Dreams, Visions, and False Prophets
"There is no revealed Truth apart from God's Word, and his Word is only revealed in scripture."
Recently, while scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I came across a post from a dear friend of mine, sharing what they claimed was a dream from God. Specifically, it was a message that concerned the spiritual future of the United States. My friend claimed that God had shown them that “revival was on the way, and that America would once again turn to Him.” While we must not deny God’s power to communicate with anyone, and in any manner of His choosing. There are several scriptural reasons to be cautious, even skeptical, when others make claims of private revelation.
Sufficiency of Scripture
The first reason is scripture itself. Scripture is the means by which God has chosen to reveal Himself and his program for mankind. There is no revealed Truth apart from God’s Word, and his Word is only revealed in scripture. This is the well established protestant doctrine of the “Sufficiency of Scripture.”
“There is no revealed Truth apart from God’s Word, and his Word is only revealed in scripture.”
Scripture itself testifies to its sufficiency, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16 esv italics added)
The first word in the italicized phrase above, is the Greek word ” ἵνα” (hina). It literally means “in order that” or, “so that”. Paul is telling Timothy that scripture is good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training, for the very purpose of making the man of God complete. It is not just for providing inspiration or encouragement, though it does those things. Scripture is sufficient for everything we need.
It is also worth noting that Paul’s word for “complete” is “ἄρτιος” (artios). Paul specifically chose a word with the connotation of perfection. In fact, some translations such as the KJV render the phrase “To make the man of God perfect.” This is not to imply that scripture makes us morally perfect by itself, apart from faith, but that scripture gives us everything we need to grow in salvation and sanctification.
Scripture, Word of the Holy Spirit
But some may ask, “what about the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit plays a role in salvation and sanctification.” Indeed He does! However, some groups and individuals tend to conceptualize the work of the Holy Spirit as being distinct from the role of scripture; as if scripture reveals that which is visible and apparent, but spiritual mysteries are revealed in a personal manner by the Spirit. This is unbiblical.
Did the Spirit not inspire and author the Scriptures Himself? Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, that scripture is “God breathed,” using the word θεόπνευστος (Theopneustos); playing on the root word πνευ (Pneu), which is rendered both as “Spirit” and “breath”. In other words, Paul declares that the Scriptures themselves are breathed out by the Holy Spirit. Thus, the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of scripture are not absolutely distinct, because the Spirit accomplishes His work through His authoritative word.
“The work of the Holy Spirit and the work of scripture are not absolutely distinct, because the Spirit accomplishes His work through His authoritative word.”
If you want to grow in your trust of Christ, study the scriptures. Don’t rely on extra-biblical spiritual unspiritual teaching. If you want to know God’s redemptive plan for human history, don’t seek out self proclaimed “prophets.” Study the scriptures. If you want to better know the Holy Spirit, read His Word. Spiritual exercises apart from scripture, will not bring anyone closer to God, because they are not of God.
“Spiritual exercises apart from scripture, will not bring anyone closer to God, because they are not of God.”
Furthermore, the Gospel and the Christian life are not a mystery to be decoded and solved. Some believers tend to sensationalize the christian life by wrongly interpreting 1 Corinthians chapter 2, where Paul states that the Spirit reveals “hidden” and “secret things.”
Paul has something very specific in mind here. Rather than secret spiritual exercises and doctrines, Paul is referring to the mystery of the Gospel. That has now been made known through the Word. He says as much his letter to the Colossians.
“… I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints…”
Colossians 1:25 esv
At one time, God’s plan and His will was a hidden mystery. But now Paul celebrates that he lives an an age when this is no longer the case. For this reason, new revelations and new teachings always run afoul with orthodoxy. The time for mystery and uncertainty is over. Any teaching that proclaims that the Spirit has revealed hidden knowledge not found in the scriptures, smacks of the ancient heresy of Gnosticism.
Either Unnecessary or False
There’s another reason for skepticism toward personal revelation, and it was first pointed out by the Puritans. Historical Puritans are well known today for the pious lives they led. They have, in my opinion, the misunderstood reputation for being dry personalities and real kill-joys. They are also now known for strict, legalistic morality. I believe this is mostly an unfair caricature.
Though they, (like all people,) had their own blindspots, they did hold to a very high view of scripture. And they endeavored to live in such a way that all areas of their lives, both practical and spiritual, were harmoniously consistent with God’s word.
So, it’s no surprise that Puritan thinkers like John Owen dismissed personal revelation by writing, “If private revelations agree with Scripture, they are unnecessary and if they disagree they are false.”
Regardless of your own personal view of the Puritans, the logic of Owen still holds. Why would the Holy Spirit give a “new” revelation to an individual, when that same revelation has already been given in His Word? In such a case, it would be neither new, or a revelation, but an encouragement to biblical Truth.
On the other hand, if someone believes that God has given them a prophetic word, and that word contradicts biblical Truth, it is false, and is also not from God.
And so the message of John Owen is that private revelation is entirely superfluous to biblical spirituality. Our salvation and sanctification starts and ends in Scripture.
A warning about prophecy
It is no secret or surprise that “a word from the Lord” is sometimes a false word. If the “word” does not conform to both the letter and spirit of scripture, it is false. In which case, the one who gave the word is, by default, a false prophet.
It is alarming how comfortable some are, presuming to speak for God. Deuteronomy 18:2–22 offers a stern warning to anyone who would presume to speak in the name of the Lord.
“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously…”
Deuteronomy 18:2–22 esv
There are several things we can learn from the above passage. First, although the church is not under the mosaic law, and the church would not put a false prophet to death, it would be a grave mistake to assume that the Lord no longer cares at all about the sanctity of His Word. In the New Testament passages we have already shared in this article, it should be apparent that the Lord speaks to His people through His Word. We should, therefore, hold it in high honor and not treat it carelessly; caring not whether a word is indeed from Him.
False Prophets
The second thing we can learn is that God compares those who give false prophecy in His Name, to the prophets of pagan idols. This again underscores how serious the Lord is about how we approach his Word. The prophets of idols and false gods were routinely put to death in the Old Testament. And when his people refused to turn from false gods and their false prophets, the Lord destroyed His people not once, but twice.
First, God punished Israel with the total destruction of its capital city of Samaria in 722 BC. Then, when Judah continued in sin, He allowed the sacking of Jerusalem, and the exile of its people to Babylon in 586 bc. When God’s people refused to stay faithful to the covenant (Scripture), He removed them from their covenantal (Scriptural) land. The message? God takes his Word, and the prophets who deliver it, very, very seriously.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never gives prophecies that cannot be tested for their truthfulness (1 John 4:1). Look into the words of Scripture and you’ll see prophecies of great detail.
The events surrounding the fall of Israel and Judah were foretold with precision by God’s messengers. The foretelling of the Messiah not only told a Savior was coming, but in which tribe he would descend and even the town in which he would be born. Most modern “prophets”, or “Words from the Lord”, give vague pronouncements that can be declared “fulfilled” at the drop of a hat.
If an individual claims that God has spoken to them and given them a word of fresh revelation, this person should be fearful of the Lord. Anyone who gives a dream or vision from the Lord, that does not come true, is to be treated as an unbeliever and as one who would dare to speak falsehoods in the name of God.
Personal Leading vs Spokesman
God does however lead individual people in a very real and personal way. The Holy Spirit works through our consciences in guiding a person’s behavior and correcting sin. Scripture teaches this in many places as “writing His law on our hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
And throughout scripture God has directed individual’s thoughts. I’ve always found it helpful to consider the thoughts that enter my own mind; and ask myself, is this thought from God, or is it from my flesh? Paul notes that as Christians, “we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Douglas Stewart, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary characterizes the way God works through a person’s mind as one of “leading” vs authoritatively speaking. This distinction, too many times lost, is vitally important.
Perhaps you feel God has laid someone on your heart and mind. Someone to whom you feel He wants you to minister. Whether or not this “feeling” is from God, and it may well be, He has already in his Word commanded us to minister to physical needs and share His Gospel. Leadings of this sort are perfectly in line with scripture.
On the other hand, if someone believes God has personally spoken to them concerning future events, a unique interpretation of scripture, or anything else, and they share this “message”, they immediately become the mouthpiece of God. Even if unintentionally, they become God’s spokesperson, his intermediary.
I am convinced that people who share their “word from the Lord” seldom think through the consequences of their prophetic actions. By sharing their word, they unintentionally call others to obedience. Because, if God truly is speaking, his Word must never be taken lightly. By claiming a message is from God, the speaker is imbuing it with divine authority, intentional or not.
“By claiming a message is from God, the speaker is imbuing it with divine authority, intentional or not.”
Speaking on behalf of God is a serious task, and one that should never be taken so lightly. For this reason, ministers spend many hours in scripture study when preparing sermons. Seminaries prescribe years of Greek and Hebrew language courses to help pastors rightly divide the Word of God as intended by the original writers.
When a minister steps into the pulpit, he is addressing the church on God’s behalf. And so, conscientious ministers restrict themselves to His Word, and His Word alone; abandoning all their personal opinions, thoughts, and agendas. By speaking what they believe to be a word from God, a person takes on this role of addressing God’s people with His authority whether they mean to or not.
On his blog, Grace To You, John MacArther addresses the weight of speaking for God.
When I started in ministry, I committed myself to expository preaching—just explaining the Bible—because I knew there was nothing I could say that was anywhere near as important as what God had to say. The real goal of my teaching has always been to keep my own opinions out of it as much as possible—to get the meaning of the passage right and to make it clear to my hearers. Pastors need to remember from the very outset that when they go into a pulpit, they are there to explain the Word of the living God with clarity and precision…
John MacArther – Grace To You
Summary
In summary, God has given His people everything they need for their salvation and sanctification. Scripture alone is completely sufficient to support the church and individual believers, (2 Timothy 3:16). There is no need to look to other spiritual pursuits. They will only lead you away from Christ.
To those who feel the need to speak on God’s behalf, I would have to ask, how certain are you in your message? Remember, false revelations come from false prophets, even well intending ones. A revelation that turns out to be false cannot not be shrugged off with an attitude of “Well, I missed that one!” God deals severely with those who speak lies and untruths in His Name because His credibility is at stake.
Finally, while there are good scriptural reasons to be skeptical of claims of private revelation, God does encourage His people through their thoughts, life events, and even dreams. He uses these to guide, encourage, and sometimes chastise his children. The goal of all our spiritual pursuits should always be two fold, to worship Him in Truth, as well as spirit.