A prophet is one who speaks forth and openly the Word of God and not of future events related to personal matters. If there was any personal matter, it was related to the national affairs of Israel as a chosen nation. In both the New and Old Testament, believers received their gift and calling when they were physically, emotionally, and spiritually mature.

In the Old Testament, they received the divine revelation from God through dreams, visions, angelic messengers, or by direct verbal communication. The prophets then declared that revelation as a messenger in the special service of God in which they acted consciously and not in some kind of trance or mystical experience. In most cases, the prophets did not understand the messages they delivered. 

Prior to the Babylonian captivity of Israel, the prophets of the Old Testament delivered the warning against their ever increasing apostasy and warned about the divine discipline they have to suffer in the hands of their captors. After the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, the prophets of God warned Israel about the coming invaders and the total dispersion of Israel to other nations, which took place in A. D. 75 under the Roman Emperor Titus.

The gift of prophecy in the New Testament from the birth of Christ until A. D. 95 was for the purpose of writing the New Testament Canon. After the completion of the Bible, the gift of prophecy ceased with other historical or temporal sign gifts. The gift of prophecy is no longer needed today because every thing we need to know about God is recorded in the Bible. Every question about our relationship with God is already answered in the Scriptures.

It is sad to note that today, churches still have prophets who provide them with extra-biblical predictions beyond what the Bible has bestowed as spiritual gifts in the previous dispensations. There are five major reasons for rejecting such prophets:

First: The Bible has been completed. God's revelation to men has been finished and recorded. No post-Canon revelation is needed because God did not forget anything that He needed to tell man.

Second: The divine inspiration at the level at which the infallible Scripture was given ended with the completion of the Canon. God is no longer giving divine inspiration to anybody today because the Bible is already completed.

Third: The gift of prophecy in the New Testament time, was never foretelling future personal events not related to the call and discipline of Israel. The prophets of God delivered the messages of God in manners and methods assigned and designated by God.

Fourth: The gift of prophecy was the divine given ability to proclaim the Word of God without being intimidated by men, with clarity of the messages, and instructions to obey God. When the gift of prophecy ended, the prophets also ended because prophets have the spiritual gift of prophecy.

Fifth: Christians of the Church Age are prophets only as being communicators of Bible doctrine. The prophets of God are now considered as history; they are no longer applicable to our dispensation. The gift of prophecy has ceased and has been replaced by the gift of the pastor-teacher who proclaims the written Word of God with clarity of purpose and application to a particular situation with a view to correction, edification and equipping of the church. The following are the marks of the false prophets with their false teachings:

Rejection of the authority of the Scripture (1 Pet. 1:12, 2 Pet. 1:20-21): Some people agreed with the infallibility of the Scripture but honor the authority of their leaders above the Word of God. Some totally rejects the authority of the Bible and accept nothing but the authority of their leaders or prophets. Some others partially reject the authority of the Bible but also recognize some parts of it, combined with their cultic teachings.

Rejection of hermeneutics (the science that deals with the principles of scriptural interpretation):

Instant or express interpretation without going through the process of historical, categorical, exegetical studies (1 Corinthians 2:6-8, 10-14)

Interpretation from ignorance (1 Tim. 1:76, Hosea 4:6-9, James 3:1-5) or out-of-context usages of biblical passages (2 Tim. 4:3-4)

Interpretation from arrogance (Phil 1:15-17, 1 Tim. 5:22, 2 Tim 3:6-7), thinking that God is giving them important messages which others do not have.

Rejection of biblical doctrines and systematic theology:

Adoption of man-invented doctrines (1 Tim. 1:3-4, 2 Tim. 4:4)

Dogmatism and legalism (Gal. 4:7-10, 2:16, Col 2:8)

Preaching another Christ, another Spirit, another Gospel, another faith (2 Cor. 11:4, Gal. 1:6-7)

They go beyond the Scriptural doctrine by inventing their own doctrines (church doctrines), they go beyond the grace of God by substituting human good works, they go beyond faith by replacing it with their own system of deception, they go beyond the glory of God alone by robbing God the glory He deserves.

They put too much emphasis on feelings over truth, emotion over Bible doctrine. They use human emotion (like guilt feeling) to control the minds of their followers.

Mystical methods of illumination, their so called conversation with God, seeing visions, dreams, or apparition, direct messages from God (Jeremiah 5:31, 14:14, 23:1, 16, 21)

Spiritual success “the desire to be known as “man of God”, ‘man of prayer”, “great servant of God” (Jude 16-18), their calling is fake, their spiritual gifts are hoax.

Spiritual ambition “the desire to do great things for God by building their own kingdom (James 4:6, Jeremiah 45:5)

Abuser of authority, misuses of power, they use the ministry as the court of their empire. They use the ministry as their gold mine, power house and control tower.

• Lording over their flocks (1 Pet. 5:3)
• Men-pleasers (Gal. 1:10, Jude 16-17
• Deceitful workers (2 Cor. 11:13)
• Worthless workers (Titus 1:16)
• Faction workers (Jude 19)

Lovers of money: (condemning their church members who are lovers of money but are more greedy themselves), there are endless offerings, love offerings, endless projects (Jeremiah 6:13, 2 Tim. 4:10, 1 Tim. 6:9-10, 19)

They still demand obedience to the Jewish tithing. Tithe was a form of national obligatory taxation levied upon the Jewish people (believers & unbelievers alike), bona fide only in the Old Testament Israel (Numbers 18:21-24, Deut. 14:22-29). Tithing is not for the Church Age because we are not Jews, we are not in the OT times, and we are not under the Mosaic laws.

They force people to give under pressure, compulsion urged by demands and forced by persuasive words. All giving should be grace giving , the free act of a free choice, with a motive to honor God as the Giver, motivated with virtue love toward God as inspired by Bible doctrine from the soul.

They have empty and false promises of the preachers by citing out-of-context Scripture text to support their heretical teachings. Some pastors are telling their audiences that if they give, God will return it seven times more than what they have given.

They have endless fund-raising, solicitation of cash or goods, asking people for support pledges to finance their projects. The gifts or donation of the unbelievers does not glorify God since they have no part in the work of God (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

They are known for Wrong usage of money given for the work of the Lord. Money given for the proclamation of the Gospel and Bible doctrine should not be used for the construction of expensive buildings, top of the class sound system, or expensive vehicles.

False prophets demand loyalty, service, respect and honor from their congregations. False prophets are wolves in sheep clothing’s seeking people whom they might devour.

©2005-2009  J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries