DISCERNING THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE

In the Old Testament, true apostles and prophets spoke FOR GOD. 

They only spoke as the Holy Spirit came UPON them and gave utterance. 

The original  disciples who were taught by the LORD and traveled with Him, 

after His death and resurrection, became the apostles of the Bible.

From the time Jesus chose the original 12 disciples

 and later Paul who and was made an apostle as well,they  all spoke of the centrality of Christ. 

 They preached  the gospel of Christ and  the gospel of the Kingdom, and they spoke 

only the uncompromising Word of God. 

They taught against what was an abomination to God, 

warned and rebuked, spoke of future events that are to take place before Christ return, 

all  with fear and trembling.

After Jesus’ death on the cross, there began a new dispensation.

 In the new covenant prophets no longer spoke FOR God 

(by the Holy Spirit coming UPON them)

 but the LORD spoke THROUGH them

 (the Holy Spirit speaking from WITHIN them). 

Today many voices are speaking FOR God or ABOUT God and the Bible, 

 but without God the Holy Spirit actually being the One doing the speaking THROUGH  them.

The  words the prophets spoke in the Bible warned God’s people to return to God, to forsake idols (and idols of the heart), they revealed error, conveyed truths, reprimanded and offered correction, they established governmental decrees from God, humbled kings, restored kingdom principals, conveyed God’s orders by upholding God’s Word, admonished people to obey God so it would go well with them, deterred error so as to postpone judgement, pleaded with people to repent, and made decrees God wanted spoken, they revealed God’s coming chastening and wrath if God’s word was ignored, and they warned of impending danger

 if repentance was not made to God. 

The Bible prophets did not speak about personal events tied to personal fulfillment, 

bring promises of blessings that was  to come  to pass without obedience to God. 

They did not promise results without repentance or 

speak from their  flesh about what they believed or wanted GOD to do,  

Their messages were not focused on personal things people were going to receive. 

Through the gifts of the spirit, such as the 

 Word of Wisdom (present) and Word of Knowledge (future), 

God would speak and reveal personal callings tied to His will for an individuals.   

A word of wisdom and Knowledge  would  bear witness to the  prophets words,

 and acknowledge when God's plans had been revealed or fulfilled.

Others were to record God's  judgements and keep records as to the  History of 

events that took place,  and  others to validate the prophet’s warnings.

 Prophets would often  convey what God was going to do through individuals 

to affect the whole of God’s forthcoming prophecies that are recorded in the Bible

regarding nations and the nation of Israel.

There is a major difference between a word of knowledge, 

a word of wisdom, and exhortation. 

Paul said,  "I would that all of ye prophesied as myself" 

But to prophesy, and even admonish the church, 

involved speaking  words that exhorted the whole body of Christ 

verses people giving personal prophesies and 

even saying thus saith the Lord to individuals for  personal reasons.

To give personal words of prophesy where the word given is for personal gain, exaltation, something that would be spoken as a confirmation, is often where a spirit of divination speaks what is already in that persons heart or spirit confirming something that would make the person believe they are hearing from God which can appear to be God but be a form of deception.

An example of GOD speaking and revealing revelation to a person individually in the Bible was in the book of Job. He went through testing and temptations, Job lost everything and then after the trials were over, God then restores what he lost and gave him more than before. The restoration of Job was a result of job recognizing who God was, and repenting. God did not restore based on prophecy but based on obedience to the word where Job had an encounter with God Himself. No one walked up to Job and said, thus saith the Lord, God will give you this or that. God did it based on Job’s repentance.

Abraham was given livestock, cattle, herds and flocks by God but not by a prophet coming to him as a prophecy about what God was going to do. And it’s interesting to note that Abraham would not receive even a shoe lace for anything and from anyone that could say they made Abraham rich other than God.