Judging Prophecy: Navigating the Line Between Insight and Illusion Part 4
The purpose of this article is for the people of Most High God to distinguish spirits and discriminate between impurities and authenticity in spirit, especially regarding prophecy, the prophetic, and when prophets prophesy.
Part 4 is about the illusions, the dangers of pros and cons of predictive prophecy (divine forecasts), and a deeper look into the believer’s role in judging.
By the end of this four-part teaching, you will be equipped to:
- Evaluate truths through uncertainty.
- Differentiate between the power and perils of divine forecasts.
- Decode the truth behind the forecasts.
Prophecy
One of the most difficult things about prophecy is that it isn’t about mankind at all, yet we’ve made it about us.
In its simplest form, prophecy is the ability to perceive, receive, and then convey and express the divine will of God by hearing His sound.
Where we usually are tripped up is both in the interpretation and timing. Both are critical.
Interpreting the Message
We need to be able to interpret God’s voice as close to exact as possible (none of us ever always get it right) because it is what He is saying, not us.
First, we must be able to distinguish which spirit is in operation that we’re “picking up signals from.” In order for us to that, we either need one-ninth of Holy Spirit’s gifts (distinguishing spirits) or we need to train our senses to discern good from evil.
In our zeal and humanness, we can move quickly ahead of God (timing) where we interpret something out of order either He didn’t mean or He didn’t say at all.
That gap in misinterpretation can be detrimental and when there’s misinterpretation, on a lighter note it is from immaturity or lack of patience in waiting to “solve divine riddles” leading to humanity getting in the way (our own voices) to second heaven interference (demonic voices).
Revisiting Prophecy
Understanding that no man can prophesy but by Holy Spirit is crucial for all people, not just prophets.
This keeps us grounded in the truth that man’s spirit is subject to himself; God doesn’t force us.
Nonetheless, I have usually found that when someone is prophesying from the highest heaven, Holy Spirit has taken over them. That is true prophecy.
While we prophesy by our faith, we must be careful that we don’t conjure something up on our own, apart from God, to make things happen. This is real and it occurs quite often.
Our faith can produce mighty things! Humanity’s ingenuity can produce mighty things! All apart from God. True faith must be planted by Holy Spirit and watered by Jesus.
If you looked at the Greek word used for prophecy or prophet, it boils down to being divinely inspired (as if Holy Spirit is electrifying you) to proclaim a message from the God of heaven and earth.
Diakrinō
Strong’s G1252, “diakrinō“, means “to separate, distinguish, make a distinction, discriminate, or judge.” It can carry the idea of discerning, distinguishing between things, or making a decision regarding something, and it is often used in contexts related to judgment or decision-making. The verb itself comes from the root words “dia” (through) and “krinō” (to judge), which together suggest the action of distinguishing or making a judgment.
Revisiting 1 Cor. 14:29
In 1 Corinthians 14:29, Paul writes:
“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.” (KJV)
The word “judge” here is diakrinō. In this context, Paul is giving instructions about prophecy in the Corinthian church.
He allows multiple prophets to speak but emphasizes that others—presumably other believers, possibly elders or spiritually mature members—should judge or discriminate the prophecies.
The purpose of this judgment is not to condemn the prophetic message but to test whether it aligns with God’s truth. It is a form of discerning or distinguishing whether the prophecy is genuinely from the Spirit and edifying to the Church.
Thus, diakrinō in this passage highlights the responsibility of the Church to discern truth in the prophetic words, ensuring that only those messages which align with Biblical principles are accepted, and potentially erroneous or false prophecies are rejected.
Use of diakrinō in Other New Testament Passages
- Matthew 16:3 – “And in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering.’ Hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times?”
Here, Jesus uses the verb diakrinō to refer to the ability to discern the natural signs in the sky and draw conclusions from them. In this instance, the religious leaders can judge the weather, but they are failing to make a judgment about the “signs of the times,” that is, the coming of the Messiah. The failure to distinguish spiritual truths is rejected.
- John 7:24 – “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
While the Greek word here is krinō (to judge), the concept of diakrinō fits into the broader context of discerning correctly. Jesus encourages righteous judgment, which involves more than a surface-level analysis (appearance), but instead a deeper, spiritual discernment.
- Romans 14:5 – “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”
In this passage, the term diakrinō is used to imply the need for each person to be fully convinced or persuaded in their own mind regarding practices that are not essential to salvation. It involves personal discrimination or discernment, specifically in the context of dietary or ceremonial observances.
The Fuller Picture of diakrinō
When considering diakrinō in these different contexts, we see that it often implies more than a simple decision; it’s about distinguishing between what is right and wrong, true and false, beneficial and harmful.
This judgment is not meant to be a harsh or condemnatory act, but one of discernment, testing, and evaluation, particularly in the realm of faith and doctrine.
In 1 Corinthians 14:29, the act of judgment is not about disapproval but about making sure that the prophetic words align with sound doctrine.
This is crucial in the early church, where false teachings and misunderstandings about spiritual gifts could easily arise.
By using diakrinō, Paul emphasizes the need for a discerning community that ensures the integrity of prophetic ministry.
Divine Forecasts
When we’re prophesying, we must allow Holy Spirit to arrest us.
What’s become popular is more and more prophets and “prophets” are forecasting. Predictive prophecy (forecasting) is from God, but we must be careful because it’s also soothsaying.
In our own selves, we can become so convinced that what we’re sensing is from Holy Spirit but it’s either giftedness (humanity) or another spirit (second heaven) and what we forecast never comes to pass.
When Biblical prophets forecasted, it all came to pass. These men and women were arrested by Holy Spirit and not their giftedness of what they can produce.
I caution us this hour about eating at every prophet’s table who forecasts. Anyone can forecast.
It’s easier to hide behind that because people will either forget what was prophesied or they can manipulate their way out of what they said if it doesn’t come to pass.
Prophecy is a divine, blessed gift that testifies of what Jesus is doing, will do, who He was, who He is, and who He will be.
A great barometer to judging prophecy is in this: Where is Jesus in relation to what has been released? How is (will) Jesus be glorified and hearts turned toward Him?
Embracing Truth in All Seasons
In modern times, it seems like the way we’ve handled accurate and inaccurate prophecies have not gone as planned or God intended.
We all have moments of missing the mark; we can learn and grow together.
Nevertheless, an unwillingness to shift or see things from a newer or different perspectives, as outlined within times and seasons of the Lord, will (and has) caused many to falter.
What we often forget is Jeremiah and Ezekiel are technically “the doomsday prophets,” yet they’re honored and heavily quoted.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all began their prophecies and writings with astringent messages from God that seemed bleak, hopeless, and full of sharp displeasure about both current and future states. Was it not still God?
It wasn’t until God shifted the tune in His voice regarding Israel and Judah that these three prophets began to prophesy from a place of restoration and hope.
In essence, we must prophesy the word of the Lord whether if others approve or disapprove…
…and we cannot pick and choose when or who gets to prophesy “the hard, serious stuff” while everyone else is relegated to only prophesying “the rainbows and butterflies.” When we do this, hypocrisy and jealousy are evident.
For those who judge prophecy, you must remember the following:
- Sometimes, God gives a little and that’s it.
- Sometimes, God gives a little and then adds more.
- Sometimes, prophets only get a glimpse of His voice to express because we know in part and there are others God’s speaking to that He wants to merge their interpretations of what He’s saying for a fuller picture.
- Sometimes, prophets express their vein of the prophetic, e.g. Ezekiel the warning prophet with despairing, warning prophecies of judgment.
- Sometimes, God will raise up another prophet (prophets) to come and add to or declare what’s beyond the judgment prophecies.
- Sometimes, prophets have to sit in the council room of the Lord to hear the full counsel.
- Sometimes, prophets have to wait until they get the rest of the message or the full picture.
What I can tell you is elitism and clique-ishness is being examined both in and out of the Church. Jesus said in His Father’s house are many mansions and there is a table prepared for God’s children where we all will be seated.
What I also can tell you is God is exposing the hearts this hour to have us all come face to face with the truth vs. preferences and biases. We must embrace this refining.
Conclusion
The use of diakrinō in 1 Corinthians 14:29 reflects the broader New Testament theme of discerning what is true and right according to God’s will. It’s about making spiritual judgments based on the evidence of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In the case of prophecy, it is essential for the church to carefully evaluate and distinguish between true and false words, ensuring that everything said is in accordance with God’s will and contributes to the edification of the body of Christ.
When we judge prophecy, we must come from these places:
- Is the person prophesying being divinely used by Holy Spirit?
- What spirit (the actual spirit – Holy Spirit, human spirit, or demonic) is behind the message?
- What motive is behind the message? (Think of Simon the sorcerer)
- Is this functional or dysfunctional? Will it cause order from chaos, or will it cause chaos?
- Is this message elevating faith? Is it inspiring action?
- Is this message causing me to take a hard, close look within myself and my metron of things I hadn’t considered where I need to change my mind (repent) on something or some things?
- Does the releaser of the message have a relationship with Yahweh?
- If so and they’ve missed hitting the mark, how can I partner to ensure they’re reconciled back to rightful community and not shame them while still correcting and coaching them? If not, how I can still correct them in love, and discern if they truly are false with ulterior motives and then root them out accordingly?
- If they’ve missed the mark in some areas, what areas of their expression and interpretation of God’s voice was correct that I need to act on?
- Am I close enough currently with God that I can know if a prophecy is true or false because I know Him?
- Where does the message align in Scripture whether OT or NT?
- Does it edify the people of God? And understand that edification isn’t always the soft, flowery things—God disciplines those He loves, and in edification, is a sense of causing one to form into wholeness which takes assessing, correcting, and evaluating.
- Prophecy is the truth of God because it is Jesus Christ who is the Truth and who is the Word. No one has the absolute truth; we need other perspectives, voices, and interpretations to piece together the fullness of God’s truth in prophecy from the whole where there are only parts in prophecy from individuals.
