The Definition of a True Prophet
How do we know if a real prophet is among us? Deuteronomy gives us the answer in chapter 18 verses 20-22: “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.
“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”(NIV) If a real prophet is to be among them today, what he says in the name of the Lord must come true or take place. The Watchtower organization definition of a false prophet in the following quotations is in agreement with Deuteronomy chapter 18.
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, page 154: “If he is a true prophet, his message will come to pass exactly as prophesied. If he is a false prophet, his prophecy will fail to come to pass.”
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, page 155: “The difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is that the one is speaking the word of the Lord and the other is speaking his own dreams and guesses....The true prophet of God today will be telling forth what the Bible teaches, and those things that the Bible tells us are soon to come to pass. He will be no sounding forth man-made theories or guesses, either his own or those of others.”
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, pages 155-156: “In 1914-1918 these same three classes told the whole world that the great World War would end all wars and make the world safe for democracy; and that the young men who died on the field of battle would go to heaven. Their prophecies did not come true. Therefore they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust them as safe guides, but should look to the Lord through his revealed Word for their instructions as to what is to occur on the earth in the future.”
Awake-October 8, 1968, page 23: “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world,’ even announcing a specific date. Some have gathered groups with them and fled to the hills or withdrawn into their houses waiting for the end. Yet, nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?
Missing was the full measure of evidence required in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that he was guiding them.”
"Paradise Restored to Mankind-by Theocracy!," 1972, pages 353-354: “Jehovah, the God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets. False prophets will try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are. They will try to avoid being pronounced spiritually dead by Jehovah’s loyal worshippers.”
In conclusion, if the Watchtower organization was "directed by God's holy spirit" and God's "holy angels" and was "really a 'prophet' of Jehovah among them," what happened with the dates that this "anointed remnant of Jehovah's witnesses" talked about? It was said that "no word or work of Jehovah can fail." Did the nations see the fulfillment of what these witnesses said "as directed from heaven"? Since the things mentioned relating to the dates 1914,1975 did not come to pass or take place, the Watchtower was guilty of false prophesying because the fulfillment was missing. Is this an organization someone can really put their faith in to point them towards eternal life?
Written By Jeff Coons
“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”(NIV) If a real prophet is to be among them today, what he says in the name of the Lord must come true or take place. The Watchtower organization definition of a false prophet in the following quotations is in agreement with Deuteronomy chapter 18.
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, page 154: “If he is a true prophet, his message will come to pass exactly as prophesied. If he is a false prophet, his prophecy will fail to come to pass.”
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, page 155: “The difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is that the one is speaking the word of the Lord and the other is speaking his own dreams and guesses....The true prophet of God today will be telling forth what the Bible teaches, and those things that the Bible tells us are soon to come to pass. He will be no sounding forth man-made theories or guesses, either his own or those of others.”
The Watchtower-May 15, 1930, pages 155-156: “In 1914-1918 these same three classes told the whole world that the great World War would end all wars and make the world safe for democracy; and that the young men who died on the field of battle would go to heaven. Their prophecies did not come true. Therefore they are false prophets; and the people should no longer trust them as safe guides, but should look to the Lord through his revealed Word for their instructions as to what is to occur on the earth in the future.”
Awake-October 8, 1968, page 23: “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world,’ even announcing a specific date. Some have gathered groups with them and fled to the hills or withdrawn into their houses waiting for the end. Yet, nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?
Missing was the full measure of evidence required in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that he was guiding them.”
"Paradise Restored to Mankind-by Theocracy!," 1972, pages 353-354: “Jehovah, the God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets. False prophets will try to hide their reason for feeling shame by denying who they really are. They will try to avoid being pronounced spiritually dead by Jehovah’s loyal worshippers.”
In conclusion, if the Watchtower organization was "directed by God's holy spirit" and God's "holy angels" and was "really a 'prophet' of Jehovah among them," what happened with the dates that this "anointed remnant of Jehovah's witnesses" talked about? It was said that "no word or work of Jehovah can fail." Did the nations see the fulfillment of what these witnesses said "as directed from heaven"? Since the things mentioned relating to the dates 1914,1975 did not come to pass or take place, the Watchtower was guilty of false prophesying because the fulfillment was missing. Is this an organization someone can really put their faith in to point them towards eternal life?
Written By Jeff Coons