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Have you ever had a very important question to which you couldn't find an answer?
Maybe you've wondered what career you should choose, what your life might be like in 20 years' time, or what you should decide about this or that issue? Wouldn't it be great if you could just go to God and ask HIM?
Actually, there is – at least indirectly – such a possibility. If we want to hear God, we have to look up His WORD, which He spoke to the prophets and which we have in writing today. These prophets were guided by divine inspiration. God gave them dreams, visions, or spoke to them with an audible voice. There have always been people who have been used by God in this special way. They have what is known as the 'gift of prophecy'. This means that God has called them to this important ministry which, according to Ephesians 4:11-14, has three functions:
- To mature Christians for the proclamation of the Gospel;
- To promote unity and to correct false doctrines and opinions about God; and
- To protect us from the many deceptions and false teachings we have in this world.
The Bible predicts many deceptions and false teachings about God in the last days before Jesus' return. This is the time we are living in today! In particular, it speaks of 'lawlessness'. In Matthew 24:12, for example, it says, "And because LAWLESSNESS will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (ESV, emphasis added). In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 we read, "Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of LAWLESSNESS is revealed, the son of destruction" (ESV, emphasis added). It goes on to speak of the return of Jesus, which will be preceded by this lawlessness. It is obviously a time when the Ten Commandments will no longer be observed, or certainly not all of them.
In the great prophetic book that describes our time in more detail – the last book of the Bible, Revelation – it is predicted that Satan will fight very decisively against the followers of Jesus. True Christians will be distinguished by the fact that they "... keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 12:17, ESV). And the testimony of Jesus, says Revelation 19:10, "is the spirit of prophecy".
In other words, in the last epoch of world history, those who will incur the wrath of Satan because they are still faithful to God are those who KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS and have the gift of WISDOM or prophecy in their ranks.
God has often sent prophets at specific times in the history of the world to give specific guidance to believers. Some of them wrote Biblical books that we can still read today. Others spoke only to their contemporaries and left nothing for us. Even in more modern times, God is still revealing Himself, and He has also announced the future to us.
But we are called to test every prophetic message for authenticity. All that glitters is not gold! A few simple principles can help separate the true from the false when someone has visions, dreams, or impressions and thinks they are from God:
- Does the prophet's message agree with the Bible? God never contradicts Himself. So, what is recorded in the Scriptures is the standard for everything that claims to be from God. Even if a self-proclaimed prophet shows off with signs and wonders and inspires the masses, if they speak contrary to the Bible, it is guaranteed to be a deception!
- The life of the prophet can also help us to judge them correctly. Does the prophet live by what they teach? Does their ministry have a beneficial effect? Or do they seek only their own glory? Do they call people to keep the commandments and to repent? Or do they lull people into a false sense of security? Does the word of the prophet come true?
In the last days of world history there will be false prophets, error, lawlessness, and apostasy from the Word of God – but there will also be faithful believers who heed God's Word, who "... keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus [the prophetic gift]" (Revelation 12:17).
Will you be a faithful believer?
Bible texts for in-depth study:
Numbers 12:6; Deuteronomy 18:21-22; 2 Chronicles 20:20; Jeremiah 28:9; Amos 3:7; Joel 3:1-2; Matthew 7:15-23; Acts 2:14-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; Hebrew 1:1-3; 1 John 4:1-6; Revelation 12:17; 19:10; 22:8-9
