Last time, we started talking about false prophecy—a dangerous issue that we should navigate with extreme care. God takes this issue very seriously, and if we aim to follow Him, we should do the same. You see, anyone who makes a false prophecy in God's name has fraudulently appropriated the authority of God for their own use, and plastered His name and reputation on something that He has not actually said. When the false prophecy does not come true, this undermines His perceived trustworthiness among those who don't know Him, and mocks His authority and power.
"OK, I'm convinced," you might say, "but how do I know if someone is a false prophet?”
As Jesus put it, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." [1]
What is the fruit that Jesus is talking about here? In the case of prophecy, we examine the prophet not only in the context of whether or not the fruit of the Spirit is in their life. There is another fruit that we examine as well: results.
God told the people of Israel the metric to use:
You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken.
(Deuteronomy 18:21–22)
If the prophecy does not come true, it is false.
We do well to tread with care when confronted with false prophecy.
When we misapply grace, forgiveness, and the Golden Rule to false prophets, we are participating in trashing God's reputation. Let me show you what I mean.
"Well, no one can really know the future."
God does. Are we really comfortable with implying that God doesn't know the future? If we maintain that God does know the future, the implication is that He doesn't have the power to make His own prophecies come true. Are we really okay with such a declaration?
"Maybe they thought they heard from God but they didn't."
Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." [2] It is possible for us to hear the voice of God and to recognize it, since we are His sheep and He is our shepherd. However, when we are conveying to others something that God has prophesied to us, we must act with utmost care. We must check, double check, triple check, and more if necessary. We must be absolutely sure that we are hearing the voice of God and not the voice of our own desires or even of an evil spirit masquerading as an angel of light. We must never take the mentality that we can somehow manipulate God into doing what we want by attaching His name to our desires.
"I should have grace for people who make mistakes like this."
We should be able to forgive people, while still recognizing that sometimes there are consequences for sin. Forgiveness is not the same as overlooking wrongdoing. Forgiveness does not preclude discipline. Forgiveness does not make us doormats, free to be spiritually abused by people who are more focussed on glorifying themselves rather than God. Forgiveness does not remove the responsibility that we have to treat the word of God with extreme care. Forgiveness does not mean that we allow people who have already spread false prophecies to continue to lead us down paths of unrighteousness. By their fruit we will know them, and we must not allow ravenous wolves the opportunity to continue devouring the beloved sheep of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"I might do the same thing in the future. How would I like to be treated?"
If we unreservedly desire to love and honour Jesus Christ with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we are willing to face the consequences when we do something wrong. We don't stockpile loopholes so that we can later escape the fallout from future sins. We embrace the idea that sometimes unpleasant ramifications are necessary for our continued spiritual growth and well-being. This is simply part of the pruning process, part of remaining connected to our Vine.
This doesn't mean that we treat people who sin with cruelty. It does mean that we take to heart Jesus' warning to the church in Thyatira. That church, too, was tolerating a false prophetess in its midst. Here's what Jesus said:
I gave her [the false prophetess] time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
(Revelation 2:21–23)
In this passage, Jesus compared anyone who followed this false prophet's teachings to someone who was cheating on Him. We are the bride of Christ, and when we follow after false prophets, we are committing an intimate betrayal against our Saviour. We are not immune from consequences if we are seduced into such betrayal.
May it never be so! May our only loyalty be to Christ our Saviour, who gave His all for us, and continues to love and cherish us just as He hopes we will love and cherish Him.
Lord Jesus, please cleanse my heart of sin and open my eyes to see where sin might be present in my life. Please show me what it is to have holy passion for the things of you. I possess no natural wisdom of my own, so I pray that you would enable me to foster an obedient heart, and follow in your paths of wisdom through the conduit of obedience. Let me not allow my ears to be tickled by the things I want to hear, and my heart to be seduced into dishonouring you. Please show me and the leaders around me how to navigate the perilous waters of false prophecy when they lap at our shores. Thank you that you have promised to never leave or forsake me, and that you are the holder of all authority, power, glory and praise. Oh Jesus, please let me follow you and honour you with "all that I am and have and ever hope to be." [3] Amen.
NOTES
[1] Matthew 17:15-20.
[2] John 10:27.
[3] One Pure and Holy Passion.
