How can you tell the legitimacy of a person's claims to be a prophet from God?

Answer 1

Do what they did to all the witches and Joan of Arc.

Throw 'em or burn 'em. If they're saved, they're a prophet. If not, ehh... they're dead.

- 16 yo Pagan

Answer 2

After 27 answers with more or less conflicting information I point you to the Prophet Jeremiah.

With Jeremiah being a qualified prophet actually became more difficult. It is still true that what a prophet says must come to pass. But note the old way and new in the following two verses.

"The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence."
"The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him."

Further a true prophet will present his message saying "Thus saith the Lord." He will have words much like this because the message to him is audible. It is not something the prophet thinks or imagines or dreams.

Answer 3

Some centuries ago the Bible itself told how you could tell a true Prophet from a false one !.the prophet would speak in the true Gods Name (ps,83:18 OKJV) 2. the things fore told would always come true 100% of the time 3. the true Prophet was an advocate of righteousness and his message dealt with moral standards and their application he Expresses Gods mind on matters and was always in harmony with the truth of the Bible all three had to be present or he was false .

Answer 4

The prophet would offer a number of proofs:

He would have a Prophet's License, signed by the mayor of the city he is prophesizing in.

He would have a cell phone with a dimensional communicator module so he could reach the other side.

He would wear robes, but the robes must be a dark or earth-tone.

He would have a stigmata on his butt from God's branding iron.

If you harrass and heckle him long enough (I advise getting someone else to test this), he will have God strike you with lightning and blast you to crispy bits.

He will likely be a homeless drifter, which is a signature behavior of prophets throughout the ages.

Answer 5

There are a few basic tests you can apply. However, even after these are satisfied you would still need devine confirmation through prayer and fasting. But here is a start:

A. He will boldly claim that God [has] spoken to him.

B. Any man so claiming would be a dignified man with a dignified message; no table-jumping, no whisperings from the dead, no clairvoyance, but an intelligent statement of truth.

C. Any man claiming to be a prophet of God would declare his message without any fear and without making any weak concessions to public opinion.

D. If he were speaking for God, he could not make concessions although what he taught would be new and contrary to the accepted teachings of the day. A prophet bears witness to what he has seen and heard and seldom tries to make a case by argument. His message and not himself is important.

E. Such a man would speak in the name of the Lord, saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” as did Moses, Joshua, and others.

F. Such a man would predict future events in the name of the Lord, and they would come to pass, as did Isaiah and Ezekiel.

G. He would have not only an important message for his time but often a message for all future time, such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and others had.

H. He would have courage and faith enough to endure persecution and to give his life, if need be, for the cause he espoused, such as Peter, Paul, and others did.

I. Such a man would denounce wickedness fearlessly. He would generally be rejected or persecuted by the people of his time, but later generations, the descendants of his persecutors, would build monuments in his honor.

J. He would be able to do superhuman things, things that no man could do without God’s help. The consequence or result of his message and work would be convincing evidence of his prophetic calling. “By their fruits ye shall know them” [Matt. 7:20].

K. His teachings would be in strict conformity with scripture, and his words and his writings would become scripture. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21).

Answer 6

Here is a good way - All the prophesies in the Bible have come true - therefore there are No more prophets. Anyone claiming to be a prophet is pulling both of your legs and both of your arms and they are most likely aiming for your pocket book - so beware.

Answer 7

Look at their track record. A true prophet of God, like the prophets in the Bible will have a perfect track record. That means every single thing they prophesy is correct and true. When you apply this test, not many modern day prophets will pass.

The meaning of prophecy today is the forth telling of scripture. It is taking scripture and applying it to a situation, NOT forecasting things in people's lives. If you are listening to a so called prophet who is saying things about what will happen in your or someone elses life, you can almost bet he or she is a fake. Beware. Test everything with scripture.

Pray and ask God to give you discernment about this person.

Answer 8

The Scripture says that "by their fruits you will know them.

The test of a Prophecy is

1 Does it agree with Scripture(not contradict the gospel)

2. Does it bear good fruit. (not cause people to stampede with fear or anger)

A Prophet is someone who has shown to consistently bring forth tested prophecies on a regular basis. They would have a prophetic spirit about them. They would exhibit a special discernment when others bring forth a word of Prophecy. They would have a "witness in their spirit" about a Word from the Lord.

Answer 9

There is no longer such a thing as a prophet. Jesus already fulfilled the prophesies of the prophets.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2: Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

It's a done and finished deal, no prophets after Christ, only false prophets.

Answer 10

1 John 4:1-2 Try the spirits whether they are of God: Because many false prophets are gone out into the world
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God

Answer 11

We are equeel to God, evidenced by the fact that he made all of us. When you hear anything to the effect that there's a partial God that picks out certain countries, groups, or EVEN INDIVIDUALS, that's fake.

Take Hell, for instance. The concept appealed to European Kings and Queens because it gave an excuse to take land from people who "DON'T HAVE JESUS" and thus would go to Hell without the "Kind help" of the conqueering nation.