A Prophet Among You

Chapter 6—Tests Of A Prophet

Satan has attempted to counterfeit everything God has done for the benefit of His people. Thus some of the Lord’s greatest blessings have been perverted into agencies of destruction. Presumption has been mistaken and substituted for faith. For most of the professed Christian world the day of worship originated by the deceiver has replaced the Sabbath of the Lord. Forms and ceremonies in worship have taken the place of genuine worship of God in spirit and in truth. Salvation through faith has been supplanted by an almost infinite variety of systems of salvation by works. Some of the most healthful and nourishing of foods—grains and fruits—have been made into intoxicating drinks that destroy men’s minds and bodies. APAY 99.1

Seldom does Satan deal in error unmixed with truth, for error alone would not be sufficiently deceptive. Many of his teachings contain much that is true and good, and the more truth they contain the more deceptive is the counterfeit. The Sabbath and Sunday question is a good illustration of Satan’s methods. The Sabbath is a memorial of creation; Sunday is said to memorialize the resurrection of Christ. The Sabbath is a day of rest from the usual activities of the week, so that God may be worshiped and His work of bringing blessing to others may be done in a special way. Sunday, for the majority of professed Christians, is a day off from regular work so they might do whatever pleases them. For some persons this includes a brief period of worship, but for most it does not. The Sabbath is the mark of God’s authority in the individual life, the seal of Christian experience; but Satan has attempted to make it a mark of peculiar notions or fanaticism. The Sabbath, which was intended by God to be a sign of sanctification through faith, has been perverted by the enemy so that many persons delude themselves by saying that keeping it is an indication that one is attempting to be saved by legalism and good works. APAY 99.2

God’s plan for reaching the minds of men through the messages of the prophets has been counterfeited by Satan, usually in the form of false prophets. These false witnesses have accomplished two major objectives in Satan’s scheme: (1) They have turned men’s minds away from God’s messages and led them to accept error. (2) They have, through their misrepresentations, either in message or in life, caused reproach and discredit to be cast upon all prophets. Satan cares little what attitude leads one to reject light, as long as the light is rejected. APAY 100.1

No one need be deceived as to whether a professed prophet is true or false. Standards have been established in the Bible that make it possible to determine which messengers have come with messages from God and which are counterfeits. If the Bible tests are applied consistently and persistently to the life and teachings of any prophet, they will reveal the source of his communications. Four major tests of a prophet are mentioned in the Bible. It is essential that all four of the tests be applied to anyone who claims to possess the gift of prophecy. All the requirements must be met. In addition to the major tests, there are several minor tests or evidences that should be noted. APAY 100.2