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The Importance of Vindication: Difference between revisions
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In the Old Testament, false prophecy was considered criminal in nature, punishable by death: | In the Old Testament, false prophecy was considered criminal in nature, punishable by death: | ||
:''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.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken? | :''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.’ 21 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>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Dt 18:20–22.</ref> | ||
In order to know whether to obey the prophetic word, and in order to condemn the false prophet, criteria had to be established by which a distinction between true and false prophets could be made. In some cases, at least, the distinction could be made easily; when a prophet in Israel spoke in the name of other gods, he was not only a false prophet, but he was also guilty of breaking the first commandment, and therefore was deserving of the death penalty. The more difficult case to distinguish would be that in which a prophet actually spoke his own words, but claimed to be speaking the words of God, and therefore—among other crimes—was guilty of gross presumption. | In order to know whether to obey the prophetic word, and in order to condemn the false prophet, criteria had to be established by which a distinction between true and false prophets could be made. In some cases, at least, the distinction could be made easily; when a prophet in Israel spoke in the name of other gods, he was not only a false prophet, but he was also guilty of breaking the first commandment, and therefore was deserving of the death penalty. The more difficult case to distinguish would be that in which a prophet actually spoke his own words, but claimed to be speaking the words of God, and therefore—among other crimes—was guilty of gross presumption. | ||
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The criteria for distinguishing the true words of God are expressed very succinctly in two clauses, (a) The word is not true—the Hebrew rendered literally is “the word is not.” The implication seems to be that the word has no substance, or that what the prophet says simply “is not so.” That is, the word supposedly spoken by God through the prophet was not in accord with the word of God already revealed and it was therefore automatically suspect, (b) … Or does not come to pass—this clause describes prophetic words of a judgmental or predictive nature. The truth of the words would lie in their fulfilment.<ref>Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 262–263.</ref> | The criteria for distinguishing the true words of God are expressed very succinctly in two clauses, (a) The word is not true—the Hebrew rendered literally is “the word is not.” The implication seems to be that the word has no substance, or that what the prophet says simply “is not so.” That is, the word supposedly spoken by God through the prophet was not in accord with the word of God already revealed and it was therefore automatically suspect, (b) … Or does not come to pass—this clause describes prophetic words of a judgmental or predictive nature. The truth of the words would lie in their fulfilment.<ref>Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 262–263.</ref> | ||
1 John 4:1 warns Christians not to believe every spirit, | 1 John 4:1 warns Christians not to believe every spirit, “''but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world''.” Similarly, Paul encourages the believers at Thessalonica that even as they welcome prophetic utterances, they must be vigilant in testing all messages, holding fast to what is good and rejecting all that is evil (1 Thess. 5:20–22). In Paul’s letter to young Timothy we hear the most explicit warning to reject presumptuous persons who oppose the truth and are corrupted in their minds (2 Tim. 3:1–8).<ref>Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 447.</ref> | ||
==The course of time== | ==The course of time== | ||
It is true that the credibility of the prophet could be tested only in the course of time. In the case of Samuel, the text states that “YHWH was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of YHWH” (1 Sam 3:20–21). | It is true that the credibility of the prophet could be tested only in the course of time. In the case of Samuel, the text states that “YHWH was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of YHWH” (1 Sam 3:20–21). It is with that test of time that we are now able to clearly judge whether William Branham was vindicated or not as a true prophet.<ref>Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–21:9, vol. 6A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2001), 410.</ref> | ||
==Conduct if a prophet is judged as false== | ==Conduct if a prophet is judged as false== | ||