How should believers respond to leaders who claim divine authority without evidence?

◄ Believers' response to unproven divine claims? ►

Setting the Scene – A Bold Claim at Ramoth-Gilead

• 2 Chronicles 18:10: “Now Zedekiah … declared, ‘This is what the LORD says…’”

• Iron horns, grand theater—and no proof that God had spoken.

• The verse spotlights a timeless issue: voices that claim divine sanction without evidence.

Spotting the Warning Signs

• Dramatic props or charisma stand in for revelation.

• The message flatters power rather than confronting sin (compare vv. 12, 17).

• Genuine prophets speak for God even when it costs them (see 18:23-27; cf. 1 Kings 22:14).

Biblical Tests for Claims of Divine Authority

• Fulfillment test – Deuteronomy 18:22: “If the word does not come true, the LORD has not spoken.”

• Gospel purity test – Galatians 1:8: “If anyone preaches a different gospel…let him be accursed!”

• Character test – Matthew 7:16: “You will know them by their fruits.”

• Berean test – Acts 17:11: “They…examined the Scriptures daily.”

• Spirit test – 1 John 4:1: “Do not believe every spirit; test the spirits.”

Healthy Responses for Today’s Believer

• Compare every claim with clear Scripture; God never contradicts Himself.

• Refuse to be swayed by spectacle or majority opinion (2 Chron 18:5-7).

• Look for Christ-exalting fruit—humility, holiness, and truth.

• Wait for confirmation; time exposes falsehood (18:33-34).

• Stand firm even when isolated, as Micaiah did (18:13).

• Pray for discernment and courage to obey what God has already revealed.

Walking Forward in Confidence

• Scripture remains the believer’s unfailing plumb line.

• God honors those who honor His Word, not those who merely invoke His name.