Can prophecies go wrong? – MyJoyOnline

In recent times in Ghana (and most likely in many African churches) the activity of people claiming to be prophets has become widespread. These have often engaged in acclaimed prophetic predictions which have captured the attention of many, including the media, in the nation. 

But the thorny question has been about their predictions going wrong. (For example, in very recent times this has occurred in connection with a presidential primary of a major political party in this country). How should we regard such men and women in general and their prophetic predictions that go wrong?

True Prophets Never get their Prophecies Wrong

The Bible teaches that if a prophet’s prophecy turns out to be false or wrong, that prophet is false himself and must be rejected outright. ‘But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him’ (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).  The passage does not even allow for the excuse that the prophet may have gotten it right in the past. This is because to be successful in deception even Satan must get it right sometime in order to present himself as credible. In the Old Testament Israel, that prophet must die for he has spoken presumptuously or dealt proudly.

Why such strict rule regarding prophets and their prophecy?  A prophet is a mere man, flesh and blood and naturally prone to all the weaknesses and failings of human nature. Such a man, of course, will be a firm believer in the Lord God and would have truly experienced forgiveness of his sins and given a new nature through the grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ by His suffering on the cross for sinners has purchased forgiveness of sins and truly changed life for those who come to Him trusting only in Him, abandoning their love of sin and any confidence or goodness in themselves.  Prophets then like all true believers in the Lord Jesus have tasted the grace of God and are godly men – for they truly love and reverence the Lord. Thus, on their part they will not lightly or presumptuously regard themselves as prophets of the Lord until they know that unmistakable evidences that they are really so.

Though they can naturally err, when God has given them His message and they need to proclaim it they are entirely overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. God does this for the very purpose of preventing their human to error to get mixed up with His message. So that when a true prophet declares ‘thus saith the Lord’ he is lifted above human error, yet wondrously he is not reduced to a machine. ‘Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation (ie, invention or a private unfolding of God’s counsel). For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost’ (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Think of it, if God’s predictions and messages through His prophets were to be allowed to go wrong, how unsafe are those who must regulate their entire lives by them, remembering the eternal consequences of them. In a world that is inevitably full of lies, deception, and ignorance especially in spiritual things and matters of God, prophecies were intended to give light and guidance to His people. And if that also could go wrong then God has left His people with no sure foundation and anchor for their lives.

Let’s illustrate this. Imagine a prophetic message that tells a 40-year-old person to leave his well- paying job and go and give himself to the work of a church with very little to support himself or family, with the promise that God will take care of him. Now if we should allow that the prophecy may well turn out to be wrong, how can this man pluck up faith and courage to sacrifice.  The thought alone of a possible failure can be very disturbing. 

Faith is built on the faithfulness of God, which means, God will keep His Word always, but what if God has not in fact spoken or given any promise and the prophet spoke presumptuously? Is this how truly responsible parents treat their children, let alone almighty God (compare Luke 11:13). And who can estimate the extent of devastation to the man if he must wait for years, say over 20 years, past retirement to discover the error of the prophet. Perhaps the most painful part of it will be to think that God Himself has done nothing to prevent that happening, if indeed He permits His prophets to get it wrong sometimes.  How then can God require absolute trust in His words from His prophets, when in fact, they can prove wrong? Then if these men are truly men of God in spite of the fact that they do get their messages wrong, how can we be sure other men of God declaring ‘thus saith the Lord’ as in the Bible itself did not get it wrong sometimes? Who then can have confidence in the promise of eternal life itself proclaimed in the Bible?

Add to this the prophets also spoke, not only predictions, but also present actions, beliefs and responses to certain situations. The prophets of today attempt this too. Some by claimed revelations from God have asked people to sell their property, pull down their dreadlock hair style etc. Of course, all these so-called revelations are fallacies, but if God’s prophet get it wrong then how can this kind of teaching which cannot be proved by an occurrence be known to be true or false.  Then see how Christians are left at the mercy of anyone who manages to say ‘thus saith the Lord’. Surely God values human souls too much to leave us to the whims of mere men who speak presumptuously.

Prophecies like the very character of God Himself must be perfect and pure and that always.  This is an act of safeguarding His people and kindness of God, so that we can build our lives on that which is certain and sure, if we truly believe in Him and love Him.

It has been said in some quarters that even prophet Jonah got his prophecy wrong about his prediction that Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days (Jonah 3:4). It is a well-established principle of God’s moral government in Scripture that whenever a threatening of judgment or a promise of blessing is declared it always carries the implicit condition of repentance or obedience. Repentance if judgment or punishment is announced and obedience if blessing is announced, all out of God’s mercy.

Jonah himself noted that it is this principle that made him first run away from going to announce his message in Nineveh (Jonah 4:2), because Jonah himself wished the judgment came upon Nineveh, that wicked city (Jonah 1:2).  Jonah ran away the first time because he knew the implicit condition that if they repented God will spare them out of mercy.  And that is what happened, so his prophecy was perfectly fulfilled. The prophet Ezekiel summarized this principle beautifully, ‘Again, when I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right … he shall surely live, he shall not die’(Ezekiel 33:14-15).

It is also suggested that the statement in 1 Corinthians 13:9, ‘for we know in part, and we prophesy in part’, excuses error in prophecy. Nothing of the kind! The word translated ‘part’ does not mean that which contain error or mixed with error. It means a portion, i.e., we do not have the fulness or that no prophecy is complete; and the word ‘perfect’ in verse 10 means complete, of full age etc.

If you are given a part payment for something you sold, what you were given was genuine money, you can use for whatever you want, only it is not the complete payment for what you sold away. For prophecy to contain error will be a double problem, like a part payment of money which also include false currencies. The full and completion of God’s self-revelation and His purposes will take place throughout eternity, but here on earth we are given only a portion of that. But that portion is pure, genuine, faultless and sufficient for all our purposes here.

The Bigger Problem of Relevance of today’s Prophecies.

The most troubling question about the prophets and prophecies today actually has to do with their relevance.  The Bible declares that ‘the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Revelation 19:10). For the Father’s purpose is to glorify His Son and above all so that ‘in all things he might have the preeminence’, (Colossians 1:14-19). God’s own declared purpose of prophecies is to bear testimony to Christ – His person, work of redemption, His saving power and grace, His rule over His people, the church, His coming etc.

The apostle Peter echoes the sentiment too, saying, ‘of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of the time of Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that follow’ (1 Peter 1:10-11).

So, what is the real relevance of prophecies about individual private lives, their future political fortunes etc. How do these proclaim Christ to the world or the immediate community? Israel was a theocracy and no nation is or can be a theocracy properly today.  For God chose their kings for them and wrote their constitution (side-by side His Word for the whole world) and by that entered into a special covenant with them. So, the prophets were sent to their kings etc.

Their purpose was to keep the kingdom intact till Christ, the Messiah was raised among them.  In Christ there is a body of genuinely converted people who constitute His people on earth, called the church and it is international.  These are ruled by His Word alone. Thus, in the New Testament prophetic activity went on among the Lord’s churches only. Prophetic messages were only meant for His own people – revealing Christ to them. Apostle Paul’s principle of ministry captured this truth 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, ‘for what have I to do to judge them that are without (i.e. outside the church)? Do not ye judge them that are within (i.e. inside the church)? But them that are without (outside the church) God judgeth’.

Old Testament prophets like Daniel and Ezekiel who went to exile in Babylon with the people of Isreal directed their prophetic messages to the Lord’s people alone. When they addressed other nations, it was sometimes to compare them to Israel, the Lord’s people, or announce to them God’s judgement in order to draw them to Israel’s wonderful hopes in the Lord etc. When they addressed the non-Israelite kings like Nebuchadnezzar, Darius etc., read how they were pointing to Christ in their messages, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of all true God-sent prophecy. It is exactly like the purpose of the sending of the Holy Spirit – to reveal Christ (John 16:13-14). To be sure God-sent prophetic activity is not a Christianized version of ‘mallams’ and fetish priests, it is entirely unique in purpose and function.

The Overarching Testimony of Scripture

The Bible then teaches that all that we need now on earth to know of Christ for us to live a truly God-honouring and fulfilling lives is already and completely given to us in the Bible.  We need no one to add to that – Scripture which alone contains the revelation or testimony of Christ which we need for life is now complete. It is the product of that genuine prophetic and apostolic ministry of the past without error or fault.  The Bible is called the ‘Scriptures of the prophets’ (Romans 16:26).

There was that mystery of Christ and of godliness which was never known, but God revealed them to us through the ministry of the prophets and apostles, beginning with Old Testament prophets. The Old Testament prophets essentially pointed to Christ is pictures and symbols but now sufficiently and more clearly revealed through the New Testament prophets and apostles (Ephesians 3:5). As such the prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus were the foundation upon which all Christians and churches are being built (Ephesians 2:20), that is, their teaching and the way they ordered the churches lay the permanent example and pattern to all churches and believers till Christ comes again.

So, what do we do with today’s prophets? Sadly, they are all imposters at worst or misguided at best. The matter is, if they will not tell us about Christ in their messages then, they are not Christ’s prophets. Now if what they will tell us about Christ is not already in the Bible, they are false who must be rejected and even taken out of the churches. And if what he says about the Lord Jesus Christ is already in the Bible then, he is not a prophet but a preacher whose words every Christian can examine whether it is true, using the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). So, they have no work or role at all in the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ or individual Christians, for the Lord has not sent them.

This understanding of prophets and prophecy has been the standard teaching of faithful churches and pastors like the Wesleys’, Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards etc. and during the Great Reformation and times of great outpourings of the Spirit of the Lord upon churches and communities, until first the Pentecostals and then the Charismatic churches came in.

What of Personal guidance through Prophets?

When the Bible teaches that the Scriptures are sufficient for all that we need here on earth to live for God and rejoice in His love, we must take that seriously, because it means exactly that. ‘All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works’ (2 Timothy 3:16,17). You may read also Romans 16:25-26. The Bible never ages nor become obsolete or insufficient in any generation.

‘Throughtly furnished’ means to equip fully. Here is a language of sufficiency of the Scripture for all we needed. If anyone is truly converted, that is, has sought forgiveness of Christ, trusting only in His death for sinners on Calvary and experienced the new birth, then the Lord, by His Spirit, infuses in you grace so that you truly understand the Bible and you come to truly believe what it teaches concerning life and all things. It changes your world-view and you learn to trust the Lord and His promises in the Bible.  Its teachings shape your life and ways. 

Gradually you grow in your trust in Christ and to commit all your affairs to Him in prayer so that you are not overcome by anxiety. ‘Be careful (i.e., anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-7).

This is authentic Christian living and not running after self-acclaimed prophets over fears of our future or troubles of life. Thus, the Christian does not need anyone to be telling him/her about supposed hidden secrets about the future and so on.  We leave our future concerns to the Lord in humble trust, prayer and self-resignation.

As for unbelievers what business has Christ’s servants to be telling them about supposed secrets or future predictions when their dire need is to hear about the love of the Saviour that they may be saved from sin and become His.

Pastor Anthony Bentum-Ennin

GRACE REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH

Ekon Junction, Cape Coast

or call: 0244708745

or E-mail: benennin@yahoo.com

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.