15: “PROPHECIES” TRUMP SCRIPTURE 137(1 Thess. 5:20-21). This implies that some prophecies are not “good.”
Mature charismatic and Pentecostal leaders recognize that it is difficult,
even for someone who has a prophetic gifting and has used it effectively
for many years, to be sure whether any specific prophecy is from God,
and whether all of it or just parts of it are from God. This is why Paul
adds a provision for testing by others who hear the prophecy, both in
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 and in 1 Corinthians 14:29. Prophecies must
be tested especially for their conformity to Scripture.
The people who give prophecies saying it is time to release women
into ministries of teaching and having authority over men may be sin-
cere, committed Christians. But it is possible for sincere, committed
Christians to make mistakes, and even to be led astray by their own
desires or by evil spirits who masquerade as “angels of light,” giving a
subjective impression that feels so much like a genuine prophetic
impulse: “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no
surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righ-
teousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
The only safe way to guard against such deception is to test prophe-
cies by Scripture. Prophecies that contradict Scripture are in error. We
return to the fundamental question: what does the Bible teach? No gen-
uine prophecy from the Holy Spirit is going to lead people to contradict
or disobey God’s Word.
Is accepting such prophecies a step toward liberalism? When peo-
ple place them above Scripture it is. And when people allow such
prophecies to influence their view of what the Bible teaches about
women in ministry, it is. The Bible should test the prophecies; the
prophecies should never be used to test Scripture. And when people have
an attitude that says, “I don’t know what the Bible teaches about women
as pastors and elders and Bible teachers for men, but these prophecies
lead me to approve of it,” then this is clearly a step toward liberalism.
If people put contemporary prophecies above Scripture, they are
denying the supreme authority of Scripture in our lives. If people allow
contemporary prophecies rather than Scripture to determine what they
think about women in ministry, this opens the door to receiving many
more prophecies that contradict Scripture on many other areas of life.
Even if people say, “We are looking both to Scripture and to these
prophecies,” they are then putting stock in these prophecies to help them