God only speaks to them, not you, so you have to have faith that they really are messengers of god's instructions. If you reject them and they were real prophets, you might receive eternal hellfire for disobedience.
How are you supposed to know which ones are real and which ones aren't? I've seen their predictions of the future in the bible and they're too general and open to interpretation to be called credible.How do you differentiate a false prophet from a true prophet?
The biblical definition of a false prophet is someone who makes a single prophecy that turns out to be wrong.
Like Pat Robertson.How do you differentiate a false prophet from a true prophet?
This is my own generalization of a false prophets they usually lead by multitudes.They are out their to seek their own personal interest. When they should be making sacrifice to the Almighty. I also believe that their accounts are biased and not the correct word of GOD. This is really a tough question to answer and it is making me think way to hard. Can you ask a more complexed question? There are many factors to take into consideration and so forth and I just want to get points.
Your first statement ';God only speaks to them and not you'; is in error..
You are not going to receive hellfire for disobedience..
God gives every true believer the Holy Spirit to guide him and the Holy Spirit will guide you as to who is a false prophet and who isn't..
All prophets external to ourselves are false. God dwells in each one of us so all of us can communicate with God and prophesy. We don't need anyone else to tell us what to think or what to believe. If you will sit still and meditate, you will hear the voice of God, and it will speak to you.
A 'true' prophet will give you the message and let you choose how to react.
A 'false' prophet will try to ram the message down your throat, threaten you if you don't 'believe', and force everyone into doing things 'their' way.
Some folk recommend reading ';The Celestine Prophecies'; as a helpful guide.
Hope this helps.
Remember there are no new words from God, everything is in the Bible, the word for prophet simply means speaking forth the truth of what God has already said, and anyone deaning Jesus is Lord is a false prophet. Check out 1st 2nd %26amp; 3rd John.
I haven't met a prophet yet. I have met a lot of false ones though. Satan comes in many guises. To a Christian, it is an angel wrapped in light but dark within. Or a friend, or a family member, or??? Hard to know. Anything that does not line up with scripture, is false.
You have to have a very close relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and Wisdom. Pray for discernment. Do not be deceived. Many are. It will get much, much worse.
It can take centuries to discern who is real prophet or Saint.. Unless, God actually makes miracles happen to affirm the prophets status ala documented miracles in the Bible and of the Saints.
A Roman Catholic
http://www.vatican.va
You just get the prophet to pee on a test strip you can buy at Rite-Aid. If it's blue, then you've got yourself the real deal. If it's pink, then you better get your throwin' stones ready. If it's purple, consult a doctor who has a more accurate test.
False prophets typically *claim* to be prophets. The 'true' ones just brought a message of truth. Prayer and faith. Trust your faith and instincts. The bible has your answers, not someone claiming to be a prophet.
Allah Allmighty has been very kind ,,He Allmighty has told us in Glorious Quran about The Prophets,,so therefore we Believe
A true prophet will only speak those words that God would speak. A true prophet speaks for God.
The gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit and knowledge of God's word will help you from being deceived
It is very simple. There are no true prophets, so all prophets are false.
A false prophet would lead people away from God and a true prophet wouldn't.
The false prophets are the ones saying they KNOW the future.
you check their teachings with the bible
faith plain and simple and of course common sence a true prophet will not ask for money
Jesus warns us in the Bible that there will be many people who will claim to be of God, but really these are the antichrist. The spirit of the antichrist runs rampant in this world, so we do need to be vigilant and ever watchful. 2 John 1:7-10 says:
';7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed..';
One way to know the fake from the true is to know God's Word! 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to ';Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'; We need to be daily and actively studying God's word, hiding it in our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can bring it back to our remembrance. If you know the truth and what God has to say, then you will be able to distinguish the frauds from the truth.
Be like the Bereans of the Bible. Acts 17:11 ';These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.'; Line things up with the Word of God!
The prophecies in the Bible are far more specific than many people realize, including the ones in Revelation regarding the destruction of the Great City of Babylon (a metaphorical name for a place obsessed with wealth and luxury and with every other nation of the world required to cater to it) and what appears by scientific knowledge to be an eruption of a super volcano (http://www.livescience.com/, several articles about super volcanoes, including specifically the Yellowstone super volcano currently active and due for an eruption that happens to sit under the U.S.A. which is obsessed with wealth and luxury and to which the rest of the nations of the world must cater). What appears vague and not credible today will appear specific as the events start to occur (Revelation tells of six plagues before the destruction of new Babylon, and it is hard to say you can not make out what these plagues are, among them a horrendous heat wave and a drought that dries up a rather large river, soars breaking out on people and so forth).
In Islam, Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto him) gave three prophecies I know of that were things I believed already would happen by scientific knowledge before I knew they were prophecy of any religion: women will greatly outnumber men, coming true because of bio-accumulative industrial pollutants; it will be difficult to tell men from women, also coming true for same reason; and giant sinkholes will open in connection with earthquakes of right magnitude in right places to cause fill ins of giant holes left in the ground from oil drilling.
How did the people of Jesus (peace be unto him) and Muhammad's day, though, know they were true prophets? According to their stories, Allah provides miracles to accompany the prophets so people will know they are real prophets. The Mahdi prophecy in Islam, though, matches also the prophecy in Revelation that there will be a true witness of Allah (in Revelation it is two true witnesses, I assume Mahdi and partner) at the same time a false prophet with miracle powers from Satan is active. How will you know which one is true if the false prophet performs miracles? The same way some people might have known those other prophets even without the miracles accompanying them...by what they are teaching, plain and simple. Allah has sent plenty of messengers and we all each have innate moral knowledge to guide us too. The one who tells you you can live wealthy and otherwise indulge your ego to live irresponsibly is of course the false prophet. The true prophet will be the one who tells you you have to toe the line and clean up your act or you will not get into heaven and wealth and other ego indulgences have to go. Allah also provides ways for these prophets to gain audience, each is a different story though. Given the Mahdi prophecy specifies a green ensign and the nations having cause to bow to him upon emergence, I think it might have something to do with climate change and I predict you will become a believer when it happens (hardcore skeptics will wait for genetic test results to prove he is descendant of Muhammad).
True prophets make known their faith in Jesus, but more is required than claiming to preach in his name
1 John 4:1-3: “Test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. You gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God.”
Matt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name . . . ?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
True prophets speak in the name of God, but merely claiming to represent him is not enough.
If any individuals or organizations claim to represent God but decline to use God’s personal name, and make it a practice to express their own opinions on matters, are they measuring up to this important qualification of a true prophet?
Ability to perform “great signs,” or “miracles,” is not necessarily proof of a true prophet
Matt. 24:24: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs [“miracles,” TEV] and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.
True prophets and the false can be recognized by the fruitage manifest in their lives and the lives of those who follow them
Matt. 7:15-20: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit . . . Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.”
What characterizes their way of life? “The works of the flesh are . . . fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. . . . Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. On the other hand, the fruitage of [God’s] spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—Gal. 5:19-23; see also 2 Peter 2:1-3.
Distinguishing the True From the False.
In some cases, such as that of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus, God’s prophets performed miraculous works that attested to the genuineness of their message and office. Not all, however, are recorded as performing such powerful works. The three essentials for establishing the credentials of a true prophet, as given through Moses, were: The true prophet would speak in Jehovah’s name; the things foretold would come to pass (De 18:20-22); and his prophesying must promote true worship, being in harmony with God’s revealed word and commandments (De 13:1-4). The last requirement was probably the most vital and decisive, for an individual might hypocritically use God’s name, and by coincidence, his prediction might see fulfillment. But the true prophet was not solely or even primarily a prognosticator, as has been shown. Rather, he was an advocate of righteousness, and his message dealt primarily with moral standards and their application. He expressed God’s mind on matters. (Isa 1:10-20; Mic 6:1-12) Hence, it was not necessary to wait perhaps for years or generations to determine whether the prophet was true or false by fulfillment of a prediction. If his message contradicted God’s revealed will and standards, he was false. Thus, a prophet who foretold peace for Israel or Judah, at a time when the people were engaging in disobedience to God’s Word and Law, of necessity was false.—Jer 6:13, 14; 14:11-16.
Jesus’ later warning concerning false prophets paralleled that of Moses. Though using his name, and giving “signs and wonders to lead astray,” their fruits would prove them “workers of lawlessness.”—Mt 7:15-23; Mr 13:21-23; compare 2Pe 2:1-3; 1Jo 4:1-3.
The true prophet never foretold simply to satisfy human curiosity. Every prediction related to God’s will, purpose, standards, or judgment. (1Ki 11:29-39; Isa 7:3-9) Often the future events foretold were the consequence of existing conditions; as the people sowed, so they would reap. The false prophets lulled the people and their leaders with soothing assurances that, despite their unrighteous course, God was still with them to protect and prosper them. (Jer 23:16-20; 28:1-14; Eze 13:1-16; compare Lu 6:26.) They imitated the true prophets, employing symbolic language and actions. (1Ki 22:11; Jer 28:10-14) While some were outright frauds, many were evidently prophets who became delinquent or apostate. (Compare 1Ki 18:19; 22:5-7; Isa 28:7; Jer 23:11-15.) Some were women, false prophetesses. (Eze 13:17-23; compare Re 2:20.) A “spirit of uncleanness” replaced God’s spirit. All such false prophets were to be put to death.—Zec 13:2, 3; De 13:5.
As to those measuring up to the divine standards, the fulfillment of certain “short-range” prophecies, some being accomplished in just a day or a year, gave basis for confidence that their prophecies relating to a more distant future would also see fulfillment.—1Ki 13:1-5; 14:12, 17; 2Ki 4:16, 17; 7:1, 2, 16-20.
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