In a 60 Minutes interview, Denzel Washington shared how an elderly woman’s prophecy was a turning point in his life. He was in college and trying to figure out his future as he sat in his mother’s beauty salon. The lady from his church was there and she handed him a note with the words, “You will speak to millions.” Those words galvanized his resolve and shaped the future direction of his life. While Denzel’s experience was a great blessing to him, other people have had more painful experiences with prophecy. I have been left confused by prophecies that didn’t come true and words from the Lord that apparently got lost in translation.

Just looking at Old Testament texts regarding prophecy doesn’t immediately settle anything because we live under a new covenant and there are often changes from old to new. But reading the New Testament without being informed by the Old Testament ignores important context that should shape our understanding. Three truths regarding false prophets in the Old Testament stand out.

1. False prophets were capable of great signs and wonders

Today, we tend to assume that false prophets can be recognized by their counterfeit healings and miracles. And there are lots of fakes that have been exposed. But Moses was careful to warn about prophets with signs or wonders that are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 13:1-2). In fact, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate Moses’ own miracles “by their secret arts” (Exodus 7:11). Jesus similarly taught that false Christians are capable of prophesying and casting out demons (Matthew 7:22) and warned that “false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24). The bottom line is that just because someone is able to do something incredible gives no indication of whether their message is to be followed or not.

2. False prophets were used by God to test people’s faith

It seems strange that God would allow false prophets to use real spiritual power. One of the reasons the Bible gives for this is “the activity of Satan” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He seeks to deceive people and steer them away from God. But Deuteronomy 13:3 gives another reason: “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.” Will you believe the truth even if there’s a flashier alternative? Will you follow the Lord even if someone heals you and tells you to believe something a little different? God uses the circumstances of our lives including spectacular but false prophets to help clarify what we’ve really placed our hope in.

3. False prophets were silenced so that God’s Word could be heard

Perhaps one of the starkest lessons that stands out regarding false prophets in the Old Testament comes from the fact that they were stoned. If a prophet made an astounding prediction that came true and then taught people contrary to the Scriptures, they were put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Similarly, if a prophet made a prediction that did not come true, the penalty was death (Deuteronomy 18:20, 22). Why such a harsh sentence? The message seems to be that adding God’s authority to your own words is so dangerous to the people of God that the prophet had to be permanently silenced. There was no accusation that people “just weren’t being open to the Spirit” by not putting up with a prophet who had made some mistakes. If you were going to claim to speak for God, the words that came out of your mouth had to be as true and reliable as God Himself.

Today, there are churches that teach that prophecies should be treated the way you would eat a meal: chew the meat and spit out the bones. Or they say that it’s a divine message with human words and so things can get a little lost in translation. As a result, congregations will continue to listen to prophets whose predictions have failed repeatedly. If that is in fact the new covenant way, it’s a significant departure from God’s teaching in the Old Testament.

Next time, we’ll compare Old Testament and New Testament prophets to see if there’s a basis for that departure.

In awe of Him,

Paul