True Prophets

DEFINITION OF A TRUE PROPHET
The following is a useful working definition of a true prophet:

Someone who hears God’s voice when reading the written word.
Someone who interprets the Bible symbolically — not literally.
Someone who can distinguish between the holy and profane (i.e. good and evil).
Someone who applies the symbolic intent of the whole Bible to his/her life, and to the lives of others, in a way that results in personal, spiritual transformation.
Someone who has repented for practicing the sin of religion.
Someone who sees it as his/her responsibility to instruct, comfort, encourage others to repent of the sin of religion.
A warrior who is willing to lay down his/her life in conflict with religion so that others may be delivered from slavery to religion.
Someone who sees it as his/her responsibility to destroy nations and tear down idols and high places.
Someone through whom the spirit of God speaks.

Readers should notice that we did not say that a true prophet reads God’s word, interprets what he/she reads, and then reports a paraphrased interpretation to others. Anyone can read words on paper, interpret them intellectually and make a verbal or written report to others. God calls those who report literal or paraphrased interpretations false prophets. They have missed the critical ingredient of hearing God’s voice. Here we find the key difference between false prophets and true prophets:

True prophets listen to God’s voice and and interpret the spiritual, symbolic meanings of the Bible.
False prophets only consider the literal, written words of the Bible.

This contrast explains why true prophets are not well received by religion. They are effectively teaching from different Bibles.

True prophets teach from the spiritual, word of God spoken by God’s spirit to the heart of man.
False prophets teach from the literal, written word of God after it has been manipulated and perverted by fleshly human effort (i.e. intellect, reasoning, writing and speaking) that speaks to people through their natural eyes and ears.

STUDY TIP: See this link for a Picture of a Prophet written by Leonard Ravenhill.

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God's Voice

How to Hear, Interpret and Obey God's Spoken Word