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Proof of the Prophetic: Difference between revisions
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Thirdly, prophecy can be a personal word from God through someone with a gift of prophesy to an individual. Agabus is again a good illustration of this in Acts 21:10-11. | Thirdly, prophecy can be a personal word from God through someone with a gift of prophesy to an individual. Agabus is again a good illustration of this in Acts 21:10-11. | ||
= | =The "One Mistake" rule= | ||
When we speak of William Branham's visions and prophecies, we are generally speaking of the foretelling of a future event. | When we speak of William Branham's visions and prophecies, we are generally speaking of the foretelling of a future event. To verify whether William Branham's prophecies came to pass, there should be publicly verifiable documentation of the foretelling of the event and then the event must take place at a subsequent time in a clear manner. Unfortunately, we are not aware of any evidence to this effect. | ||
A true Prophet must be 100% accurate. There is absolutely no margin for error. | |||
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states: | |||
:''But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, '''that same prophet shall die'''. And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’ — when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, '''if the word does not come to pass or come true''', that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. '''You need not be afraid of him.'''<ref>Deuteronomy 18:20-22</ref> | |||
The true Prophet of the Lord predicts that which does come to pass. If the Prophet's predictions fail, they are exposed as NOT of God. Jeremiah 28:9 tells us: | |||
:''The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.<ref>Jeremiah 28:9</ref> | |||
Ezekiel 13:2-9 is also an interesting passage: | |||
:''Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken?” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eze 13:2–9.</ref> | |||
God says a false prophet can actually say they are hearing from the Lord but it really is their own spirit. | |||
In 1 Samuel 3:19-20, the Bible says this of the prophet Samuel: | |||
:''As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and '''everything Samuel said proved to be reliable'''. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord<ref>1 Samuel 3:19-20</ref> | |||
In the Old Testament, prophets prophesied within three time frames: their own time, for the 1st coming and the 2nd coming. The test of a prophet was his near prophecies which would be fulfilled in his own lifetime. Obviously, if it was beyond his lifetime, he wouldn't be around to have to answer for it. Prophecy was very specific in the Old and the New Testament. They would foretell God's revelation to the people and if one looks back at the Biblical record to study a prophet's calling, it was God who picked them and they are often found arguing not to have the office. In contrast, there are now schools to train new prophets because the people desire this office. | |||
Another test used on would be prophets, found in Deuteronomy 13:1. In addition to whether or not their predictions came true is whether they used signs and wonders as tools to draw people to other gods or a different representation of God. (Such as Jannes and Jambres in 2 Timothy 3:8). Here, God is testing the people to see if they love only Him. This is probably the most overlooked scripture pertaining to examining the claims of those who profess supernatural powers that come from God. If they were to contradict the teaching that had already been revealed - which had provided knowledge of the one true God then they were seen as false prophets. God did not, and still does not tolerate false prophesying. If they wrong once, they are false, they were to be stoned. If this occurred today many if not all who lay claim to this position would have a quick end to their so called anointing! | |||
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