Faith | Are today’s prophecies true? There’s a test to find out

When things break, the time and cost for repair or replacement are an annoying inconvenience. So I was incredibly irritated when the new oven friends gifted us abruptly quit working after six months.

But there’s more. This included pulling the stove out, wrestling it down a long flight of stairs, loading it on the back of the pickup, and driving two hours to the big box store for a replacement.

After an hour of wrangling with the manager, we agreed upon a shiny new Samsung range. The store employees loaded it in our pickup, and off we went.

About halfway home, my wife received a text message on her phone from some friends in our Bible study group.

Nancy said, “Micah, you aren’t going to believe this message!”

Expecting something catastrophic, I braced myself. “Who is it from?” I asked. What does it say?”

She read the text aloud: “Micah and Nancy, this is a really strange message, but I was just praying for you and felt like the Lord prompted me to tell you not to purchase a Samsung range.”

What? I was almost speechless for a moment. I believe that God can speak to us in many different ways, but this caught me flat-footed.

Then I said, “That would have been amazing information this morning! But now here we are an hour from home, with another no-good, apocalyptic oven.”

Then another message arrived on Nancy’s phone.

“Just kidding! We’re driving right behind you and can see the big Samsung box in the back of your pickup.”

To this day, that story is one of my all-time favorites.

They weren’t trying to trick us, deceive us, or take advantage of us. It was a great joke. But sometimes the result of such claims can have far heavier consequences. Especially when they are not accurate — or biblical.

Prophecy is speaking forth what the God of the Bible is saying and communicating. And although it certainly can include foretelling events, that is not always the case.

New Testament scholar Craig Keener writes: “Mistakes in prophecy do not make everyone who’s mistaken a false prophet, any more than mistakes in teaching make everyone who’s mistaken a false teacher. But false prophets exist.”

I have seen the anguished fallout of distress and sadness when people naively heed a so-called “word from the Lord” without testing its substance, and comparing it with the unchanging standard of Scripture (see Acts 17:11). And the results of such missteps are more costly than the irritation and trouble of replacing a stove in your kitchen.

The Bible is not anti-prophecy. Just the opposite is true. Remembering that, I would be unwise to position myself against a gift of Jesus to the Church that builds up and encourages me. (See Ephesians 4:11-16)

But there are safety measures — checks and balances that protect us. That’s why in 1 Corinthians 14:29, Paul insists, “Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said.”

In one newer translation he further warns us, “Don’t suppress (stifle) the Holy Spirit. Don’t downplay (scoff at) prophecies. Take a close look at everything, test it, then cling to what is good. Put away every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–22, TVB).

The Bible is clear.

Prophecies are empty and void if they contradict Scripture and the Holy Spirit has not authorized them. But if they are truly from God — even if they feel uncomfortable (Acts 21:11) or problematic (Jeremiah 19:10) — such a good, faithful, and true word from the Lord may bring you the wisdom and courage you need to walk through a dark place and intimidating circumstances.

By the way, the Samsung oven worked just fine. We baked a cake for our tailgating friends, had a good laugh, and spent the evening talking about real words from the Lord.