4 Questions for Testing False Prophets and Apostles
How do you determine if a dream, vision, revelation, or spiritual manifestation is from the Lord or from some other source?
We need to establish in Scripture that there is a specific basis for testing supernatural manifestations. In First John 4:1, we are told, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God….”
The word “try” in this verse could also be translated as “test”: “…Believe not every spirit, but test the spirits….”
This problem of testing the spirits to see if they’re from God or not is nothing new. From the beginning of time, wherever there was something true, Satan tried to twist and pervert it to present something false in its place. The Ephesian believers had a huge problem with false apostles, for example, and their example can guide us in determining what is true and false in our own lives, as well as in the ministers and ministries we listen to.
Testing False Apostles
In Revelation 2:2 and 3, Jesus told the Ephesian church,
“I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”
Let’s take a closer look at the words “canst not” in verse 3. The words “canst not” is a form of the Greek word dunamai, which is the word for ability or power. However, in this verse, it is used with a negative, which changes the word to mean intolerance, inability, or powerlessness.
Although intolerance would normally be perceived as a negative quality, this was a correct type of intolerance for which Christ commended them. It was an intolerance of spiritual imposters who attempted to creep into this church for the sake of self-advantage. The church of Ephesus had no tolerance for such pretenders. This is the reason Christ went on to say, “I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil .…”
The word “bear” in Greek is a form of the word bastadzo — a word that means to carry or to bear something, as in to bear a responsibility. It is used 27 times in the New Testament, and in more than half of those instances, the word means to physically carry something. An example of this word is found in John 19:17, where Jesus was called upon to bear His own cross. It is also used in Acts 21:35, where Paul was carried by soldiers — and in Luke 11:27, where it describes a mother carrying a child in the womb. In each instance, bastadzo denotes a person (or group of people) who is responsible for carrying or bearing some type of responsibility.
As used in Revelation 2:3, this word bastadzo denotes the Ephesian congregation’s absolute intolerance for those who were evil. These Ephesian believers emphatically refused to carry, endorse, or bear responsibility for any person they believed to be “evil.” The word “evil” is a translation of the Greek word kakos — a word that is used 50 times in the New Testament and always describes something that is bad, destructive, evil, foul, harmful, hurtful, injurious, or vile.
At the time all these things were taking place, the city of Ephesus was referred to as “The Light of Asia” — a term that described the enormous effect this intellectual and sophisticated city had on all of Asia. For hundreds of years, Ephesus — a large pagan city — was an attraction for any- one with a new concept, new religion, new revelation, or even a new god. If something new found acceptance in Ephesus, it was easy to extend its influence to other parts of the Roman province of Asia via the many roads that led from the city. As a result, Ephesus became a testing ground for new ideas and a magnet for ambitious new thinkers, as well as for pretenders and charlatans. They all descended on the city to try their luck to see if their new ideas could win popular approval. The pagan population had long grown accustomed to the fact that their city was an attraction to these glory-seekers.
After it became clear that the church at Ephesus was the primary spiritual leader in Asia, the church also attracted a wide range of so-called “God-sent” people who attempted to gain notoriety by trying out their new doctrines and revelations in Ephesus. If one could “make it” in Ephesus and receive that church’s endorsement, the door was then opened for him to all of Asia. As a result, false apostles were constantly descending on the city.
However, the Ephesian leadership and congregation had no tolerance for those people who tried to infiltrate the church with hidden and selfish motives. The Ephesian believers understood their church’s pivotal role in the entire region; they understood that whatever they endorsed would be carried into all the other churches. Therefore, they didn’t quickly assume responsibility for newcomers. Instead, Revelation 2:2 and 3 implies that the church actually set up a system whereby they could test new arrivals to see if they were really what they claimed to be. The Ephesian leadership loved their church so much that they had no tolerance for anyone who twisted the Word to create a new, popular doctrine — nor did they have any stomach for those who selfishly wished to use the Ephesian church for their own self-advantage.
“The Ephesian leadership and congregation had no tolerance for those people who tried to infiltrate the church with hidden and selfish motives.”
The phrase “... and how thou canst not bear them which are evil…” also gives us insight into how Jesus feels about those who try to use the Church for selfish gain or for self-glory. He said they are “evil.” Again, this word for “evil” always describes something that is bad, destructive, evil, foul, harmful, hurtful, injurious, or vile.
It is damaging to true ministry gifts when false ministers gain a public foothold and stain or ruin the reputation of the ministry. This situation is so destructive to the Church at large that Jesus commended the Ephesian congregation for refusing to tolerate or endure false ministers. Their desire to protect the integrity of God’s Word and to uphold the honor of public ministry was one of the characteristics about this local church that made it commendable.
Four Simple Questions That Must Be Answered
So based on the biblical precedent set by the church at Ephesus that Jesus commended, we can use a series of criteria — a biblical test — when we hear someone say he or she has had a dream, vision, revelation, or spiritual manifestation.
But how exactly should you test the veracity of new doctrines, revelations, and other spiritual manifestations? Here are four simple questions to ask to determine whether or not you should believe someone who claims God has given him or her a dream, vision, revelation, or spiritual manifestation.
How was it received?
What is its content?
What is its long-term fruit?
Whom does it glorify?
In my book, Testing the Spirits, I cover each one of these points in greater detail, but for our purposes here, suffice it to say that Jesus’ message to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 makes it clear that we are to follow their example in proving what is and what isn’t true, genuine, and authentic when it comes to dreams, visions, revelations, and spiritual manifestations.
Finally, remember that First John 4:1 commands us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God….”
