What Percentage of Today's Prophecy is Legitimate?

IMHO it is very low.

But then we would have to ask why is it so low. Does God miss it so often, or perhaps it's not God at all.

Simon Peter said:

What do you think? Anyone care to put a number on it?

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100%



That's funny right there... I kill myself!

Oh wait, that's the biblical standard, not the standard of the church today. I forgot we get to make up our own standard as we go along.

Never mind.

Most all - I'd say at least 95% (and probably more like 98%) of all personal prophecy (that is prophecy given to me personally by others) was accurate. However I rarely tell anyone. Why should I? It was for me!!

Still if I have any questions whether it was right or wrong, I don't lean on my own understanding, I turn to the Lord and ask Him about it. So how are those not turning to the Lord, but leaning own their own understanding, figuring out if personal prophecy is correct? I think that is where the problem usually lies, and not the rarer problem of getting false prophecy from others in the church.

From what I have seen, the problem almost always comes down to His people not turning and listening to Him!! While I have seen a few, but more publisied cases, of some people getting false prohecy, that is not the norm.

Satan does not want you turning to the Wonderful Counselor for advice. So an evil spirit of false prophecy gets someone, who forgets to test the spirits, to give a false prophecy. Then does that same evil spirit want that trickery to go noticed or not noticed? The evil spirit wants it to be noticed, because that is what get people to not believe that the Lord is with them.

So where does the idea that all this false prophecy is going around the church coming from?? Who are you listening too? God is faithful. Turn to Him and ask Him!! Test the spirit because there are many evil spirits, and if someone gives you a word from God, turn to God and ask Him about it yourself. Still won't He answer you? He is not slow to answer like you think! He is not unfaithful as to just ignore your question is He?

I have point this out before, but I will mention it again: For the person that knows the Lord, both the false prophet and the prophet from the Lord accomplish the same thing. Both types encourage the man of God to turn to God for their answers. Do you not know that it is written that love trusts all things, and that all things work out for good for those that love the Lord. So I can thank God for both the prophet serving the Lord and the false prophet because they both cause me to draw closer to Him.

Simon Peter said:

What percentage of prophecy is just wrong, and what percentage is actually legitimate?

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From people who have a genuine prophetic gift it will be 100%, given that some prophecies have conditions attached.

For people without a genuine prophetic gift they will sometimes get it right by trial and error, insider information or best guess.

In my experience there can be a sense of being driven in the chari/pente church. Everyone must have a ministry, everyone must be healed, everyone must be prosperous, victorious, positive, overcomers. What has been seen or heard about must be replicated, if not via God via your own power. The church must appear to be in revival in order to pinch folk from other churches. If it is not replicated it will give the impression that your Pastor is not a big shot. Just repeat what someone on God TV said if it worked for them.

But communicating with God is a two-way process. In our hectic modern environment it can be reduced to a one way process.

On the other hand a lot of believers are hearing from God just fine and giving words that are spot on

IMO the most obvious way to tell what is true and what is fake is who does the prophecy glorify? God or man? I believe that if you are seeking to glorify God in your life he will speak through you.

A word in season can make all the difference in a person's life.

When you get a prophecy from the Lord that is spot on, it's amazing and wonderful.

But the opposite can be true too.

86.897512385473

"What percentage of prophecy is just wrong, and what percentage is actually legitimate?"

A better question is: What percentage of Prophesy - even IS "Prophecy", and not just "superheated religious flesh" scratching its itch.

100% of PROPHESY - is legitimate - it's given by the Holy Spirit to the Prophet who then speaks the WORD to those who listen.

But anybody can whomp up a perfectly valid SOUNDING "Prophetic utterance" (or a "tongue") that would pass Scriptural tests, and fool the average Full Gospel Believer completely - and still be TOTALLY PHONY!!!!

In the absence of the "Gift of discernation", the only way to evaluate is to wait for confirmation.

Like any long time Pentecostal/Charismatic, I've received bucket loads of "Personal prophesies" (which I've filed in "Pending"), and in 50 years running with full gospel folks, I can think of possibly TWO that have passed the test of time.

Bob Carabbio said:

In the absence of the "Gift of discernation", the only way to evaluate is to wait for confirmation.

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Now that is a word I've never heard of. What exactly is discernation. I can't seem to find it.

why dont people just say scripture and encourage each other with the Truth about the character of our Awesome God? why go all spooky and weird and 'speak words' over people that may or may not be of your own making, which is incredibly open to error and destruction. Why not instead encourage people about who God is with the Truth about Him given us already in Scripture.

the character of God speaks to any and every situation.
eg. God will never leave you nor forsake you.

We are to encourage one another - but it's not something I see a lot nor is it something I do often enough.

Also, it's good when we embrace all Scripture but I admit I have a harder time accepting some of them. At first I didn't believe that prophets were for today then I studied and accepted Scripture such as - "And he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11) I Thess 5:20-21 - 20 "Despise not prophesyings."

As far as discernment - "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:" (I Cor 12:10). There's a difference in discernment and discerning of spirits. Discernment we need but it's not a spiritual gift while discerning of spirits is.

100% of today's prophecy is legitimate.

If it's not legitimate, it's not prophecy.

I'm neither charismatic nor pentecostal but I'd like to respectfully weigh in on the topic. I consider myself to be a staunch cessationist and believe that ALL prophecy, signs and ' tongues' ended with the Apostolic Age and any so-called continuational 'prophecy' of today is nothing more than Neo-Montantism.
I cite the writings of the Early Church fathers including Ireinius who was a disciple of Polycarp who in turn was a disciple of the Apostle John. In his book Against Heresies he says that prophecy ended with the Apostles. I see absolutely no evidence that prophecy or any other gifts are true today. Now if someone could kindly direct me to a Cessationist thread it would be greatly appreciated!!

Brother Sammy said:

Now if someone could kindly direct me to a Cessationist thread it would be greatly appreciated!!

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This might be a good place to start...

Unorthodox Theology - Christian Forums

Brother Sammy said:

In his book Against Heresies he says that prophecy ended with the Apostles. !

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Then it must have started with the apostles too.

Simon Peter said:

Regarding: Prophecy is not 'prophecy' if it wasn't from God. Well, yes and no. The bible calls it 'false prophecy', which is a form of prophecy.

That's semantics.

But raises another issue...prophecy that is half right and half wrong.

I've had prophecy that saw things in my life and past that the prophet absolutely could not have known, but the their future predictions were incorrect!


peace,
Simon

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Well fyi, I got this exact same result when I thought I was spiritual enough to fool around with tarot cards and not be harmed. (It didn't work out so well...)

But what I did notice was the spirit behind the cards was very accurate at describing my current situation. Where it failed, was in giving me a God breathed prediction about my future. I got a prediction all right, but the path I would have had to take and the things I would have been motivated to do to see this particular future unfold, were not God's plan for my life.

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Godly prophecies I received into my life (from prophets, not cards ), usually paint a picture of the path God is intending to lead me down. Similar I suppose to Abraham, who was promised to be the father of many nations. When God asked him to sacrifice the son of promise, he knew that God could/would raise Issac from the dead. Why? Because this was necessary for the prediction to come true.

When faced with difficult situations in life, or the temptation to throw in the towel and quit, sometimes all we have is the vision God has given us for the life He intends us to live. Faith then, is found only by relying upon His promise, and choosing the one possible path in front of us that includes the fulfillment of His promise.

I do not see it laid out in the Bible that prophecy works in any other way. There is no need even for the prophet to state the conditions of the prophecy, that we must be obedient and act in faith when the whole world looks like it has positioned itself between us and God's plan. Jonah did not speak of any conditions to the people of Nineveh, yet even these ungodly people figured out that, by faith, action can be taken to change the word of the Lord. How much more for us, who know His ways, if we choose not to follow them?

Some think that Jonah knew that the people would repent and that's the reason why he didn't want to give that prophecy because it would not come true. Yet I don't see where he's named a false prophet in Scripture though. If you have, would it post it?

An example of a prophetic word where Yahweh revealed someone's future and the person agreed for it to happen -
Luke 1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. ...31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."