What Does The Bible Say When Prophecy Is 99% Accurate?

I gave a message 18 months ago entitled “Does God Give Ministry Mulligans When Prophecy is Wrong?” As a non-cessationist, I am saddened, but not surprised, to say that there continues to be genuine Bible academics who are making myopic and poor apologetic attempts to rationalize and justify the absolute horrendous lack of accuracy of so-called modern-day ‘prophets.’ They continuously attempt to pound a square peg into a round hole with a sledgehammer. Articles are still being published that are perfect examples of confirmation bias run amuck and pretzel preaching as they blur the line of proper exegesis and twist the Scriptures to support personal suppositions.

Modern ‘Profits’ are always quick to point out they 'prophesied' a current event before it happened. Yet, NONE of them have yet to prophesy 100% correctly anything about the Covid-19 pandemic accurately, let alone the 2020 election results. What is perplexing is they never 'predict' specifics about anything, or how to deal/prepare BEFORE it happens. What good are they, and for what purpose besides scratching itching ears and filling their pocketbook? How do they change anything in reality when all they do is tell us things we already know or what has already happened? You can’t cut and paste their words to make them sound godly. It is all or nothing. There are absolutely NO legitimate examples in the Bible of a true Prophet of God making any prophetic “mistakes.”

A Bible Prophet was the direct voice of God to the people, who alone is omniscient and can look into the future. The Bible makes it clear that when the Prophets of both the Old and New Testament received a “word” from God, it was perfect and free from any error. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His word does not change. There was no changing of the rules when Jesus came along. There are no mulligans in ministry when speaking an omniscient prophetic word as a direct oracle of God. If the words of a Prophet are not perfect and free from error, God has some rather harsh words for them:

"Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.… "When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' say to them, 'What oracle? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.' If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his household.… Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your fathers. I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace — everlasting shame that will not be forgotten." (Jer 23:30-40 NIV)

“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” (Deut 18:20 KJV)

There is a significant difference between holding the office of ‘Prophet” and making use of the spiritual manifestation gift of prophecy, which refers primarily to forth-telling, and is accessible to every Born-Again Christian (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 13:2, 14:5).

Through prophecy, a Christian speaks for God. It is not proof that the person is an official ‘Prophet,’ nor is it ever to be used to bring a so-called ‘fresh revelation’ that has no basis in God’s Word. In the NT, the supernatural prophetic gift that is given to every Born-Again Christian is used to illuminate the revelation of Scripture when proclaiming (forth-telling) the great news of Jesus Christ as a person speaks confidently, without any error or inaccuracy, to strengthen and comfort others, a message of divine encouragement from the heart of God that touches a person’s innermost being.

“But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.” (1 Cor 14:3 NIV)

The Greek word for prophecy is ‘propheteia’ and means to speak under divine inspiration a declaration, warning, or exhortation as directed by the Holy Spirit. The NT spiritual gift of Prophecy is for the edification (Gk: ‘oikodome’) of the Christian. It is to build them up and promote spiritual growth. Exhortation (Gk: ‘paraklesis’) means “encouragement, a calling near or for, to stir up.” The word “comfort” (Gk: ‘paramuthia’) means “a consolation; a solace ministered with tenderness.” The word consolation means “to alleviate grief or disappointment.” The word ‘solace’ means “comfort in distress or disappointment, to find relief, to cheer up.”

What these ‘Profits’ continue to confirm is their thorough lack of understanding the differences between the New Testament supernatural spiritual gift of Prophecy and the Word of Knowledge, which is a supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit of specific facts in the mind of God (1 Cor 12:8). It is not natural learning or ability, nor is it a specialized or intensified knowledge of the Bible. The word ‘knowledge’ comes from the Greek word ‘gnosis,’ which means to know something and have complete insight and full understanding.