- DAVID, THE PROPHET?Why David Berg is NOT God's Endtime Prophet
Introduction
We were told David Berg is the "Prophet" and the "David", that he has fulfilled all these prophecies. This belief is an integral part of Children of God theology -- in fact, the very foundation of our thinking processes for years. As they have been interpreted by Mo, these verses have exerted a powerful influence on us, sometimes even years after leaving the Children of God.
It can hardly be stressed enough just how important a correct understanding is of "The Prophet" prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and the "David prophecies" of Isaiah 55, Ezekiel 34, 37, etc. Why? Because, if David Berg is the Prophet and the David of Biblical prophecies, then that makes him "God's voice" and despite his mistakes, human weaknesses, foibles and outright sins, we should listen to him.
BUT, what if he isn't the Prophet, the David that was promised? The answer is obvious: If Mo says he's "David", God's Endtime Prophet, when in fact he is not, then you don't need to fear him. You can, with a clear conscience toward God, disregard his Letters and follow God according to what you believe God is telling you. Furthermore, if Mo is not the Prophet, then he has spoken presumptuously in declaring that he is. He has made a false prophecy and, as Deut. 18:22 says, "The prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
If Mo is neither the Prophet nor the promised "David" -- and if it can be proven from the Scriptures that both of these have been fulfilled in Jesus -- then this knowledge will free us from condemnation, free us from fear of God's wrath, free us to serve the Lord as we feel led. This issue is that simple. And it is literally that important. That is why a clear and unbiased Bible study of these verses is a must.
Before we start, a prayer: "Lord Jesus, You know I love You and want
to know the truth on this very important point. So I claim Your promise in John
16:13 which says that Your Spirit will guide me into all truth. Jesus, Psalm
119:89 says, 'Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven', so I acknowledge
that Your Word, the Bible, is the yardstick of truth by which I will measure
all other revelations. Lord, I recognize Your Word, the Bible, as the final
authority in my life. So I pray that you open my eyes that I may behold wondrous
things out of your law and open my understanding that I might understand the
Scriptures. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen."
"THE PROPHET" - Deut. 18:15-19
The earliest Letter in which Mo hinted that he was the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18 was in the Letter Survival, para. 59, where he said, "Some have even said that our ministry would be a fulfillment of the predictions of Deuteronomy 18:15-18..." Mo firmly believed he was, of course, and in the Letter A Prophet Like Moses, he stated unequivocally that he is the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18.
In Deut. 18:15 Moses of old prophesied, "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 hearken." Then in verses 18 and 19, the Lord said, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him."
Who is this Prophet? Well, it is worth noting that the entire Early Church believed that it was Jesus. After the healing of this lame man in the Temple, Peter stood up and (in Acts 3:19-21) preached to a crowd of thousands, saying: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted... and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." Who is Peter talking about in these passages? Jesus Christ'. Then, in the next two verses, Acts 3:22,23, Peter says:
"For Moses truly said unto the fathers, 'A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."
There is simply no way to escape the conclusion that Peter is stating that Jesus Christ was the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18. The result of Peter's sermon? Five thousand men got the point, believed him and were saved.
The Church's first martyr, Stephen, also referred to this prophecy in Acts 7:37, just moments before his death. While giving his famous brief capsule of Jewish history, he mentioned Moses,' then said, "... Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, 'A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear"'. Stephen then finished his summary of Jewish history by preaching Jesus to them in verse 52.
Now, if this prophecy was not about Jesus, but was about David Berg 2,000 years later, what would have been the point of Stephen quoting it in this sermon? None whatsoever. But Stephen, like Peter, clearly believed that this prophecy of Moses was talking about Jesus and thus he had a very good reason for quoting it. The Jews followed Moses' law, stating "we are Moses' disciples". Yet Moses himself prophesied, "A Prophet shah the Lord your God raise up unto you...him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shah say unto you." (Acts 3:22,23) He was appealing to their professed obedience to Moses to get them to believe in Jesus.
In both instances where Deut. 18:15-19 is quoted in the Book of Acts, it clearly indicates that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. Despite this, David Berg claimed that he himself was the Prophet of Deut. 18. Only one of these positions can be correct. Either Jesus was the Prophet, as Peter and the martyr Stephen claimed, or else David Berg is the Prophet, and both Peter and Stephen were wrong.
Sam Warner was aware of this dilemma when he compiled the class "Moses David Our Shepherd" ML back in the mid '70s and tried to reconcile these contradictions by saying that the prophecy referred to both Jesus and Mo -- that it was partially fulfilled in Jesus and filled to overflowing in Mo.
There's one big problem with this line of reasoning: It doesn't take into account the sufficiency of Christ, the completeness of Jesus' work on the cross, the magnitude of His ministry. How can we add to or improve upon Jesus?! And honestly now, it says a Prophet, and a straightforward reading of these prophecies gives the unmistakable conclusion that they are talking about one specific person.
Still, some may raise the following questions:
1. Jesus was and is the Son of God. Therefore how could He be a mere prophet? First of all, the New Testament says that Jesus was indeed the Prophet, so that should settle the matter. Furthermore, while it is true that Jesus was not a mere prophet, consider this: Neither was the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18 a mere prophet.
2. The Lord told Moses of old that the Prophet would be "like thee, from among thy brethren", but Jesus as the Son of God come down from Heaven, was not like Moses nor was he "from among His brethren". As it says in Hebrews 2:17: "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God" and Romans 8:29: "...firstborn among many brethren..." Though Jesus was God and came down from Heaven, at the same time He was a man of flesh and blood, born of a Jewish mother of the line of David. Jesus was born a Jew, had thousands of Jewish ancestors and relatives as well as Jewish brothers and sisters (Mk. 6:3, Jn. 1:11a). Therefore, it is clear that Jesus was "from among his brethren".
3. In John 1:19-25 the Jews asked John the Baptist if he was the Christ or "that prophet". They made a clear distinction between the two, showing that they are two different people. This argument deliberately ignores the fact that the Pharisees and Jewish religious leaders were not stating a fact but merely asking a question. Just because they didn't realize that the Prophet and the Messiah were one and the same has little bearing. So what if they believed the Prophet and the Messiah were two different people7 These hypocritical religious leaders had plenty of other misconceptions: They expected the Messiah to come as a conquering king, not a suffering servant, not realizing that Jesus was both. And they surely did not accept that He was the Son of God. Jesus called the Pharisees "blind leaders of the blind" (Matt. 15:14), so we should be very hesitant in allowing them to lead us in our interpretation of the Scriptures.
Furthermore, the Pharisees' view was just one of several doctrinal viewpoints of the day. The common people -- the ones who "heard Jesus gladly" -- had a different understanding of who "the Prophet" was. To them, the Prophet and the Messiah were one and the same. According to the Scriptures, the coming Messiah would be a king descended from the royal line of David, "the son of David" (Matt. 22:42; Jn. 7:42). We know, of course, that Jesus was the King of Israel (Lk. 1:31-33; Jn. 1:49).
To the Jews of Jesus' day, only one person could be their legitimate king: The Messiah. No one else. So, if they didn't think that the Prophet and the Messiah-King were one and the same, how do you explain this passage: "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone" (Jn. 6:14,15).
4. Mo says in A Prophet Like Moses that he is the Prophet of Deut. 18. Despite all your arguments, I'm still going to believe Mo and take it by faith that he is the Prophet." Well, you will definitely have to take it by faith. There is certainly no logical reason to believe it. In fact, don't even bother to read A Prophet Like Moses if you want any kind of an explanation because in that Letter Mo's argument falls apart precisely at its most critical point. If you read it carefully, you will notice that he backflips off his line of thought right at the point when he's trying to prove that Deut. 18:18,19 is talking about him. Precisely at that point he flips into talking about "David" instead of "the Prophet".
If you are honest, you will have to admit that the evidence clearly states that Mo is not the Prophet of Deut. 18:15-19. What does that mean? It means, for one thing, that Mo is in error. He has claimed to be something that he is not. If he was merely teaching it, he is a mistaken teacher, wrestling the Scriptures to make them say something they don't say. That in itself is serious enough. But if he was prophesying it, he has made a false prophecy. And that is extremely serious.
Let's accept the facts: Mo is not the Prophet. Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
the Son of God, was that Prophet. And if we "refuse to hear" Jesus,
that is serious indeed. (See Jn. 12:47,48.) But you are not disobeying
God and about to be "cut off" from Jesus if you -- in conscience toward
God and pure, biblical Christianity -- disobey Mo. Mo is not the Prophet --
that much is clear. But what about the "David" prophecies?
The "David" Prophecies
First of all, as Mo himself has said, there is a clear difference between King David of old and the prophesied David-to-come. King David had died nearly 400 years before Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied about a coming David. Before we examine the David prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea, let's examine .some of Mo's favorite and most-quoted "David" prophecies:
"The Sure Mercies Of David": In published apologies and confessions people say they are- thankful for the "sure mercies of David". What is meant by this is that Mo is a forgiving person and, despite the fact that they made some major blow-it, his mercies are "sure", his forgiveness something that can be counted on. But let's take a look at the original Biblical prophecy and see if that is really what it's referring to.
Isaiah 55:3,4 says, "Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall Live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people."
First of all, note that it says, "I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David". The word "even" means
"in other words" or "that is to say". So this verse literally
reads: "I will make an everlasting covenant with you, that is to say, the
sure mercies of David." So, "the sure mercies of David" is an
"everlasting covenant". Now think about it: Does this 2,600-year-old
prophecy about an everlasting covenant refer to Mo's ability to forgive blow-its?
It hardly seems likely. Is it referring to the Lord's continual mercy to Mo?
No it is not.
This was a Messianic prophecy referring to Jesus. Why that conclusion?
Simple, because the New Testament says so. In Acts 13, Paul preaches
a sermon in the Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch and tells about Jesus'
resurrection. In explaining to them why their Messiah would have to die and
then rise again from the dead, Paul shows them in verses 34 and 35 how this
event was prophesied in their Scriptures:
"And as concerning that He raised Him (Jesus) up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He said on this wise, "I will give you the sure mercies of David'. Wherefore He saith also in another Psalm, 'Thou shalt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption'."
Let's be honest. The very fact that Paul quoted this prophecy at this point, stating that it was fulfilled in Jesus -- that God the Father had given "the sure mercies of David" to Jesus --leaves one indisputable conclusion: Isaiah 55:3 and the verses following it about "a witness, a leader and commander" was originally and specifically prophesied about Jesus, not Mo.
If Mo wants to say that the Lord gave him this passage in application even though it is a Messianic prophecy about Jesus, let's not argue that at this point. But what we want to establish is that this prophecy was specifically uttered in reference to Jesus and fulfilled by Jesus, not Mo.
To understand what the "sure mercies of David" are, let's turn to Psalm 89:28. Psalm 89 has been so often quoted as if it were prophetic of Mo that it would be well to point out that some very specific things ape mentioned in this psalm which could not possibly be referring to him but only to King David of old.
(vs.3,4) "...I have sworn unto David My Servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations". (vs. 19,20) "....I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him." (vs. 28,29) "My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and My covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven." (vs. 35-37a) "...I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever."
A close reading of verses 28-37 will show that the "covenant" was this: That a son of David would never cease to sit upon the throne of Israel. This entire Psalm is talking about a specific promise God made to King David of old: his seed would always sit upon the throne of Israel. God knew that many of David's descendants down through the centuries would be disobedient, some even idolaters and evil men. Yet, despite that, God promised that the covenant He made with David would stand unbroken.
That is precisely what made it a covenant of mercy, because many of David's sons did not deserve to be king. That was "the sure mercies", the undeserved but guaranteed mercy that God promised to King David of old. As 2 Chronicles 21:5-7 says, "Jehoram...wrought that which was evil ... howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
To understand this original covenant, we turn to the original promise of an eternal kingdom that God had made to David. In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord through the prophet Nathan prophesies to David: "...I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever .... My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul...And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever". (vs. 12-16)
Because Jesus was raised from the dead and now sits enthroned in Heaven at the right hand of God -- and will one day rule visibly and physically on Earth as well -- the throne of His father David is established for ever, as the Lord promised.
Now, Mo may try to say that the Lord gave him Isaiah 55 in application, but if he does that is a departure from what he has taught all these years. But whatever way he tries to explain it, get around it or interpret it, one thing is sure: The "sure mercies of David" of Isaiah 55 were promised to King David of old and fulfilled in the son of David -- Jesus Christ. Not Mo, but Jesus.
So what about Psalm 89? We have seen that, when put in its proper historical perspective, when it mentions "David" it is talking about King David of old. When it talks about the "everlasting covenant", it is talking about God's promise that David would never want a man to sit upon the throne of Israel. And this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. Thus, the claim that this psalm is talking about Mo is unfounded and the result of a careless, superficial study of the Word of God.
Regarding Psalm 89:35 where it says, "I will not lie unto David", Mo has often quoted this portion of a verse to prove to himself and us that God had assured him that he would always hear the truth from God. However, an honest reading of the verse and its context shows that when the Lord says, "Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David," he was reaffirming His promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 that he would establish his throne forever, and by doing so, God was heralding the coming of His Son Jesus, who would inherit the throne of David.
God did not utter this prophecy to assure Mo that he would never receive a false teaching or a false prophecy. Mo has given scores of both. Reading through the Mo Letter volumes -- Volume 2 in particular but any volume will do -- you will see that its pages are strewn with the pitiful wreckage of unfulfilled prophecies and predictions of current events that simply never came to pass.
The David To Come: Now, let's turn to the David prophecies in which a future David is prophesied: Ezekiel 34:23,24 says, "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it." This is clearly talking about a future David because Ezekiel made this prophecy some 400 years after King David of old had died.
One reason Mo gives for believing that this is not a Messianic prophecy and that this "David" is therefore not Jesus is because it uses the name David not Jesus or Messiah. The answer is that "David" is a typology. David had been the greatest king in Israel's history, "a man after God's own heart", a type of the Messiah to come. There are multitudes of similar typologies used in reference to Jesus. Jesus is called the Lamb, for example, but Jesus of course is not an actual lamb. Jesus is not a literal wooden door yet in John 10:9 Jesus says, I am the door", etc. By the same token, Jesus is not King David of old. Yet King David was a foreshadowing, a type of the ultimate king of Israel, Jesus Christ. So the argument that "it uses the name of David so therefore it can't be talking about Jesus" is simply not valid.
If you still ask, "Why would God call the Messiah 'David'?", also ask yourself, "Why would God call the Messiah 'Adam'?" I Corinthians 15:45-47: "...'The first man Adam (Adam) was made a living soul'; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening spirit. The first man is of the earth, earthly: the second man is the Lord from Heaven." As you can see, Old Testament patriarchs foreshadowing the Messiah is a common device in the Scriptures.
Another argument Mo raised in the Letter A Prophet Like Moses is that this passage Calls this David "My servant David". Mo says this would be too demeaning a title for Jesus. Yes, to call Jesus a servant is demeaning, but this is precisely the kind of demeaning humiliation that Jesus, though he is the Son of God, underwent to secure our salvation. Philippians 2: 6-8 states, "Being in the form of God...He took upon Himself the form of a servant and humbled himself… even to the death of the cross." And in Matthew 12:17-18 (quoting Isaiah 42:1), God again calls Jesus "My servant". So, to argue that this prophetic David can't be Jesus because He's called a servant is missing the whole point of Jesus' humbling Himself to come as a man.
There's another good reason why this prophecy in Ezekiel 34 fits Jesus, not Mo. The prophecy says, "I will set up one shepherd over them (God's people)". Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep...and other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (Jn. 10:14-16). God promised to set up one shepherd over His people, and Jesus declared that He was the good shepherd. Jesus is not saying that He is going to bring all His sheep into one fold and then set up some other shepherd -- such as Mo -- over them. He's saying that He Himself is going to bring His sheep together and He Himself is going to be the shepherd of the sheep.
Realistically, what one man of God has been the shepherd of every Christian who has lived for the past 2,000 years? Only Jesus Himself. Despite Mo's desire to be universally accepted as the Prophet of God and the greatest of Christian leaders, he himself realizes that it is unlikely in the extreme that Christians of all denominations and creeds will converge to acknowledge him as the "one shepherd". Not even the Pope could make such a claim. It's insane! No one other than Jesus Himself, whom Hebrews 13:20 calls "that great shepherd of the sheep", could possibly declare himself the "one shepherd" of John 10 and Ezekiel 34.
The rest of the verse Ezek. 34:23 says, "and he (the one shepherd) shall feed them". Jesus is the "one shepherd" who takes it upon Himself to spiritually feed all Christians on the face of the earth. "For the Lamb (Jesus) which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them..." (Rev. 7:17)
One reason Mo gives for believing that this David is referring to him is that he says Joab (an early COG member) believed it, wrote Mo telling him so, precipitating the Mo Letter David in which Mo received a prophecy that he was, indeed, this David. In the Letter David paragraphs 11-13, Mo said, "You couldn't have ever convinced me by the wildest stretch of my imagination that God was actually talking about us: -- That He actually uttered this prophecy originally for you and for me about what God was going to accomplish through us.' ... Then, a few months ago, one of you wrote me and got all excited about this same passage and said the Lord had showed him this was about us! But I tried to laugh it off …brush it off and accredit it to the over-zealous loyalty of one of my most overbearing generals (Joab). -- But God dealt with me about it afterwards, and I prayed about it...I asked the Lord if this was true -- could this be about us specifically and the work which we are now doing?"
When Happy (Joab) was asked about this recently, he replied:
This is how I remember all that happening: We had a 'babes ranch' across the road from TSC. I was teaching about 30 or 40 'new babes' the basic classes. I started on one subject and the next thing you know I'm blasting the pharisaical church leaders of today and I say, 'Go over to Ezekiel 34,' and as we were reading the chapter, it was like electricity in the room, the verses seemed to illuminate as we read them and everybody is ooohing and ahhhing. And we came down to verse 23 and everybody is feeling goose bumps and chills and wow!! wow!! And we all start praying and speaking in tongues and you know how it goes.
Later that day I was talking to Hosea and Esther his wife, in a trailer on the hill at TSC and was telling them about this heavy 'anointed' time we had that day. I opened to Ezekiel 34 and read it to them and I asked him who this David was. 'Has this been fulfilled?' I asked if it could be Mo. I also considered if it could be David Ben Gurion (the head of the country of Israel).
Esther was sitting there and wrote down the whole conversation, and sometime later Mo comes out with a Letter saying, 'Joab got the revelation that I was the David of Ezekiel 34.' Well, it's just not true.' I thought it was significant enough of a passage to ask Hosea about, but it was just a question. I said, 'Who is this? Could this be Mo?' I knew I didn't know much and I did have a lot of respect for Hosea, but Hosea just said, 'I don't know,' and smiled.
So I really got credit for this whole idea when I didn't deserve it. But this was a pattern in the group. One of us dumb little sheep would say, 'Hey, what does this mean?' or 'Could this mean this?' and Mo would say, 'Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you, but God', and off everybody went."
Another David prophecy is found in Ezekiel 37. If you read verses 16 through 21, the context becomes readily apparent. The prophet Ezekiel, writing from exile in Babylon, is giving a prophecy about the regathering of both southern and northern tribes in the land of Israel. Verse 22 makes this clear: "And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all."
The verses the COG pulled out of context were 24 and 25: "And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd...and My servant David shall be their prince for ever." In verse 26 the Lord says that He is going to make a "covenant of peace" with His people. As you will recall, this same "covenant of peace" was mentioned in the David prophecies of Ezekiel 34.
One thing that bothered me even when I was in the COG was reading verse 25 that "David shall be their prince forever". Even though I firmly believed that Mo was the David in this passage, throughout the years I had gradually become more and more disillusioned with his many unfulfilled prophecies and predictions, his backtracking on statements, his mercurial policy changes, his domineering attitude and often unfair rebukes. I thought, "Yes, he's the prophet now, but when I get to heaven, I finally want to be free of such a taskmaster and imperfect shepherd as Dad. I want to have a direct, wonderful, beautiful relationship with Jesus as my Shepherd. The thought of being under Mo "forever" -- enduring his erratic whims, edicts, temper tantrums, etc. for an eternity and not being able to get out from under that even in heaven -- really bothered me. I thank God I recognize that the David who will be my "prince forever" is Jesus, the Prince of peace, not David Berg.
Knowing the truth, we are set free: Thank God Jesus Christ is our true Prophet and David. Jesus has given us His mercy and grace -- we are forgiven and His forever. We are no longer bound in fear and awe under someone who has no Scriptural authority, someone who has spoken presumptuously. We are free to follow the Lord's leading in our lives, to hear from Him directly.
David Prophecy of Hosea 3:5. Another "David" prophecy is Hosea 3:5 which says, "Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days." Thinking that "the latter days" means "the End time", Family members are convinced that this "David" must be Mo. What they fail to do, however, is to read this verse in the context of the whole chapter and to realize that it is part of an ongoing message.
Because God's people were committing spiritual adultery, going after other gods, God was about to punish them for their sins. They would "abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim". Then, afterward they would return and seek God and David their king. (Hos. 3:4,5)
This prophecy was literally fulfilled! After 586 BC, when the Temple was destroyed, the Jews were indeed "without a sacrifice" for "many days". Until Jesus their King came, they never again had a king -- not even a prince! And, thankfully, when they returned from captivity, they were cured of idolworship. The religious leaders were hypocrites, but at least the Jews had no move images, ephods or teraphims (household gods in mens' image ).
After the captivity they did return to "seek the Lord their God, and David their king". And sure enough, after their "many days" of waiting, of "abiding without a king", their King and Messiah - Jesus Christ -- came: As Luke 3:15 indicates, in Jesus' day many people were expectantly seeking the Messiah ("David their king"), wondering just who He would be. All this happened in the "latter days", the "last days" as defined in Acts 2: 17a and Hebrews 1: 2.
Mo said that Hosea 3:5 was talking about him. But Jesus said, "Search the Scriptures ... they are they which testify of Me" (Jn. 5:39). Having begun to sincerely "search the Scriptures", doing an in-depth study of the David prophecies in their full, historical context, we are compelled to agree that they are testifying, not of Me, but of Jesus.
Thank God the truth of His Word has set us free from the age-old trap of wanting a visible, fleshly leader, prophet and king -- a leader to be our shepherd and guide, a prophet to hear from God for us, a king to unify us and make us great. This is all fulfilled in Christ; He alone is the ultimate fulfillment -- all that we need.
Christ IS sufficient, His mercy and grace and love will never let
us fall, we are forgiven and acceptable through Him alone.
Now is the time for hard questions: Are we ready and willing to be "no
longer children" tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine
by the tricks of men who lie in wait to deceive? Are we ready and willing to
"speak the truth in love" and to grow up in every way-in Christ?
(Eph. 4:14,15) Do we have the courage to point the finger of truth and reality
at the "Green Paper Pig" of Mo's fantasies and delusions and let them'
just explode? They only have power over us if we let them.
See also: DAVID BERG'S SPIRIT WORLD:
Dementia or Demons?
Why was this booklet written, and why should I read it?
"If David Berg is the "Prophet" and the
"David" of Biblical prophecies, then that makes him "God's Voice"
and we should listen to him.
BUT, what if he isn't ... ? This knowledge will free us from condemnation, free us from
fear of God's wrath, free us to serve the Lord as we feel led.
This issue is that simple ... And it is literally that
important.
That is why a clear and unbiased Bible study of these verses
is a must,"
For more information on the Children of God ("Family") or to get in touch with former members and how they are recovering, please write to:
No Longer Children
c/o Sword of the Lord Ministires
3316 Lynette Dr.
Amarillo, Texas 79109-4510
(Compiled & written by No Longer Children. Cover
art by Mark Hiebert, age 16)