True Prophets

When is it right for us to prophesy or believe someone who claims to be a prophet?

In this study, we are going to let God in His Word teach us on these things:

What distinguishes true prophecy from everything else.
The nature of true prophets.
Whether or not we can expect to see prophets in our modern day and age.

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. Numbers 12:6

When God refers to prophets in His Word, He refers to men who speak prophetically when under His Influence. Likewise, God refers to prophecy itself as something either spoken or sung while again under His Inspiration, whether it be in prediction or simple discourse. (See an example of simple discourse prophecy in John 4:16–19.) A simple word study of the original Hebrew words for these English words provides such clarity on these definitions.

Distinguishing True Prophecy From Everything Else

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Determining whether a prophecy is of God or of man is so important. Christ gave many warnings about false prophets. (Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22) You see, a person and/or their message can seem quite believably accurate or trustworthy, and they can also come across as eerie and off-kilter. But trusting mere inclination leads individuals to be misled by their own unique personalities and feelings, rather than by the Word of God. God may want us to exercise faith when accepting a blessing He wants to give us, and He also may test us as to whether or not we will walk in His Word in a particular situation. Our safety in the realm of prophecy will always lie in allowing the Lord to make Himself known (Numbers 12:6). We can do this by simply following the proofs of a true prophet or prophecy found in Scripture.

Prove the Genuineness of a Prophecy

JEREMIAH 28:9

A True Prophecy Will
"Come to Pass"

JOHN 16:3

He Will Glorify God
Rather Than Himself

2 PETER 1:20-21

He Does Not Give His Own Private Interpretation

1 COR. 14:3-4

He Edifies the Church

DEUTERONOMY 18:18

He is Obedient to the
Will of God

ISAIAH 8:20

His Message Harmonizes with the Bible

MATTHEW 7:16-20

He Has a Christian Character

ISAIAH 24:20-21

He Warns of Coming Judgment

MICAH 3:5-8

He Points Out Sin

10.

1 JOHN 4:1-3

He Teaches that Jesus Came in the Flesh

The Nature of a True Prophet

Let's address some things about the nature of true prophets. Prophets are recognized as prophets when they have been identified to have spoken messages from God under His holy influence. This does not mean that a prophet was inspired in all that he or she said and did at all times. God chooses humble vessels to shine His likeness upon (2 Corinthians 4:6–7; Numbers 6:25), however we are never at any point outside of the opportunity of fallen choice to sin against Him even then.

Often times, it is easy to hold someone who has a proven testimony for having been under holy influence as being inspired by God 100% of the time. The reliability of that person to place trust in seems substantial with prophetic themes in the portfolio. Remember, though, that the vessel is still made of mere humanity, and our only surety is found in the Inspirer, rather than in the inspired. Let's look at a passage in 1 Kings 13 to help us understand just how careful we need to be.

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. And their father said unto them, What way went he? … And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: … and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

Taken from 1 Kings 13, please read the whole chapter for full context.

There are multiple reasons for the recording of each and every passage in Scripture. As we study the subject of prophets and prophecy, we can take away some things from this story. Both prophets, the man of God and the old prophet, were led or under Divine influence at one point and both also came in and out of personal backsliding. The man of God stood firmly and was not shaken as he was led by the Spirit of God through His Son, yet one instance of not seeking God for confirmation—even though it was directly after a firm answer and testimony of what God had told him—brought him death and cut short his ministry for God. The old prophet, though he had been known previously as having Divine messages, lied and deceived his brother, the man of God. Bottom line: prophets are not sinless beings or individuals who only speak words coming from God. They are real humans and can only be trusted as bearing Divine messages when they give ample evidence through the proofs of God’s Word that they are indeed under His influence alone at these times.

Can We Expect to See Prophets Today?

We come to another aspect: is God-led prophecy something we can even expect to see today? Or is it something that was totally left back in Bible times? Let’s see what the Word has to say on this point.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions… Joel 2:28

This term ‘afterward’ actually means ‘in the last days’ according to the original Hebrew, and we can see that the apostles had this understanding too, when Peter quoted the text in Acts.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy…” Acts 2:17

Clearly speaking of a future and remnant generation, we can take away from this that God will surely inspire certain vessels as He chooses and when He chooses. By these verses, it shouldn’t even astound us if we see many of His sons and daughters break forth in prophetic language for the benefit of His people.

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