Prepare for Judging Prophecies
Scripture is our unfailing guide, but it doesn’t cover all the details of upcoming events. Fortunately for us, the Lord is already raising up prophets with visions, dreams and even direct encounters with Jesus and the righteous angels so that we can have prophetic guidance in the days ahead. Unfortunately, the enemy is doing the same! All manner of misinformation, demonically inspired visions, rumors, and lies are being spread abroad in the land—just as Jesus foretold. We must never be discouraged that there are so many false prophets but keep seeking out the true ones. Here are guidelines for better listening.
We also have a more sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:19-20
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
End Times Challenge
Last Days prophecy runs throughout scripture giving us the foundational understanding we need. To help us see upcoming events even more clearly, the Lord is already providing detailed information by His prophets. Just as scripture was carefully vetted to exclude “private interpretation,” we will need great discernment to vet current prophecies.
Bridal Response
Step 1. Pray!
This must be repeated with every new challenge, because our usual reaction is to look to past experience and our abilities and say, “No way!” or try slugging it out bravely in our own strength. We all-too-easily forget that our strength is in Him, our hope is in Him—not in ourselves. So, if the Holy Spirit is making us aware (waking us up) to a fresh challenge, then the first thing the Lord wants us to do is cast that care on Jesus, because He cares for us enough to help us with it.[i] Pray, therefore, until fear and doubt fall away. Jesus is willing and able to help us with anything, that’s why He guarantees in scripture that if we call on Him, He will rescue/save/help us every time.[ii] How much do you have to call? Cry out in prayer until you receive confidence that He has heard you and the help is on the way.
Step 2. Do Not Despise Prophecy
Listen to the prophets is a risky business. This has to be acknowledged up front. First, they often tell the church things that people don’t want to hear. However, if you’re not willing to be corrected, you’re already at risk! Then, there are three risks associated with the errors of the prophets themselves. One risk is being offended by the prophet’s tone or message and tuning out God’s voice of correction. Another risk, is that prophets in the flesh can become unwitting agents of condemnation, tearing down the Body of Christ, rather than building her up. There also is a risk of course that the prophet will have heard wrong and miss the mark, speaking words coming from their own heart and mind, rather than the Lord’s.[iii] These concerns all apply to genuine prophets, though seasoned ones have the best track records. Finally, there is the risk of false prophets who don’t just get some things wrong, they are wrong. Either by intention or deception, they serve the evil one’s agenda, spreading mis-information and mis-direction.
That’s a lot of risk. Nevertheless, there greatest risk of all comes by refusing to listen for the prophetic word. The specific, rhema word of prophecy is like 220 volts. It can hurt you if it’s not handled right, but you’re going to need to use it if you want to live and work in today’s world. How to handle it right? The fundamental test of discernment is simple. Get to know the genuine thoroughly, in order to spot the counterfeit. Genuine prophecy will never, never, never diverge from the messages of scripture already given to us by Prophet Jesus. They will also never diverge from His Character. Test everything against what you already know of the Word of God: the living words of scripture and the Living Word Jesus.
If you sense in yourself that you are “running after” the next, fresh prophetic word and that your peace of mind depends upon what the prophets are saying, that would be deception. Your peace of mind can and should be thoroughly established upon the promises and Person of God as already revealed in scripture. Being “addicted” to prophecy is just as dangerous as despising it! The addicts always end up putting a current prophetic word above the clear teaching of scripture without realizing they are doing this. Consequently, fresh prophetic words rule over their feelings like a false god, binding them to the roller coaster of “what’s about to happen.”
What’s about to happen? Always this: Jesus is right beside you and He will give you His peace and show you the next step, if you trust Him.[iv] That’s all we are guaranteed. And it is enough. It’s our meat and potatoes. Prophecy can be good nutrition, but it is secondary. Understand this, and you will be in a far better position to discern and judge prophetic words. Yes, we will need them, but they will help us only if we learn to handle them rightly. Therefore, keeping “testing” your own spirit to make sure you are truly abiding in Jesus and you’ll be better able to test that of the prophets.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
Next Way to Prepare
Prepare with Strong Fellowship The picture Paul gives in Ephesians of Christian maturity is of believers who have united together, finding their place and purpose within the Body of Christ as a whole. Not a fractured Body, but a living, loving whole, undivided by bitterness, jealousy and suspicion. To survive the troubled times ahead, we will need to be in close, committed fellowship with other believers. That means we will need to trust each other and sacrificially serve one another at more than superficial levels. If we can’t do that now, how can we expect to be a part of the “spotless” Bride for whom the Lord is returning?
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Signs of Christ's Return (2-page Handout)
Ways to Prepare (37-page eBook)
Prepare for Judging Prophecies
Endnotes
[i] Pride (in us) tries to find the answer to life’s challenges in us; humility casts all cares on the One who wants to help us: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
[ii] This promise is given numerous times in scripture. The Lord wants us to know His help is always available to anyone who calls on Him for anything—lavishly available (“bestowing His riches”). For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13
[iii] Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" Jeremiah 23:16-17
[iv] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5