False Prophets II
Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:21-22 NIV
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NIV
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 18:21-22 NIV
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Some time ago, I watched a program on television which disturbed me greatly. The entire two hour program carried a "doomsday" message, a message delivered by one "ancient prophet" after another. Visions of world destruction, of nuclear war, of famine, of pestilence, of a world future that was terrifying filled the screen.
As I said, the program disturbed me. But not because I was frightened by what these people predicted. It disturbed me because I know that many, many people believed what they heard and saw on this program. They believed it because the people speaking were either claiming to be prophets themselves or were quoting a person from hundreds of years ago who had purportedly spoken to them through a trance or some other mystical manner. If you are in any way acquainted with what is commonly called "New Age" thinking, you would have recognized the New Age message being expounded for two solid hours.
The most blatant thing about the program was that not one Biblical prophet was quoted. Not one. And although they used such terms as "Armageddon" and a few other words straight from scripture, not once did the program go to the only reliable source of prophecy that we have - the Bible - to obtain any information on what the future holds. And yet, each of these people was very convincing in his or her story. Each of these people was fully convinced that he or she knew exactly what is in store for the world - and during what year each thing will happen.
What is a prophet? A true prophet? A person who speaks for God. Luke 1:67 (NIV) says, "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied..." John 11:51 (NIV) says, "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year." A prophet is a person who either verbally or in writing is lead to deliver messages from God. Right from the mouth of God. And how do you and I distinguish a true prophet from a false prophet? In exactly the manners described in Deuteronomy 13 & 18 (above). First of all, if the person predicts something, and it comes true, but that person is leading you away from God Almighty, then the person is not a prophet. Second, if the person predicts something that does not come true - even once - then the person is not a prophet.
The world is full of false prophets. Psychics. Channelers. People who follow their "spirit guides." They've been around since the beginning. They'll be around until the end. What you and I have to do is to have enough discernment to distinguish the true prophets from the false ones. So if the person you're listening to predicts the future, and is right, but is leading you away from the Jesus of the Bible - the REAL Jesus - then that person is not a prophet. You should stop listening. If the person you're listening to predicts the future and is ever wrong, then that person is not a prophet. You should stop listening. And if anything the person says is in conflict with one word of God's Word, close your ears to anything that person has to say.
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