Chris' Corner - Sunday July 12, 2020
When someone comes along (let’s say back in March) and claims they can “execute judgment” and “blow the wind of God” at the pandemic. It will be “destroyed forever and never come back.” Plus, a vaccine will come “immediately.” In the meantime, if anyone becomes infected, they can be healed if they attend this particular church where this message was preached.
We all have been praying for an end to the pandemic. Prayer is our avenue of approaching God's throne asking Him for what we need and want. From there, we patiently wait and trust in His will to be done. This is the biblical way the process works.
God no longer works through the miraculous powers of the Holy Spirit instilled in men. We know those in the early church had the miraculous ability to heal people. God still heals today, but only through His hand of providence.
A study of First Corinthians 12-14 will help us to see the restriction placed on the miraculous of the first century. There were situations when they could use them and other times when they were forbidden. Some of these rules involved the work of prophets. Also in these chapters, Paul indicates a time was coming when these powers would end.
Since ancient times, even during the days of prophecy and miracles, God gave instructions on how to know the difference between someone who was His true prophet and someone just claiming to be.
God said, "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or word which the LORD has not spoken?'-- when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
It doesn't end here. Let's say a prophet gets lucky. His predictions did come to pass. Well, God gave a second layer of authentication to make sure. In Deuteronomy 13:1-4, the Lord told Israel, every true prophet will teach and practice all His commandments. Even if an event spoken comes true, and the prophet is not faithful to the rest of God's law, he becomes disqualified as God's spokesman. This was so serious; God commanded the false prophet be put to death.
Let's go back to our earlier illustration. If someone claims to execute God's judgment, demanding the immediate eradication of the COVID pandemic, an immediate development of a vaccine, and the immediate healing of all who contract the virus (as long as you come to this televangelist-prophet's church), and these things don't happen—he's a false prophet. We shouldn't listen to anything else he has to say.
It's time for all people to start listening to God's words through His inspired Book—the Bible. We need to trust more in God and His message, and less in men who claim to be His spokesmen. The Lord didn't leave us without the means to prove who is and who isn't speaking the truth (Matthew 7:15-20; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 John 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:2-4).
Jesus emphasized, "Therefore, by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20).
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