How do prophets know what to say?

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Prophets and holy people sometimes become aware of secret things. They are convinced that God speaks to them. How do they know whether a message is from God or just from themselves?

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Your own ideas = God’s Ideas

2. A Mystical Vision

3. God is a Ventriloquist

4. A Voice in Your Head

5. A Feeling in Your Gut

6. A Visit from an Angel

7. A Feeling of Divine Inspiration

8. A Prophet Makes it Up

9. A Prophet Speaks it into Existence

10. A Sense of Clarity

11. Human Powers

Conclusion

Bible Verses

Notes

 


1. YOUR OWN IDEAS = GOD’S IDEAS

SUMMARY

Prophets equate their own ideas with the mind of God. Their holiness became so great that their own mind was almost the same as Godʼs mind.

ANALYSIS

Danger: If you equate your own ideas with the will of God, you put yourself in grave risk of deceiving yourself.

On our own, we humans cannot reliably reliably predict the future.

BIBLE

1 Corinthians 2:16. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.

 


2. A MYSTICAL VISION

SUMMARY

A prophet is given a mystical encounter with God. It is a vision or an inner locution.

It is indisputably authentic.

ANALYSIS

It is very difficult to distinguish between a genuine vision from God and a vision generated by your own mind.

Mystical visions almost always happen when people are stationary and in prayer. However, prophets sometimes receive messages during conversations. Or even during difficult situations.

 


3. GOD IS A VENTRILOQUIST

SUMMARY

A prophet is a puppet. God speaks a prophet’s mouth like a ventriloquist speaks through a puppet.

ANALYSIS

God does not take away our free will.

BIBLE

1 Corinthians 14:32. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,

 


4. A VOICE IN YOUR HEAD

SUMMARY

A prophet hears the voice of God as if it were a voice in their own head.

ANALYSIS

It is very difficult to discern between the voice of God inside your mind versus the voice of your own mind itself

The most common experience of Schizophrenia is hearing a voice in your head that gives you commands or comments.

 


5. A FEELING IN YOUR GUT

SUMMARY

Many people consider a feeling in their gut to be a trustworthy indicator of God’s will.

Other people consider the gut to be the home of their intuitive sense.

The enteric nervous system that lines the human gut is considered a second brain.

ANALYSIS

Intestines are not a reliable source of truth from God about the destiny of the world.

 


6. A VISIT FROM AN ANGEL

SUMMARY

An angel privately appears to a prophet and tells them what to say.

ANALYSIS

Some prophetic messages are delivered during conversations with other people.

 


7. A FEELING OF DIVINE INSPIRATION

SUMMARY

Some people find their feelings to be compelling and absolutely trustworthy.

ANALYSIS

This is not a reliable source of truth from God about the destiny of the world.

 


8. A PROPHET MAKES IT UP

SUMMARY

The prophet makes things up. And the things happen, somehow.

ANALYSIS

The prophets are sincere. They are not deceivers.

This is not a reliable source of truth from God about the destiny of the world.

 


9. A PROPHET SPEAKS IT INTO EXISTENCE

SUMMARY

The prophet boldly says things. And by saying it, the prophet causes it to happen.

It is like doing a Jedi mind trick on the entire universe. The universe does whatever the prophet says.

ANALYSIS

This is not a reliable source of truth from God about the destiny of the world.

 


10. A SENSE OF CLARITY

SUMMARY

Some people find a sense of clarity to be compelling and absolutely trustworthy.

ANALYSIS

This is not a reliable source of truth from God about the destiny of the world.

 


11. HUMAN POWERS

SUMMARY

These fall under the aegis of human power:

A paid informant in the kingʼs palace?

Remote Viewing?

ESP?

ANALYSIS

The Bible portrays the prophets as authentic emissaries of the Most High God.

However, if the prophets gained their knowledge from human powers such as the above, then the Bible has lied to us.

It does not seem likely that the Bible has lied to us.

 


CONCLUSION

Prophets are convinced that God speaks to them. How do they know whether a message is from God or just from themselves? Here are the most popular theories:

What do you believe?

 


BIBLE VERSES

1 Corinthians 2:16. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.

1 Corinthians 14:32. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,

 


NOTES

Note 1. In the New Testament era, there is a ministry Gift of the Holy Spirit called “prophet.” It is a gift to communicate God’s revealed truth.

 


Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.