As early as the Old Testament times, false prophets abound until the time of the early church. Matthew 7:15 warns us: “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Even today, false prophets abound.
How then, can we tell the true prophets of God from the false ones?
We see this in the kind of work that they do. The prophetic healing that true prophets do results in the glorification of God, the preaching of Christ, and the spiritual revival of a people. True prophets do not seek to glorify themselves. True prophets receive the outpouring of the gift of prophetic healing and deliverance not from their own strength, but from God’s blessing and supernatural power. Because of this, the ministry of prophetic healing and deliverance of true man and women of God leads to the revitalization of an entire nation.
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, we see the Prophet Ezekiel ushering in a revival in the entire nation of Israel. He prophesied to the dry bones in the Valley of Death to live. He prayed to God, and God breathed into the bones, causing them to live again. Towards the end of the passage, we see that the bones that were brought to life belonged to the whole house of Israel. In other words, all of Israel were once all dry bones, with all their hope and faith lost. Yet, because of the miracle that God performed through His prophet Ezekiel, God’s Spirit revived all of Israel.
In the same way, true prophets who can usher in faith healing from God create renewed hope and revitalized faith among God’s people. Not only does God heal individual infirmities, but God also puts His spirit in His people, so that all may have renewed strength, deliverance from the work of the Evil One who merely steals, kills, and destroys.
