What criteria can we use to discern true prophets from false ones? Setting the Scene The year Isaiah 594 BC. Hananiah has just delivered a feel-good prophecy promising swift freedom from Babylon. Jeremiah, holding the wooden yoke God told him to wear, answers with heaven’s verdict: Hananiah is lying. Key Verse: Jeremiah 28:15 “Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, ‘Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.’” Why Discernment Matters • A single false voice can “persuade” an entire nation (Jeremiah 28:15). • Trusting the lie always leads to ruin (Jeremiah 28:16-17). • God never leaves His people without clear standards to expose deception (Isaiah 8:20). Four Core Tests of a Prophet 1. The Sending Test: Has the LORD truly commissioned this person? – Jeremiah flatly states, “The LORD has not sent you” (Jeremiah 28:15). – God alone chooses and calls His messengers (Amos 7:14-15). – Self-appointment is the first red flag. 2. The Fidelity Test: Does the message agree with previously revealed Scripture? – Deuteronomy 13:1-3: even if signs accompany the message, any departure from covenant truth marks it false. – Isaiah 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there is no light in them.” – Galatians 1:8: no “new” gospel is allowed. 3. The Fulfillment Test: Do the predictions come to pass? – Deuteronomy 18:22: accuracy must be 100 percent. – Jeremiah 28:16-17: Hananiah dies exactly as Jeremiah foretold, proving God was with Jeremiah, not Hananiah. – Ezekiel 33:33: “Then they will know a prophet has been among them” when the word comes true. 4. The Fruit Test: What results follow the message and the messenger? – Matthew 7:15-20: good trees bear good fruit; false prophets are recognized by rotten fruit. – Jeremiah 23:14: false prophets strengthen evildoers and spread ungodliness. – 1 John 4:1-3: true prophecy exalts the real Jesus and fosters love-sourced obedience. Additional Markers • Humility vs. showmanship (Jeremiah 28:11 vs. Jeremiah 26:12). • Willingness to suffer for the word (Jeremiah 20:2; Hebrews 11:36-38). • Consistency over time (2 Chron 18:13; Proverbs 12:19). Putting It into Practice • Measure every modern voice by Scripture first, not charisma. • Track long-term fruit and fulfilled (or failed) predictions. • Remember: God’s true word may wound before it heals, but it never flatters people into trusting a lie. |
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