Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” — 1 John 4:1 CSB
My news feed of late is flooded with “prophecies.” Below almost every article is a litany of uplifted hands and “amens.” For those who are willing to speak against these prophecies, there is usually a response along the lines of, “We can’t judge them, time will tell.” To some degree this is true and to another, it is false.
How it can be true: It is true that only God has the authority and right to judge people in the sense of condemnation, He is the judge, we are not. As for the “time will tell” statement, this is also true, for time will tell if their prophecy is true or false.
How their statement is false: The Scriptures command us to test, judge, and discern prophets and their prophecies so that we can see clearly if they are or are not from God. Why?
Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. — 1 John 4:1b
Time will tell if a prophet is true or false but sometimes all the time it takes is a moment of your time to compare what they have said with what the word of God says.
Why does it matter if we test every spirit so we can know if they are from God or not?
Yahweh sent all his servants the prophets to you time and time again, but you have not obeyed or even paid attention.” – Jeremiah 25:4
If a prophet is truly speaking from the Spirit of God, then his or her words should be heeded and obeyed for they came from God Himself. However, if a prophet speaks from a spirit of deception or from his or her own imagination, then his or her words are not from God at all and should not be given any heed or respect.
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh!’” – Ezekiel 13:2
Now you, son of man, face the women among your people who prophesy out of their own imagination, and prophesy against them. – Ezekiel 13:7
Hopefully, you can see that our response to true prophecy should be completely different than our response to false prophecy. So, yes, it matters greatly whether or not we test prophets and their prophecies, so we can know whether or not they speak the truth or if they speak deceptions. This is important not only for our own spiritual wellbeing but also for those who are following or watching us (friends, family, children, acquaintances, etc.).
Please take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 to read about Paul’s own passionate plea to his children of faith. Seriously, please go read it before continuing.
I cannot emphasize enough that there is an incredible difference between true prophecy versus false prophecy. I desire to write a paraphrase of these Scriptures to help you understand my point but as one who tends to despise paraphrases, I will refrain. Read these and discern for yourself how it applies greatly to the topic at hand.
Don’t become partners with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said:
I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. — 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 CSB
Does it matter if you spend your time listening to those who speak by the Spirit of the Almighty God or if you spend your time listening to demons or prophecies that came from people’s own imaginations? Hopefully, you would agree that it does matter and will choose in the future (if you don’t already) to test prophecies and the prophets who speak them with the holy and inspired word of God. I pray that you will do this both for your own good and for His glory. I don’t think I could find a more fitting end to this article than these Scriptures below.
Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Thessalonians 19:23 CSB (please take the time to also read this in context)
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