"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
I love that God gave Israel a test for determining whether a prophet was genuine or fake. The test was this: the prophet had to give a prediction about a "here and now" situation, and their prediction had to be completely accurate. If any detail was wrong, they were to be considered a false prophet and all their prophecies were to be disregarded.
For example, Isaiah predicted that the Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem would retreat without shooting a single arrow into Jerusalem. This "here and now" prediction came true exactly as Isaiah predicted. Isaiah passed the test of a true prophet of God and the people could have confidence in his prophecies about the future, including the birth of the Messiah which occurred 700 years later.
There are still false prophets today and some of them are accurate sometimes. But God's test demands 100% accuracy.
The larger question is this: is God still revealing Himself to us through prophecy? The answer is no. God's revelation to us is complete in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who dwelt among us, and in the written Word of the Bible. The New Testament contains warnings about false teachers, but not false prophets (2 Pet 2:1). The test for teachers today is whether their teachings conform to the Bible. As a child of God, I don't have to be "tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Eph 4:14)". I have access to the very truth of God through His Holy Word. "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalm 119:18
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
I love that God gave Israel a test for determining whether a prophet was genuine or fake. The test was this: the prophet had to give a prediction about a "here and now" situation, and their prediction had to be completely accurate. If any detail was wrong, they were to be considered a false prophet and all their prophecies were to be disregarded.
For example, Isaiah predicted that the Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem would retreat without shooting a single arrow into Jerusalem. This "here and now" prediction came true exactly as Isaiah predicted. Isaiah passed the test of a true prophet of God and the people could have confidence in his prophecies about the future, including the birth of the Messiah which occurred 700 years later.
There are still false prophets today and some of them are accurate sometimes. But God's test demands 100% accuracy.
The larger question is this: is God still revealing Himself to us through prophecy? The answer is no. God's revelation to us is complete in Jesus Christ, the Word of God who dwelt among us, and in the written Word of the Bible. The New Testament contains warnings about false teachers, but not false prophets (2 Pet 2:1). The test for teachers today is whether their teachings conform to the Bible. As a child of God, I don't have to be "tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Eph 4:14)". I have access to the very truth of God through His Holy Word. "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalm 119:18
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