Prophets and False Prophets

by Stephen Bastin

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I suppose I am just jealous.  I keep hearing about and meeting these people that are getting messages from God.  I have never even received one!

God is telling all these other people what decisions to make, how to live their lives and He even tells some of them what is going to happen in our world.  Why is it never me?

I have read the Bible.  I go to church.  I put money in the collection plate.  I try to treat other people with dignity and respect.  But I never hear from God.  What do I need to do?

I thank God for what He has done for me.  I ask for His guidance and wisdom as I make decisions from day to day.  I believe that He answers my prayers.  Where does He find fault with me that I am left out of the message “circle?”  Why do I receive no direct assurance that He has answered my prayers?

I read about a lot of people in the Bible who got messages from God.  God told Joseph that Mary was pregnant.  God told Jeremiah not to go to Egypt.  God told Paul that he was needed in Macedonia.  The list could go on and on.

But I also read in the Bible about people who claimed to have messages from God, but did not.  In some cases they lied.  In other cases they may have simply been self-deceived.  That is, they may have thought the message was coming from God when in fact it was not.

What are we to conclude from all of this?  Does God speak to people in our world?  Are there people being directed in their daily affairs by personal messages from God while others are left to flounder in their own messes?

Note that the question is not, “Has God spoken?”  He most certainly has!  And His words fill every page of the Bible.  The question has to do with messages apart from the Bible.

Again, the question is not, “Has God given us any directions for how to live our lives from day to day?”  He certainly has!  And , again, the directions for conducting our daily affairs are in the Bible.

The question is, “Are there other directions commands and teachings from God, that are not in the Bible?”  That is the question with which we wrestle today.  Some answer yes and some answer no.  It cannot be both ways.

A prophet is someone who gets his information directly from God.  He differs from a preacher in that a preacher must study the Bible in order to present his message.  A prophet’s message comes without study.  He may study the scriptures written by other prophets, but he delivers messages that he receives either audibly, or in dreams and visions.  Moses was a prophet.  Elijah was a prophet.  All of the apostles were prophets.

On the other hand, a false prophet is someone who claims that his message is from God, but it is not.  The message is either coming from his own imagination or it is inspired by Satan.  He may or may not be aware of the source of his message.  The person (man or woman) is a false prophet because he does not speak for God.

Then there are those who do not claim to be prophets, but they just claim that God is revealing things to them.  They know they are saved because they “just feel it.”  They know they are making the right decision because they “feel like God has led them in that direction.”  Or there is some “sign” that God has approved their decision.

There was a lady one time who visited services where I was preaching.  She looked around the building as she came in and told me that God had led her there.  She had seen our building in a dream and she was sure that it was the place God wanted her to be.  A few weeks later she left when she disagreed with what we were teaching.

There are several possible explanations of the above incident.  One is that God indeed led her there and was not happy when she left.  Another is that she was led there by her own spirit and left under the leading of her own spirit.  Another is that an evil spirit led her to meet with us (of course, I don’t subscribe to this view) and God led her to leave.

How is one to decide whether they are being led by the Spirit of God, by their own spirit or by an evil spirit?  I know of only one certain way of distinguishing.

One is being led by the Spirit of God when one listens to the words of God contained in Scripture.  One is being led by one’s own spirit when one does what they want to do regardless of what the Bible might or might not say.  One is being led by an evil spirit when one’s actions are contrary to what is written in the Bible.  The evil spirit may be another person who is contradicting God or the evil spirit may be a demon.  The result is the same either way.

Here are a couple of suggestions for those who are looking for God’s leading in the matter of a church to attend.  Look at the two matters of baptism and communion.  These are matters that are well-defined in scripture and should be easy for churches to follow God’s leading.

Baptism is under the authority of Jesus.  (Matt 28:18-20)  It is an immersion in water.  (See Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:9-10.)  It is for believers.  (Mark 16:15-16  There is no example in the Bible of a baby being baptized.)  It is for the forgiveness of sins.  (Acts 2:38)  For all of the above reasons it is necessary, not a “next thing to do,” but the thing to do to accept Jesus and be born again.  (John 3:1-5)

Communion is for the purpose of remembering Jesus.  (1 Cor 11:23-26)  It consists of eating the bread and drinking the cup (fruit of the vine).  (Matt 26:26-29)  The New Testament church did this on the first day of the week.  (Acts 20:7)

Salvation without baptism is inconceivable in the New Testament.  Sunday without communion is likewise inconceivable.  The Lord would not lead one to a church that did not understand these basic Bible principles.  Nor would the Lord lead one away from a church that understands these basic Bible principles to a church that did not.  Certainly other things are important.  But being saved and remembering Jesus are crucial.

There is wisdom that comes from the Lord in response to believing prayer.  (James 1:5-8)  James further defines the wisdom that comes from the Lord in chapter 3, verses 13-18.  “Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”

God does not lead us to make decisions that are contrary to His word.  Neither does He lead us to make decisions for which there is no basis in His word.

Paul wrote Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Peter wrote, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”  (2 Pet 1:3)

For myself I think that I will stick with scripture for my leading and leave the “spirits” to those who do not mind being misled.