How to Know A Responsible Prophet (1) – Discerning True Voices from False

How to Know A Responsible Prophet

Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? – Lamentations 3:37

One of the commonplace features of our times is the preponderant number of clergies who perform pastoral roles and preach the word of God to the people. We have earlier considered how some of the people in clergy offices are either genuinely called by God, some are called but not in the office where they are ministering, therefore they have answered someone else’s calling; the third group are those not even called by God at all, but who have called themselves into ministry or were erroneously ordained by spiritual mentors. Whatever the case may be, these individuals get to declare the counsel of God to the laity and speak as His oracle.

However, just as there are innumerable men of God, there are even more spurious foretells or prophetic utterances out there said by the men of God over the lives of the people in their congregation or in direct address to an individual or a group of persons. It seems it is fashionable for anyone answering pastor, bishop, prophet, apostle or any such title to freely make declarations over people’s lives, about sociopolitical developments, or other global affairs. Some have even gone to the extreme of declaring specific dates when the world would come to an end, the rapture or the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, would take place.

Let’s quickly deal with this latter trend: any so-called man of God who claims to know or declare the date that the rapture will take place is fake. This is because Jesus Christ, who propounded the phenomenon of the second coming, expressly said that He Himself did not know the exact date or time that it would happen (Matthew 24:36). So, if Jesus, who maintained the clearest head and was 100% free of earthly contamination and pollution, said He did not know the exact date, how would a 100% flesh-and-blood mortal prophet know more than Jesus?

We will still consider the topic of rapture and the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, later. However, if it is any consolation, it has always been a matter of mystery and guesswork in Christendom, even from the days of the early Christians, when some, including Paul the Apostle, assumed it would happen in their times. This year, 2025, marks exactly 1,995 years since Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, and as many years humanity has been waiting for His return. Yet, the earliest indication we have is that the rapture may happen any time.

One of the ways to know a prophet or clergy who is truly called by or hears from God is that they do not go about making spurious declarations about the timing and schedule of the rapture, as that is totally outside the scope of knowledge of any mortal. Those who make bold claims about such matters are mere scaremongers and rabble-rousers. They are not to be taken seriously.

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus’ Name!

Also read:

• Getting Your Calling Right (2): When Character Isn’t Calling
• Understanding the Devil: The Master of Disguise and Subtle Conspirator
• Women in the Bible: Eve – A Woman Who Shares
• That Will Be More Than Enough: A Story of Quiet Courage and Gentle Strength
• A Radical Makeover!
• Prayer Works!

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