Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15).
Right now, we’re living in “uncertain times.” People are scared and are looking for answers, for the certainty of what’s to come. We are also living in a time where false prophets, aka soothsayers, are popping up all over the place, especially on social media. So how do you tell the difference between a prophet that God sends and a soothsayer sent by satan? You can differentiate between both through the Word of God and heavy reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
There’s a consistent pattern of the prophets in the Bible. When they came or were called upon to deliver a message, it was a warning, a foretelling of the future (good or bad), instructions for a corrupt spiritual state of a people, or to declare God’s judgment (good or bad). The prophet Moses prophesied blessings to the Israel children if they obeyed God and cursings for disobeying God (Deuteronomy 28). Deborah, the prophetess, told Barak that God will subdue Jabin, a king of Cannan, who oppressed the Israel children for many years into his hands (Judges 4). The prophet Isaiah gave Judah and the Israel children instructions to turn from their wicked ways (Isaiah 1). The prophet Jeremiah prophesied to Jerusalem about God’s judgment of destruction and the Babylonian seizure because they disobeyed God (Jeremiah 16).
Unlike today, Biblically, people were not waiting in line, anxiously to hear a word from a prophet, usually because they were aware of their spiritual state and knew that the news they would receive was “not sweet” to their ears. I used to listen to this prophetess/pastor religiously driving home from work. She had a 3:00 p.m. radio segment where you could hear her prophesying over people and people’s testimonies of her prophecy coming true. People would line up to get a word from her. One day, I asked the Holy Spirit if I should go to her to inquire about a personal matter. The Holy Spirit immediately responded with, “She’s a witch.” Later, He revealed that it does not matter if what she (a soothsayer) speaks comes to pass. God will prove your love for Him, to see if you will obey Him or go after other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).
A false prophet is similar to a soothsayer. They say what’s soothing to the ears. The only difference is that a false prophet comes in the name of Jesus. Here are some tips to determine the difference between a prophetess and a soothsayer:
- A prophet cannot give a word upon request. This is not Biblical. There is no record in the Bible where you will read a group of people standing in line to receive individual prophecies. Prophets spend a lot of their time in solitude, waiting to hear from the Holy Spirit. They are not to prophesy unless God has given them a word (Deuteronomy 18:19-22).
- If you are given a message about your current situation that is contrary to God’s laws, commandments, covenants, precepts, judgments, and statutes, you are hearing from a soothsayer. For example, if the Holy Spirit gave you specific instructions to follow and confirmed the instructions through the Word of God, and a prophet comes along with a contrary message and gives you a scripture to gain your confidence, then this is satan. Read the story of the man of God and the old prophet in Bethel in 1 Kings 13.
- If a prophet says to you that God is going to bless you and you know that you are out of the will of God and living a sinful life, then you are being lied to (Jeremiah 23:16-17).
Remember queens, before receiving a word from a prophet, ask the Holy Spirit to verify if the word is for you and if it’s from God.
XOXO,
Jay
