Jeri's Journal

If a prophet claims a direct Word from God, then it follows that we should heed and obey it, because God does not lie and His word is trustworthy, right? This is certainly true of the Old Testament prophets, who heard directly from God:

The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy 18:17-19)

That being said, God also knew that false prophets would arise, and He gave the people a good rule of thumb to recognize them:

“But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) [my emphasis]

While the idea of stoning false teachers is not practiced today, the grave import of anyone claiming falsely to speak for God is clear. The problem of false prophets was a huge issue in the New Testament as well, and we are solemnly warned about them:

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 3:1-3)

So we know that anyone who prophecies something that does not come to pass, they are false prophets. We also know that God spoke directly to the prophets and the writers of Scripture. Therefore, if anyone speaks a prophecy that goes against Scripture, then we know that they prophecy falsely. Many Christians today believe that God still speaks to them directly in the same manner that He spoke through the prophets and apostles. Their prophecies range from simple “God told me…” statements to new revelations with such import, that they claim all believers must hear and heed in order to follow God in truth. With so many voices claiming direct revelation, how do we sort it all out? How can we tell the truth from the lies?

First of all, we have to know Scripture. Second, we have to be diligent like the Bereans of whom it was said, “were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11) We must be diligent no matter who the person is, or how popular they or their teachings are. Here are some good questions to ask:

Does what this person say line up with Scripture?

Has this person ever been found to prophecy falsely?

Is this person teaching something that adds any requirement to the clear and simple gospel?

Does this person claim revelation that he/she claims as not only exclusive, but necessary for true faith?

Often, people claim prophecies that are simple and general in nature and which do not have enough substance to accurately test them against what Scripture says. One example: “God told me to tell you that He knows what you’re going through.” or “God told me to quit my job.” When a prophecy is given that is otherwise inert or unprovable, how do we know that God is really talking? That’s a little tougher. It might help to ask the following questions: “Does it align with what you know to be true?” “Does your spirit bear witness for or against it?” and finally, “Does it stand the test of reason?”

Does it align with what you know to be true? I was given a well-meaning prophecy years ago by a fellow believer. I had been having problems with my Eustachian tubes collapsing. This person knew I was having ear problems and prophesied that God would heal me and that He would restore my hearing. Knowing that my hearing was not an issue, I instantly knew that this could not be a true word from God.

Does your spirit bear witness for or against it?

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor. 2:10b-16)

One “stranger-danger” program that came out years ago, taught children to listen to that “uh-oh” feeling when dealing with adults, as a way of inoculating them against perpetrators. The Holy Spirit often gives us similar warnings when we are faced with falsehood. We may not be able to put our finger on it at the time, but God often uses these little promptings to caution us about others or about their teachings. Do not fall into the trap of believing that anyone else has a more direct line to God than you do. We are all given the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ. He has equipped all of us with His Word and offered to each one the discernment and wisdom that comes from Him. Rest assured that as we follow Him and invest our lives in His truth, He gives us all that we need:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:14-17)

Finally, does the prophecy stand the test of reason? I have witnessed several well-meaning believers who felt that God was giving them a prophecy to the church. Often, these utterances began with, “Thus sayeth the Lord…,” then various words would tumble out that sounded like they just came out of the King James Version of the Bible. Seriously, if God is giving us a direct word for today, why would He use an archaic language instead of speaking to us in our own vernacular?

These issues are of utmost importance in the current age, where the evil one seems to be redoubling his efforts to lead astray even the elect. Many believers have taken a passive stance against confronting error in the church. We live in a time where relativism reigns supreme—where it is considered arrogant to claim to know the only way to God. So we sit back and refuse to engage the culture in the truth war that is raging around us—both outside as well as within the church. As believers, however, we are each responsible before God to know the truth and to discern falsehood and to defend the faith against false teaching. The apostle John warned us to test the spirits:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people…At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. (Matt. 24:10, 23 & 24)

Urban legends abound on the internet. It amazes me how falsehoods, which were debunked years ago, find their way back into circulation by well-meaning friends and family who fall for the lies without question. Sadly, Christians are just as gullible to false teachings and prophecies—and like internet junk, so many of these lies could be stopped if only we took the time to “Snope” them out by immersing ourselves in the truth of Scripture and by seeking God’s wisdom. As believers, we cannot neglect our duty to test the spirits.

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