False Prophecies Make False Prophets

Yes folks, this is my second attempt at official "blog spotting." I was reading Phil Johnson's blog and read his article for November 4th where he comments:

"Whether you are a cessationist or not, you ought to be able to see that fatuous predictions which never come true are false prophecies, not legitimate spiritual gifts. And false prophecies are irrefutable proof that the mouthpiece who utters them does not really speak for God. If the contemporary church-including both charismatic and cessationist believers-cannot come to grips with that fundamental reality, then the only spiritual gift anyone ought to be seeking is the gift of discernment. Frankly, we have an overabundance of professing prophets and tongues-speakers these days, and precious few men with real discernment."

I completely, totally, utterly, like yea, 100% agree with Phil Johnson. Whether you believe the Sign / Revelatory Gifts have ceased or not, we should all agree that when someone gives false prophecies that one is not a true prophet of God. It has always baffled me why some charismatics try to defend the idea that even if a man gives a false prophecy it really isn't his fault, "after all, we only see as in a mirror dimly" (as if that somehow excuses the false prophecy). If we were to be consistent with that kind of argumentation, we could potentially excuse ANY alleged prophetic utterance.

I see no reason why the tests of a prophet found in Deuteronomy do not apply to the New Testament gift of prophecy:

Deutereonomy 13:1-3, "1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.""

Deuteronomy 18:20-22, "20 'But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.""

Moses didn't leave a whole lot of room for error when it comes to speaking for the Lord of Lords. My heart's desire is that people would stop seeking new revelations from God and start enjoying the written revelation of God which is sufficient to prepare the Christian for every good work.

The Rusted One