1 THE VALUE OF PREDICTIVE PROPHECY TEXT: 2 Peter 1:19-21 Jn 18, 2009 PURPOSE: Predictive Prophecy is nd encourgement for every believer nd predictive prophecy will stbilize us in n unstble nd sinful society. INTRODUCTION: We my sk ourselves this bsic question, "Why should we study prophecy? The motto of the Grce Brethren Church is THE WHOLE BIBLE, AND NOTHING BUT THE BIBLE." Tht is very good motto, nd quite necessry. Pul sttes in 2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is God-brethed nd is useful for teching, rebuking, correcting nd trining in righteousness, so tht the mn of God my be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Now this certinly refers to the prophetic portions of the Scripture. Over one third of the Bible is mde up of prophecy. There re prophetic strins in every book of the Bible. There re whole Books dedicted to this theme of prophecy. You hve five mjor prophets, nd 12 minor prophets. In the New Testment you hve Books such s the Thesslonins Epistles, the Petrine Epistles, Jude nd the Reveltion of Jesus Christ re Just few of the prophetic Books. There re chpters devoted to this theme such s Mtthew 25 nd mny others. Let us consider some vlues of predictive prophecy, nd let us consider t lest five, for there re more tht you could even dd. The first is 1. PREDICTIVE PROPHECY PRESENTS IN ADVANCE.WHAT GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSES ARE: A. Prophetic Understnding Unifiction & Reunited - 1 Chronicles 12:32 The men of Isschr, who understood the times nd knew wht Isrel should do 200 chiefs, with ll their reltives under their commnd; At this point in Isrel's history, she needed to be unified nd re-united s ntion. It is in the relm of predictive prophetic tht we too cm know wht to do. B. Prophetic Illumintion In Times of Drkness nd Depression 1. 2 Peter 1: 19 And we hve the word of the prophets mde more certin, nd you will do well to py ttention to it, s to light shining in drk plce, until the dy dwns nd the morning str rises in your herts. 20 Above ll, you must understnd tht no prophecy of Scripture cme bout by the prophet s
2 own interprettion. 21 For prophecy never hd its origin in the will of mn, but men spoke from God s they were crried long by the Holy Spirit. i 2. This reminds me of Pslms 119: 105 Your word is lmp to my feet nd light for my pth. ii C. Prophetic Demonstrtion 1. Acts 15: 12 The whole ssembly becme silent s they listened to Brnbs nd Pul telling bout the mirculous signs nd wonders God hd done mong the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, Jmes spoke up: Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon hs described to us how God t first showed his concern by tking from the Gentiles people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets re in greement with this, s it is written: 16 After this I will return nd rebuild Dvid s fllen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, nd I will restore it, 17 tht the remnnt of men my seek the Lord, nd ll the Gentiles who ber my nme, sys the Lord, who does these things b 18 tht hve been known for ges. c iii 2. Is. 42: I, the LORD, hve clled you in righteousness; I will tke hold of your hnd. I will keep you nd will mke you to be covennt for the people nd light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes tht re blind, to free cptives from prison nd to relese from the dungeon those who sit in drkness. iv 3. Lk. 2: 25 Now there ws mn in Jeruslem clled Simeon, who ws righteous nd devout. He ws witing for the consoltion of Isrel, nd the Holy Spirit ws upon him. 26 It hd been reveled to him by the Holy Spirit tht he would not die before he hd seen the Lord s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the prents brought in the child Jesus to do for him wht the custom of the Lw required, 28 Simeon took him in his rms nd prised God, sying: 29 Sovereign Lord, s you hve promised, you now dismiss c your servnt in pece. 30 For my eyes hve seen your slvtion, 31 which you hve prepred in the sight of ll people, 32 light for reveltion to the Gentiles nd for glory to your people Isrel. v
3 D. Prophetic Clrifiction 1. The Kingdom 1) Dn. 2: 35 Then the iron, the cly, the bronze, the silver nd the gold were broken to pieces t the sme time nd becme like chff on threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them wy without leving trce. But the rock tht struck the sttue becme huge mountin nd filled the whole erth. vi 2) Mich 4: 1 In the lst dys the mountin of the LORD s temple will be estblished s chief mong the mountins; it will be rised bove the hills, nd peoples will strem to it. vii 3) Dn. 7: 27 Then the sovereignty, power nd gretness of the kingdoms under the whole heven will be hnded over to the sints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be n everlsting kingdom, nd ll rulers will worship nd obey him. viii 4) 9: 24 Seventy sevens re decreed for your people nd your holy city to finish b trnsgression, to put n end to sin, to tone for wickedness, to bring in everlsting righteousness, to sel up vision nd prophecy nd to noint the most holy. c 25 Know nd understnd this: From the issuing of the decree d to restore nd rebuild Jeruslem until the Anointed One, e the ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens, nd sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt with streets nd trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off nd will hve nothing. f The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city nd the snctury. The end will come like flood: Wr will continue until the end, nd desoltions hve been decreed. 27 He will confirm covennt with mny for one seven. g In the middle of the seven h he will put n end to scrifice nd offering. And on wing of the temple he will set up n bomintion tht cuses desoltion, until the end tht is decreed is poured out on him. i j ix 2. The Church 1) Mtt. 16: 18 And I tell you tht you re Peter, b nd on this rock I will build my church, nd the gtes of Hdes c will not overcome it. x 2) 2 Cor. 5: 20 We re therefore Christ s mbssdors, s though God were mking his ppel through us. We implore you on Christ s behlf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God mde him who hd no sin to be sin for us, so tht in him we might become the righteousness of God. 6 As God s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God s grce in vin. 2 For he sys, In the time of my fvor I herd you,
4 Life Principles: nd in the dy of slvtion I helped you. b I tell you, now is the time of God s fvor, now is the dy of slvtion. xi Trnsitionl Sentence: 2. PREDICTIVE PROPHECY STRENGTHENS FAITH IN GOD AND HIS WORD A. Revels God s Pln for the Ages. Do you remember the cities of Tyre, Sidon, Gz, Egypt nd Isrel? Think of the fulfilled prophecies regrding them. Remember wht God told Nebuchdnezzr in Dniel History now records these s fulfilled prophecy. 1. Dniel Chpters 2, 7, 9 2. Mtthew Chpters 13, 23,24 3. Reveltion Chpters 6-22 B. Revels God s Pln for the Church 1. Mtt. 28: 18 Then Jesus cme to them nd sid, All uthority in heven nd on erth hs been given to me. 19 Therefore go nd mke disciples of ll ntions, bptizing them in the nme of the Fther nd of the Son nd of the Holy Spirit, 20 nd teching them to obey everything I hve commnded you. And surely I m with you lwys, to the very end of the ge. xii 2. 1 Thess. 4: 13 Brothers, we do not wnt you to be ignornt bout those who fll sleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who hve no hope. 14 We believe tht Jesus died nd rose gin nd so we believe tht God will bring with Jesus those who hve fllen sleep in him. 15 According to the Lord s own word, we
5 tell you tht we who re still live, who re left till the coming of the Lord, will certinly not precede those who hve fllen sleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heven, with loud commnd, with the voice of the rchngel nd with the trumpet cll of God, nd the ded in Christ will rise first. 17 After tht, we who re still live nd re left will be cught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the ir. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourge ech other with these words. xiii C. Rescues the Believer from Despondency nd Despir 1. 1 Peter 1: Peter, n postle of Jesus Christ, To God s elect, strngers in the world, scttered throughout Pontus, Glti, Cppdoci, Asi nd Bithyni, 2 who hve been chosen ccording to the foreknowledge of God the Fther, through the snctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ nd sprinkling by his blood: Grce nd pece be yours in bundnce. 3 Prise be to the God nd Fther of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his gret mercy he hs given us new birth into living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the ded, 4 nd into n inheritnce tht cn never perish, spoil or fde kept in heven for you, 5 who through fith re shielded by God s power until the coming of the slvtion tht is redy to be reveled in the lst time xiv 2. Lk. 21: 25 There will be signs in the sun, moon nd strs. On the erth, ntions will be in nguish nd perplexity t the roring nd tossing of the se. 26 Men will fint from terror, pprehensive of wht is coming on the world, for the hevenly bodies will be shken. 27 At tht time they will see the Son of Mn coming in cloud with power nd gret glory. 28 When these things begin to tke plce, stnd up nd lift up your heds, becuse your redemption is drwing ner. xv 3. Rom. 8: 18 I consider tht our present sufferings re not worth compring with the glory tht will be reveled in us. 19 The cretion wits in eger expecttion for the sons of God to be reveled. 20 For the cretion ws subjected to frustrtion, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 tht the cretion itself will be liberted from its bondge to decy nd brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know tht the whole cretion hs been groning s in the pins of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who hve the firstfruits of the Spirit, gron inwrdly s we wit egerly for our doption s sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were sved. But hope tht is seen is no hope t ll. Who hopes for wht he lredy hs? 25 But if we hope for wht we do not yet hve, we wit for it ptiently. xvi Life Principles:
6 Trnsitionl Sentence: 3. PREDICTIVE PROPHECY SAVES THE STRUGGLING CHRISTIAN FROM M DESPONDENCY AND DESPAIR. A. Our Pilgrimge 1 Peter sttes tht we re pilgrims pssing through this world. Therefore, we re not to become despondent nd brought to despir becuse of the cres of the world. Let us red 1 Peter 1:1-5. B. There re going to be mny dversities nd problem in our lives s believers. But let us remember tht in light of this fct of predictive prophecy; let us not end on downbet, but n upbet. C. Let us red Luke 21: 25 There will be signs in the sun, moon nd strs. On the erth, ntions will be in nguish nd perplexity t the roring nd tossing of the se. 26 Men will fint from terror, pprehensive of wht is coming on the world, for the hevenly bodies will be shken. 27 At tht time they will see the Son of Mn coming in cloud with power nd gret glory. 28 When these things begin to tke plce, stnd up nd lift up your heds, becuse your redemption is drwing ner. xvii see there is the upbet! Encourgement in knowing tht Philippins 3: 20 But our citizenship is in heven. And we egerly wit Svior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power tht enbles him to bring everything under his control, will trnsform our lowly bodies so tht they will be like his glorious body. xviii is gret consoltion. Also red Romns 8: 18-25. Life Principles: Trnsitionl Sentence: 4. PREDICTIVE PROPHECY PROVIDES PROTECTION FROM THE ENSLAVEMENT OF PSEUDO-RELIGIONS (CULTS) AND PHILOSOPHIES
7 A. The Wrning 2 Jn. 4 It hs given me gret joy to find some of your children wlking in the truth, just s the Fther commnded us. 5 And now, der ldy, I m not writing you new commnd but one we hve hd from the beginning. I sk tht we love one nother. 6 And this is love: tht we wlk in obedience to his commnds. As you hve herd from the beginning, his commnd is tht you wlk in love. 7 Mny deceivers, who do not cknowledge Jesus Christ s coming in the flesh, hve gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver nd the ntichrist. 8 Wtch out tht you do not lose wht you hve worked for, but tht you my be rewrded fully. 9 Anyone who runs hed nd does not continue in the teching of Christ does not hve God; whoever continues in the teching hs both the Fther nd the Son. 10 If nyone comes to you nd does not bring this teching, do not tke him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shres in his wicked work. xix B. The Cults Mtt. 24: 22 If those dys hd not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the ske of the elect those dys will be shortened. 23 At tht time if nyone sys to you, Look, here is the Christ! or, There he is! do not believe it. 24 For flse Christs nd flse prophets will pper nd perform gret signs nd mircles to deceive even the elect if tht were possible. 25 See, I hve told you hed of time. 26 So if nyone tells you, There he is, out in the desert, do not go out; or, Here he is, in the inner rooms, do not believe it. 27 For s lightning tht comes from the est is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Mn. xx C. Rev. 19: 11 I sw heven stnding open nd there before me ws white horse, whose rider is clled Fithful nd True. With justice he judges nd mkes wr. 12 His eyes re like blzing fire, nd on his hed re mny crowns. He hs nme written on him tht no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in robe dipped in blood, nd his nme is the Word of God. 14 The rmies of heven were following him, riding on white horses nd dressed in fine linen, white nd clen. 15 Out of his mouth comes shrp sword with which to strike down the ntions. He will rule them with n iron scepter. He treds the winepress of the fury of the wrth of God Almighty. 16 On his robe nd on his thigh he hs this nme written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I sw n ngel stnding in the sun, who cried in loud voice to ll the birds flying in midir, Come, gther together for the gret supper of God, 18 so tht you my et the flesh of kings, generls, nd
8 mighty men, of horses nd their riders, nd the flesh of ll people, free nd slve, smll nd gret. 19 Then I sw the best nd the kings of the erth nd their rmies gthered together to mke wr ginst the rider on the horse nd his rmy. 20 But the best ws cptured, nd with him the flse prophet who hd performed the mirculous signs on his behlf. With these signs he hd deluded those who hd received the mrk of the best nd worshiped his imge. The two of them were thrown live into the fiery lke of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword tht cme out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, nd ll the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. xxi 1. Jehovh's Witnesses (Chrles Tze Russell). "The incrntion is scripturlly erroneous. In- deed, if he (Christ) hd been n incrnte being, he could never hve redeemed mnkind. [J. F. Rutherford, 7he Hrp of God (1921 edition), p. 101. 23. Witness Lee, How to Meet (Anheim, CA: Strem Publishers, 1970), p. 30. ] 2. Christin Science (Mry Bker Eddy). "Jesus Christ is not God, s Jesus Himself declred, but is the Son of God. [Mry Bker Eddy, Science nd Helth with Key to the Scriptures (Boston: The First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1934), p. 361.] 3. The Msonic Lodge. A former Mson reports, "Freemsonry 'crefully excludes' the Lord Jesus Christ from the lodge nd chpter, repudites His meditorship, rejects His tonement, denies nd disowns His Gospel, frowns upon His religion nd His church, ignores the Holy Spirit [Edmond Ronyne, The Mster's Crpet (Chicgo: Ezr Cook Compny, 1879), p. 87.] 4. New Thought. "We revere Jesus the mn... s one who exemplified... the gret Principle of perfection nd wholeness. Jesus ws Wy- Shower-the Svior-in the sense tht He drew us out of our limittions." [New Thought (periodicl), Autumn 1978, p. 11.] 5. Trnscendentl Medittion (Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi). "[When] Christ sid, 'Be still nd know tht I m God,' [He lso ment] 'Be still nd know tht you re God.'" "I don't think Christ ever suffered [on the Cross]... Those who count upon the suffering, it is wrong interprettion of the life of Christ nd the messge of Christ It is wrong." [Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi, Medittions of Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi (New York: Bntm, 1973), pp. 178,123-24.] 6. Scientology (L Ron Hubbrd). "Neither Lord Buddh nor Jesus Christ were OTs [Opertion Thetns, enlightened beings] ccording to the evidence. They were just shde bove cler [reltively low on the Scientology scle of spiritul dvncement]." [Ability mgzine, No. 81 [c. 1959], p. 31.]
9 7. Trnscendentl Medittion (Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi). "[When] Christ sid, 'Be still nd know tht I m God,' [He lso ment] 'Be still nd know tht you re God.'" "I don't think Christ ever suffered [on the Cross]... Those who count upon the suffering, it is wrong interprettion of the life of Christ nd the messge of Christ It is wrong." [Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi, Medittions of Mhrishi Mhesh Yogi (New York: Bntm, 1973), pp. 178,123-24.] 8. Living Enrichment Center / New Thought Christin Church. (Mry Mnin Morrissey) Now it is very likely tht becuse God is God, he belongs to everybody. For Hindus he is Rum. For Christins he is clled God. For Sufis he is Allh. For Zorostrins, he is Zrthustr. Everyone clls Him by different nme. But God is one, nd God is present. One Presence, One Power. God. (Articles of fith.. First Belief)... you know it s oky to think tht your pth will get you there if you found tht it works for you, wonderful. Tke it. Tke it. But honor the pths of the others, nd when you find tht, when you touch tht God, tht Presence, you will find it is so rel tht you cn go into mosque nd be with the Moslems, who re devoting in one of their five times pryer, lening est to Mecc, nd you will find God. And you will go into temple, nd be with your Jewish brothers nd sisters, nd you will find God. And you will go into Hindu temple, or Buddhist temple, or you will go with your Americn brothers or sisters, Americn Indin brothers nd sisters, or whtever, whtever form where love is rel nd you will find God, lwys. It doesn t mtter the pth; it mtters the experience. (Articles of fith. Third Belief) 9. Church of Jesus Christ of Ltter-dy Sints, The, Joseph Smith, Slt Lke City, UT: (Ltter-dy Sints, LDS, Mormonism) Min body of Mormonism; recognizes Brighm Young s Smith s successor. Smith climed tht the Fther nd Son ppered to him nd clled him to restore the true Church. LDS Church teches tht God the Fther ws once mn nd ws exlted to Godhood. God (nd his hevenly Wife) begt billions of spirit children, the firstborn of whom ws Jesus. Lucifer ws the leder of God s rebellious spirit children. Those spirits who did not rebel become humn beings in order to begin process potentilly leding to exlttion to Godhood. Jesus, however, becme God while only spirit. He orgnized our world nd is Jehovh, the God of Isrel. He is seprte nd subordinte God to Elohim, the Fther. A distinction is mde between the Holy Ghost, who is personge of Spirit, nd the Holy Spirit. The ltter is divine energy, force, or spiritul essence tht fills the universe nd is used by ll three members of the Godhed in the exercise nd ccomplishment of their will. The Church rejects the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. It lso redefines slvtion by grce to refer simply to resurrection. Almost ll humns will be resurrected into one of three kingdoms of glory, the lest of which is fr superior to nything known in this life. Entry into the higher kingdoms, nd one s rnk there, depends not only upon the tonement of Christ, but lso upon one s good works. Achievement of the
10 highest potentil within the highest kingdom Godhood requires complete obedience to ll the lws nd ordinnces of the gospel. The Bible, Book of Mormon, Perl of Gret Price, nd Doctrine nd Covennts re ll considered scripture. Publishes Church News nd Ensign mgzine. Profile vilble. Reserch mteril vilble. D. The Litmus Test 1 John 4: 1 Der friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they re from God, becuse mny flse prophets hve gone out into the world. 2 This is how you cn recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit tht cknowledges tht Jesus Christ hs come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit tht does not cknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the ntichrist, which you hve herd is coming nd even now is lredy in the world. 4 You, der children, re from God nd hve overcome them, becuse the one who is in you is greter thn the one who is in the world. 5 They re from the world nd therefore spek from the viewpoint of the world, nd the world listens to them. 6 We re from God, nd whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth nd the spirit of flsehood. xxii Life Principles: Trnsitionl Sentence: HOW DOES THIS MESSAGE RELATE TO ME TODAY? 1. Predictive Prophecy is bsolutely relevnt for 1-18-09! 2. Predictive Prophecy is Our Stimultion for Holy Life nd Lifestyle 1 John 3:1-3 3. Predictive Prophecy is Our Preprtion for Service 2 Tim. 3:16,17 4. Predictive Prophecy is wrning to ll tht hve not received Jesus s their personl Lord nd Sviour Rom. 3:23; 6:23
11 i The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Pe 1:19-21 ii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 119:105 Greek Simeon, vrint of Simon; tht is, Peter b Amos 9:11, 12 c Some mnuscripts things / known to the Lord for ges is his work iii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Ac 15:12-18 iv The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Is 42:6-7 c Or promised, / now dismiss v The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 2:25-32 vi The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. D 2:35 vii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Mic 4:1 viii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. D 7:27 Or weeks ; lso in verses 25 nd 26 b Or restrin c Or Most Holy Plce; or most holy One d Or word e Or n nointed one; lso in verse 26 f Or off nd will hve no one; or off, but not for himself g Or week h Or week i Or it j Or And one who cuses desoltion will come upon the pinncle of the bominble temple, until the end tht is decreed is poured out on the desolted city ix The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. D 9:24-27 b Peter mens rock. c Or hell x The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 16:18 Or be sin offering b Isih 49:8
12 xi The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Co 5:20-6:2 Or into; see Acts 8:16; 19:5; Romns 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13; 10:2 nd Gl. 3:27. xii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 28:18-20 xiii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 1 Th 4:13-18 xiv The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 1 Pe 1:1-5 xv The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 21:25-28 Or subjected it in hope. For xvi The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Ro 8:18-25 xvii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 21:25-28 xviii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Php 3:20-21 xix The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Jn 4-11 xx The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 24:22-27 Pslm 2:9 xxi The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. Re 19:11-21 Or spirit xxii The Holy Bible : New Interntionl Version. electronic ed. Grnd Rpids : Zondervn, 1996, c1984, S. 1 Jn 4:1-6