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How to Recognize If a Minister or Prophet Is a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
How can we tell the difference
between a false prophet and a true prophet?
One way to test whether a revelation is from God or not
is whether it agrees with prior revelations from Him. For example, if
someone prophesies that we should worship another God besides Jehovah, that
person is a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-9) and should be
ignored. Such a "revelation" would contradict
the First Commandment (Ex. 20:3). A prophesied prediction that
eventually proves to be false also clearly isn't from the true God (Rev.
19:18-22), and should be ignored. So
this pastor who made 50 false predictions shouldn’t be followed or believed in
as a prophet.
Consider the contrast with true
revelations from God as found in Scripture. Time and time again,
such as in the book of Daniel, the Bible predicts the future, and it occurs
since the true God can see into the future and know what will
happen (Isaiah 46:8-11). Indeed, this remarkable aspect of
the Bible is what proves it beyond any doubt as being inspired, such as
when it predicted Alexander the Great's successful invasion of Persia followed
by his kingdom breaking up into four smaller kingdoms (see Daniel 11:2-4;
8:5-8, 20-22).
Can there be new revelations from God outside of the
bible? I don’t think any new Scripture
is being written today. I doubt that
anyone alive is an actual prophet of God to which God is giving revelations in
the way He gave them to Moses, Isaiah, or Paul. However, down the road, will there be additional, written books
to the Bible? What does the Bible say about this? The Bible is
apparently silent on this matter. True, the Book of Revelation
(22:18-19) says, on what's likely the last page of your
Bible: "I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described
in this book, and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy
city, which are described in this book." However, admittedly,
despite their strategic position in the Bible as a whole, these
verses seem to apply only to Revelation itself. They can't be used
to exclude the possibility of new, additional books of Scripture to
come.
We do know that there will be two
witnesses who will be prophesying in the end time during the Great Tribulation
(Rev. 11:3-13). Could some of what they say or write be canonized during
the Millennium? According to Peter's citation of Joel 2:28 in Acts 2:17,
"And in the last days it
shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams." So we should be open
minded to believe that God may have more revelations that would be
canonized as Scripture. Of course, there will come a day
when prophesying will cease, (I Cor. 13:8-10), but that day hasn't
yet come, which can't be earlier than the day that Christ returns to rule
the earth (Rev. 11:15; 19:10-16).
Now
a minister can be abusive, corrupt sexually, or a thief. Presumably almost anyone can figure out
those kinds of problems, at least one the truth has been exposed publicly. However, let’s focus on a more subtle
problem here. Let’s turn to another
issue, which is the "health and wealth" gospel. This basically teaches that God wants and
enables Christians to have good health and financial prosperity. A pastor may make the mistake of
over-emphasizing that God often wants to bless us physically. But since
life also has trials in it, and God wants to see how much we're willing to
sacrifice financially to help the poor or the church evangelize, we should
never expect God has to give us good health and physical prosperity after
conversion (James 1:2-4). It’s a red flag if a pastor disproportionately
spends too much time preaching about the joyful side of the Christian walk
compared to its painful side.
We have to dismiss from our minds the so-called
"health and wealth gospel" that some Christians teach. Just
because we serve God doesn't mean He'll take away all our trials and tests,
whether in health or financially. Paul was a very faithful man of God
after being struck down on the road to Damascus. But God let Paul
have a thorn in his flesh, perhaps a health trial related to poor eyesight,
despite his faithful obedience (see II Cor. 12:7-9). Paul also suffered
from appalling trails while preaching the Gospel, which he mentioned in detail
(II Cor. 11:23-27). Many of the most faithful prophets of God, such as
John the Baptist, met awful ends. Think of the listing in Hebrews 11 of
the men and women of faith, and the trials so many of them had (see especially
verses 35-39). They shouldn't have doubted that they were serving God
truly in the path of life they were in, even if they would have sinned from
time to time, like Abraham, Moses, and David did. And, of
course, Jesus had both perfect faith and perfect obedience, but still suffered
many tests and trials before dying on the cross to redeem us from
sin. (That leads to the observation that God died to free us from
the evils that resulted from His giving us the free will to choose or
not choose).
Now, the Bible does tell us as Christians to
expect that we will have trials (I Peter 4:12): "Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you." Peter even then goes on to so
boldly say: "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
suffereings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy." Now, it's very hard to have that perspective on
our trials while experiencing them. Consider this verse in James
1:2: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations [i.e., trials]." Because we feel pain during the trial itself,
we can't have joy then, such as (say) over the death of a family member.
But it's the product of the trial in improving and strengthening our characters
that we should rejoice over, which James does note here some in the next two
verses: "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing." Similarly, Paul wrote (Romans
5:3-5): "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and
experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love is God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto
us." It's a distinctly unpleasant truth. But consider the
old simplistic maxim of body builders in this context: "No
pain, no gain." Or then, more colorfully, the atheistic German
philosopher Nietzsche once said something like, "What doesn't kill me
makes me stronger." I admit fully, when we have harsh trials, such
counsel sounds superficial emotionally, even calloused. But we have to
look at the fundamental purpose of life as being an experience that is supposed
to build holy righteous character within us (or others) so long as we react
correctly and spiritually to whatever trials are sent our way. And holy
righteous character is the one thing that we can take from this life; we
weren't put here on earth to always be happy.
In conclusion, we should be alert to when
someone who claims to be a prophet or is just a minister makes false claims
about predicting the future and over-emphasizes the truth that God wants to
physically bless His followers.
Eric Snow
Click here to access essays that
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Why does God Allow Evil? Click
here: /Apologeticshtml/Why Does God
Allow Evil 0908.htm
May Christians work on Saturdays?
Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Protestant
Rhetoric vs Sabbath Refuted.htm
Should Christians obey the Old
Testament law? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Does the New
Covenant Abolish the OT Law.htm
Do you have an immortal soul?
Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Here and
Hereafter.htm
Does the ministry have authority?
Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is There an
Ordained Ministry vs Edwards.html
Is the United States the Beast?
Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Are We the Beast
vs Collins.htm
Should you give 10% of your
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from Silence Abolish the Old Testament Law of Tithing 0205 Mokarow rebuttal.htm
Is Jesus God? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is Jesus God.htm
Will there be a third resurrection?
Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Will There Be a
Third Resurrection.htm
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