Prophecy, prophecies, Prophets, bla bla bla. . . . The Hebrew Bible tells us how to test them, so why don't you?

How anyone can Test a Prophet or a Prophecy

or prove to see if any Prophet or his prophecy is reliable or applicable to us today.

The position of a Prophet, is someone that is specifically CHOSEN (See Isaiah 1:3-10; Jer. 1: 9) by the Almighty Sovereign Creator Power Life-Force, (God) named YHWH [1]. A prophet speaks “before” as in time by predicting future events, or “in place” by the interpretation of the will of YHWH before others. This came about at the Mountain called Horeb (aka Mt. Sinai). The Israelites were there to receive the laws that were to govern their newly formed national identity, the Scriptural Nation of ancient Israel. The Israelites were afraid of hearing the voice of YHWH’s angel and of seeing the fire from this Mighty One while He was speaking to them from the top of the mountain.

Moses asked YHWH and He agreed to provide prophets (before-speakers) for them from their own brothers (those like Moses), men from their clan to be the speaking mouth pieces on behalf of YHWH Himself. These appointed anointed speakers were designated to communicate the will of YHWH to the Israelite people. See Deut 18:15-17.

The requirements and the tests for determining who a true prophet was from a false prophet became very important to the people. Unless the ancient Israelites of that time or even those of us living today can determine if a prophet is speaking the inspired will of the Almighty Sovereign Creator Power Life-Force, named YHWH, the listener could be listening to a false prophet, one that was actually leading those hearing his words away from the Sovereign YHWH.

Important! Prophets never speak of events hundreds or thousands of years in the future. Such prophecy has no value to those for whom the message was delivered or addressed and cannot be acted upon by those listening. A prophecy of future events has value only if the predictions of a prophet can be proven to have come true in the past; this is the only way a prophet can be tested to be a true prophet. Those hearing the prophecy and those who have tested the words of the prophet from the past (according to The Bible) as having come true, can act or “hearken to” the message of that tested prophet.

Again, the testing of a prophet always requires a fulfillment of a past prophecy within the life span of the prophet, or within the life span of the generation listening to him. Note: a Biblical generation is within 40 +/- years from those hearing the prophet’s message.

Those of us that are living thousands of years after the prophets of ancient Israel, who spoke to the ancient Israelite people as YHWH instructed them, are reading the Scriptural events of prophesies that have already been completed. We are reading history. If for example, Isaiah was a true prophet, (there is no doubt he was) his message of a prediction would have come to pass in his generation. But to us living today the prophecy is “past tense.” In other words, all past prophecy spoken by a “true” prophet of YHWH would have come to pass since the prophecy spoken was for the benefit of the immediate future of those to whom the message was addressed and delivered.

All other so-called prophets claiming “inspiration” must fall under the same testing requirements as the ancient prophets of Israel who spoke to the people of true Israel. If any prophet of today fails the testing requirements, then the words spoken by that prophet are not “inspired” and are NOT the words provided to them by YHWH. Their words are not inspired by YHWH.

The testing of prophets is a requirement for all true believers of the Hebrew Bible, and it must conform to what YHWH in the Bible teaches us. Understanding this truth is for our own benefit and will simplify much of what we read in the Bible especially those “prophecies in time” that predict the future. This eliminates all past tense prophecies that were presented for the benefit of the ancient Israelites only, but are NOT directed and are not intended for those of us living today.

Ancient Bible prophesies are useful to us only as historical events and we can learn from them. The testing of a prophet and his prophecy helps to eliminate all unfounded conjecture and the fantastic opinions or predictions that come from false prophets.

The Required Biblical Tests

According to the Hebrew Bible there are some very specific tests provided for us to determine if a prophet was anointed and appointed to speak the words given to him by the inspiration of the Sovereign YHWH.

The Bible passages below contain the Scriptural tests provided for us to determine if someone is a True Prophet, was anointed, inspired, and sent by YHWH.

1. Deut. 13:1. Explained: A prophet must provide signs and wonders, BUT even if his predictions come true, and yet he leads his listeners to serve powers (gods) other than the Almighty Sovereign Creator named YHWH, that prophet must not be listened to; for YHWH is “testing” those that are listening to this false prophet. The penalty for false prophets (according to Biblical Israelite law) is death.

2. Deut. 18:18. Explained: A prophet must come from among his own people (the Israelite people). He must also be a “true” Israelite (one that keeps the Covenant). In other words, the Israelites are not to listen to a Chinese prophet or a prophet from another race. A prophet must speak only the words that YHWH commands him to speak. He must speak no more and no less.

3. Deut. 18:19. Explained: The Israelites to whom the message by the prophet was directed or presented were to listen and take note (to hearken) to the message that was specifically addressed to them. They (those listening to the prophet) were to act upon the message as was told to them, or they would be held accountable to YHWH. In other words, those that refuse “to hearken” would suffer consequences for not listening and not acting or doing what was presented or required by the message from the prophet of YHWH.

4. Deut. 18:20. Explained: Any prophet that pretends to be speaking (or prophesying) using the name YHWH, something that he was not commanded to speak, or who is speaking in the name of another power (a false God) would die.

5. Deut. 18:21. “And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which YHWH hath not spoken. . . .?”

6. Deut. 18:22. Explained: Here we find the summary to the answer of the most important question. When a prophet speaks in the name of YHWH of things pertaining to the future and the things he speaks of do not happen, or the words are not fulfilled, (cannot be tested by them) then what he has spoken has NOT been inspired or given by YHWH. That prophet has spoken with presumption, and he is not to be feared or acknowledged.

The result of these facts from the Hebrew Bible is this: Everything that a prophet speaks (in before time) or pertaining to the future of those to whom the prophet is addressing MUST have come to pass within their generation. The fulfillment must be completed during the generation of those listeners. Without this “fulfillment” confirmation the prophet cannot be tested as one that was inspired to be speaking on behalf of YHWH. A Generation is 40 years. Without these tests, anyone can claim to be a prophet, and many have.

If we living today are to assume for example, that the words of the authors of the book of Isaiah or those of any other ancient prophet are the authoritative and inspired word of YHWH, then all that is prophesied in the book by that prophet must have come to pass within the generation or life span of the people that were addressed by that prophet. A prophecy is NEVER applicable to people living hundreds or even thousands of years in the future. Such prophecy cannot be tested, and are therefore FALSE.

What about the Book of Revelation?

Many modern day churches, especially TV-oriented evangelical type “mega” churches are neck deep in future predictions. Hardly a week goes by when a new book isn’t offered to the Christian public (free of course with a recommended donation). This is prevalent in hard times. Millions of dollars are generated from so-called experts on the so called coming Revelation events. Are they reliable?

Let’s take a look. The Jerusalem Bible version (just one translation) in its introduction to the book of Revelation closes in part with this interesting paragraph: “As it stands, the text of Revelation presents many difficulties: repetitions, interruptions in the sequence of visions, and passages obviously divorced from their context. Many explanations have been suggested: that Revelation was compiled from diverse sources, that whole chapters have been accidentally misplaced, etc.” (Emphasis ours)

If one still wants to believe that Revelation is inspired, then the key to the prophecy written in the entire book can be found in Rev 1:4, since the verse says that the book of Revelation was written to the seven churches in Asia. Therefore, if you are not living in Asia some 2,000+ years ago, the events in it can not apply to you! Unfortunately, Revelation is a book that some denominations can’t seem to do without. They must need it to keep the mystery of it going. Were the events of Revelation “close at hand” or near “the time” when the people of the seven churches in Asia lived? Read Rev 1:3, and 22:10, and then you can be the judge!

So, YES, you can, and must determine the truth by using the tests that YHWH has provided for you in His Hebrew Bible!