Biblical Prophecy

People have different perceptions of biblical prophecy. To some, it may seem foreign; to others, it may appear controversial. Still others have accepted lies spread throughout the world—claims that biblical prophecy has somehow changed or that God no longer speaks prophetically through His people. This is false teaching. Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 ESV

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 19:10 ESV

To understand prophet, prophesy, and prophecy, it is necessary to know the definitions of these words.

“Prophet”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The English word “prophet” is the Greek masculine noun prophétés (4396) and means Prophet
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet -- prophet.
HELPS Word-studies: 4396 prophḗtēs (from 4253 /pró, "beforehand" and 5346 /phēmí, "elevating/asserting one idea over another, especially through the spoken-word") – properly, one who speaks forth by the inspiration of God; a “prophet”. See 4394 prophēteia).
A prophet (4396 /prophḗtēs) declares the mind (message) of God, which sometimes predicts the future (foretelling) – and more commonly, speaks forth His message for a particular situation. 4396 /prophḗtēs ("a prophet") then is someone inspired by God to foretell or tell-forth (forthtell) the Word of God.

“Prophesy”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The English word “Prophesy” is the Greek verb prophéteuó (4395) and means to prophesy, to speak forth by divine inspiration, to predict, prophesy.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: From prophetes (4396); to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic office -- prophesy.
HELPS Word-studies: Cognate: 4395 prophēteúō (from 4253 /pró, "before" and 5346 /phēmí, "assert by elevating one statement over another") – properly, "speak forth" in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling;prophesy.
In the NT, prophesy (4395 /prophēteúō) occurs 28 times, usually of forthtelling which reveals the mind (message) of God in a particular situation. 4395 /prophēteúō ("prophesy") can also refer to foretelling, i.e. predicting the future as the Lord reveals it.

“Prophecy”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The English word “Prophecy” is the Green feminine noun prophéteia (4394) and means Prophecy.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: prophecy, prophesying. From prophetes (4396 ) ("prophecy"); prediction (scriptural or other) -- prophecy, prophesying.
HELPS Word-studies: 4394 prophēteía (from 4396 /prophḗtēs, "prophet," which is derived from 4253 /pró, "before" and 5346 /phēmí, "make clear, assert as a priority") – properly, what is clarified beforehand; prophecy which involves divinely-empowered forthtelling (asserting the mind of God) or foretelling (prediction).

Now that we have defined “Prophet”, “Prophesy”, and “Prophecy”, we will examine what Scripture says about this topic.

Ephesians 4 says that Jesus handed out gifts among men, and in Acts 2, Peter states that in the last days sons and daughters will prophesy.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 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. 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; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 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.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB® 1995

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Acts 2:17-21 NASB® 1995

Since it is evident that evangelists, teachers, and shepherds have neither passed away nor become irrelevant to the needs of God’s people, we should not assume that the role of the prophet has been altered or eliminated. Nor should we believe that the role of the apostle has been removed. These roles within the Body of Christ exist for the equipping and maturing of believers. As we examine what prophecy is, its importance will become clear.

The gift of prophecy remains the same. 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 is often used to state that prophecy has passed away. We need to look closely at what Paul is saying.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:8-12 ESV

First Corinthians 13:10 tells us, “When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” Verse 12 continues, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” These passages show that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not pass away until the perfect comes and we see Him face to face.

Therefore, we must understand that these roles within the Body of Christ are still present on the earth today for the equipping of the saints and for growth into spiritual maturity. If prophets exist to build up the Body of Christ, then prophecy must also exist. Scripture further teaches that prophecy is like seeing in a mirror dimly until the fullness comes.

Examples of Prophecy

As disciples of Jesus, we must understand what Biblical prophecy is, why we should desire it, who can prophesy, how it is given, and know that it must be weighed against the Word of God. Here are some examples of prophecy.

In Ezekiel 37, the Lord tells Ezekiel to speak specific words. These words are from the Lord; they are not Ezekiel's words or Ezekiel's thoughts. God commanded him to speak out these prophetic words. These words brought life into these bones.

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:1-14 ESV

Prophecy speaks life. It may also serve as warnings of repentance for ourselves or others. God required Ezekiel to speak out to warn His people to repent. He was required to speak to God’s people, and Ezekiel took it very seriously, as should we. God also requires this from us today.

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
Ezekiel 3:17-21 ESV

We must deliver the message as God reveals it, without adding any of our own words or removing any words we don't understand. When God tells us to deliver a message, we have that responsibility just as Ezekiel did. If we feel awkward or concerned about how the message will be received, we should pray and seek God’s help, as we are still required to obey God to deliver the message according to His timing. No matter how it is received.

It is very important to deliver prophecies as they are given to us, even if they contradict our feelings in the situation. Prophecies can prepare us for hard times ahead. Many times, prophecy warns of tests and trials. We see examples of this in Acts.

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
Acts 20:22-23 ESV

10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21:10-11 ESV

These types of warnings bring comfort during trials because God has prepared us for that trial through prophecy. The comfort comes because we know He is with us as we are going through hardship. We know that it is God’s plan and He is allowing the situation to happen. This is why it is comforting, because while it is painful, we know He is in control. In Acts 20, we see the Holy Spirit tell Paul that imprisonment and affliction await him. Then in Acts 21, we see God confirming His word through His Prophet Agabus.

In Matthew 2:13-15, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph, giving him directions. It is fulfilling a prophecy that the Prophet Hosea spoke. Obedience to the directions from the angel fulfills the Word of God that was spoken by Hosea.

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-15 ESV

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Hosea 11:1 ESV

We see how the Word of God is a lamp, literally a lamp, to our feet and a light to our path. The prophecy from Hosea is the Word of God. Joseph walked out the Word of God in his life to fulfill God’s plan.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalms 119:105 ESV

These are all examples of prophecy. I encourage you to read the prophets and pay attention to the themes that are throughout them, so that you will have a better understanding of what and how God speaks to people.

Understanding Prophecy

True Biblical prophecy is God’s thoughts spoken out by a human; it is not the thoughts of a human.

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21 ESV

In Obadiah 1, we see that Obadiah heard a report from the Lord. Prophecy is a report from the Lord.

We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations
Obadiah 1:1 ESV

Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10), and through prophecy, gifts are given.

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you
1 Timothy 4:14 ESV

Prophecy speaks to people for strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.

3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for strengthening, encouraging, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:3 ESV

Desire Prophecy

Scripture tells us to desire all spiritual gifts, especially the spiritual gift of prophecy.

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV

In Jeremiah 15, God tells Jeremiah that if he will utter what is precious and not what is worthless, he shall be as God’s mouth. Jeremiah spoke the words that came from the mouth of God.

If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth.
Jeremiah 15:19b ESV

God wants to share His heart with us. He wants us to see Him, pay attention to Him, and know Him.

2 “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Jeremiah 33:2-3 ESV

In Psalms 81, He tells us to open our mouths wide, and He will fill it. He wants to speak through us.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psalms 81:10 ESV

God is grieved when His people refuse to listen to Him or seek Him. Throughout the book of Malachi, we see God’s deep love for His people and His sorrow over their lack of love and unwillingness to hear His heart and mind. Malachi reveals how deeply God is affected when His people turn away from Him.

Similarly, Psalm 81 shows that God’s people would not listen to His voice or submit to His ways.

11 ”But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
Psalms 81:11 ESV

How Prophecies Are Given

There are different ways God communicates prophetic messages to us. In Jeremiah 1 and Ezekiel 13, both say the Word of the Lord came to me.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Jeremiah 1:4 ESV

The word of the Lord came to me
Ezekiel 13:1 ESV

God speaks through visions, parables, and dreams.

I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables.
Hosea 12:10 ESV

Daniel received dreams and visions.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.
Daniel 7:1 ESV

God will send angels to deliver messages of prophecy.

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Revelation 1:1-3 ESV

In 1 Corinthians, Paul gives instructions on how prophecy should be given in a gathering of believers.

30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:30-33 ESV

Who Can Prophesy?

Hearing prophecy accurately and delivering prophecy that truly comes from God can be challenging. Prophecy may come through obedient disciples of Jesus, but it can also come through those who are disobedient. Scripture also shows that God can communicate prophetically to those who are not His children, as seen in Pharaoh’s dream in the story of Joseph (Genesis 40).

At the same time, some people claim to have a prophecy from God when it actually originates from another spirit or from their own emotions and thoughts. For this reason, we must examine Scripture to discern these different situations. We should not automatically assume that a person who prophesies is godly. Instead, we must evaluate what is said in light of the written Word of God and weigh the prophecy to determine whether it truly comes from God or from another source.

Spiritual gifts do not prove godliness, a truth Jesus addresses in Matthew 7:15–20. Below, we will examine several examples.

In Joel, Amos, John, and Acts, we see that God uses anyone to prophecy; young or old, obedient or disobedient children of God, or even someone who is not godly.

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
Joel 2:28-29 ESV

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Amos 7:14-15 ESV

8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.
Acts 21:8-9 ESV

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
John 11:49-52 NASB® 1995

Caiaphas was not a godly man. He was in the position of High Priest, but he was not pleasing to God. We see that he prophesied, but I would never want to follow this man’s actions.

Prophecy Must Be Tested

First John tells us to test the spirits. This is very important because it is very dangerous to assume everyone is prophesying from the mouth of God. It doesn’t matter who the person or spirit is that is speaking; we must always test the spirit. We may hear something we think is from God ourselves, which is why we always need to test what we are hearing. We must also test what we hear people say because they may be listening to the wrong spirits.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
1 John 4:1 ESV

We see spirits and false prophets are addressed in these verses. The spirits speak, and the prophets listen. We must test the spirits that are speaking to ensure we never speak anything that is not from God. We must examine the message to ensure it lines up with the Word of God.

“Confess”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The English word “confess” is the Greek word homologeō (3670), and it means to speak the same language (Hdt.), to agree with, confess, acknowledge
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: to confess, profess. From a compound of the base of homou and logos; to assent, i.e. Covenant, acknowledge -- con- (pro-)fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise.
HELPS Word-studies: 3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse). [3670 /homologéō ("confess") means to speak the same thing, i.e. "assent, agree with, confess, declare, admit."

The word confess means so much more than what we know it to mean in English. If the spirit we are listening to is not speaking the same language as the Jesus in the Bible, then it is not from God. Many people talk about a Jesus who died on the cross to forgive us of sin, but then they change the message that He spoke on this earth. This is where we must be careful that the spirit we are listening to aligns with the same teaching as Jesus in the Bible. This does not only pertain to prophets but to anyone proclaiming they are speaking God’s Words. In 2 Corinthians, we see Paul pointing out false apostles. He states that they are deceitful workers. We must examine the Word of God for ourselves. We should never depend on others to be our liaison to God.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
2 Corinthians 11:13-14 ESV

God uses prophecy to test His children. In Deuteronomy, He tells us that prophecy reveals whether we will remain faithful to Him or be drawn to follow the prophet instead. The test is not whether the message comes to pass, but whether we are following a person who leads God’s people away from His Word and from the way He has commanded us to worship.

God is testing whether we will follow someone simply because they have a gift that appears accurate, or whether we will remain anchored to the Word of God, which is His blueprint for our lives.

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which 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 know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ESV

Jeremiah distinguishes between prophecies that are typically from God and those that may not be from God.

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. 7 Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
Jeremiah 28:5-9 ESV

When prophets do not align themselves with God’s heart and mind, they can lead people into believing lies. God will send strong delusions upon disobedient people.

15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.
Jeremiah 28:15 ESV

9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV

We see an example of lying prophets and a lying spirit in 2 Chronicles 18. This spirit was sent by God because King Ahab didn’t love the truth. This is the story of King Ahab believing the lies of his prophets over the prophet of God.

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”

When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.’ Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded.” The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
2 Chronicles 18:1-34 NASB® 1995

This is a very heavy story. We can learn a great deal from it, though. The most important thing we can learn is to weigh and examine what we are being told through a prophetic message. In all of these sections of scripture, we see God speaking through people; we see people speaking from their own desires, and others listening to spirits that are lying to them. This is why we must learn the Word of God and examine what we are hearing to ensure it aligns with God’s Word.

Learning to Weigh Prophecy

These stories show the importance of knowing the Word of God for ourselves. We must learn to have discernment when listening to spirits or prophets. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul states that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. This is another method that may be used to weigh what we are hearing.

To understand what Paul is saying, I want to point us back to the stories we just read in Jeremiah 28 and in 2 Chronicles 18. We saw from these two stories in scripture that the prophets were speaking two different messages. In Jeremiah, we saw Hananiah and Jeremiah speaking different messages. In 2 Chronicles, King Ahab’s prophets spoke one message, and Micaiah spoke another. In 1 Corinthians, Paul states that the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. In these situations, if the leaders had truly desired to know the mind of God, they would have examined what was being said against the Word of God.

For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:31-33 NASB® 1995

“Subject”: Lexicon in Biblehub: The English word “subject” is the Greek word hupotassó, and it means: To subject, to subordinate, to submit, to be under obedience
HELPS Word-studies: 5293 hypotássō (from 5259 /hypó, "under" and 5021 /tássō, "arrange") – properly, "under God's arrangement," i.e., submitting to the Lord (His plan).

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and Jeremiah 28:8-9 establish perimeters for weighing prophecy.

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which 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 know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ESV

We typically won’t hear people who claim to be Christians saying, 'Let’s go follow other gods,' but we will hear people say, 'Follow my way of teaching, thinking, or theology.' This is equivalent to following another god. It is following a different gospel, not that there is truly a different gospel, but there are teachings that will lead you astray from the true gospel. Jesus and Paul address this issue.

Obviously, we do not put that person to death as it says in Deuteronomy, but if, after correcting them, they do not adhere to the Word of God, then we do remove them from our lives. If we have no relationship with the person, then we simply stop listening to their teaching, but if this person is in our lives, then we must follow the scripture on how to deal with disobedient believers according to the Word of God (Matthew 18:15-20 and 3 John).

In Jeremiah, we see more guidelines for weighing prophecy.

8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
Jeremiah 28:8-9 ESV

I encourage you to read the entire account in Jeremiah 28. The main point I want to highlight is that Jeremiah explains how the ancient prophets spoke. From the beginning, prophecy carried a consistent message: repent, or destruction is coming.

In Jeremiah 28:9, we are told that a prophecy of peace should only be believed when it comes to pass: “The prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

We see this principle confirmed in Zechariah 2:9, 4:9, and 6:15, where an angel speaks to Zechariah and affirms this truth. I encourage you to read these entire sections in Zechariah and look for the repeated phrase, “Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.”

9 “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.
Zechariah 2:9 ESV

9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
Zechariah 4:9 ESV

5 “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Zechariah 6:15 ESV

Be Aware

We must be vigilant to protect what we take into our hearts as truth. We have seen from scripture that someone may prophesy and the prophecy may come to pass, but we must not follow that person if they are not following the Word of God in ALL areas of their lives. If you are not in the person’s life, you most likely will not know if that person is producing the Fruit of the Spirit. Jesus says we know the tree by the fruit. We will know the person is rooted in truth when the Fruit of the Spirit is seen in ALL areas of their daily lives.

Many times, people look at leaders and measure maturity by the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit or a title they bestowed upon themselves or someone else gave them, but none of those things signify that God is pleased with them. This is why we must truly take to heart what Jesus says in Matthew 7. We must look at the fruit of the tree, not the gifts. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the proof that a person is abiding in Jesus (Galatians 5:22-25).

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Matthew 7:15-20 NLT

Following people and their personalities, rather than scripture, is an epidemic on the earth. There are a lot of leaders who may have signs or wonders in their lives, but they do not follow Scripture/the Word of God. Following someone who does not follow scripture leads to death. We are to compare everything we hear to scripture. Our hearts can deceive us, so it is important that we do not listen to our feelings but compare them to the Word of God.

9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT

We see a story in 1 Kings 13 about a prophet who didn’t hold on to the Word of God but instead listened to another prophet. We see in this story that it is very dangerous to follow someone else, rather than God, even if we hold that person in high esteem.

Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. For a command came to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him.”
1 Kings 13:1-26 NASB® 1995

In this story, we see that this young prophet chose to follow the older prophet instead of what God spoke to him. We see this throughout Biblical history and in our Christian culture today. We must examine scripture to see how we are supposed to live as Jesus’ followers versus how Christian Culture teaches. We need to examine everything.

Now let’s look at the life of Jesus. He gives us an example of how to deal with anything contrary to the Word of God.

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Matthew 4:1-11 ESV

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Matthew 16:21-23 ESV

Jesus shows us how to confront lies by clinging to the truth of the Word of God. He used Scripture to respond to Satan himself, and He also corrected Peter when He recognized that Satan was attempting to use him to divert Jesus from God’s calling.

We must do the same in our own lives. If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we will follow His example. The Word of God is our blueprint for living on this earth, and we must cling to it.

The more we know and understand scripture, the more we will understand prophecy. We will know and understand the heart of God. If we don’t understand the prophetic message given, then we need to take it to prayer and ask God to help us understand. We are told not to despise prophecies:

“Do not despise prophecies,”
1 Thessalonians 5:20 ESV

Just because we do not understand something or find it uncomfortable does not mean we should reject it if it aligns with Scripture. We need to ask God to explain it to us and patiently wait for His answer. If we are given a message we do not understand, we must seek Him for understanding.

We should always remember that timing in delivering a message is just as important as the message itself. We must not disregard a prophecy simply because we do not like it or because it does not fit into our plans. Scripture shows us that prophecy is used to rebuke, correct, give direction, and confirm His Word to us.

Jesus repeatedly warns us in Revelation 2 and 3 that we must have ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
Revelation 2:7 ESV

We must learn the Word of God for ourselves in order to spiritually discern between good and evil. This is essential. If we do not know the Word of God or live it out in our own lives, we will not mature in our faith. Without maturity, we will not understand how to weigh, test, and distinguish spirits and prophecy.

Weighing, testing, and distinguishing are all terms used in Scripture to teach us how to examine what we hear. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that mature believers have their powers of discernment trained through constant practice.

14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:14 ESV

The mature people in Hebrews 5:14 live the Word of God. They are constantly practicing living out the truth.

I want to encourage you not to become discouraged as you learn how to discern. You may make mistakes as you are learning to discern what you hear. It will not be easy at first, and you may say things that are not correct. Do your best to dig into the Word of God for examples from the prophets, to see if what you are hearing aligns with what is in the Word of God. You may make a mistake. You simply need to correct it when you know you were wrong. Ask the Holy Spirit for help, and He will help you. It is important to be obedient and not live in fear of failure. Oftentimes, we learn the most through failures.

References:

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Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Lexicon: Biblehub.com
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Biblehub.com
Edited 01/2026