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Deuteronomy 18:20-22: Difference between revisions
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:''But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 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.<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 18:20–22.</ref> | :''But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 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.<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 18:20–22.</ref> | ||
=The "One Mistake" rule of Deuteronomy 18= | |||
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! | |||
Remember: just because one performs miracles, even inside a church, does not mean God is working. We should be more on guard inside the church than we would like to think. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, we are told no to go beyond what in written. If one contradicts the apostolic writings and teachings, then they are false (2 Cor.11:14). Those who go beyond the word having God speak to them directly with new revelation, become puffed up with self-deception. There is something called humility that is practiced when one adheres to the same standard that everyone else does. Isa.8:16” bind up the testimony (of the Prophets) seal the law among my disciples”. (Moses) vs. 20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because their is no light in them.” This standard distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever. The test of the prophet was his conformity to the word of God, he condemns sin, he comforts the brethren, and he speaks of things in the near future and later than his life. A prophet, like an apostle, not only functioned as a gift, but as an office. A prophet would declare God's will for his generation, addressing idolatry or lukewarmness. We see this personified in John the Baptist who warned and rebuked the people preparing the for the Messiah. | |||
==William Branham applied the Deuteronomy 18:20-22 test to himself== | |||
It is clear that William Branham considered himself to be an Old Testament prophet and that as a result he was not subject to the judgment of the church. He also stated the test in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 applied to him: | |||
:''“Let one speak and two or three judge,” said Paul. Now, those are the spirits of the gifts that’s in the Church. '''But the only person that has a right to say, THUS SAITH THE LORD, is an a vindicated prophet'''. '''You never seen anybody judging Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or those people.''' They were prophets, foreordained and borned in the world to be prophets. And they foresaw the thing by a vision, and then said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” for the Lord had already said it.<ref>William Branham, 50-0405 - Expectation, para. 16</ref> | |||
:''You can go to my hometown and '''find it one time, in all the times that It’s ever told anything, that didn’t come to pass''' just exactly the way It said. '''Now, you pin a sign on my back as a false prophet,''' and I’ll walk through your streets. Cause it’s not myself, I’m a man, but He’s God. And He’s the One Who does the saying. If I would say it, it could be a lie, ’cause I’m subject to any—any mistakes, lies, anything else, like anybody else.<ref>William Branham, 53-1106 - Do You Now Believe?, para. 10</ref> | |||
:''Prophets are foreordained. They’re prophets. Now, there’s a gift of prophecy in the church, that could be on one, then the next one, the next one, the next one, and so forth—of prophecy. Paul said you may all prophesy one by one. But there’s a lot of difference between a prophet and a prophecy. A prophecy has to be judged by three witnesses (two or three) before it can be given or accepted in the church, according to the Scriptures. '''But a prophet, like the Old Testament prophet, t'''hey had the Word of the Lord. The translation was right to them. And they were known, because the Bible said, “If there be one among you spiritual or a prophet, I, the Lord, will make Myself known unto him, speak to him in visions, and reveal Myself in dreams. '''And if what this man says comes to pass, then hear him, for I’m am with him. If it doesn’t, then don’t hear him.''' I’m not with him. Don’t fear him.”<ref>William Branham, 61-0205E - Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever, para. 12</ref> | |||
:''And you who will not come back, I want you to do me a favor, mark a little piece of paper, and put it in your Bible, and say, “Brother Branham said, ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD.’” Then if God lets us live, watch what this thing’s coming to. If God lets us live for a few more years and I pass through Phoenix, get that—get a little yellow piece of paper out, and walk up to the pulpit and say, “'''What about this, Brother Branham?” Then I’ll tack it on my back, and you get in your car, and drive me down the street, as a sign on my back, “A false prophet.”'''<ref>William Branham, 57-0306 - God Keeps His Word #1, para.42</ref> | |||
:''God always sends a prophet. The Word comes to the prophet; the written Word, a discerner of the thoughts of the heart. Did you always notice? The prophet, being that he knowed that he was a prophet, is because that the Word of God discerns the thought that’s in the heart, foretells things, forth-teller and teller-forth. Did you ever take the dictionary, the old Hebrew dictionary, and see what the word seer means? It’s the one that has the Divine revelation of the written Word. And how it’s vindicated, he foresees things that he foretells, and they come to pass. 42 Now, how does that type in with the Scripture? Just exactly. “If there be one among you, who is spiritual or a prophet, I the Lord will make Myself known to him, speak to him in visions. '''And if these things comes to pass, then it’s God. If they don’t come to pass, then don’t hear him; don’t fear him at all, but just ignore it.'''”<ref>William Branham, 64-0120 - His Unfailing Words Of Promise, para. 41</ref> | |||
:''The Bible said, “'''If there be one, and what he says comes to pass, then you hear him; but, if it doesn’t, don’t believe him, don’t fear him''', but My…if—if My Word is not in him. But if it does come to pass, then My Word is in him.” That’s his identification. That’s the characteristic of a prophet.<ref>William Branham, 64-0320 - God Identifying Himself By His Characteristics, para. 85</ref> | |||
:''Now, prophets. There’s such a thing as “gift of prophecy” in the Church; but a prophet is predestinated and foreordained for the hour. See? Yes, sir. Now, if a prophecy goes forth, two or three has to set and judge whether that’s right or not, ’fore the church can receive it. '''But nobody set before a prophet, ’cause he was—he was absolutely the Word of God. He was that Word in his day. You seen God reflect. Now, God has promised to send us that again in the last days''', to bring the Bride out of that ecclesiastical mess, in the only way it can be done. ref>William Branham, 65-1204 - The Rapture, para. 136</ref> | |||