What is a False Prophet?

 Greetings in the Lord~

Since the U.S. election time, there have been many prophetic words given about the political situation of the United States, Trump as President, the coming spiritual revival and so on.  Some (few) prophetic words have come to pass, others seem unlikely at this point, but supporters of Trump and lovers of God and all of things good remain hopeful.  Other prophetic speakers have rebuked those whose prophecies seem unlikely/ haven't been fulfilled and are calling for them to apologize and repent.  Even within Christian prophetic circles, there has been talk about a "reset" happening within the prophetic community.  To be honest, it is hard to make sense of all the chatter and I've taken to being mostly quiet and contemplating things before the Lord.

It is from that perspective that I write today to share some of the things the Lord has put on my heart as of late regarding these matters.  Some of the key Scripture verses He has led me to read have been John 6, Deuteronomy 18 & 13, and Jeremiah 28 & 23.  All of these, taken together in context, shed some light on what's going on and how we can understand the times we find ourselves in as it relates to the prophetic words given and the community of believers who use those words to shape their understanding of the Lord's actions and utilizing of His Providence in these days.  Big undertaking, I agree, but I will focus on the criteria of a godly prophet vs. false prophets who speak in His name. 

In John 6:1-14, we read a story about Jesus performing a miracle of feeding over five thousand people with five loaves of  bread and two fish.  While Jesus accomplished many things with his miracle, the people were left with an overly simplistic deduction of Jesus, saying, "Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!"  What were they talking about?  Well, it was a pervasive understanding and hope at that time based on Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites.  You must listen to him."  The people were desiring and "expecting" a national figure to deliver them from the dominance of Rome and other oppressors.  They desired political freedom and autonomy in their own statehood; so, they were expecting a political and ultimately, a theocratic ruler that would lead an army of sorts, or at least lead them like Moses lead Israel.  This theocratic but very human ruler would naturally have a special connection to God, a private communication and relationship like Moses did.  However, nowhere in their imagination did they think "Savior" of the world-- a divine Son, born of the Holy Spirit and of a virgin; fully human and fully divine, as was Jesus Christ.  That concept was very offensive to them, as the rest of the story in John 6 would illustrate.

So we need to focus on the prophetic office that is described in Deuteronomy 18, but with the clear understanding that Jesus was much more than the "Prophet" that they were expecting, in fact, He is the Son of God.  Deuteronomy 18 clearly establishes this distinction, in that this was a spiritual office created by God for one that He would choose from the ranks of His people, i.e. a follower of God Almighty, but still a human being, nothing more.  Second, we know that there are "prophets" of many traditions and belief systems, some even use this passage of Scripture to validate their own ideas or leaders, but Deuteronomy 18 is clearly talking about a believer of God Almighty, Yahweh, and this person knows God through his relationship with Jesus Christ of the Bible.  I say this because Jesus is mentioned in other spiritual texts, but the narrative and understanding of who He is in those are not the same as the Jesus of the Bible.  Even the prophets of the Old Testament "knew" this Jesus through their many prophecies about His life and resurrection and divine role as Christ, and it was illustrated for us when both Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus when was transfigured on the mountain.  They were witnessing the fulfillment of their prophecies as recorded in the Bible! 

The third, and probably the most important thing we get from Deuteronomy 18 is the ancient criteria for a prophet of the Lord, in that, "if what he speaks in the name of the Lord does not happen or come to pass," then the Lord did not give that message; "he is speaking without the authority of the Lord and should not be feared."  This is a tough criteria, especially when you consider that some of the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus took hundreds of years to be fulfilled!  That's also probably why the Jews demanded signs and other forms of authority before they accepted a "word of the Lord" from somebody.  However, coupled with this ancient criteria was an easier litmus test: the prophet of the Lord had to speak in God's name only, and he could not lead them to worship any other god.  Well now, that makes things much easier...or does it?  

Deuteronomy 13 expands on this forbidden notion of a "prophet" leading people to worship other gods.  "Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur.  If they then say, 'Come let us worship other gods'--gods you have not known before--do not listen to them.  The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love Him with all your heart and soul."  So we can then understand that the ancient criteria--fulfillment of prophecy--and the presence of signs and miracles, are not standalone criteria, but rather, must be taken in context with the trajectory of the message given--does the prophet's message lead to worship of God alone, or are they steering you away from Him?  Therefore, we can know that this is the real ultimate criteria of a prophet of the Lord.  They will always steer you TO God and His Word, and not away from Him or His Word.  But there is still more to that.

In Jeremiah 28 & 23, we see that there are many prophetic voices speaking in the name of the Lord, and their messages are vastly different, opposite even.  Well, what then?  Actually, those days were very similar to what we have now.  We, like Israel was in those days, are a country at crossroads.  Sin, adultery and corruption has seeped into not only the culture, but the spiritual life of our nation as well.  We are a country full of "false prophets," and by that I mean people who say they know and serve the Lord, but who have been preaching messages that take us away from worship of God alone and following His Word.  They may have been commenting about social issues and politics and trying to be "loving," inclusive, or culturally relevant, but if what they preach does not line up with the Word of God, they are leading you away from Him.  This includes much of our secular media as well.  Most mainstream media outlets in the U.S. today are nothing but platforms for false prophets to push lying narratives and ideas that are in opposition to the will of God.  And lastly, with the increase of idols in our culture, those things that take our time, dependence and devotion away from God, we open ourselves to the pitfalls of idolatry.  Idolatry entices us to follow demonic spirits and it is harder to hear from the Holy Spirit; ultimately, idols cause people to fall away from faith in God and is a big sin in the eyes of God.

However, let's just focus on the Church, even just the prophetic community within the Church.  For years now, the accepted etiquette within the prophetic community is that you had to tell only of good or prosperous things, or things that "uplifted and edified" the Body.  However, as Jeremiah pointed out, "The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, disaster, and disease.  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 28:8-9.  

So while there is nothing wrong with speaking encouragement and decreeing God's promises over fellow believers, that is not the same as hearing from the Holy Spirit the counsel of heaven or prophetic utterance for that person or nation.  Jeremiah 28 also illustrates other problems, like the jealousy, competitiveness, and arrogance the exists within the prophetic community.  Just as Jeremiah was persecuted for his prophecies, nowadays there is the same suppression of those prophetic voices that vie for attention or popularity with other prophetic voices, or of those who don't follow the rules of "positivity prophecy," or act in ways that don't toe the line of expectations within the prophetic community.  All of these transgressions have led to confusion and inaccurate, even lying messages from prophetic voices.  Lying? Yes, lying.  Like the days when King Ahab only wanted to hear supportive messages from his "prophets," the Lord allowed a lying spirit to come and fill their mouths as they spoke, and believe me, this still happens today!

Overall, we just find that the environment and behavior and "rules" within the U.S. prophetic community and churches has just gotten off the mark and in many ways does not always allow for the truthful telling of God's prophetic utterances.  Whether it is pastors or elders that won't allow people to share, or the shaming or intimidation or invalidation that happens when people don't like what is said or the messages given, or the catering to the "big names" and idolizing prophets like rock stars, the prophetic community in the United States really does needs to be "reset."  Even how we "train" people to walk in the prophetic is questionable at best.  

For example, there are very few training programs that start with: "get rid of the idols in your life" or "close other spiritual doors."  So, say you have Harry Potter books in your house; unclean spirits are drawn to them, so you will have to get rid of the books, repent and have the Holy Spirit close any open spiritual doors before you will hear ONLY from the Holy Spirit.  But most churches do not even condemn witchcraft or recognize the dangers of sorcery entertainment.  I've even heard pastors preach from the pulpit about Harry Potter, with book in hand!  This kind of spiritual mixture is forbidden in Scripture and will always be a hindrance in the lives of people who want to hear truth from the Holy Spirit.  

At the end of the day, we will have to get back to the original duties of the prophetic speaker, in that, it is essential that their messages lead people to the worship of God and not away.  This includes being honest with what they hear or not from the Holy Spirit, and letting go of selfish ambitions of being popular or famous for their gift of prophecy.  It's also critical that they speak words of warning against sin and encourage believers to return in their faith walk with the Lord.  That is the true essence of "edifying" the believer, by building up their faith and turning them away from those things that pull them away from God and entangle them in sin.  Also, it is essential that our secular media get back to telling the truth.  For even if many don't consider themselves prophetic speakers, they still influence our country in much the same way as true prophetic speakers do and will have to account for their words before God, even if they are just reading a script written for them from a teleprompter.   

I could certainly go on about this topic, but it will have to be in another post.  For now, I pray that the Body of Christ and the prophetic community in particular, would humble themselves before the Lord and seek His face.  In quiet times, God will show us how to get back on track and what things we need to let go of that are hindering us.  As we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us.  He will restore, heal and strengthen those who do, for God is a good God and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 

~Be blessed and be a blessing.