Bible Study for Mormons
In the first study we found that the Bible tells us, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1. Our Father in heaven wants us to try the spirits, or the spirit that is behind the end time prophet, because there are many false prophets gone out into the world. He doesn't want us to make the mistake of following a false prophet!
Since the Father is asking us to try the spirits, then He must have the Bible method for us to determine if the prophet is true or not. What is the Bible method? There are at least four tests that can be found in the Bible:
TEST #1 - Isaiah 8:20 "To the ______ and to the _________________: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
"To the law and to the testimony" refer to the divinely-inspired instruction given by God in the Holy Bible--both Old and New Testaments. The teachings of a true prophet of God will never contradict the clear teachings of those who have spoken for God in the past as preserved for us in the Bible. This test applies to all the prophets! For instance, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and Isaiah wrote much later, about 700 B.C. What Isaiah wrote would have to be in agreement with what Moses wrote in the past even though new light might be added. What the beloved disciple John wrote in the last book of the New Testament of Revelation, would have to agree also with what Moses and Isaiah, and all the prophets before him wrote. This is only a fair test to determine if the prophet is truly "speaking according to this word!"
TEST #2 - Matthew 7:15, 16 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them ________ ______________ ________________."
Have you ever seen what a pack of wolves does to a flock of sheep? It isn't pleasant at all! Usually there are several dead and maimed sheep left, and probably very little that was actually eaten. Wolves love to kill! So our Father in heaven is likening false prophets to ravening wolves! They sneak in and spoil the unsuspecting flock! So how are we to distinguish a pretender, a wolf from a real sheep? By their fruits! What is their conduct both in their personal lifestyle and in their behavior? What is the influence of his or her teachings and work? Is the church edified by their ministry?
A true prophet is, of course, a human being--not a god, not infallible. They can make mistakes as do other human beings. Yet, if one is a true prophet of God, the trend of the life will demonstrate a close relationship with God. His or her personal behaviour will be worthy of one who is God's representative. The fruit borne will tell what the life is like.
Jonah was a true prophet of God, but for a while ran away from God and at times complained against God. But eventually he did what God said, and saved the city of Nineveh. See the book of Jonah in the Bible.
On the other hand, Balaam was for a while a true prophet of God, but eventually went into full apostasy from God, but while he worked for God, he had to say what God made him say. But after he left God completely, he caused the church to go into apostasy. He became a false prophet, and was killed in battle against Israel. See Numbers chapters 22-25, and 31:8, 16.
Good examples of true prophets are Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. These men stood valiantly for God and His truth against much opposition from those who were unconverted within the church.
The influence of the true prophet's life and teachings will be seen in the positive effect it has on the church. The genuine prophet will build up the church with his or her teachings. He or she will draw the church closer to God and inspire them to holy living.
TEST #3 - Jeremiah 28:9 "The prophet which prophesieth of ______________, when the word of the prophet shall come to ___________, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him."
We all can be disappointed at the weatherman for making predictions that can prove to be very false! We certainly do not call weathermen true prophets! But think how disappointing it would be for a prophet of God, one who claims to speak in God's name, to make a prediction which, in the end, we find out does not come close to being right! We would certainly question that this prophet is sent of God or speaks for God! We could safely place him in the same category or much lower than that of the weatherman!
Predicting future events is not necessarily a major part of the work of a prophet, however it does often form a part of the communication God calls a prophet to give to His people. Therefore, one of the tests of a true prophet is whether or not his predictions come true. After all, if God is speaking through a person, would we not expect that his or her predictions would come to pass? Although some prophecies are conditional upon the response of the people to whom they are given, it remains true that a genuine prophet who speaks for God will not predict future events that do not come to pass as indicated by God's Spirit speaking through him or her.
TEST #4 - "Hereby know ye the spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that ___________ ________________ is come in the ____________ is of God." 1 John 4:2.
What does the prophet say or think of Jesus Christ? This test means more than simply believing that Jesus Christ lived on earth as a human being. In its fullest sense it refers to a belief in all the fullness of what the Bible teaches about Jesus as the divine Son of God. It includes a belief in Jesus as the Creator, Redeemer, Saviour, and High Priest of all mankind. It involves a belief in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His atoning death, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His promise to return to earth again. All of this --the totality of who Jesus was and is--must be recognized and accepted and taught by one who is a genuine prophet.
Confession of Jesus is not to be mere lip service, but the totality of who Jesus was and is must be lived out, by His grace, in the life of the one who speaks as a true prophet of God.
These are the four major Bible tests of a true prophet. A true prophet of God will (1) teach in harmony with the Bible, (2) he will give evidence in his life of God's ability to produce godliness, (3) his predictions will prove true, and (4) he will acknowledge in his teachings and in his life all that the Bible affirms about Jesus as Saviour and Lord. These four tests, if passed, will determine whether one who claims to speak for God in these end times is truly speaking for God, or is he speaking from himself, inspired by a different spirit than the spirit of God? Now that we have outlined these tests, let us look at the prophet!
Our next study will be: Testing the Prophet