There Must Be A God?"
- 📝 Are there multiple levels to Heaven, for different levels of reward?
- 📝 What is the scriptural basis for clerical celibacy?
- 📝 Does the Trinity share one mind or are there three separate minds?
- 📝 Are there any examples of sarcasm in the bible?