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Bible Study Subjects:
Millenial Man
Back to Jerusalem
The Coming King
The
Rebellious Prince
The Supreme
Sacrifice
The Law of the King
Bricks Without
Straw
The Glorious
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Witch of Endor
Cities of Ash
A River of Life
Resting the
Land
Bowing to Baylon
A Heavenly
Model
Cleansing the
Temple
A Tale of Two
Women
Windows of
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The
Daughter's Dance
Ten Times
Wiser
Voice in the
Wilderness
Proving the
Prophets
A Jar of Oil
Above the Crowd
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Proving the Prophets
Ahab,
the wicked king of Israel, wanted to recapture the town of Ramoth-gilead
from the Syrians. But he needed help, so he asked good King Jehoshaphat
of Judah to join his campaign against their common enemy. Jehoshaphat
said he was willing to join forces with Ahab, but that they should first
seek God's counsel.
Ahab had forsaken the Lord years earlier to worship the pagan god Baal,
so he called in 400 hired prophets to come before the two monarchs. With
dramatic display, these false prophets said, "Go and fight the Syrians,
and you will be victorious!" But King Jehoshaphat requested to hear from
a true prophet of the Lord. Ahab said that there was one prophet of
Jehovah left whose name was Micaiah, but he added, "I hate him; for he
doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Verse 8.
At Jehoshaphat's insistence, Ahab reluctantly sent a servant to fetch
Micaiah. The brave prophet came and made a very unpopular prediction. He
told Ahab that he would die in the battle with Syria. Now Ahab faced a
tough decision. Should he believe 400 prophets who say nice things, or
one lone prophet of the Lord?
Stubborn King Ahab persuaded Jehoshaphat to disregard the warnings of
the prophet Micaiah and join him in the war. He thought he could
outsmart the Lord by dressing in full armor and avoiding the front lines
of battle. But Ahab learned too late that you can never escape the Word
of God. During the battle, a stray arrow flying through the air struck
Ahab in the joints of his armor, and he bled to death in his chariot.
Jesus warned that there will be many false prophets in the last days
(Matthew 24:11). That is why we must know how to distinguish the true
from the counterfeit. It may be a matter of life or death!
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 1. To
whom does the Lord reveal His final plans?
Amos 3:7 . Surely the Lord God will do
nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the _______.
Answer: ___________________________
 2. Will
there be both true and false prophets in the last days?
Matthew 24:11 . And many _______
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: Yes, there will be
both true and false prophets in the end time. The Scriptures also
teach that prophets can be either men or women.
 3. What
types of false prophets are specifically condemned in the Bible?
Deuteronomy 18:10 . "One ... that
useth ________ [fortune teller]." Deuteronomy 18:10.
"An observer of times [astrologer]." Deuteronomy 18:10.
"An enchanter [magician]." Deuteronomy 18:10.
"A witch [female psychic]." Deuteronomy 18:10.
"A charmer [person who casts spells or charms]." Deuteronomy 18:11.
"A consulter with familiar spirits [spirit medium]." Deuteronomy
18:11.
"A wizard [male psychic]." Deuteronomy 18:11.
"A necromancer [person who claims to consult with the dead]."
Deuteronomy 18:11.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: Deuteronomy 18:9-12
says that all who do these things are an "abomination" to the Lord.
For this reason, Christians should have nothing to do with them.
 4. Will
God's end-time church have the gift of prophecy?
Revelation 12:17 . And the dragon was
wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the ______________
of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:10 I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: As we learned in
Lesson 17, God's end-time remnant church has "the testimony of Jesus,"
which is "the spirit of prophecy." By comparing Revelation 19:10 and
22:9, we see that the angel defines John's "brethren" that have the
spirit of prophecy as "the prophets" and "them which keep the sayings
of this book." In 1 Corinthians 1:5-8, Paul writes that the church
will have "the testimony of Christ" and will "come behind in no gift"
until Jesus' second coming. So God's last-day church will indeed still
have the gift of prophecy.
 5. In
what ways does God speak to a true prophet?
Numbers 12:6, 8 . If there be a
prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a
_______, and will speak unto him in a dream. ... With him will
I speak mouth to mouth.
Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came
again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: The Lord speaks to His
prophets by visions, in dreams, face to face, and through angels.
Crystal balls, palm readings, tea leaf deciphering, star gazing, and
claiming to talk with the dead are not God's methods of communicating
with a prophet.
 6. Are
miracles definite evidence of a true prophet?
Revelation 16:14 . For they are the
spirits of _______, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: No, miracles are not
proof that someone is a true prophet. They prove only one
thing--supernatural power. But supernatural power may come either from
God or from Satan. That is why the Lord tells us: "Believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1.
 7. What
is the most important test of a prophet?
Isaiah 8:20 . To the ______ and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: The "law and the
testimony" was an Old Testament expression for "Bible." In other
words, a message from someone who claims to have a prophetic utterance
from God must be compared with the Bible. We must test the prophet by
the Bible, and not the Bible by the prophet. Any true prophet of God
will always agree 100 percent with Scripture. This is the true test.
 8. What
is the second test of a prophet?
1 John 4:2 . Hereby know ye the Spirit
of God: Every spirit that confesseth that _______ Christ is
come in the flesh is of God.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: A prophet of God must
acknowledge and teach the truth about Jesus Christ--that He was God in
human form. True prophets must also exalt Jesus, not themselves. Most
false prophets seek to draw attention away from God's Word and to
their own ideas.
 9. What
is the third test of a prophet?
Matthew 7:16 . Ye shall know them by
their _________.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: This does not mean
that the prophet will be perfect. God's prophets have always had
faults. However, there must be consistency between what true prophets
teach and the lives they live.
 10. What
is the fourth test of a prophet?
Jeremiah 28:9 . When the word of the
prophet shall come to _____, then shall the prophet be known,
that the Lord hath truly sent him.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: A true prophet will
not make false predictions. If a prophet is of God, the things he or
she says will come to pass. However, accuracy alone does not
automatically qualify a person as a true prophet. Deuteronomy 13:1-3
warns that false prophets can give signs that will come to pass and
then use their influence to lead people to follow other gods. A true
prophet must lead people to worship God according to the Bible.
 11. What
three things does Paul command regarding prophecy?
1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21 . Despise
not prophesyings. _______ all things; hold fast that which
is good.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: Paul says that we are
not to despise, or reject, the gift of prophecy. Rather, we must test
a prophet's messages by Scripture and follow what is good and true.
 12. Whose
counsel do we reject when we reject the words of a true prophet?
Luke 7:28-30 . There is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist: ... And all the people that heard him,
and the publicans, justified God. ... But the Pharisees and lawyers
rejected the counsel of ___ against themselves.
Answer: ___________________________
Note: When we reject the
words of a true prophet, we reject the counsel of God. A solemn
thought! The Bible tells us to listen to God's prophets and promises
that all who follow the counsel of a true prophet will prosper.
2 Chronicles 20:20 Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye
be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
 13. Since
God still speaks through prophets, and since a true prophet's words
are the personal "testimony of Jesus" to you, are you willing to test
modern prophets by the Bible and follow the counsel of those who agree
with Scripture?
.
Answer: ___________________________
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