I kid you not, I received my first “2019 prophecy” in my inbox on November 26, 2018. And when I clicked on that link, I saw two other links that were published as early as November 3.
My real prophecy for 2019 is that there are many false prophets among us—people who claim to be speaking in the name of the Lord, but who are speaking on their own behalf.
Horoscopes or Prophecies?
Many of the so-called “prophecies” that I read online sound like Christian horoscopes—they are generic enough that surely they will apply to someone out there in cyberspace. For example:
- “What appears to be a step backward for many will be a step forward” (see here). [Of course that will apply to “many” people in the world.]
- “For many, 2019 will mark the end of a half-hearted lifestyle, one that only produces just enough to get by until we die.” (see here). [This too will apply to “many” people in the world.]
- “2019 Will Be a Year of Opportunities of a Lifetime” (see here).
I’ve noticed that such “prophecies” become really popular each year for about a month before and after New Year’s, just in time for Christians to get their horoscopes for the year.
False Prophecy and My True Prophecy
In most cases, it seems to me that those who write these so-called prophecies are among “those who prophesy out of their own imagination” (Ezekiel 13:2) as they proclaim “‘peace,’ when there is no peace” (Ezekiel 13:10; Jeremiah 6:14).
They declare that:
- “2019 is a year of transition into the blessings” and a year of “extreme acceleration” (see here).
- “2019 is going to be the year of BREAKOUT! The storms that many of you faced were not sent to destroy you nor to make you become disillusioned. They strengthened you and built you up” (see here).
- “In 2019, God will demonstrate the power of a decree with rapid breakthrough following.” (see here).
Most of this sounds like the prosperity gospel wrapped in the language of “prophetic.”
Why are the “prophets” not proclaiming that for “many” God will send discipline to call them out of sin? And why are they not proclaiming that “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Well, I am here to prophesy just this.
I’m not even kidding.
Am I too Skeptical?
Before people start commenting on how I’m being too skeptical or that I’m not open to hearing from God, let me first say that I actually believe I have heard from God about what you are currently reading. Of course, anyone who claims to give a prophecy must actually have heard from God, right?
Second, I will simply say I am not being too skeptical. In am actually doing what the Bible instructs believers to do—we are to “beware of false prophets” (Matthew 7:15) and to test prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
Perhaps Hearing but Misapplying?
I suppose it is possible that some people who are sending out these online “prophecies” are actually hearing from God. Maybe God is speaking to them, about their lives, but these individuals are wrongly concluding that these “prophecies” are meant for everyone in the whole entire world to read, so they put them online for that purpose.
This could be analogous to how there was a prophet, who had truly heard from God, and who told Paul that he was going to be arrested if he returned to Jerusalem. Those who heard the prophecy wrongly interpreted the implications of this prophecy by telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul disagreed with them and went to Jerusalem anyway (Acts 21:10-13).
Misunderstanding Prophecy
My contention is that many Christians, especially those in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, have misunderstood what a “prophecy” is—and I think this is true of both many “prophets” out there as well as those who want to read their “prophecies.”
First, I don’t think that prophecies were ever meant to be delivered en masse to random people literally around the globe. In the Bible, prophecies were directed to a specific people group, usually individuals, at times to a congregation, or even to a whole nation—but it was still to a specific group of people.
Second, as I discuss in my book Simply Spirit-Filled, prophecy is not just about the future. I will come back to this point in a future blog post.
Hold on to True Prophecy
Despite all that I have said above, I don’t want you to become cynical of all claims of prophecy. And, I certainly don’t want to make you reject the gift of prophecy all together. Instead, I will echo the words of Scripture:
- “Eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1).
- “Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
I do recommend, though, that if you are looking for true prophecies, you stop looking online. Except perhaps to the post that you just finished reading 😉 .
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- How to Break Generational Curses
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.
Andrew, I have a question….where is your “real” prophecy for 2019?
Thanks for your question and the opportunity to clarify. Here’s the prophecy: “My real prophecy for 2019 is that there are many false prophets among us—people who claim to be speaking in the name of the Lord, but who are speaking on their own behalf.”
Annemarie it is in the second paragraph of the article.
Thanks John!
Dear Brother Andrew,
If we are to see our church grow in the gifts and in particular the gift of prophecy that has had so much bad press and criticism, we need instruction and edification. When learning about fake money at a bank or other financial institution they focus on the authentic characteristics and features of “real” money so that a person can easily know when they are receiving fake money. There may be something that can be learned from this as we want to see the gift of prophecy grow in our churches, as I am sure you do too. To emphasis the importance of the prophetic word, the power behind it and the importance of weighing the words to know when it is authentic and effective to our lives. To call the gift of prophecy the same as fortune telling is in effect saying we ought to stay away from it and it is forbidden. (Knowing your heart and love for the Holy Spirit, I know this is not what you mean to say) We in fact need a learning ground, a place to try out our wings, without criticism when God has gifted us in the prophetic. Whether for a moment or for a life calling like John the Baptist. There is need for good teaching to strengthen good prophecy and to give instruction when it is bad, or not for this moment. This is the practice in churches that demonstrate gifts of prophecy.
You raise a really good point here. And I like your analogy too. In my book I aim to give more constructive instruction on prophecy and how it words, along with other gifts of the Spirit. I can only say so much in one blog post though. And this one was getting long enough.
I need to clarify something though. I NEVER said prophecy is the same as fortune telling. No, no, no. I said that some who *claim* to prophesy are doing something like that. That is why I consistently put “prophecy” in quotation marks around the word–in order to distinguish it from what I consider to be legitimate instances of prophecy.
Moreover, I agree we need to have space for a learning ground and for people to make mistakes. But those who post these so-called “prophecies” are not people who are new Christians or who are just starting to explore life in the Spirit. So, I would say they have used up their space, so to speak.
Andrew,
I want to draw attention to the reference you made to prophecy being specific for an individual or group of people for a particular place and time. We in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles have practiced over the years taking prophetic scriptures as well as others to apply to our lives. Would you suggest that we not do this? We see scripture verses on plaques and framed pictures that encourage our heart. In fact we use scriptures that were prophecies for others in a specific moment and time, that today are timeless words that encourage and strengthen us. “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I like to consider this the same as when a child is scolded in front of others, everyone feels the wrath, as though it was meant for them too. The words we find in scripture are in fact the opposite, showing God’s love for a thousand generations. So don’t these same scriptures and prophecies also apply to us as we meditate on the words of God’s love and provision although we are just picking up the scraps of someone else’s prophecy? So is it not possible that a prophetic word for 2019 may in fact encourage many, even if given to a particular group of people in a specific time and place? I look forward to your response.
Wow! Another great comment. Thanks for interacting here, Annemarie.
To the point, as you probably guessed, no, I don’t think we should stop applying prophetic scriptures to our lives–all Scripture can be applied in some way. BUT, as I pointed out in my post called 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life, we have to consider the original context of each Scripture and prophecy, and we can’t just pick the nice prophecies to apply to our lives while ignoring the ones that disturb us.
More importantly though, we realize that all the prophecies in the Bible weren’t directed at us, even though they might apply to us.
This is very different than any generic online prophecies that are directed at the whole world. And since they are directed right us, there is no need to look further for a general principle that might apply to our lives (prophecies have to be directed elsewhere for us to them “apply” them to us).
Hopefully my explanation is making sense here, but if not, please let me know and I’ll try to clarify further.
Andrew, thanks for your great responses. And especially for the 10 Bible verses I can legitimately declare! 😉
I agree whole heartedly! I usually filter out most prophecies, but people need to be held accountable for what they share, esp. online. Thanks for the warning!
That’s right we are supposed to test prophecies and then expose those that are phonies while underlining those that are true.
“Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). The OT teaches the same thing.
Isaiah 46:9-10. God bases His argument on past prophecies which have PROVEN true. Joseph’s 14 year weather report. Passover, etc.
We must pay more attention to Jesus when He predicted in Mathew 24 etc just what we’d be living today and make sure we are not listening to those false prophets of the last times.
I want to learn more and understand, can you pray for me please.
Another thought…Recently a friend with a prophetic anointing on her life came to me with an encouraging word that God had given her specific instruction to pray for business owners and entrepreneurs. In her seeking God for the year ahead in prophetic words. She found that there was a common thread that ran through many of the prophetic words being spoken for 2019. The words that she was reading were from respected and reliable prophetic speakers. What I admire is her persistence to go through the prophetic words and draw out of them the common thread, repeated words and phrases, as God led her.