During the last two messages, we have addressed the need to judge prophetic ministry. Last week we learned from the story in 1 Kings 13 where the failure to judge a prophecy cost a man his life. It led him astray, and he was killed by a lion.
Jesus warned about the increase in deception that would occur especially in the last days. When asked about the end times, the first thing Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse was “Take heed that no one deceives you” Matt. 24:4).i In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Paul warned about a great “falling away” from the faith that would occur during the last days. He began that prediction the same way Jesus did—with a warning about deception: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.” The tide of society will be a rejection of God and the moral standard of His word. The enticement will include the offer of a false brand of Christianity in which you can live in the lust of the flesh and think all is well. We’ve always contended with that error.ii But it has become very prominent in our current culture. It is now popular to have “a form of godliness” that denies the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5. The religious form is there, but the Holy Spirit’s call to godliness is resisted. This “form of godliness” lets you go to the dance hall on Saturday night with the world and the church service on Sunday morning. It is called Christianity, but it is very different from the Christianity in the New Testament. It is tolerant of just about anything you want to do. It requires little and promises much. It stands in contrast to Jesus’s call to self-denial recorded in Mathew 16:24 where He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
The deception will take many shapes and forms. Some of it will be designed to mislead the world in general. But some of it will be targeted on Christians. In fact, the warnings I have just quoted are all directed at followers of Christ. Be careful that you are not so focused on Satan’s deception of the world that you fail to see the more subtle deception he is working toward you. The lies that mislead the ungodly world are obvious to those who know Scripture. But Satan has much more subtle tactics for the followers of Christ. Don’t get so focused on the world’s news that you miss Satan’s crafty strategies against your own walk with God. Have you ever seen a con artist work the three-nutshell trick at the carnival? You pick the nutshell that has the bean under it. The way the deceiver wins is to get his victim watching one hand while he works the scam with the other hand. Satan knows that trick well. The primary knowledge we need is in the Bible, not CNN.
So, a general theme in this series is that we would be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). This message is designed to equip us in that wisdom from the word of God.
1 Corinthians 14:29 says, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.”iii The NIV says, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.” Paul wrote this instruction during an extensive teaching about the vocal gifts of the Spirit.iv He is regulating the exercise of prophecy by insisting that it not be allowed to run wild. After a couple of prophecies, the congregation must take time to weigh the significance of what is being said.v The prophecies must be judged. The purpose of our message today is to instruct from Scripture on how we do that.
I want to share with you nine principles from the Bible on how to test prophecy. I was taught this almost 50 years ago by a teacher named Derek Prince.vi It has served me well for five decades, and I believe it will be a protection for you in the days ahead: Nine Principles for Testing Prophecy—not just in a church service, but wherever you are hearing these messages. We have already mentioned that there is a lot of prophecy being proclaimed on the Internet. We have also discussed some of the challenges associated with that.
(1) According to 1 Corinthians 14:3 the PURPOSE OF PROPHECY is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort.
Any word that does not does not achieve those objectives is to be rejected. The message must always be redemptive! There may be in it an admonition against sin, but the final purpose must be for the wellbeing of the hearers. God told Jeremiah that his ministry would include rooting out and pulling down those things that are contrary to the ultimate wellbeing of people.vii But the end purpose would be for the strengthening of the hearers in their relationship with God.
Prophecy should not carry a tone of condemnation and rejection. It should point the way of deliverance and salvation. It should fortify people in their walk with God.
1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us that God “is not the author of confusion but of peace.” Prophecy should bring clarity, rather than confusion. True prophecy will flow with what God is saying in general. It will promote peace in people’s hearts and in their relationships with one another. Prophecy that brings confusion is suspect. Prophecy that disturbs the serenity of the Spirit is suspect (Isa. 55:12). Prophecy that creates conflict among believers is suspect. Prophecy is designed by God to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the people of God.
(2) True prophecy always AGREES with the letter and the spirit of the BIBLE.
2 Timothy 3:16 assures us: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” It is a reliable standard for testing prophecy. Isaiah 8:20 warns us, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” We have a sure word of prophecy in Scripture.viii God does not contradict Himself. What He speaks today will be consistent with the truth He has given in His word.ix
To apply this test effectively we must first be anchored in an unwavering confidence in the inspiration of Scripture. We must know the standard by which we are measuring is reliable. Ever since the serpent whispered to Eve, “hath God said,” the devil works hard to undermine confidence in God’s word.x He raises up false teachers who find fault with it, rather than allowing it to find fault with them. He raises up people who tell you it is only a collection of men’s ideas, inspired at the same level as Socrates and Plato: noble insights and ideas that you can pick and choose from according to your own judgment.
Once those lies are in place, people are vulnerable to further deception. But David wrote in Psalm 12:6-7. “The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. 7 You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.” God’s word is never outdated. It is preserved by God from one generation to another “forever.” It is infallible; it is a reliable revelation of truth.
Secondly, to apply this test we must familiarize ourselves with God’s word. It does you little good in a dusty Bible on a shelf. In Psalm 119:10-11 David said to God, “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Can you say with David, “Your word I have hidden in my heart”? That’s one reason we are here today—to hide God’s word in our hearts. That process is essential for anyone to stay on the narrow path. The world pulls us in the wrong direction. The devil fights us. And our own flesh entices us. We need the word of God strengthening our inner being.xi We must have it as a resource, not in a book, but in our hearts if we are to judge prophecy accurately.
Scripture becomes the basis for evaluating the content of a prophecy. But in addition to that, the more familiar we are with the Bible, the better we can determine whether a prophecy is consistent with the spirit of inspired Scripture. The Bible reveals the nature of God and gives us a sense of God’s heart and attitude toward humanity, and particularly toward His people. Is the prophecy consistent with God’s heart as revealed in the Bible? Both content and spirit must pass the test.
(3) True prophecy centers on, exalts, and GLORIFIES JESUS for who He is.
Revelation 19:10 says, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The NLT says, “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” In John 16:13-14 Jesus said, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” Jesus is saying if it is the Holy Spirit speaking, “He will glorify Me.”
When the general message of prophecy glorifies a person, a leader, a movement, a denomination, a pet doctrine, or anything other than Christ we should be alerted to possible problems in the direction things are going. True prophecy gives the preeminence to Jesus, always (Col. 1:18).
(4) True prophecy produces FRUIT of character and conduct in agreement with the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 7:15-17 Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” So in verse 20 He gave us this test: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” It is wise to inspect the fruit in the prophet’s life and the effect of his or her ministry on others. Does it produce righteousness, peace, and godliness in those people’s lives? Does the prophet have a humble, obedient walk with God?
In Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the works of the flesh. That is helpful information for applying this test.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:19-23).
We are given in verses 19-21 aspects of character or conduct that are clearly not the fruit of the Spirit: immorality and lewdness, contentions and jealousies, selfish ambitions, pride, dissension, heresies or false doctrines. Any of those conditions should alert us to the problem, regardless of how charismatic the prophet might be. You cannot separate the message of a prophet from his life. If those problems are manifested in his life, he is subject to deception himself and can easily lead others astray.
(5) If a prophetic revelation contains PREDICTIONS concerning the future, and those predictions do not come to pass, then the prophecy is not from God.
We have talked about this in the previous two messages, so we will move on to number 6.
(6) The fact that a predictive prophecy comes to pass, does not necessarily prove the person is a true prophet. If that person’s ministry TURNS PEOPLE AWAY FROM OBEDIENCE from obedience to God, that person is a false prophet, even if his or her predictions come to pass.
This test is stated in Deuteronomy 13:1-5. “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods' — which you have not known — 'and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Prophecy can test the hearts of the hearers. If our own hearts are not right, we can be misled. The foundation for implementing these tests effectively is maintain a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). That’s a promise for afterlife. But it is also a principle applicable to your life now. When your heart is pure—you can see! You can distinguish good from evil. You can discern the difference between the true and false. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see!!!” There is a fog over the eyes of those whose hearts are not right.xii When the motives are wrong, we are vulnerable to discerption. Con Artists count on this. The pure in heart are hard to manipulate. Those with a healthy fear (reverence) toward the Lord are hard to intimidate (Prov. 28:1). So, the first order of business is always to keep the motives of our heart right.xiii Proverbs 4:23 instructs us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (NIV). A pure heart with pure motives is foundational to applying these tests successfully.
Deuteronomy 13:4-5: “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.”
The miraculous does not necessarily prove the leader is from God. Accurate prophecies do not necessarily prove that either. If the leader is turning people away from the true God of Scripture, he or she is a false prophet. If that leader is turning people away from obedience to God, he or she is a false prophet. True prophecy will promote loyalty to Jehovah and obedience to His commandments.
Balaam gave some of the most profound accurate predictions about Israel ever made.xiv But to follow him would be disaster. The covetousness in his heart drove him to oppose the purposes of God by leading Israel into immorality. The result of his ministry was death to 24,000 Israelites and his own death as well.xv
(7) True prophecy PRODUCES LIBERTY, not bondage.
Roman 8:14-16 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Prophetic ministry that brings people under the control of another person is not true prophecy. Jim Jones was a leader who eventually so controlled his followers that it ended in their death and his death. How did he get people to follow him to that extent? Years ago, I talked with a minister who knew Jim Jones in the early years of Jones’s ministry. This pastor said that in the beginning Jim Jones had an amazing ministry in miracles. He said everybody wanted him to pray for them because when he prayed people got healed. We’ve already learned that ministering in miracles does not necessarily prove a person is a true prophet. Over time Jim Jones brought those followers under his oppressive control. That is typical of cults. At first it seems very loving. At first there may be the miraculous to convince you it is God. But in time it becomes controlling. Those people were afraid to disobey Jones.
But Romans 8:15 says, “you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.” Those followers of Jim Jones lost (or never had) their sense of personal relationship with the Lord and personal guidance from the Lord. Remember the story we studied last week from 1 Kings 13. Instead of hearing God himself, the prophet from Judea was manipulated by the old prophet at Bethel. It led him astray.
In contrast to the spirit of bondage, Romans 8:15 says we have “ received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” As God’s children we can talk to the Lord ourselves. We don’t need a prophet to tell us what to do. God may use someone to confirm a word He has given you. But you should not live under the control of someone manipulating you with a “Thus saith the Lord.”
Shortly after Jeanie and I were married, we were fresh out of Bible College and I was doing some teaching. The associate pastor of our church approached us in private with a very flattering word. He said that God had told him to gather an elite circle of you couples for him and his wife to mentor. He talked about the very high calling God had for this group and said God had selected us to be a part of this special work of God. The families would move from Texas to California together and work as a team. The man was sanctioned by our church as the associate pastor.xvi What he said sounded very promising. It was consistent with our passionate desire to serve the Lord. What he said to us was very flattering. But when we prayed about it, we received a strong caution from the Holy Spirit. We heard God for ourselves! We declined the offer. A group of young couples went to California with this minister and his wife. It was a disaster for those involved. Some of the marriages broke up. I don’t know all the details of what happened. But I know enough to know God spared us from a very harmful experience.
Watch out for control. It’s one thing to voluntarily submit to someone who has your best interest in mind.xvii It’s something very different to come under the control of intimidation or manipulation.
(8) True prophecy PRODUCES LIFE, not death.
In 2 Corinthians 3:6 Paul writes, “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The letter of the Scripture, without the Holy Spirit, has a deadening effect. When the Holy Spirit is operating it brings life—it produces an uplifting of the inner person. Jesus said, “the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When the Holy Spirit has inspired a prophetic message, it is life to the human spirit—it uplifts—it produces a lightness inside. The counterfeit produces a sense of heaviness.
I will read to you an account by Derek Prince of an incident that illustrates what we’re talking about.
Prince writes, “I was once in charge of a meeting where I was confronted with this situation. A lady gave forth a powerful and anointed utterance in an unknown tongue. We all waited for the interpretation. Quite soon a man began to give forth what he obviously wanted us to accept as the interpretation. It was, in fact, a series of scripture verses. However, the effect was absolutely deadening and the ‘message’ was out of line with the course in which God had been directing the meeting. I knew that if I pretended to accept this as ‘interpretation’, God’s people would be deceived., and God’s purpose would be hindered. I therefore said: ‘Our brother has just quoted some of the scriptures which he has memorized. Now let us ask God for the true interpretation of what was previously given in an unknown tongue.’ After a few moments of silence, the true interpretation came forth. This time it was in line with the whole course of the meeting, and its effect was to bring new life and liberty, to the whole group of people. I later discovered that the man who gave the first ‘interpretation’ was in some kind of false teaching, and had come to that meeting with the primary intention of propagating that teaching.”
I normally don’t read anything that lengthy in a sermon, but that story helps us understand this test.
(9) True prophecy is ATTESTED to by the Holy Spirit WITHIN EACH BELIEVER each believer who hears it.
We are given this test in 1 John 2:27: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie. . . .”xviii When the Holy Spirit is speaking a word through one believer, He confirms that word in the hearts of the other believers. This is one way the others judge the prophecy according to 1 Corinthians 14:29, along with these other eight tests. Most of these tests are objective—they rest on external observation. For example, examining the fruit in test four we can know the conduct of the prophet through observation. That conduct is evidence of his or her character. Over time we can observe the effect the leader’s ministry has on the followers. In test two we can evaluate the content of prophecy using the objective standard of Scripture. But this nineth test is subjective. It is the inner feeling or inner sense a believer has in response to a prophecy. For that reason, we must apply this test with appropriate caution. It is a valid test, but it should be applied in conjunction with the other eight tests. And it should be applied in mutual submission with other believers who have the same anointing. Nevertheless, this is often our first clue that something is right, or something is wrong. So, we should pay attention to it.
Conclusion:
You will get opportunity in the days ahead to apply the teachings in this series. Prophecy is a beneficial gift from God. It can do a lot of good in advancing the kingdom of God. We must not quench the Spirit by rejecting it. But prophecy must be managed in accordance with biblical guidelines. It must not become our mainstay. We are given a more sure word of prophecy in Scripture. We must stay in our Bibles and stand on the truth that was once and for all delivered to us through Christ and the apostles (Jude 1:3). Live in the balance given to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21: “Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Cf. 1 John 2:3-6; Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 52-67.
iii “This does not mean that in any given gathering there must be a limit of two or three prophecies. Even though that is commonly suggested. It lies quite beyond Paul’s concern and makes little sense at all of v. 24 (‘when you come together and all prophesy’). Nor of the concern in v. 31 that all have opportunity to participate. Rather, it means that there should be no more than three at a time before ‘the others weigh carefully what is said’” (emphasis Fee’s). Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Stonehouse, Bruce, and Fee, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987) 693.
iv The combined exercise of the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10) is equivalent to prophecy. Therefore, it should be judged in the same way prophecy is judged. Paul gives specific regulation for this gifts in 1 Corinthians 14, especially verses 27-28.
v God’s purpose in giving a word of prophecy is to inform us on something we need to know. If people are so caught in the excitement that they miss the content, that purpose is not fulfilled. The weighing of the content includes judging the prophecies to make sure they are from the Lord.
vi Derek Prince, How to Judge Prophecy (Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Derek Prince Publications, 1971. This message is adapted from Prince’s teaching.
vii Jer. 1:9-10: “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”
viii 2 Pet. 1:19.
ix Cf. Mal. 3:6; Matt. 5:17; Mark 13:31; Heb. 13:8.
x Gen. 3:1. Cf. 2 Cor. 11:13-15.
xi Cf. Jos. 1:8; Luke 4:4.
xii Cf. Matt. 13:14-16.
xiii Cf. Matt. 7:4-5.
xiv For example, Numbers 24:16-19.
xv Numbers 22-25; Deut. 23:3-6; 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 1:11. The demon possessed damsel in Acts 16:16-18 is an example of someone speaking truth, but the demon’s intent behind it was to lead people astray.
xvi However, unknown to us, the senior pastor did not know this associate pastor was drawing away these couples to establish a following for himself (Acts 20:30).
xvii We are to submit to those God has placed in authority over us (Heb. 13:17). We are not to be rebellious, excessively-independent lone rangers. But those who God places over us will lead the way Jesus leads—through loving invitation. They will respect the freewill of the followers.
xviii Cf. Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 121-132.
