Supernatural Biblical Guidance 11
When the Holy Spirit Prophesies Your Future in the Past Tense

Part Two
by Pastor John Hamel

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

This is an extremely profound statement concerning the ability of the all-knowing God of Creation to reveal the future before it happens and to speak of the future as if it had already come to pass.

Based upon this principle we are studying when supernatural prophecy declares the future in the past tense.  

It is possible for individuals, churches or geographic areas to have a prophetic word spoken over them as if it was already fulfilled at the time of it being spoken.  

I find no less than four examples of this in the Bible.  We are looking at each of them in order to better understand how and why the Holy Spirit can prophesy your future in the past tense.

In Part One of this study we saw how this happened in the life of Abraham and we saw how it happened more than once in the life of Cyrus.  We also saw how the Prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming future destruction of Babylon as if it had already occurred.  

Let’s continue with our study.

God Prophesied the Future Salvation of Israel in the Past Tense 

The last Biblical example that we will look at in this study is where the Prophet Isaiah spoke of the future salvation of Israel as if it had already happened.  Boy, the Prophet Isaiah really had that “speaking of the future in the past tense” thing happening in his Ministry, didn’t he? 

“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I HAVE REDEEMED THEE, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

The Holy Spirit speaking again through the Prophet Isaiah makes reference to the future salvation of Israel as if it were in the past tense.  You do not have to be a Bible scholar to know that Israel has not yet accepted Christ as their long awaited Messiah.  This is an event that is reserved for the future. (Zechariah 13:1-5)   Yet it is spoken of in the Bible as if it had already occurred.  It is possible for you, too, to receive a prophetic word concerning your future that is delivered to you as if it had already occurred.

God Prophesied Our Future in the Past Tense

I once was prophesied over by a proven Prophet of God and his wife.  The prophetic utterance was as follows.  “Now get ready because YOU HAVE BEEN PROVEN AND YOU HAVE PASSED YOUR TEST.  Be blessed from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.  Things are going to start changing for you now.  Change.  Change.  Change.  Change.  Things are going to get better.  Things are going to get better, better.  Oh, I feel that anointing.  Stronger.  Stronger in the pulpit.  Stronger spiritually in the pulpit.  A magnet for money.  A magnet for people. … There is a stepping up in the realm of the Spirit that I have prepared for you.  But you’re going to have to be aware that there’s a price you’re going to have to pay. … And entrusted into your hands will be things that haven’t been laid into your hands before.  But they will be now, because I will command them to come and I will command them to come to your hands.  And you will be a carrier of things that you will need in the future.  More money.  More finances.  More power.  More trust.  I will put these things into your hands for you to care for and to keep. … Increase, increase, increase, increase in every arena.  In every, every arena.  Every single arena, increase.  In miracles.  In finances.  Numerically.  Revelation.  Gifts.  Increase.” 

Now, neither my wife nor I were aware of any period of proving or testing that we had recently come through.  Little did we realize at the time that we were about to encounter probably the most extreme period of proving and testing that either of us had ever endured.  Things began to spiral downward rapidly.  

It is not uncommon for a prophetic word to be given to you where things will get worse before they get better.  As a matter of fact, when a prophetic word is given to you, it frequently means that things are indeed about to get worse before they get better. The prophecy is given to encourage you to hold steady through the coming storm because there is a great blessing for you on the other side of it. 

Dr. Kenneth E. Hagin often said, "When a prophecy is given to you, it is an indication that things are probably going to get worse before they get better. The prophecy is given to hold you steady during the coming storm. So just lash yourself to the mast, ride out the storm and the Word of the Lord will come to pass." 

It seemed as if all the forces of Hell began to assail us.  Persecution and false accusation seemed to come from every direction.  Members of our own congregation turned on us for absolutely no reason.  Trusted family members yielded to betrayal, behaving as if our lives no longer had any value.  Financial supporters began to withdraw their support without explanation. We fell thousands of dollars into debt.  A Ministry associate and long time personal friend was caught stealing Ministry tithes from us. This individual actually tried to justify their corrupt behavior by paying tithes to us from the tithes they had stolen from us.  Our main computer system broke down.  Our automobile broke down.  We found ourselves in the midst of an illegal, unjust lawsuit and evicted from our housing.  Three fellow “Ministers” deceitfully conspired against us influencing even our own Pastor to withdraw from us.  Doors of utterance and Ministry were suddenly and unexplainably closed to us.  Sickness did its best to come against our physical bodies.  

The list of sudden persecution, false accusation and rejection seemed endless.  Never had we experienced such demonic opposition for no apparent reason in the natural. 

We had not changed, yet it seemed like everyone around us was changing.  Darkness and depression tried to engulf us.  It seemed as if God Himself had abandoned us, refusing to vindicate us, although we knew from His Word that could never be true. (Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible; Romans 12:19; Job 34:17,24,25,29,33; 35:24; Psalm 7:8; 16:1; 37:6; 43:1) 

Although God was not doing any of this to us, we soon discovered that this was the proving and testing that He had spoken of through the Prophet.  God was allowing this for the purpose of seeing experientially what was in our hearts, whether we would continue to serve Him or not when it was both easy and difficult.  God does indeed test and prove before He promotes. (Genesis 22:1; Exodus 16:4; 20:20; Deuteronomy 8:2,16; 33:8; Judges 2:22; 3:1,4; 2Chronicles 32:31; Job 23:10; Psalm 11:4; 66:10-12; Zechariah 13:9; James 1:2,3) 

The testing and proving of the Lord will either make or break the individual.  It is all up to the individual.  God intends for His testing and proving to temper and strengthen individuals and to result in their promotion. (Psalm 75:5-7)  God was allowing irritating, disobedient, dishonest people and injustice to surround us temporarily for the purpose of strengthening us to difficulty through difficulty. (Isaiah 54:17 Amplified Bible) 

This happens to all true God seekers at some time in their lives so you best be ready when it comes.  It is to make us better, not bitter.  Do not run from God during your time of testing and proving.  You will only prolong things.  Stick with the Holy Spirit.  He will personally get you through it and then He will reward you for allowing Him to do so. (Psalm 57:2) 

Calluses must first be developed before you can comfortably wear those new shoes you want so desperately.  An oyster must endure that irritating piece of sand inside of itself if that precious pearl is going to be developed.  True God seekers, power seekers, are going to have to endure irritating people and irritating circumstances in order to be developed into priceless pearls for God.  The life of faith is indeed a life of suffering persecution for the Word’s sake. (2Corinthians 12:10; Philippians 4:12; 2Thessalonians 1:4; 2Timothy 3:11,12; 1Peter 1:7)  Although the road of suffering ultimately leads to Heaven where there is no suffering, we must learn to suffer a little in this life in order to be strengthened to it while we are here. 

We had to make a mature decision that we were going to stick with God and just get this over with.  God was preparing us through extreme proving and testing for a promotion that was just ahead of us.  A promotion that we would not have been equipped for had we not been prepared for it by being surrounded with injustice, irritating people and irritating circumstances.  He spoke to us prophetically of the proving and testing before it had even happened as if it had already happened.  He spoke of our passing the test before we had even entered the test. 

We knew that by simply hanging on to that prophetic word, we would come through to our wealthy place. (Psalm 66:8-12)  We knew that just as surely as the Holy Spirit had spoken to us about being proven and tested, He had also assured us that passing the test was a done deal, if we would just endure.  We knew God would pull us through if we could just stand the pull.  We knew that if we just continued to obey God’s Word and walk in love towards our accusers and persecutors, we would pass the test. (Matthew 5:44)

We were familiar enough with prophecy to know that a Word such as ours was given because there was going to be some rough sailing ahead.  That prophecy, spoken in the past tense, was intended to keep us hanging onto God during the testing and proving.  This was one of those times where you just “lash yourself to the mast and ride out the storm,” so to speak.  It was intended to make better, more competent and more confident spiritual sailors out of us.

Should a prophecy be spoken over you as if it had already come to pass, do not let your head, Satan’s lies or confusion take over and discourage you.  Although it may not be all that common, it is Scriptural for God to speak of your future in the past tense, declaring the end from the beginning, if He so desires.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, DECLARING THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9,10)

“I HAVE EVEN FROM THE BEGINNING DECLARED IT TO THEE; BEFORE IT CAME TO PASS I SHEWED IT THEE: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.  Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I HAVE SHEWED THEE NEW THINGS FROM THIS TIME, EVEN HIDDEN THINGS, AND THOU DIDST NOT KNOW THEM.” (Isaiah 48:5,6)

The principle of God declaring the future as if it were in the past is not only true concerning prophecies recorded in the Bible.  This principle could also be applied to your very life if the Holy Spirit should will it.  

This principle was applied to our lives (my wife and I).  The proving and testing, which the Holy Spirit said we had passed, was actually waiting for us only after the prophecy was given.  As we continue to endure, the blessings that were decreed over us have begun to come to pass.  The Holy Spirit continues to grant Godly sorrow to our persecutors and accusers, revealing their sinfulness, holding their feet to the fire that they had set all around us and bringing them to repentance.  He wants to bless them, too.  

As we continue to walk in obedience to God in spite of opposition, the prophecy will continue to come to pass in greater and greater ways over the rest of our lives. 

If this has happened to you, hang on to your prophecy.  Wage war with it.  If there were not going to be a warfare concerning your prophecy, Paul would not have said there would be. (1Timothy 1:18)  

Thank God continually for its fulfillment. (1Thessalonians 5:18)  Blessings abound for those who do not bail out when the sledding gets tough.  God is looking for those who can endure hardship like good soldiers. (2Timothy 2:3,4)  

God is looking for those who will continue to hold steady and stay the course when circumstances dictate running back to the world and sin. (Exodus 23:33; Deuteronomy 4:40; 7:12-24; 8:3; 11:13-32; 28:1-68; Psalm 4:4; Ezekiel 3:21; Romans 6:16-23; 8:1-13; 1John 2:1,2)

The Holy Spirit will surely harden us to difficulty by allowing difficulty in our lives.  He will even warn us prophetically that it is coming.  (John 16:13; Acts 11:28-30; 21:10-14)  He can even tell us the outcome before the actual event occurs!  

Just hold steady during these times of testing and proving.  It is nothing more than what Joseph suffered as a result of his future being revealed to him.  His vindication and promotion far exceeded his suffering as his revelation of the future was fulfilled.  (Genesis 37:1-50:26)

If a prophetic word is given to an individual, a congregation, a city, a region or a nation as if it has already come to pass, the requirements for its fulfillment are the same.  

Keep walking in obedience to the written Word of God.  

Keep walking in love even towards those who refuse to walk in love towards you.  

Keep the sin out of your life no matter how much pressure Satan puts on you.  

Keep speaking the prophecy over yourself.  

Keep thanking God for the fulfillment of the prophecy.  It was given to pull you through and pull you through it will, if you will simply endure the pull. 

It will come to pass.  It’s guaranteed.  (1Corinthians 10:13)

Be blessed … John and Barbara Hamel

 

 

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