Prophecy 2

Makestraightpaths.com examines the teachings of the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love,” and evaluates these teachings from a Christian perspective.

This page is one of a series examining the position of the Bible in Family theology.

Prophecy

Much of the Bible contains the recorded words of prophets, people who actually heard the voice of God and wrote down what He said. For example, large sections of the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah consist of ‘prophecies’ in which the prophet wrote down what he heard God saying to him.

Then, after God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Christians were told that God was now within them and would be personally present with them. Each believer now had the potential to receive prophecies from God.

The question necessarily arise whether there is a difference between the prophecies that comprise the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the prophecies that New Testament believers may receive. Further, Christians need to know whether there is a difference between prophecies recorded anywhere in the Bible and prophecies received in the 21^st century, between the biblical messages we can read in the books of the Old and New Testaments, and ‘messages’ that Christians get today when they are in prayer about something.

Specifically for the Family, is there a difference between a Family publication containing words that are claimed to be ‘Jesus speaking,’ and the words of Jesus in the Bible? Is ‘prophecy’ God’s Word for today? What’s the difference between true and false prophecy, and how can we discern between them? Does God still speak today? Does He still have His prophets who give out His word to the world in these days? Bible prophecies were once new revelations; therefore mightn’t God be still giving new revelations?

Understanding the place of the spiritual gift of prophecy is crucial, for at stake is the authority of the word of God: is the Bible the ultimate authority, or can we legitimately ascribe divine authority to personal prophecies?

If all modern prophecy is seen as legitimate then the risk of error increases and it becomes difficult to determine whether or not a prophecy is ‘true’ or ‘false.’ How can we know for sure whether or not a message really does originate with God? The ‘prophet’ may assure his audience that he indeed is truly inspired by the Spirit of God, but should his audience merely accept his word? Does each Christian need to have the ‘gift of discernment’ in order to verify the gift of prophecy?

Prophecy has always played a pivotal role in the Family. The founder claimed to have the gift of prophecy and sent numerous messages to his followers which he said he had received from God. Some of these messages were long and detailed, often in King James English. Other ‘prophecies’ were short, sometimes only a sentence, a verse, a word or two, or even only an impression. Many of these ‘prophecies’ were pivotal in determining Family direction and doctrine. It has always been quite common for an unusual or controversial teaching to be supported by these prophetic messages.

Following the founder’s death 1994, there was a tremendous increase in the use of prophecy. All Family members were encouraged to pray for, practise and use the gift for themselves. Family members were told to ‘hear from God’ about everything. Whenever there was a decision that needed to be made, they should pray and ask God for a message. They could then use the ‘prophecy’ they ‘received’ as the basis for their decision-making.

The main issue this page addresses is that of authority. If someone ‘gets a prophecy’ today, how much authority does it carry? Is it the ‘word of God’ with equal authority as the Bible? How can we tell if a prophecy or a prophet is true or false?

What is prophecy?

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

NT:4395 To prophesy: to break forth under sudden impulse… to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words

NT:4395 Though much of OT prophecy was purely predictive, see Mic 5:2, e.g., and cf. John 11:51, prophecy is not necessarily, nor even primarily, fore-telling. It is the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means, Matt 26:68, it is the forth-telling of the will of God, whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future, see Gen 20:7; Deut 18:18; Rev 10:11; 11:3....

In such passages as 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 2:20, the ‘prophets’ are placed after the ‘Apostles,’ since not the prophets of Israel are intended, but the ‘gifts’ of the ascended Lord, Eph 4:8,11; cf. Acts 13:1;...; the purpose of their ministry was to edify, to comfort, and to encourage the believers, 1 Cor 14:3, while its effect upon unbelievers was to show that the secrets of a man’s heart are known to God, to convict of sin, and to constrain to worship, vv. 24,25. (Vine’s)

To ‘prophesy’ means to proclaim under divine inspiration: A prophet is a speaker for God. While there are certainly predictive prophecies in the Bible, ‘prophecy’ is not synonymous with ‘prediction.’ Rather, it means “speaking under the extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit” (ISBE).

Baker’s Dictionary:

A prophet is an authorized spokesperson for God with a message that originated with God and was communicated through a number of means. When God spoke to these spokespersons, they had no choice but to deliver that word to those to whom God directed it… Biblical prophecy is more than “fore-telling”: two-thirds of its inscripturated form involves “forth-telling,” that is, setting the truth, justice, mercy, and righteousness of God against the backdrop of every form of denial of the same. Thus, to speak prophetically was to speak boldly against every form of moral, ethical, political, economic, and religious disenfranchisement observed in a culture that was intent on building its own pyramid of values vis-a-vis God's established system of truth and ethics.

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia:

Prophecy (Rom 12:6 1 Cor 12:10 1 Cor 12:28-29), under which may be included exhortation (Rom 12:8; compare 1 Cor 14:3). The gift of prophecy was bestowed at Pentecost upon the church as a whole (Acts 2:16 ff), but in particular measure upon certain individuals who were distinctively known as prophets. Only a few of the Christian prophets are directly referred to-Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32), the prophets at Antioch (13:1), Agabus and the prophets from Jerusalem (11:27 f), the four daughters of Philip the evangelist (verse 9). But 1 Corinthians shows that there were several of them in the Corinthian church; and probably they were to be found in every Christian community. … It is evident that the functions of the prophet must sometimes have crossed those of the apostle, and so we find Paul himself described as a prophet long after he had been called to the apostleship (Acts 13:1). And yet there was a fundamental distinction. While the apostle, as we have seen, was one “sent forth” to the unbelieving world, the prophet was a minister to the believing church (1 Cor 14:4,22). Ordinarily his message was one of “edification, and exhortation, and consolation” (1 Cor 14:3). Occasionally he was empowered to make an authoritative announcement of the divine will in a particular case (Acts 13:1 ff). In rare instances we find him uttering a prediction of a future event (Acts 11:28; 21:10 f).

With prophecy must be associated the discernings of spirits (1 Cor 12:10 1 Cor 14:29; 1 Thess 5:20 f; compare 1 John 4:1). The one was a gift for the speaker, the other for those who listened to his words. The prophet claimed to be the medium of divine revelations (1 Cor 14:30); and by the spiritual discernment of his hearers the truth of his claim was to be judged (verse 29). There were false prophets as well as genuine prophets, spirits of error as well as spirits of truth (1 John 4:1-6; compare 2 Thess 2:2; Didache xi). And while prophesyings were never to be despised, the utterances of the prophets were to be “proved” (1 Thess 5:20 f), and that in them which came from the Spirit of God spiritually judged (1 Cor 2:14), and so discriminated from anything that might be inspired by evil spirits.

(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Spiritual Gifts)

Macarthur:

The Greek word for prophecy is propheteia, from the verb propheteuo. It is a basic word coming from pro = “before,” and phemi = “to speak.” It means “to speak before.” It does not mean “to speak before” in terms of time, but “to speak before” in terms of an audience (i.e., “to speak in public, to publicly proclaim”). That is the gift of prophecy. It is not necessarily revelatory (i.e., revelation direct from God), or nonrevelatory (i.e., proclaiming something God already revealed in the past). It is simply a communicative gift. The idea of predicting the future was only an English addition to the word from the Middle Ages. A Greek or a Hebrew knew that prophecy simply meant “to speak publicly.”

Now, what is the gift of prophecy? It is the ability given by the Spirit of God to a person to proclaim God’s truth to others. First Corinthians 14:3 says, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men....” There, in very simple terms, is a definition of the gift: He speaks unto men God’s word. … It is the gift of proclaiming, the gift of speaking before men. (Spiritual Gifts)

1 Cor 14:3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. NASU

The gift of prophecy

Prophecy is mentioned in the Bible as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly in the first epistle to the Corinthians. It appears that the Corinthians’ pagan past was infecting their church, so Paul took pains to spell out several points.

1 Cor 12:1-3

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

NASU

Some people had been coming into their worship services, and while pretending to be under the power of the Holy Spirit, had actually been cursing Jesus. Perhaps their performance had been quite convincing, for Paul had to clarify that it was impossible for the Holy Spirit to say such things. He then makes the same point in reverse, as it is the only by the Holy Spirit that we may come to submit ourselves to Jesus as Lord of every aspect of our lives.

Note that Paul did not say that if someone says “Jesus is Lord” then everything he says is anointed by the Holy Spirit. Rather, he is condemning those who speak against Jesus, and placing Jesus’ lordship at the centre of their understanding of these spiritual gifts.

1 Cor 12:4-11

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

NASU

In this list of various spiritual gifts, Paul repeatedly stresses that all gifts come from the same source. It is the Holy Spirit who distributes different gifts to individual Christians “just as He wills” (vs.11). One of the reasons for this emphasis is the fact that the Corinthians had been engaging in a certain amount of spiritual one-upmanship. Paul rebuked them in chapter one for their factional disputes over preferred leadership (“I am of Apollos” “I am of Paul” 1 Cor 1:12). Here, Paul stresses that no particular gift is more important than any other gift because they all originate from the same Holy Spirit. There is no particular hierarchy of gifts. One person may be given the gift of prophecy, while another may receive the gift of the word of knowledge and the prophet is not above the one with knowledge.

The next paragraph (vs.12-26) presents the analogy of the body as representative of the church, in which each member depends on all the others.

Then, Paul returns to his earlier topic, with another list of various roles and gifts that may be present in the church.

1 Cor 12:27-31

27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

NASU

Not every Christian needs to fill every role, because within the body of believers, God will appoint people with the roles or gifts that are needed (vs.28). So, one of the themes here is of unity within diversity. It is clear that the gift of prophecy is not more important than any other gift, and it is also clear that true prophecy will not cause doctrinal division within the body of Christ.

It is important to remember that the word ‘church’ in 1 Corinthians does not refer to ‘the denomination’ or the ‘local group of believers’ or ‘those who follow Paul.’ The ‘church’ is the universal body of all believers, regardless of their location, the historical time they live, or the particular group they are organised into. If they are true believers, they are members of the church. Therefore, the unity that is an integral part of the gifts of the Spirit means cross-denominational unity. Unity that is confined to a particular location or denomination or group is no unity.

The book of Ephesians tells a similar story. It is God who appoints His people into various roles:

Eph 4:11-16

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

NASU

Note that the purpose of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to equip the saints “for the work of ministry” (vs.12 NET Bible), “until we all attain to the unity of the faith” (vs.13). Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers build up the church in order to bring unity of faith and unity in knowledge of the Son of God. In fact, this unity is a measure of Christian maturity: “Until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature” (vs.13 NIV), and this unity of faith will protect us from being “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (vs.14).

Keeping gifts in perspective

In the book of Romans, Paul again uses the analogy of the body to discuss spiritual gifts.

Rom 12:3-8

3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

NASU

First, Paul cautions his readers not to become personally proud (vs.3). Using the analogy of the body, he then shows that Christians can complement each other and help each other, according to the particular gifts that they were given (vs.4-6). Each one, however, is to remain humble in the knowledge that he depends on the believers with different gifts.

An alternate translation to verse six is “each of us is to exercise [our gifts] accordingly: if prophecy, in agreement with the faith” (NASU footnote), or “If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in agreement with the faith” (NIV footnote). Vine’s Dictionary says that this verse is a “warning against going beyond what God has given and faith receives.”

So, it is God who determines which spiritual gifts are given to which believer. There is little in the Scripture to support the idea that one may demand a certain gift. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible to support the idea that the gift of prophecy is more important than other gifts. True spiritual gifts will always foster unity across the universal body of Christ because true spiritual gifts originate from the same source. Therefore, any ‘prophecy’ which causes factional or doctrinal disunity may be safely rejected as being false.

Guidelines for prophecy

Returning to First Corinthians, chapter 14 contains some specific instruction about the use of prophecy in the church. The bulk of the chapter is a comparison between the gift of tongues (or “languages”) and prophecy. Prophecy is intended as a gift to strengthen the church, whereas the gift of tongues is for a sign to unbelievers (as it was on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two).

1 Cor 14:22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. NASU

Paul says that prophecy is far to be preferred over tongues.

1 Cor 14:5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. NASU

1 Cor 14:18-19

18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

NASU

Towards the end of the chapter, Paul gives some specific counsel as to how the Corinthians should run their worship services.

1 Cor 14:26-33

26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

NASU

People were not to speak in tongues (or “languages”) unless an interpreter was present. If anyone had a prophecy to say, they were to do it in an orderly fashion, one by one. Following each prophecy (or after two or three messages), the other believers were to “pass judgement” on the prophecies. This judgement would include evaluating whether or not this was a true prophecy, as well as carefully weighing the content.

Women were specifically forbidden to prophesy in the church (1 Cor 14:34-35).

Paul then specifically addresses the would-be prophets in Corinth with a foundational principle.

1 Cor 14:36-38

36 Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? 37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

NASU

The Corinthians were not the source of the Christian revelation, and they were to recognise their place (vs.36). If anyone wanted to be a prophet, the very first thing he had to do was to acknowledge Paul’s superior authority. Anyone who did not accept Paul’s instructions was immediately to be rejected or “ignored” (NIV). Actually, this verse applies today as much as it did in the first century. If anyone wishes to be a prophet in the 21^st century, he must first acknowledge Paul’s superior authority. He must first accept Paul’s instructions as from a higher authority. He must believe and teach that the things that Paul wrote are “the Lord’s commandment” (vs.37). Anyone who does not do this should not be recognised as a prophet.

It should be noted here that the founder of the Family had serious issues with Paul’s writings, particularly regarding sexual matters. He claimed that Paul had not shaken his Jewish legalism and therefore had written things in his epistles that were merely his own opinion. However, the New Testament offers no option to treat Paul’s writings as mere opinions. They are authoritative, given by inspiration of God as the Holy Spirit moved him.

To reiterate, “if anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what [Paul wrote] is the Lord’s command” (1 Cor 14:37 NIV).

False prophecy

It is as important to understand and be warned against false prophecy as it is to understand the true gift of prophecy. There are numerous warnings throughout the Old and New Testaments to be wary of false prophets, and a lot of specific advice for recognising and dealing with them.

‘Prophecy’ is defined as proclamation of the truth under divine inspiration. Therefore, false prophecy occurs when someone emulates a true prophet, while proclaiming untruth. This may occur because the false prophet deliberately intends to deceive the people, or because he is deceived himself and does not know that he is speaking lies.

FALSE PROPHESYINGS

Among those given to false prophesying were the ones who spoke after “the deceit of their own heart” (Jer 14:13-14); those who without real prophetic gift borrowed a message and assumed the speech of prophecy (Jer 23:28,31); and those who sought the prophet's role in order to gain the material gifts which came from the people to their prophets (Mic 3:5). These, when discovered, were counted worthy of punishment and even death. There were, however, false prophesyings from men who honestly believed themselves to have a message from Yahweh. These prophecies from self-deceived prophets often led the people astray. The dream of national greatness was substituted for the voice of Yahweh. It was against such prophesying that the true prophets had to contend.

(International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia)

Judging prophets by their fruit

Obviously, it is very important to know how to judge whether a prophet or prophecy is true or false, and there are a number of passages in the Bible that give several specific guidelines on how to do this.

Matt 7:15-20

15 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

NASU

The importance of being able to discern the truth of a prophet is stressed in verse 15, in which Jesus warns that there is extreme danger in being deceived: “Beware!” The proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing has only one purpose, that is, to devour the sheep. Likewise, following a false prophet can be spiritually deadly.

Jesus said that one of the tests of a true or false prophet is in the fruit they bear. This analogy of fruit representing something by which a prophet may be judged brings to mind Jesus’ reference to the vine in John 15, where He points out that only those branches that “abide in the vine” will bear fruit (John 15:4).

The important question to ask here is exactly what kind of good fruit attests to a true prophet, and what kind of bad fruit discloses a false prophet.

In the Family, it is common to point to statistics that show large numbers of ‘souls saved’ in order to ‘prove’ that the Family bears good fruit, and that the founder of the Family, who claimed to be a prophet, was therefore a true prophet. There are several points that must be raised about this practice of using statistics to judge the truthfulness of a prophet or group, as statistics can be very misleading.

First, Family teaching is that ‘salvation’ is obtained by the mere repetition of the ‘salvation prayer.’ In other words, anyone who repeats the prayer is automatically ‘saved,’ whether or not they understood what they were saying, whether or not they repented from their sins, whether or not they actually accepted Christ as their Lord. True salvation is, of course, far deeper than that. It is a miraculous event, in which God calls a sinner to repentance and bestows upon him the gifts of forgiveness, sanctification, transformation and eternal life. At best, the Family concept of salvation is simplistic and formulaic. At worst, it misleads people into believing they have fulfilled their entire obligation towards God, whereas in reality they may be continuing in sin, without having escaped its fearful consequences.

This means that people who are counted as ‘souls saved’ in Family statistics may or may not actually be converts to Christianity. They were persuaded to repeat the ‘salvation prayer’ but may not actually have repented from their sins. This point effectively nullifies all Family ‘salvation’ statistics.

For more on salvation, click here.

Second, Family statistics are impossible to verify. Statistics are compiled in the Family from the reports of individual members who send in their numbers each month. There is no evidence to support the numbers cited, other than anecdotal salvation testimonials. Family statistics actually prove no more than their own ability to collect statistics.

Third, salvation is a gift of God and a work of God. It is God Himself who gets the credit for every salvation, not any church. Therefore, even if a person was genuinely ‘saved’ and converted to Christianity, no person, church or group may claim that person as evidence of their own good fruit.

Fourth, Jesus did not say that His followers may be judged by the number of converts they had. In fact, such a teaching is completely foreign to the Bible. There is nowhere in the Bible to indicate that the number of followers one has is an indication of the truth of one's claims.

However, Jesus did say that people would be judged by their obedience to Him and by their love for each other. Regarding obedience, one may ask why the Family does not follow Christ’s teaching on sexual matters, and regarding love, why they exhibit no love for Christians who are not members of their group.

So, what kind of ‘fruit’ was Jesus talking about?

Fruits, in the Scripture and Jewish phraseology, are taken for works of any kind. “A man's works,” says one, “are the tongue of his heart, and tell honestly whether he is inwardly corrupt or pure.” By these works you may distinguish (epignoosesthe) these ravenous wolves from true shepherds. The judgment formed of a man by his general conduct is a safe one: if the judgment be not favourable to the person, that is his fault, as you have your opinion of him from his works, i.e. the confession of his own heart.

[So every good tree] As the thorn can only produce thorns, not grapes; and the thistle, not figs, but prickles; so an unregenerate heart will produce fruits of degeneracy. As we perfectly know that a good tree will not produce bad fruit, and the bad tree will not, cannot produce good fruit, so we know that the profession of godliness, while the life is ungodly, is imposture, hypocrisy, and deceit. A man cannot be a saint and a sinner at the same time. Let us remember, that as the good tree means a good heart, and the good fruit, a holy life, and that every heart is naturally vicious; so there is none but God who can pluck up the vicious tree, create a good heart, plant, cultivate, water, and make it continually fruitful in righteousness and true holiness.

(Adam Clarke’s Commentary)

Any examination of the fruits of Family ‘prophets’ should focus on the godliness of their lives, their obedience to scriptural demands for holiness, their personal and moral purity. ‘Fruit’ is not measured by the amount people show ‘love’ to others, nor by how many followers they have, nor by the number of people they convince to pray a short prayer, but by how obedient they are to biblical standards.

Judging prophets by their miracles

Immediately after instructing his audience to observe the personal fruit in the lives of so-called prophets, Jesus warned that there would be many people who would prophesy falsely in His own name.

Matt 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’

NASU

False prophets would prophesy in Jesus’ name. This shows that even if someone uses the name of Jesus in a prophecy, they may still be speaking error. Even if they “cast out demons” or “perform many miracles” in Jesus’ name, they may still be a false prophet. What did Jesus say was wrong with them? They practiced “lawlessness” (vs.23 NASU, NKJV) or “lawbreakers” (NET), “evildoers” (NIV, RSV). The Greek phrase means those whose acts show “contempt and violation of law” (Thayer’s). It is the prophets’ disregard and disobedience to the truth of God’s word that proves that they are false. In fact, their lawlessness overrides any fruit they bear, miracles they perform, or even any words they say. When someone is disobedient to the commands of God in the Bible, their ‘prophecies’ are of no account.

Later, Jesus predicted that these people would continue to appear. They will be able to perform miracles and give prophecy, but nonetheless they will be false prophets.

Matt 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. NIV

A miracle does not prove that someone is speaking the truth. This is a principle that was spelled out for the Israelites from the beginning.

Deut 13:1-5

1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

NASU

How were the Israelites to know whether the prophet was true or false? They were not to allow themselves to be swayed by miracles which he performed; the test was not whether his prophecy came true. Rather, they had to compare the prophet’s message with the commandments of the Lord. If his message conflicted with what the Lord had already said, then he was a false prophet.

This is the primary test of the truthfulness of a prophet. If their words do not conform to biblical truth, then they are speaking false prophecy, regardless of how many converts they claim to have, regardless of whether they spoke the truth in the past, regardless of whether they use the name of Jesus.

This is in fact the test of any teacher. Jesus made it very clear that all teachers were to be measured and judged by the commandments of God, and in this case He was speaking specifically about the Old Testament:

Matt 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. NIV

False teachers

There is a lot in the New Testament about false teachers. As the Early Church grew and new churches were planted, there were constant battles against people who would try to infiltrate the believers with various false doctrines. For example, Ephesus seemed to be continually plagued with false teachers, and we can read about some of this in Paul’s letters to Timothy.

The first epistle to Timothy was written to assist Timothy with some rather complex problems. He had been left in charge of the church in Ephesus, but there were also present a number of false teachers who had been leading many of the believers astray. One of Timothy’s initial tasks in Ephesus was to prevent these false teachers from speaking (1 Tim 1:3). It seems that they enjoyed the acclaim of being teachers, but were sadly ignorant of their subject matter.

1 Tim 1:7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. NIV

Paul asserted that these false teachers had deserted their faith and had been deceived by the Devil.

1 Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. NIV

The “deceiving spirits” had been enticing them with ideas of profiteering from the Ephesian Christians:

1 Tim 6:3-5

3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

NIV

How did Paul define exactly what constituted ‘false doctrines?’ The false teachers’ words do not agree with the “sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness” (vs.3 RSV). Any teaching that differed from what Christ had taught was to be rejected, as was anything that promoted ungodliness. Paul listed a few characteristics of the false teachers: they were conceited, ignorant of the scriptures, morbidly interested in “controversial questions” (vs.4 NASU), they provoked envy, strife, and so on.

The false teachers had been deceived by demonic activity, and were actively infecting others with the same deception. Paul told Timothy to silence them.

1 Tim 1:3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines NASU

Paul warned about false teachers in other places as well. The book of Romans concludes with a warning to avoid divisive teachers.

Rom 16:17-18

17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

NIV

The way the Romans were to judge the teachers was by comparing their words to the “teaching you have learned.” Anything that did not measure up to sound doctrine was to be rejected. Sound doctrine was defined as the teaching of Christ, and His anointed Apostles.

Similar warnings occur throughout the New Testament. For example, the readers of the book of Hebrews were also warned not to “be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (NASU). They were also told to examine the fruits of the lives of those who taught them.

Heb 13:7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. NASU

The Galatians were told that any person or any spirit being that preached a contrary Gospel was “accursed” (Gal 1:8 NASU) or “eternally condemned” (NIV).

Jesus advised his disciple to avoid the Pharisees, whose teachings would lead people astray.

Matt 15:14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit. NASU

“God’s word for today”

There are serious implications that must be considered if one is to claim that prophecy is ‘God’s word for today.’

If we say that prophecy is the Word of God for today, then we are also saying that the Bible is God’s Word for yesterday. If we say that prophecy contains God’s up-to-date instructions then we are also saying that the Bible is somehow out of date. If we say that prophecy is the living modern word of God then we also say that the Bible is no longer alive and powerful. We are saying that the Bible is dead. Or we are saying that the Bible is not dead, but just that it is silent, or irrelevant. We are proposing that prophecies are the new standard by which all truth is to be measured, or that prophecies proclaim additional, new truth.

Therefore, what is God’s word for today?

The Bible is the ultimate revelation of God, containing “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV). The Bible is the word of God that is “living and active” (Heb 4:12 NASU). Even the Old Testament contains “living words” (Acts 7:38 NIV).

It is the Bible that is God’s living word for today.

The fruit of the Family

Jesus instructed His followers to examine the fruit of the lives of those who would be teachers. People with ungodly lives could not be true prophets, and their messages were to be rejected. Exactly what is the fruit that results from teachings that are exclusive to the Family? What are the ‘prophecies’ that the Family has received that are different from other Christians, and what is the fruit of those particular prophecies?

Family members have been told in prophecy that they are elite disciples, with more truth than other Christians, given because of their extraordinary obedience. Does this produce the fruit of humility? Of unity? Obviously not. For more on the importance of unity, read this page: Doctrinal Unity.

Family adults have been told in prophecy to engage in sex outside their own marriage. Does this produce the fruit of stable family units? Do Family teens grow up respecting others’ bodies, treating those of the opposite sex with self-control, respect and unselfishness? Obviously not. For more on the Law of Love, see these pages: The Law of Love in the Gospels or The Law of love in the Epistles.

Family members have been given prophecies encouraging casual sex between older and younger generations. Does this produce the good fruit of marital stability? Certainly not. For more on marriage click here.

Family members have been given illustrated prophecies picturing Jesus as a basketball coach, or as a naked lover. Does this produce respect and honour for Christ the king? Not at all. For more on Jesus the lover, click here.

Family members have been given prophecies urging them to call in prayer on a plethora of spirit helpers. Does this result in the kind of prayers Jesus commanded, that praise and honour God the Father? Not at all. For more on spirit helpers, click here.

Family members have been given prophecies promoting prophecy itself as ‘new wine’ above the ‘old wine’ of the Bible. Does this produce the good fruit of obedience to the Bible as the unchanging word of God? No, it actually destroys faith in the Bible. For more on prophecy as ‘new wine,’ click here.

Do Family members keep God’s commandments despite the prophecies given them which promise ‘greater freedom than all other Christians’? For example, they have been taught that biblical commandments against adultery do not apply to them. Do Family members have strong convictions to obey other biblical commandments? For more on the Ten Commandments, click here.

Conclusion

The Bible is the standard by which all prophecy is measured. It is the Bible that judges each and every doctrine, each and every revelation. Each individual prophecy must stand before the scrutiny of the Bible for judgement.

Prophecies or teaching are not justified though the inclusion of Bible verses. Rather, the Bible has authority to shred our theories and teachings until nothing remains but what God says. We are to submit our doctrine to the burning fire of truth from which none can hide, until it is either destroyed and discarded, or confirmed by the voice of God speaking through the pages of the Bible.

Each and every ‘prophecy’ published by the Family must be subjected to such an examination.

It does not matter how sincere the prophet is, or how loyal his or her followers are. It does not matter whether they appear to work miracles or gain converts. It does not matter if they have given true prophecy in the past.

Each Family prophecy must be considered individually.

Any prophecy that is contradicted by the Bible must be rejected as false. Any prophecy that brings disunity to the universal body of Christ must be rejected as false. Any prophecy that promotes disobedience to God’s commandments must be rejected as false. Any prophet that demands allegiance to his or her doctrines above those of the New Testament must be rejected as false. Any prophecy that does not submit itself to the authority of the first apostles, Peter, Paul, John, James, and the others must be rejected.

Each Family prophecy that promotes or refers to the Family’s doctrines of sex, the keys of the kingdom,’ contact with spirit helpers, as well as various other unbiblical teachings must be rejected as false.

The Bible contains many warnings not to follow self-proclaimed prophets, even if they speak of Jesus Himself, even if they prophesy about Jesus and give messages that supposedly come from Jesus Himself. The name of Jesus is not a test to determine truth or error. Rather, it is the entire Word of God in the Bible that is the measuring standard by which all else must be judged.

The fact that there are Family ‘prophecies,’ claiming to come ‘from Jesus,’ yet which present unbiblical doctrines, means that all Family ‘prophets’ must be considered as generally unreliable. Further, those who ‘judge’ the messages before publication have proven themselves to be lacking in true discernment. This necessarily includes the current leader of the Family.

Christians are warned to take a close look at the lives of those who would teach us about the Lord, those who boast about their special connection to God, those who take delight in notifying others that they have received more truth, who say with confidence that they know His will. We are to look closely at their lives. Are they obedient to God’s laws? Do they steal? Do they have sexual relations outside of marriage? Do they promote such activities? Teachers or prophets with such bad fruit in their lives are to be rejected and avoided.

The moral fruit of the Family, as detailed above is appalling, and therefore no prophecy published by the Family need be considered at all; all may be rejected as false. No prophecy need be considered unless and until the Family rejects its unbiblical teachings and repents from its sin.

The simple truth is that God will not tell us anything that contradicts what He said in the Bible. Family prophecies contain much that contradicts the Bible; therefore they do not originate from God.

Further study (external sites)

The Gift of Prophecy from the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Spiritual Gifts by John Macarthur. This page quotes from 'The Gifted Men - Apostles and Prophets' and 'The Permanent Edifying Gifts - the Speaking Gifts.' There are many more studies on 1 Corinthians by Macarthur and others here.

What Bible Prophecy is Not! by L.Dolphin

The Spirit's Point, Guidelines on Gifts by Ray Stedman

‘Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy’ from Baker’s Dictionary.

The Authority and Nature of the Gift of Prophecy by John Piper

Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will by John Piper