According to the New Testament, each Christian has received a spiritual gift (1 Pet. 4:10, 1 Cor. 12:7). These spiritual gifts are important for the church to grow, and we need to operate our spiritual gifts in order to bless others. One of the most important spiritual gifts in the New Testament is the gift of prophecy. Prophecy means speaking the word of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).
The Bible is full of prophecies, from beginning to end. The first prophecy in the Bible is in Genesis 3, and it’s about Christ who would come and crush the head of Satan (Gen. 3:15). The last book of the Bible, Revelation, is full of prophecies about future events. In between these two books there are many other prophecies. Prophecy is important for the church, because it builds the church up (1 Cor. 14:1-4).
Prophecies are becoming more and more common. Many Christians have had the experience of either giving or receiving a prophecy. Many of these prophecies have brought blessing into people’s lives.
While prophecies can be a big help, it is important to be careful. Jesus warned that many false prophets would arise and deceive many (Matt. 24:11). We don’t want to be deceived. People are deceived by false prophets when they believe false prophecies.
One of the best ways to discern whether a prophecy is true or false is by whether it comes to pass or not (Deut. 18:21-22). If a prophecy does not happen, we can be sure it did not come from God.
Throughout history, the church has been infected by false prophecies. As the saying goes, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
In 1843 a man named William Miller prophesied that Christ would return prior to March 1844. When this didn’t happen, he postponed the date of Christ’s return to April 18, 1844. This didn’t happen either. One of Miller’s followers then prophesied that Christ would come in October of 1844. This failed too. Postponing the date wasn’t working out. Miller’s followers, who numbered in the thousands, were extremely disheartened, and one of them wrote that he had to be helped to his bedroom, where he lay down “sick with disappointment.”
All was not lost for Miller’s false prophecy, however. Soon it was reinterpreted by Ellen G. White. She said that Christ did come in 1844 – he came into the Holy of Holies in heaven. The movement was revived, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church was born. This church now numbers around 25 million adherents worldwide, and is the 5th largest Christian group in the world. It’s built on a false prophecy, and a false reinterpretation of a false prophecy. Christ did not go into the Holy of Holies in 1844, he went there after he rose up from the dead. And believers since the birth of the church 2000 years ago have been going boldly into the heavenly Holy of Holies through Christ’s blood (Heb. 10:19). They didn’t have to wait until 1844.
We can learn a few important lessons from this event. When prophecies fail, people often don’t want to repent. They often postpone their prophecies to the future. When these postponements fail, the prophecies are often reinterpreted. These reinterpretations are often connected to false teachings. And all of this deception can become very popular.
Recently, many different people prophesied that Donald Trump would have a second term in office and be President four more years. At least 25 different nationally known ministers made this prophecy. Not a single one prophesied that Joe Biden would become President. It is obvious that this prophecy was false, for Trump is not now President.
Those who speak a public false prophecy publicly should repent publicly. They should take a break from prophesying and refocus on actually hearing from God, learning how to distinguish their own thoughts from the voice of God. And they should be more humble in the future, and say “I think God may be saying this, but I’m not sure.”
God is merciful. Just because someone speaks a false prophecy doesn’t mean that he or she is a false prophet. If someone repents, God can take away their sin.
Sadly, very few of the people who prophesied about Trump having a second term have repented publicly. Some have postponed their prophecies, pushing them off in the future. And others are busy reinterpreting their prophecy. This follows a deceptive pattern. We need to be very cautious about the ministries of people who don’t publicly repent of their public false prophecies.
False prophecies are dangerous. They mislead God’s people. They are lies from Satan who is the father of all lies (John 8:44). They can bring people into bondage. False prophecies give unbelievers a reason to mock Christians. Such prophecies also sow doubt among true believers as they may wonder if anyone can really hear from God.
Some Christians, when they see false prophecies, throw up their hands and conclude that there is no real prophecy today. This is not true. The New Testament is clear that the church needs prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1). Prophecy will be an important part of the church until Christ returns.
Interestingly, many churches that reject the gift of prophecy simultaneously embrace false prophecies. For example, the Left Behind series of books is full of questionable prophecies but is popular among churches that reject the gift of prophecy.
Jeremiah said that the “prophets prophesy falsely, and my people love to have it so” (Jer. 5:30). The people of God often love false prophets. The false prophets tickle their ears and tell them what they want to hear. True prophets like Jeremiah speak the unvarnished word of God. This is why true prophets like Jeremiah are often thrown down muddy wells, but false prophets are exalted.
Jeremiah once prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would rule over Israel (Jer. 27). Jeremiah made a wooden yoke and put it on his neck to symbolize the domination of Nebuchadnezzar over Israel. The Israelites didn’t want to hear this prophecy. Why should this pagan king rule over God’s people? They got mad at Jeremiah. False prophets came against him and threatened him.
A false prophet named Hananiah came to Jeremiah and prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would soon stop ruling over Israel (Jer. 28:3). Hananiah broke the yoke off of Jeremiah’s neck in front of everyone to prove his point (Jer. 28:10). The Israelites loved Hananiah’s false prophecy. It’s what they wanted to hear. He was popular guy, supported by important and powerful people. But God hated Hananiah’s false prophecy. Soon God sent Jeremiah to tell Hananiah that he would die within a year. A few months later, Hananiah was dead.
Once, king Ahab wanted to go to war and take a city. Four hundred false prophets told him to go to war and God would cause him to win the battle and conquer the city. This was a false prophecy spawned by demons. In the midst of this deception, there was one man who actually heard from God. His name was Micaiah. He prophesied that Ahab would not conquer the city but would lose the battle and die. Ahab and the people were angry at Micaiah. A false prophet smacked Micaiah’s face. King Ahab threw Micaiah into prison and tormented him. Ahab ignored the word of God, went into battle, and died. In Israel in those days, the proportion of false prophets to true prophets appeared to be 400 to 1.
It’s easy to be a false prophet. It’s much harder to a true prophet. Throughout history, God’s people have rejected his word. They didn’t want to hear what he’s really saying. They wanted to pretend that he’s saying something he’s not saying. This is why they often like false prophets better than true prophets.
Isaiah, another true prophet, recognized this problem. “This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord, who say to the seers, “Do not see!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits!” (Isa 30:9-10).
Isaiah said that the people of God did not want to hear what God was actually saying. They wanted to hear smooth words that sounded nice and made them feel good. They wanted to hear lies.
Just like there were false prophecies in ancient Israel, there are false prophecies today. Jesus warned us about this. We need to sharpen our discernment in the coming days, because more and more false prophets will rise up.
It’s important for Christians to rise above the political fray and seek first the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, and it is coming by spiritual power. This is where our allegiance should be and where our energies should be expended.
Next week we will explore more about what the New Testament says about prophecy, and learn about how we can begin to experience this awesome spiritual gift. In the coming days we need to hear clearly from God. The church will need the true gift of prophecy possibly now more than ever. As we learn about prophecy, let us keep in mind that we must be humble in order to avoid deception.
Lincoln House Churches 