“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” I Jn.4:1.

     As the end of this world’s history draws near and people are drawn to the Bible for answers concerning these end times and man’s unquenchable abuse of life, among the wisest decisions one can make is to prayerfully follow the Bible with a keen eye and receptive ear so as to not be swept away with the tide of apostasy against GOD, both in and out of the church. Jesus warned of this, and it applied from His day to the end of time: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matt.24:24. In these words we see how miracles play a significant role in deceiving people to ignore safe-Bible-guidelines. “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Rev.16:14.

     Man’s perpetuation of sin has reached such epic proportions that the ripple effect seen throughout our society (and the natural world) is soon to cross the tipping point. And Bible prophecy declares, as we will see in a moment, that it will, and as a result bring to a final conclusion the civilization of men in this crime-filled world. It is at this time that Christ will come to deliver “the remnant” “that love Him and keep His commandments” (Rev.12:17; Deut.7:9).

     The notion that this present world will sustain forever is a fantasy that denies the overwhelming evidence pointing to the very opposite. Look at the crumbling balance of nature, the toxicity of man’s chemicals that has invaded every creature (where each of us has over 100 chemical toxins), the spiking increase and severity of disease, the raging emotions of men (in and out of the church), and the list goes on and on, ad infinitum. The perfect illustration of this is seen when the human body shows symptoms of an impending illness, but procrastination to address the root cause of the illness only increases its severity. But if the illness is diagnosed early, it is far easier to mend. But to choose to ignore the warning signs there comes that tipping point where the disease becomes terminal. Bible prophecy is clear that because of sin, man is ushering the world to a “terminal condition.” And the evidence for this is overwhelming, not only showing our present heading as a civilization but also the end result of this chosen course of mankind. (And the key word here is ‘chosen’).

     Man, in and of his own freewill has brought every affliction of life upon himself. And this self-destructive course will lead to the fulfillment of the clearest prophecy in the Bible regarding man’s extinction: “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled : for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled [polluted] under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws [that secure the peace and safety of life], changed the ordinance [replacing virtue with evil], broken the everlasting covenant [denied the method GOD ordained for the salvation of His children].” Isa.24:1-5.

     This is GOD’S prophecy for the fate of this present world. There are several other prophecies in league with this period of time that provide greater details in the immense suffering and carnage of the life on Earth. And they are quite gruesome. But GOD chose to include the foreknowledge of this coming reality, that we fortify our understanding and our faith to stand through this time. Those who believe the prophecies and prepare for this time will stand through the closing scenes of Earth’s history and see the coming of Christ with His retinue of angels. The Bible describes how man’s destruction of the Earth ushers the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ: “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Rev.11:18.

     Those who are educated in the history of the church and believe the core doctrine of every scholar of the Reformation that the pope of Rome is the great Antichrist of Bible prophecy (and not some future Antichrist that the Jesuits of Rome conceived and deceived the world to believe), there is seen a system of religious worship that follows in the footsteps of Rome. In the flow of history’s chronology in the prophecies of Revelation it is seen that the religious system following Roman Catholicism are the Protestant churches of today. And while GOD raised up the pioneers of the Reformation, over time the generations following them became corrupt because they refused to advance the cause of GOD in calling men to repent from sin and allow the righteousness of Christ through the Holy Ghost to live out (in their hearts) the virtue of the Ten Commandments. Like the generation of the Hebrew exodus from Egypt, they likewise refuse to enter the promised land. They “entered not in because of unbelief.” Heb.4:6. And the church has remained in the wilderness ever since.

     So, here we are today with a host of prophetic scenarios from men who live in sin. As sincere as they may be this does not remove the fact that to deny any one of the Ten Commandments is to stand in sin (I Jn.2:4). As a result these men and women deny the core of the controversy between good and evil: Jesus Christ and Satan that declares the Ten Commandments as the Standard of Utopian Law. Nevertheless, the ruling church of Rome and her daughters in the Protestant churches have willfully disobeyed what Christ obeyed to redeem us unto this day. As a result the Bible has assigned these rulers of the Christian church the ignominious title: “the false prophet” (Rev.16:13; 19:20; 20:10). Every lesson of Scripture from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 strengthens us for these end times. And those of us who live to see Jesus come in the clouds are called to know what is to come before it comes, that we may strengthen ourselves in this knowledge; and thus, fortify our faith. “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Lu.18:8.

     It is GOD’S gift of prophecy that is our key to have correct expectations. It provides the ability to discern the difference between Christ’s “the Spirit of prophecy” and Satan’s “the false prophet,” and not be swept away with the world, as it was in Noah’s day (Matt.24:37). The following are the sixteen criteria the Bible identifies to discern the true from the false. And although the number of the false always exceeds the true, just as GOD’S true prophet Elijah stood against 850 false prophets (I Ki.18:19), the voice of the true will be known (Zech.8:19) to those who have a love for the truth, “as the truth is in Jesus.”

Memory Text: And Moses said...would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! Nu.11:29

1. True Prophets receive direct instruction from GOD

Nu.12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, [and] will speak unto him in a dream.

2. True Prophets never add or take away from the Word of GOD.

Deut.4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

3. True Prophets never lead away from GOD or His Commandments

Deut. 13:1-5 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

4. True Prophets always gives GOD’S Word exactly as He gives it

Deut.18:17-22 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

5. True Prophets always give accurate predictions

II Chron.18:20 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.

6. True Prophets always leads to GOD’S blessing

II Chr.20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

7. True Prophets are not responsible for the conditional fulfillment of the prophecy whether of obedience or disobedience to GOD’S counsel

Jer.18:7-10 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

8. True Prophets lose strength in His Presence and then it is restored by the power of His Spirit and lifted to their knees or feet
Eze.1:3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. V.28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. 2:1,2 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

Dan.10:8-19 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

9. GOD reveals future events through His prophets

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

10. True Prophets always record the instruction for GOD’S people

Hab.2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

11. The love of Christ dwells within

I Cor.13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity [Gr. self-emptying agape love], I am nothing.

12. True Prophets are subject to the prophets

I Cor.14:32,33 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Hos.12:10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.

13. True Prophets never interpret outside of GOD’S Word

II Pet.1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

14. True Prophets never deny Jesus Christ has “come in the flesh.”

I Jn.4:2,3 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

15. True Prophets give the testimony of Jesus which admonishes our actions and provides correct expectations for the future.

Rev.19:10 The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

16. True Prophets will never add to or take away from the prophecy of “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Rev.22:18,19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

To Know What Is To Come Is Our Key To The Future