He is the founder of the channel The Remnant Radio. He produced a thirty-eight minute video about testing prophecy. In this post an outline and commentary are provided for your convenience. Then I offer my brief critique.
Here’s the link:
In my Scripture quotations I use the NIV.
Here’s an outline and unpacking of the video:
0:00 – Intro: How to Test Prophecy
We are continuationist (the gifts continue), not cessationists (most or all of the gifts have ceased, particularly tongues and prophecy).
We don’t want to let the gifts fall into disrepute or contempt, so we must test them. Then the gifts can function as they were intended.
1.. 3:35 – Is The Prophecy Biblical?
Warnings: Don’t receive a prophecy that gets you involved in New Age. Don’t receive a prophecy that says to get involved with sexual immorality..
Syncretism = Mixing biblical truth with other religions or errors.
Next, does prophecy add to Scripture? See 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Example: No new battle plans for spiritual warfare.
I add: You cannot unseat the principalities and powers. In Daniel 10, Daniel never rebuked them. Instead, he prayed to God.
Lewis offers another example in Argentina of throwing down principalities of murder or drugs. A prophetic person got this revelation. A neighborhood does drugs or murder? Principalities of murder or drugs oversees the region. Pray against them Tear them down.
However, Jesus or the apostolic community never did those practices. They preached the gospel, and as people got saved they did not do drugs or commit murder.
First Corinthians 4:6 says not to go beyond what is written.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. (1 Cor. 4:6, emphasis added)
Tearing down principalities goes beyond Scripture. Also, have you heard someone teach us on traveling to heaven? Talk to angels or dead saints? New doctrines or ministry practices? Warning!
Finally, does the prophecy align with the nature of God? You must know Scripture to see it. God no longer judges sin or requires repentance? Warning!
19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Is. 8:19-20)
Don’t be skeptical for its own sake. Yet, prophecy that does not conform to scripture is not prophetic but is dangerous.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. (1 Thess. 5:19-21)
Judge prophecy to keep it above contempt from observers who witness its abuses.
2.. 9:44 – What Is the Source Of The Prophecy?
Is prophecy from the Spirit of God or fabricated by natural reasoning, false spiritual sources, or human schemes?
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)
I add: Warning! Those verses are about OT prophets. Today’s prophets are restricted. We do not have the authority of OT prophets. But those verse can teach us that the Spirit can speak to you without your human thoughts interfering.
New Testament Restricts Authority of Modern Prophets
In any case true prophecies come from the Holy Spirit, not human means. No necromancy or spirit guides or talking to the dead or sorcery or divination.
No interpreting Jewish calendars. These teachers are making things up, as they add and mix-and-match numbers to arrive at strange, vague truths. Example: Troy Brewer. This is not prophecy, but Jewish horoscope. None of it appears in NT or church history. This is not prophecy, but math.
I add: no reading the shape of Hebrew letters. When the Hebrew Bible was written, those shapes lost their meaning. They are just for pronunciation. Instead, keep the plain things the main things, and the main things the main things. Major in the majors, not the minors.
Joshua’s church has a team for prophetic words. Test prophecy or it could be from humans or even deceitful spirits (1 Kings 22; 2 Chron. 18).
Next, true prophecy should not reflect newspaper reports and national anxiety or rehashed headlines. Avoid repackaged news articles. But a true prophecy reveals the secrets of a visitor’s heart:
24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Cor. 14:24-25)
Keep things local and testable.
3.. 15:21 – Can The Prophecy Even Be Tested?
Prophetic words nowadays are so vague that it is impossible to test their fulfillments.
22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deut. 18:22)
Here are ambiguous but common prophecies: Wealth transfer! A billion soul harvest soon! Stadiums filled with Christians! They are too vague or they happen every year. They are not a true prophetic word but “a word of obvious.”
Be cautious about words that are true in all seasons and all times. Examples: God is calling the church into prayer and evangelism! Simply repeating the universal truths of Scripture is not prophetic. It’s obvious.
However, the Spirit can give specific words on where to evangelize, for example.
7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16:7-9)
Specific words can be tested, but this is not true for vague words.
Next, watch out for fortune cookie prophecies on youtube for their viewers.
Note the context, youtube or the universal body of Christ. feel-good prophecies, words that are for the entire body of Christ, such as “season of promotion!” “financial blessing this year!” “Just take the word and grab it!” Wrong, These may be true for an individual in a local church, but youtube prophecies are for everyone, and these general words may not apply to everyone.
Instead, words are to be tested locally:
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. (1 Cor. 14:29)
General words that claim to be for the whole body of Christ cannot be weighed, but in the local church specific words can be tested.
4.. 21:14 – Test All Things in Community
Don’t act immediately on a dream you got. Example: did the dream say you are called to a foreign land? Warning! Get it tested in community.
“Prophecy is meant to confirm something you are already praying about or to give you something to pray about.”
I add: Or just put the prophecy on the shelf and let God fulfill it. I have received numerous unfulfilled prophecies from various people over the decades.
Main point: don’t figure this out all on your own. Test it in community. Confirm your word in the body of Christ.
5.. 24:15 – What Is the Doctrine Of The Prophet?
Does the prophet know the basics of doctrine? She does not have to be a professional theologian. Just know the core teachings. Study Scripture! Study doctrine!
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-4)
Those verses speak of a theological issue in John’s days. But today there may be other bad doctrines that make your salvation in Christ doubtful. They may throw bad light on Christ’s deity. He is true God and true man. Only God in the flesh can redeem humanity, not a watered down Christology.
The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone is the gospel. It is a core doctrine:
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Gal. 1:8-9)
Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone. Not a works-based salvation. No righteousness by law keeping.
This next passage is about signs and wonders done by a false prophet:
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deut. 13:1-4)
The prophet teaches bad doctrine: “Let us follow other gods.” Run away from him, regardless of his signs and wonders. God is testing you. Don’t fail the test..
God’s Signs and Wonders versus Satan’s Signs and Wonders
Mormonism and Oneness Pentecostalism are heresies. They deny the Trinity.
These verses are warnings:
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (2 Cor. 11:13-14)
Satan can appear like an angel of light. Be careful and discerning.
Don’t ignore the sound or unsound doctrine of a prophet. A true prophet will have sound doctrine.
6.. 28:32 – What Is the Character Of The Prophet?
Let’s start off with this Scripture:
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matt. 7:15-20)
Fruit = character. Watch for it.
Warning example: authoritarianism. A true prophet will submit his teaching to the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 14:29 and 1 Thess. 5:19-21, quoted above). Any prophet who does not submit to scrutiny and testing is exhibiting a dangerous character flaw.
Also, no moral failures or deficiencies. A prophet’s life should not be marked by patterns of sins. No lifestyle of sin.
True prophets must have enough character and courage to confront errors and falsehood and false teachers and prophets. In Revelation 21:8, cowards are outside of the city of the new Jerusalem. True prophets must not be cowards.
Jeremiah says:
30 “A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end? (Jer. 5:30-31)
Bad leaders do bad things. We recognize them by their fruit. We must expose them to keep others safe.
7.. 32:04 – What Is the Track Record of The Prophet?
See Deuteronomy 18:22, quoted above. If the word does not come to pass, God did not speak it.
What about conditional words? It is widely (and wrongly) taught that if it does not come to pass, people did not pray hard enough. But what if the word is vague? Revival is coming this year! But it did not happen. Why not? People did not pray hard enough. So the failure is placed on God’s people, not the prophet or his vague prophecy.
On the other hand, Jeremiah 18:7-10. is about conditional prophecies:
7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. (Jer. 18:7-10)
Those verses apply specifically to words of judgment or repentance and then blessing. If the people repent, no judgment and then blessing. If they do not repent, judgment. Blessing withheld.
Example: Jonah prophesied to Nineveh to repent, or judgment is coming in forty days. The Ninevites did repent. Judgment was averted.
Bad teaching: the 2020 Trump prophecies about his getting reelected were not the prophets’ fault, but God’s people did not pray hard enough. Very convenient for the prophets. However, people were praying for that election, like never before. So the prophets just blew it, not those who prayed.
No Trump prophet said Trump would skip a term, but that he would be reelected in 2020. Don’t make excuses for these failed prophets.
Prophets of old did not miss. Youtube prophets miss things all the time. Watch their long-term track record. If they keep missing their prophecies, ignore them.
Don’t Make Excuses for Unsound Christian Leaders
Summary
Here are the seven ways:
- Is The Prophecy Biblical?
- What Is the Source Of The Prophecy? (Human or Satanic?)
- Can The Prophecy Even Be Tested? (Too vague?)
- Test All Things in Community
- What Is the Doctrine Of The Prophet?
- What Is the Character Of The Prophet?
- What Is the Track Record of The Prophet? (Series of true or false prophecies)
Critique
This critique will be simple and short.
This teaching was excellent. The Remnant Radio team has been evaluating prophets and prophecies for several years now. They have a lot of experience. They practice charismatic ministry (they “do the stuff”). This video represents and summarizes years of study and practice and care for the church.
That’s what charismatic churches need: sound theology and sound ministry practices. So far The Remnant Radio offers both.
I urge everyone to watch the wise video. I endorse it.
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