Apples of Gold

The approaching eclipse has provided an opportunity for the doomsday predictors to come out of the woodwork. Admittedly, there are some interesting events that are going to occur almost simultaneously but I for one am growing weary of the constant proclamations of the end of the world as we know it.

In recent years we have also seen a sharp rise in individuals claiming to hold the office of prophet. While I believe that without a doubt prophecy occurs today, the vast majority of what is being touted as a direct revelation from God falls short of the scriptural guardrails provided to help us discern the voice of God.

If the prophet speaks in the LORD’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. Deuteronomy 18:22

From this verse we garner three very important insights to true prophecy:

1.This should be kind of a no brainer but true prophecy actually happens! So if it doesn’t happen or come true, it is not from the Lord. My reading of Scripture concludes that a true prophet is held to a standard of 100% accuracy. Imagine Elijah standing on Mt. Carmel calling the fire down, soaking the sacrifice, while taunting his rivals; only no fire-not even a spark. He would have been in big trouble, surrounded by the worshippers of Baal and a hostile regime. The Biblical prophets didn’t “miss it” only to spout out the next prophetic event to adoring followers who already forgot that the last one didn’t occur. Just for good measure here are some more passages to consider:

So a prophet who predicts peace must show he is right. Only when his predictions come true can we know that he is really from the LORD. Jeremiah 28:9

But when all these things happen to them-as they certainly will-then they will know that a prophet has been among them. Ezekiel 33:33

2.Failed prophecy is spoken without God’s authority. If it didn’t happen-He didn’t send them. How often do we hear “prophets” explaining why something unexpected got in the way of their word coming to pass. They sometimes even blame their followers for not having enough faith. Regardless of the excuse, they seem to forget that NOTHING EVER takes God by surprise. He didn’t forget to factor in the weather or someone’s error. It is important to recognize that there are special prophecies, such as to a nation facing obliteration for their wickedness, and true repentance and humility spare them from destruction. Sometimes these passages even contain phrases like “unless you repent”. These messages are warnings with a prophetic self-destruct clause. Certainly God knew a radical transformation was coming when the warning went out.

3. A false prophet need not be “feared”. A look at the interlinear yields some interesting results. The word translated do not fear, also speaks of remaining with, or continuing with. It is interesting that often these “prophets” retain not only respect and fear, their followers continue to listen to the next “word” no matter how many have fallen to the ground without being fulfilled. These false prophecies also cause skepticism towards the genuine, God-sent, prophetic words. The witness of the church is tarnished as onlookers scratch their heads in confusion and disbelief.

So before you go out and buy all of the toilet paper or head for the nearest bunker, perhaps a perusal of the record of those prophesying the significance of the eclipse, or anything else for that matter is not only justified but required.