Isaiah Roman

How to recognize a true prophet

Each true prophet of the Lord was prepared in the womb to be a prophet.  He began to have “stirrings” from the Spirit of God as soon as he began to develop and have memory.  When the Lord called him to his specific ministry he always answered in the affirmative.  There was a humility that caused each to be awed and humbled.  At first most of them said in essence “who me, who am I that I should speak for God?”

That is the first clue.  When there come those that are proud or boastful that is the first sign they probably are at best sincere but misguided or at worst charlatans or deceivers.

God always validated His call with “divers signs and wonders” in order that those among whom the prophet lived and grew up with knew that no man or group of men had in any way falsified his calling.

When a true prophet spoke “in the name of the Lord” all that he said came to pass.   Each true prophet was commanded by God to “write down in a book (scroll)” and write and send the book to those to whom the prophecy was directed.

“And if you say in your heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?  When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken, but the prophet has spoken it presumptuously: you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18: 21-22).”

“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proves you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13: 1-3).

A true prophet will not contradict established prophecy nor speak against another true prophet.  Once the Spirit of God validated the prophet or his prophetic message, it being written down, all others treated it as truth from God.

There are those who had a broad scope to their prophecy such as Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah Ezekiel and Daniel.  There were others who were called “lesser” prophets of which some prophesied a limited message of sometimes one or two different things.  They were lesser in scope not in importance to the will of God.  Every true prophecy is imperative to the plan and purpose of God.

“I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.  The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully (Jeremiah 23: 25-28).”

Ex. Jeremiah was known as a true prophet throughout Judah and Israel from his youth.  Everything he had spoken in the name of God had proven true by its coming to pass and was generally accepted as if it had come directly from the mouth of God.  Since he had been faithful to speak only truth in the name of God it was not likely, knowing the curse that would befall him he would change his actions at this time.

The Bible is a body of work that fits together as a completed whole.  It is like a “wheel within a wheel” or cogs that are all driven by the same shaft.  From beginning to end of scripture all prophecy fits a theme centering around creation and the will of God; the fall of man, the development of a people from whom a mediator or Messiah will arise and the teachings of Messiah to fulfill the covenants or decrees of the one living God.

In recent years there are those that were called “prophets,” among them Jeanne Dixon and before her Edgar Cayce.  In the middle ages there arose some such as Nostradamos who have a great following.   A certain percentage of their writings appear to be accurate as to facts and details.  Some of their writings are so obscure as to fit almost any situation; but, they are not one hundred percent accurate even Rush Limbaugh who claims to be over ninety percent correct.

God says “those that are not with [Him] are not for [Him] (Matthew 12: 30).”  None of these are in a true sense prophets, or at least divine prophets because they fail to meet the test of speaking in the name of God and staying true to canon of scripture.  Most of these latter sooth-sayers or so called prophets fall in the category of clairvoyants; some are outright charlatans and deceivers.

With the closing of canon on the scriptures prophecy ceased.  Prophecy was not all fulfilled but everything necessary to complete God’s covenants (the promises of God associated with redemption, salvation and reconciliation of all things) had already been pronounced by Old Testament prophets.   John Baptist was the last of the old testament prophets.  He was himself was prophesied (Malachi 4: 5 &Isaiah 40: 3).  John entered history with these words, “He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (i.e., Isaiah) (John 1:23).”

There are prophets mentioned in the New Testament (Agabus; Acts 11: 28 &21:10).  However with the death of the Apostles of the New Testament the need for prophesying the future ceased.  The Christ was and is the fulfillment of the law and prophecy. The Apostles were given the mission of letting everyone know everything we need to know about these times we live in; the Last Days. This does not mean that there haven’t been some that lay claim to prophecy. Most notable of those is Muhammad (Islam)who claimed to be the last and greatest prophet of God and Joseph Smith, who claimed the same.

Peter, John and Jude spoke of false teachers and false prophets that would come.  Jesus Himself prophesied of “many” false Christ’s that would come but added a warning to avoid and not follow them.

The faith of the Christian is based on the “Prophets and Apostles.”  After the passing of the twelve original Apostles there were no more Apostles. Many students of the Bible have studied prophecy and sought to interpret it’s meaning, but there has not been a “true” prophet (one who proclaims God’s will for the future) since John wrote his Revelations. Some have made guesses which have come true, and have developed fairly large followings. Some still profess God’s words, but they speak words which have already been written, and already been revealed. The best advice on that subject is follow Christ; don’t follow them.  There is no more need for Biblical prophets. The history of the world, from beginning to end, has already been written.

Another warning; be aware don’t get to the place where it appears that prophecy is or isn’t happening and confuse your certainty of salvation as based on prophecy coming to pass or not.  Salvation is based on the truth of the cross, Christ died for the sins of the world.  Those that accept Jesus as God’s mediator (Messiah i.e., His only son and heir; indeed very God) of the covenant of salvation is saved (born again).

The appearance of certain facts mentioned as “coming to pass” in Old Testament prophecy as well as the early New Testament times have lead some to “prophecy” erroneously in regards to the end of the age or end of the world; but, the certainty of the truth of their conclusions is certainly doubtful. The scriptures do say when these things begin to come to pass such as the “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30: 4-7) be warned.  The end of time is near.   The student of scripture should be aware of the warnings but never attempt to predict with any degree of accuracy the exact day or hour of that final day.  That’s one time in history only God the Father knows.