I have prayed and pondered long and hard before posting this message because I know it will prove controversial and invite criticism. However, we are living at a time like no other and certain things must be addressed.
In Matthew 24, when Jesus' disciples asked for a sign which would clearly indicate that they were living in the Last Days, one of the signs He told them to look for was the rise of false prophets and false prophecy within their circle of fellowship.
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
[Jesus answered] ...many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray" (Matthew 24:3,11 NIV)
Prophecy is a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit. I have personally seen how it can instantly bring comfort, healing, or liberation when it is accurate and ministered through a person of humility and integrity. Unfortunately, I have also witnessed how damaging the gift can be when it is ministered through someone who is more in tune with their own perceived giftedness in ministry or their position as a prophet than they are with the heartbeat of God.
A Personal Experience
Not long ago I was in a large, exciting meeting in Dallas where a man esteemed to be a prophet with a national and international following introduced the main speaker and welcomed him to the city. In doing so, he called the man to the platform and then prophesied and declared wonderful things pertaining to him and his ministry. He gave specifics concerning how many cities this man would travel to and how, when he reached the final city on this tour, revival would fall in America. Not only did these things not come to pass, but within a mere few weeks, the man's life and ministry began to unravel when it was revealed that he had been involved in adultery which soon led to his divorce. Afterward, he married his former mistress. What an unholy mess it was. But even more disturbing was the fact that the "prophet" and his "prophecy" were never questioned afterward. There was no explanation, apology, humility, or accountability. He was simply off to the next conference to deliver more prophetic words with his faithful band of followers in tow.
Consider this:
“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
I am not saying that those who claim the position of prophet or those who prophesy should be instantly mistrusted or held to an impossible standard of perfection. The gift of prophesy - at it's very best - is like looking through a foggy window where we only see a part of the whole picture. (Read 1 Cor. 13:12) In the Old Testament, prophets were killed if what they said did not come to pass. But we should also consider that when Jonah's stern denunciation of Ninevah failed - that did not mean he was a false prophet. It meant that God had chosen to show mercy to the city because of their change of heart. Grace dictates that a softer approach should be granted prophets in our midst today. Being human, they might speak presumptuously at times. If they acknowledge their error with a spirit of humility there is room for growth in character. As a pastor, I know there are things I taught at one time that I would never teach again because I have grown in revelation. Shouldn't prophets be given that same grace to grow in wisdom and stature? I think so.
But what of those prophets who speak presumptuously or predict things that never come to pass and never address their error?
As I write this I am reminded of another well known American prophet who went out on a limb and prophesied that John McCain would win the last election. Not only was he wrong about that, but he has left a trail littered with false prophesies posted on the internet. Yet, his ministry thrives and none of his ardent supporters ever ask for any accountability regarding his words.
The Need For A More Sure Word of Prophecy
Beloved, it is dangerous to disregard the warning of Jesus that false prophets would arise in the Last Days. We should lovingly begin to put prophecy to the test because in the days to come we will need to know how to recognize authentic prophecy as well as God's true prophets so that we can navigate the turbulent times that are ahead.
I believe that one of the hallmarks of the emerging Bride of Christ will be that she will be able to offer a more sure and trustworthy word of prophecy. The woman, Abishag, (1 Kings 1) is an Old Testament type of the Bride of Jesus. She was called the Shunnemite because she hailed from the village of Shunem which was given to the tribe of Issachar. Issachar was a prophetic tribe and several important things concerning this tribe help us understand how to recognize authentic prophets and prophetic ministry.
Where True Prophets Pitch Their Tent
First, Issachar camped in a cluster along with Judah and Zabulon east of the Tabernacle entrance. In other words, they dwelt closer to the entrance of the Tabernacle than the other tribes. The first criteria of a sure prophetic voice is that their priority is not found in ministry but in living close to God. A trustworthy prophet "camps" with Judah (praise) and Zabulon (God has gifted me). In other words, their gifting thrives in the environment of their personal relationship with God.
Regarding Judah - the next time you attend a meeting where a prophet is ministering watch him or her during the worship portion of the service. Are they fully engaged in worshiping God with everyone else or do they make a last minute appearance right before they are to be introduced? Are they on their feet actively engaged in loving God through abandoned worship or are they busy looking over their notes?
In regard to Zabulon it is said that they were "willing to lay down their very lives" for the sake of Israel (Judges 5:18). Does the prophet you admire exhibit a sacrificial Christ-like character or do they look more like a celebrity?
Bridging the Two Sheepfolds
When Jacob blessed Issachar he said that he would be like a burden bearing animal, laying down between two sheepfolds. (Genesis 49:14-15) The second criteria of a sure prophetic voice is that he or she possesses a true desire to serve and not be served. They carry the "burden" of the Lord in intercession. The two sheepfolds represent both Israel and the Church. It is troubling, that many of the well-known prophetic ministries today are immersed in Replacement and/or Dominion Theology which teaches that the Church has effectively taken the place of and become "spiritual Israel." They fail to see that Israel and the Jews still have a specific calling and destiny with God and that the Church must build a bridge to Israel in the Last Days. It is not possible to outline here the error of Replacement and Dominion theology, but every Christian should educate themselves in this regard.
The Gifting
Finally, it was also said of the men of Issachar that they " understood the times and knew what Israel should do." (1 Chronicles 12:32) In other words, they were gifted with the ability to discern the signs of the times and give accurate, reliable direction to God's people. I believe, the Bride of Christ is being raised up today to become, among other things, a sure prophetic voice for these prophetic times.
A New Breed of Prophets
I do not consider myself a prophet. Only occasionally does that gift operate in my life. But a year before hurricane, Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, God spoke to me and another member of the Leadership Team at our church about what was going to happen and how it would be God's judgment on New Orleans for the "multitude of her sorceries." While I saw a vision of the overwhelming magnitude of the devastation, the other member of our team was given a dream about how the survivors in Louisiana would be so great that many of them would have to be relocated to Texas. She saw them being brought on trains, buses, and in cars and housed in churches and community buildings. Because, this was new to us, we wrote everything down, dated it, sealed it up in an envelope, and mailed it to ourselves. Then I shared the vision and dream with our church a full year before it happened. At the time, the magnitude of the vision and dream seem improbable. But a year later, in August of 2005, I was in the home of a friend in New Zealand where I had been teaching at a conference when my wife called and alerted me to the news of the developing storm. We turned on the television and I shared with my friend what was about to happen. We literally sat in front of the television and watched what we had seen a year before come to pass before our eyes. Even though I was out of the country, my wife was able to take the sealed envelope, open it before our church and read and remind them that God had already told us the future before it happened. It was an experience that both humbled and excited us.
Since then, God has continued to share a few things with us pertaining to the future. However, He has not released us to do anything with it - other than to grow and become more confident in how to hear God's sure voice. We feel that this gift is in a stage of development. I am sharing this story to say that I believe that the revelation of the Bride of Christ is also giving birth to a new, more accurate prophetic gift to the Body of Christ. I believe a new breed of prophets is being developed right now and I am interested in hearing from any of you who might confirm what I have shared in this blog entry. Enter your post here or email me your thoughts today at mark@shulamiteministries.org
4 comments:
Self-promotion seems to be the hallmark of this camp of the prophetic movement. I've even seen one such individual having a banner that says "The Sound Of (his name)" on the instrument he plays. Yikes. Recently, I felt the Lord impress on my heart that there is much mixture found in many of these movements and that it was also time to get the mixture out of our own individual lives. Even much of what is being taught about how to enter the glory realm through visualization, how to enter portals and seeing orbs are beginning to smack of new age. It is the simple message of the cross that allows us to enter in and simple intimacy with Christ. A simply profound prophetic message. Good word Pastor Mark.
"It is the simple message of the cross that allows us to enter in and simple intimacy with Christ." I couldn´t agree with you more John!
Intimacy and true unity with our Lord Jesus Christ will protect us from the mixtures that are running as "sidestreams" polluting the pure river...
and the Lord always starts with our individual lifes..! Thank you!
Mark, God has already judged mankind through the cross of Jesus, and would have to ask Jesus for forgiveness if He judged people a second time, through disasters for example..like Katrina. We are still living in the days of grace...don´t we? Since God has already punished all sin in Jesus, and everyone has been redeemed through the blood, why would God overlook, disregard a full payment for sin?
Thank you, Nilla, for your post. It sounds like you are someone who has tasted God's grace and you are aware of how very much you need it every moment. You love much because you have been forgiven much. However, grace is not the only facet of God's nature. Here are some comments regarding your thoughts. I would not agree that God has already judged mankind by the Cross. He judged Christ by the Cross as the One who absorbed the sin of mankind. Mankind's judgment still awaits. That is why the Day of Atonement is not synonymous to Feast of Passover. Christ has become our Passover but a Day of Atonement still remains to be fulfilled. Christ became the target of God's wrath in our place. But the Bible clearly teaches that - while we are now living in days of grace - that does not negate the fact that God is still releasing judgment against sin and sinners here and now. How else are we to understand the judgment that fell on the believers, Ananias and Sapphira, in Acts 5:1-11? Should the Father repent to Jesus for killing them because they lied to the Holy Spirit? Or what about God's judgment against the unbeliever, Herod, in Acts 12:19-25? Or Hebrews 13:4 which tells us that God will judge those who are sexually immoral? Or 1 Cor 5 which speaks of the church "turning a sinful brother over to Satan for punishment because of his unrepentant sexual sin?" Or John 3:36 which says that God's wrath rests on those who do not believe on Jesus Christ? And in Romans 2:5 Paul speaks of future judgment when he says: "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed."
It is plain that God is long-suffering and slow to release His wrath. But nowhere does the Bible teach that because of the Cross He is not still presently releasing judgment into the world? The verses I quote above are just a few which reveal just the opposite of that assumption. Having said that, I think it is clear that when God intervenes with judgment (such as Katrina) it is a last resort and not a first response. God's grace has a high tolerance level. Even in the book of Revelation Jesus said that he will give Jezebel "space to repent." But He also warns that if she does not - He will cast her and her children (those of like spirit) into a bed of sickness." That kind of imagery might not line up with an image of Jesus that we would like to hold dear - but it is the accurate image the Bible portrays.
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