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The Importance of Vindication: Difference between revisions
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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> | 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== | |||
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). At the same time, one wonders if perhaps a more subtle meaning is also intended in the words that appear here in 18:21–22. Almost half of what we know as the Hebrew Bible is called the Prophets (Former and Latter Prophets). The canonical decision as to which books of the prophets were included in the Hebrew Bible was based on what is taught here. We have a book of the prophet Jeremiah and not a book of the prophet Hananiah.<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== | |||
The concluding remark concerning the “false prophet,” that “you shall not fear him” (Hebrew - תגור ממנו), means that the people should not “fear” in the sense of attempting to follow him, that is by “walking in his ways” (see the use of the verb, ירא, “to fear,” in Deuteronomy 10:12).<ref>Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–21:9, vol. 6A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2001), 410.</ref> | |||
=Was William Branham vindicated as a prophet?= | |||
The passage of time has not been kind to the ministry of William Branham: | |||
#He is virtually unknown outside of his followers. | |||
#There is [[List of Issues with the Message#Was William Branham Honest?|significant factual evidence that he lied publicly on a repeated basis about many things related to his life and ministry]]. | |||
#With respect to his prophetic ministry, [[List of Issues with the Message#Was William Branham really a prophet?|numerous of his visions have been proved to have failed and many of his prophecies can be objectively judged as false]]. | |||
As a result, an objective evaluation of William Branham's life and ministry will lead one to conclude that he was not "vindicated" under either Old or New Testament standards. | |||
=Quotes of William Branham= | =Quotes of William Branham= | ||