No one reads the Bible without giving some thought to the word “prophecy” and its meaning. Every word in the Bible is prophecy at some level. Prophecy—real prophecy—that is prophecy that is biblical and true, takes one of two forms (be careful, I’m setting you up).
Prophecy is “forth telling.” “Forth telling” is declaring truth. You find the first example of this in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” You find it in Psalm 119: “How can a young man keep his ways pure?” The answer given, declared, is “by guarding it according to Your word.” Prophecy in its most common sense is stating the truth. In John 14:6, Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth, and the life… no one comes to the Father except through (by) Me.” Prophecy pure and simple.
Look at the majority of Old Testament prophecy. The prophets confronted the leaders of Israel, the people of Israel, and others with the need to honor God as God and turn from their damning and deadly ways when each was doing what was right (for them) in their own sight. A simple example of this was Nathan’s confrontation and accusation when he told David, “You are the man!” If you want to see prophecy, look at the Decalogue (The Ten Commandments). “You shall have not steal…” Or, “You shall not bear false witness.” “Honor your father and your mother.” Forth telling… declaring truth.
Looking to the New Testament, consider Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer. “Sanctify them in truth… Your word is truth.” In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 we are told that an “elder shall be the husband of one wife…” We are told, “he must manage his household well” in order to show that he can manage the church and shepherd the flock of God. In Acts 4 we are told that there “is no other name under heaven given among men under heaven by which you can be saved.” Forth telling. Truth speaking. Prophecy.
Prophecy can also be “foretelling.” There so much regrettable confusion about this kind of prophecy. Ignorance isn’t bliss. It is a subset of “forth-telling.” It’s not separate. It’s a part or portion of forth-telling. Did you get that? Go back and read this again, beginning with “Prophecy can also be foretelling.” Foretelling is declaring truth before it is known, or some event before it takes place. Here’s where so much of the confusion lies.
Prophecy is not (it is never) predictive as fallen humans, even saved ones, tend to believe. All prophecy is declarative. We read in Isaiah 46:10, “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…’” Here’s where many in the Church (note the capital C) lose their way. Someone once described Satan as the “ape of God.” Satan has a counterfeit, a cheap counterfeit at that, for every good thing God has. That’s why you have “fortune tellers,” horoscopes, shamans, medicine men, witch doctors, etc. in every indigenous culture and pagan religion. As but a shadow of the prophets of God, they have special powers, special anointings, and bring notoriety, attention, in some cases fame and fortune upon themselves. Balaam is one example. The witch of Endor is another. Your average tarot card reader is another. It’s a form of Gnosticism… higher, secret knowledge. They predict the future, like some mystical, spiritual meteorologist. These are false prophets.
False prophets can be found anywhere and everywhere. Even inside the Church, your church (2 Peter 2:1). Jesus warned of them. Paul warned of them. Moses warned of them. They’ve plagued every culture. One of the better known secular examples is the Oracle of Delphi, in the history of ancient Greece. We offer this example from the history of the Oracle at Delphi as a key to unlocking the latent mystery of Christian false prophets (which should be an oxymoron):
One day, a weary king came to the temple. He asked Apollo's oracle if he would win the battle. She smiled and told him a great king would win the battle. That was exactly what he had wanted to hear. He went away happy, leaving many gifts for the oracle behind him. When he led his men into battle, they lost. The king was killed. But people still flocked to Apollo's oracle. They knew she had told the truth. She had to tell the truth. What a pity the king had not listened.
One of the hallmarks of pagan prophets and prophecy is a lack of specificity and clarity. “I see something like this… When I see you I see something like this…” “I think God is telling me this, but I could be wrong… so be careful.” This allows for “prophets” in the Church to garble the transmission of truth, to get it wrong—while being “truthful.” Imagine if Peter, David, Moses, Elijah, or any of the Old Testament Prophets or Apostles in the New Testament tried this! Imagine if Nathan said to David, “I think you are the man…” And David had replied, “It wasn’t me with Bathsheba, I was in Cleveland that day.” Imagine of Jesus had said, “Destroy this Temple and I think that maybe I will raise it up in three days…” Or Elijah, “it might not rain for a while… I can’t be sure, Ahab, but I think that’s what God is telling me… but don’t get too carried away. I might have missed something.’
There is a difference between the spiritual meteorologist and the prophets of God. There is a difference between the predictions of fallible spiritual meteorologists and the sovereign, omnipotent declarations of God through speaking and writing prophets. The spiritual meteorologist is the false prophet who sometimes gets it right and other times gets it wrong (you know, like a broken clock with both its hands stuck at 12). The prophet of God, specific and clear, declares what God has decided before the foundation of the world.
God has provided us with instruction in order to enable us to identify false prophets. Mercifully, God did this early in Deuteronomy 18—way back in the Pentateuch:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18: 15-22).
God provides us a contrast between a false prophet and a true prophet. Interestingly, here is a prophecy of the coming Messiah as well. First, all real prophets clearly state that they are speaking as mouthpieces of God. They don’t qualify, waffle, or say, “ah… well… I’m no prophet but…” Second, they don’t get the message wrong. They speak accurately and with precision as they forthtell and foretell the declarations of God. Those who get it wrong are false prophets (v. 22). Third, they are out in the open, not meeting in secret, like the witch of Endor with Saul.
Today, in contrast to the theocratic kingdom of Israel, we do not execute false prophets. As verse 20 tells us, those who speak presumptuously in God’s name or in the name of some other gods (that’s an either… or… folks) were to experience capital punishment. As shocking as that may seem, when you consider the context of Deuteronomy 18, it is in the midst of other abominations that are capital crimes for which people were to be executed (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, for starters).
What should a church do today? Well, since we are living in the age of grace, we show grace by walking them through the Matthew 18:15-17 process. Titus 3:10 provides a shortened process depending upon the confusion such an individual is causing in Christ’s church. In the “Church Age” we do not execute people. That is the province of duly constituted legal authority and government (Romans 13).
There is one other hallmark of a false prophet. They operate outside the oversight of the elders of the local church. Like the witch of Endor, you will be brought to them in secret, or below the radar. You will not go through the elders of your local church to meet with one. It may happen outside the church, outside the care of your local church leaders.
False prophets are as old as the earth. They still plague the people of God. They are more like the Oracle of Delphi than Elijah. They are vague rather than specific. Oh… and one other thing.
False prophets often, though not always, have a word just for you. And you must then figure that word out and apply it. There are two problems with this virtually every prophecy given in the Bible had to do with the greater good of God’s people, Israel or the Church. It wasn’t about you: “20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation…” (2 Peter 2:20). All spiritual gifts are for the common good—not personal benefit—and that includes prophecy! Think about it (and wait for part 2)!
Meanwhile, pray for our upcoming series on the book of Revelation. Join us online or in person. Details to follow! Watch for Part 2!