Prophets - True and False

The Role of Prophets In God’s Mission to Save the World

Throughout the Old Testament period, God spoke to the world through
prophets. (See Acts 19-21)

Through His prophets, God informs His people of His major

interventions into world affairs.

Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants
the prophets. - Amos 3:7

God ordained that there be prophets in the New Testament period as

well as in the Old. God made provision to speak through prophets
whenever and wherever He chose to bring us into maturity in Christian
unity and godly character, to the very end of time.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And
gave gifts to men." .... And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping
of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; -
Ephesians 4:7-8,11-13

Spiritual prosperity results from believing God’s prophets.

So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and
as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you
inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be
established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." - 2 Chronicles 20:20

The Inclusiveness of the Prophetic Call

God’s prophets in both the Old Testament and New Testament included
women as well as men. Holdall was prophesying at the same time that
Jeremiah was. For mention of other women prophets see: ; Judges 4,5
(Deborah); Nehemiah 6:14 (Noadiah); Luke 2:36-38 (Anna); etc.

On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to
Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the
seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who
prophesied. - Acts 21:8-9

So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of
the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke
with her. - 2 Kings 22:14

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that
time. - Judges 4:4

My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and
the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me
afraid. - Nehemiah 6:14 (Noadiah)

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand;
and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. - Exodus
15:20 (Miriam)

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of
Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from
her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did
not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and
day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him
to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. - Luke 2:36-38 (Anna)

Instructions are given as to how men and women in the days of Paul
were to pray and prophesy.

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors
her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. - 1
Corinthians 11:4-5

Prophetic Testimony In the Last Days

God’s people in the last day will “have the testimony of Jesus

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the
rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ. - Revelation 12:17

“Testimony of Jesus Christ” “is the spirit of prophecy.”

And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do
that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of
Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." -
Revelation 19:10

Warning: there will be false prophets as well as true.

Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe
it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders
to deceive, if possible, even the elect. - Matthew 24:23-24

Five Biblical Tests Of a True Prophet

A true prophet’s predictions come to pass. This test of a true prophet

immediately weeds out most false prophets who have only a small
percentage of their predictions that actually come to pass. But even if
the predictions of one who claims to be a prophet do come to pass,
they still do not qualify as a true prophet if they do not pass the other
biblical tests of a true prophet.

"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you
a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke
to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'--which you have not known--'and let
us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer
of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deuteronomy 13:1-3
 And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has
not spoken?'-- when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does
not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the
prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. -
Deuteronomy 18:21-22

2. A true prophet has complete confidence in the reliability of God’s

word in the Bible.

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured
of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you
have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17
3. A true prophet speaks in harmony with the Bible and expects to be
tested by the Bible.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them. - Isaiah 8:20

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.
When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more
fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things
were so. Acts 17:10-11

4. A true prophet’s message will focus on Jesus.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of
God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you
know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you
have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. - 1 John 4:1-3

5. A true prophet’s life and works will bear good fruit.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor
can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. -
Matthew 7:15-20

A Prophetic Witness in Our Modern Day

On the basis of the five Bible tests of a true prophet, Seventh-day

Adventists have recognized the true prophetic gift operating in and
through the life and work of Ellen G. White who, from the age of 17
until she died 70 years later in 1915, testified to having received from
God approximately 2000 visions and dreams, visions that varied in
length from less than a minute to nearly four hours.
Having received only a third grade formal education, Ellen White was
nonetheless empowered by the Holy Spirit to author 5000 articles and
26 books during her lifetime, including compilations from her 55,000
pages of manuscript, with more than 100 titles now available in
English. She may well be the most translated woman writer in the
entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of
either gender. All of her writings are rooted in Scripture and deeply
Christ centered. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful Christian
living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 135 languages.
Among her many writings are a five-volume devotional commentary on
the Bible as well as books on health, Christian education, family life,
gospel ministry, mission and evangelism. Her passion was to see the
entire world reached with the everlasting gospel of Christ in
preparation for His soon return.

Through her humble, Spirit-led leadership, she helped raise up the

Christian movement that today offers the largest Protestant
educational system (over 5,500 schools and 80 colleges and
universities which serve 1.3 million students) and the most extensive
Protestant health system (157 hospitals and sanitariums, 350 medical
clinics and 30 medical planes that reach people in third world countries
who otherwise would have no medical care, and 99 retirement homes
and orphanages) in the world. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is in
more countries today than any other Protestant church on earth (207
of the 233 countries recognized by the UN). Besides it’s expansive
mission program, the church is involved in over a quarter of a billion
dollars of charity work annually, and, in addition, it operates ADRA
(Adventist Development and Relief Agency), an extensive humanitarian
aid program that ministers annually to the felt needs of many millions
of impoverished people around the world. This expansive ministry is
due in large part to the sanctified vision, testimony and personal
example of Ellen G. White.

Two additional handouts are provided with this study on “Prophets -

True and False.” The one entitled, “The inspiration and authority of
the Ellen G. White writings,” explains the role of her writings,
compared with the role of the Bible, in the Seventh-day Adventist
church. The other is a chart showing the results of an extensive survey
on the spiritual life of Seventh-day Adventists. This research,
conducted by Drs. Roger Dudley and Des Cummings, examined 20
different categories of spiritual life, including a question on whether
those surveyed were regular readers of the writings of Ellen G. White
or not. After compiling the results, the researchers concluded:
“Seldom does a research study find the evidence so heavily weighted
toward one conclusion. In the church growth survey, on every single
item that deals with personal attitudes or practices [of spiritual life],
the member who regularly studies Ellen White’s books tends to rank
higher than does the member who reads them only occasionally or
never.” This result is consistent with Jesus’ revelation that a true
prophet’s work will bear good fruit in the lives of those who are
influenced by it (Matthew 7:15-20).

Compiled by Skip MacCarty

Published by Elijah3, L.L.C.