Foretelling the future

“I had a dream last night in which I believe I saw God’s plan for my future. Can you help me make sure this is God’s will for me?” Or, a person might ask, “I spoke with this person who says she can tell me what the future holds for me. What do you think?”

What I think, or what you think, has no bearing on whether something is true or not. There is only one immutable source of truth, and that is the Bible. It tells us how to determine whether something is true, or whether someone is actually speaking for God. Our age is not the first one to have difficulty with this question.

When Israel was on the way through the wilderness, they dealt with this question, as some attempted to speak for God. In Deuteronomy 13, God gave the answer. First, the thing prophesied had to come to pass exactly as the prophet had foretold it. Any variance would indicate a false prophet. In our day, that would brand a number of religious spokesmen who have announced dates for the Lord’s return, and that day has come and gone with no such event occurring. According to the passage in Deuteronomy 13, they would have been stoned to rid Israel of false teaching.

The second test was subtler. This time, the thing prophesied had come to pass exactly as the prophet foretold, or that person had performed a miracle or a wonder, but the teaching caused Israel to go in a way that God had not led them. This the test of absolute truth. Check every teaching by the Bible. It is the tuning fork that gives the correct pitch every time. All teaching must square with the Bible or be condemned as false teaching!

Experience never judges truth, truth judges experience. As my former pastor said, “I don’t care how high you jump or how loud you shout, I am interested in how straight you walk when your feet are on the ground.”

For more Bible teaching about this topic see 050301 Being In God’s Will or please visit the BBN Bible Institute and register for course # 11500 “Five Future Events”.
Or # 20400 God’s Perfect Will For Living