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One of the sadder side shows of our recent high drama political premiere is the cameo role of several persons purporting to speak for God on the outcomes of the elections. There were several different reported dreams, visions, and foretelling of how events were going to play out. That in itself is not a problem, God can and does speak to multiple people about the same subject, but when several of those people claim to have heard from God, and have heard different and sometimes diametrically opposed things, we have to question whether they are truly prophets, pundits or just politicians.

God can and does speak to multiple people about the same subject, but when several of those people claim to have heard from God, and have heard different and sometimes diametrically opposed things, we have to question whether they are truly prophets, pundits or just politicians.

What we glean clearly from scripture is that God is in the habit of telling his people in advance what plans he has for society. He told Noah about the flood; Abraham about the destruction coming to Sodom; Jonah about the judgement coming to Nineveh; Jeremiah about the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in Babylon. God even goes granular: he told Agabus about Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, and foretold the most arcane details of the life of Jesus centuries before he was conceived. Yes, God gives ample notice of the acts he intends to carry out on the earth.

Yes, God gives ample notice of the acts he intends to carry out on the earth.

In fact, it is because God has so copiously spoken through history that it is possible to claim that he once and still speaks. If God had never spoken to anyone who then accurately foretold what would happen, men would by now easily laugh off anyone who claims to speak for God as a lunatic. And so, Paul the apostle leaves us a cautionary note in engaging with what is offered as prophecy:  ^“Do not scoff at prophecies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

Yet, while scoffing at prophecies is on one extreme end of the spectrum of responses, we find at the other end a wholesale, undiscerning embrace of everything spoken in the name of God. Both extremes are irresponsible. There is a safe middle ground where the believer must stand to “test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Yes, we are to test prophecy for soundness. Speaking particularly about handling prophecy received in the course of congregational worship, Paul says, “Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29). Therein is the balance. Do not dismiss prophecy offhand, but do not accept it without evaluation either.

There is a safe middle ground where the believer must stand to “test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good

It is critical that prophecy be judged because, from time immemorial, there have been false prophets, and even true prophets (people who speak to and hear from God) who sometimes prophesied falsehood deliberately. Such was the Old prophet spoken of in 1 Kings 13 who deceived a younger prophet.

But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home. – 1 Kings 13:18-19

Moreover, God says “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). In other words, take lightly anyone who purports to speak for God but what he says falls to the ground.

… take lightly anyone who purports to speak for God but what he says falls to the ground.

Now it is important to note two things. Firstly, there are prophecies that are contingent rather than absolute. An example is God’s message to Nineveh through Jonah that he would destroy the city unless they repent. Nineveh repented and so the destruction never came. It is therefore important that we are able to tell a contingent prophecy apart from an absolute one. Of course, smart charlatans can exploit this rule of contingency to concoct permutations and present them as prophecy. Pray for grace to be able to discern this craftiness.

Secondly, we sometimes don’t have the luxury of time to wait to see how a prophecy plays out to judge whether the giver is a true prophet, especially when the prophecy places a demand on us to act in a certain way and with immediacy. In this situation, if after weighing the prophecy against the established word of God and you still have doubts, I recommend concentrated praying to receive direction from God personally.

Overall, it is helpful to note that prophecies tend to be specific rather than generic; if God speaks at all, he does so to shed light on an issue not to further obscure it. Generic statements that are malleable and allow the speaker to wriggle out of what he claims God said, tend to be permutations rather than prophecies. Also, there is what we may call latent prophecy because, “Surely the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood; So the churning of anger produces strife” (Proverbs 30:33). In other words, a half decent pundit can to a significant extent tell that if it rains in the night, the ground will be moist in the morning.

Critically, prophecy that flows from a mindset that assumes the primacy of political power over every other kind of power is attestation that the person that speaks is a politician rather than a prophet. Anyone who as a prophet has spoken with the Almighty God knows that He rules in the affairs of men, irrespective of who may appear to be in charge of men’s affairs. One truly righteous man has greater power to shape the destiny of a nation more than all the evil men in it. As God said to Jeremiah, “Run up and down through every street in all Jerusalem; search high and low and see if you can find even one person who is fair and honest! Search every square, and if you find just one, I’ll not destroy the city!” (Jeremiah 5:1).

As the high drama of political seasons ebbs and flows and ramps up to frenetic climaxes, let not your heart be troubled by the pundits and politicians. 

Let. Not. Your. Heart. Be. Troubled