THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROPHECY AND DIVINATION
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: (Die verskil tussen Profesie en Waarsêery)
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone wrote to me and one of the questions he asked was:
“I want to know when prophecy is a sin, and what the difference between prophecy and divination is? “
This is my understanding of the subject and how I deal with it in my own life:
The one great certainty which I know in connection with this, is that every prophecy contained in the Word for us, comes from our Lord and is completely trust worthy – How gloriously wonderful to know.
2TIM 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2TIM 3:17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
From my perspective, one thing which is extremely clear to me:
Today there are almost as many, if not more false prophets, evangelists, shepherds, leaders, healers etc., as Holy Spirit filled prophets, evangelists, shepherds, leaders and healers etc.
What I am going to say now, I say about prophets and their prophecies because I have been asked about this – but this according to my opinion can be applied to any of the above mentioned.
Prophecy is a sin when it does not come from our Lord but so implied, and made up as if it comes from our Lord. This is false sin.
Today there is a multitude of these evil people and no matter how painful it is, it also makes me excited – Because one of the prophecies out of the Word is about the coming of our Lord which was told by Jesus Himself, that there will be many of these sorts of people:
MAT 24:11-14
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people (not everyone, so you do not have to be one of them).
12 Because of the increase of wickedness (a large portion of this wickedness, sin, will be falsification of the Gospel), the love of most will grow cold,
13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.MARK 13:22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
MARK 13:23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
The only way to see these people for what they really are and not to be influenced by their evilness is to have an intimate relationship with Jesus and to make certain that you have a good knowledge of the Word.
Let me demonstrate this:
If a so called prophet comes to me and prophecies that Jesus will come on the 31st May of which ever year, I will immediately know he is a false prophet.
How would I know this?
Through the knowledge that I have received from the Word, I know, that Jesus Himself had this written for us in the Word:
MAT 24:36-42
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Another example:
One day my wife read to me about a man who claimed that our Lord showed him what happens to a demon when someone exercises it from someone else.
He says that our Lord showed him, that such an exercised demon, it becomes completely petrified/turned to stone.
Immediately I could say to my wife, that this man is a false witness of the gospel.
How can I say this?
Because through the knowledge I have from the Word, I know that an example about demons and unholy spirits has been written for us, in the Word:
MAT 12:43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
MAT 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
MAT 12:45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Tongue in cheek, there is no mention of any sort of stiffness occurring to the exercised demon which you have just read, which Jesus Himself told us about.
One day I was told by someone, of a person they know, who was a medium who prays for guidance from our Lord, then he will tell you your future and tells you that it has come from our Lord.
What I say now, I say with all the respect I have for our Lord, but I will strongly say, so that you can see it for what it is –
If the fortune teller who made that statement is speaking the truth, and if our Lord who has told us over and over in His Word not to do it and then He helps some of us to do it for which He has an aversion to, then God is not honest and true to His Word.
Now you must decide for yourself who is the untruthful one.
I said, that our Lord has an aversion to these types of things and I will show you this shortly when I quote two of the many examples from the Word, namely LEV 19:31 and LEV 20:6,7.
What is the difference between prophecy and divination?
I see true prophecy, always Holy Spirit inspired and is never in conflict with the Word.
Divination to begin with is always in conflict with the Word, because our Lord strongly discourages us to refrain from such things, He also immediately says, to whom we should go – Certainly to Him, because He is the Lord our God.
LEV 19:31 Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
LEV 20:6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.
LEV 20:7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.
In many cases the starting point of the fortune-teller begin with one or other ritual, no matter how simple it is. For example to look at your palms, or to look at tea leaves, or to stare into a crystal ball, or to go into a Trans. Someone described the trans in this way:
“They go in to a stupor (near state of unconsciousness/trans).”
The origin/source of the spiritualist can naturally as I understand the Word, never have as the starting point our Lord but always something for example the stars, or something and for all the other things, I can but shake my head.
In closing:
Because today there are many false prophets, evangelists, shepherds, leaders, etc. around, it is gloriously reassuring to know there is God’s Word and therefore I spend all my attention on the Word.
Because Jesus makes it very clear in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that I:
“If it is all said and done,” nothing more is needed then the Word and that if I do not want to follow Jesus, nothing is going to persuade me, not even if someone returns from the grave and says to me that I must repent.
Like all of those, in my opinion, signs and hanky-panky or whatever those people use, for a time at most, to put it that way, imposes on me.
Read here, while you remember, that it is Jesus, the only Person who ever walked on earth, who has a deep knowledge of this sort of thing, who tells us this parable.
Keep in mind, that Moses and the Prophet who is spoken of here, in those days was the whole Word.
LUKE 16:27-31
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, (believe the bible the Word of God) they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
If you follow Jesus’s direction which He has explained, you cannot and will not go wrong
Greetings,
Sakkie