Be Discerning


Image credit

Right after Donald Trump was proclaimed the winner in the presidential election in the USA, I saw on my Facebook newsfeed that somebody posted a YouTube video trumpeting the supposed fulfilled prophecy of the self-proclaimed Indian prophet, Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj. 


It claimed that way back in August, Selvaraj allegedly had a vision that Trump would win. He claimed,
I was caught up in spirit and I found my soul standing before the [council]. The very [council] where I always used to go and I saw Father Abraham, and I was standing beside him. And I was very very surprised to see Donald Trump come and stand in that room. And this is what I was told. They said, “Trump will become president.” [1]
Before you jump to conclusion that that proves Selvaraj is a true prophet, the most we could say is he just got “lucky.” Why? Even if he did predict a Trump victory, remember that he has a 50/50 chance of hitting it. There were only two presidential candidates. 

Image credit

Another self-proclaimed prophet, Nigerian Pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua, was not that fortunate. He predicted that Hillary Clinton would win. 
Ten days ago, I saw the new President of America with a narrow win. The new President will be facing several challenges over many issues, including passing bills, attempts to possibly pass a vote of no confidence on the new President. The boat of the new President will be rocked. By the way, in order not to keep you in suspense, what I frankly saw is a woman. [2]
But after it became clear that Trump won, Pastor Joshua’s Facebook entry declaring his “prophecy” got deleted. 



Somebody questioned why it was deleted, “If this was uttered by the man of God, why remove it?” [3] Your answer is as good as mine.

Image credit

Selvaraj already prophesied falsely before. For example, in April 2013, he declared, 
There is a place called Mindanao, and below that strait is a place called Compostela. The Lord said that there is an appointed typhoon to come upon that area. [4] 
But there were geographical blunders in that prophecy. Compostela is a province located in Mindanao and not below it. Mindanao is an island and not a strait. If it was God Who really gave that prophecy, shouldn’t we at least expect accuracy as far as geography is concerned? [5]

The Bible has a one-strike policy as far as prophecies are concerned.
And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22, ESV. Emphasis added)
The batting average that we should require from everyone and anyone who would claim to prophesy for God is 100%. Not 99%. Not 50%. It’s 100%. No more. No less. So, based on that standard, what would you call Selvaraj and Joshua?
Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, The Message)

Brothers and sisters, be discerning.

[1] Yeshua Kadosh, “DONALD TRUMP WILL BE THE PRESIDENT | Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj | Prophecy | USA | 2016,” filmed August 2016, YouTube video, 2:06, posted August 15, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqMDSURQPuU&app=desktop.

[2] Cobby Dollar, “TB Joshua predicts Hillary Clinton as winner of US election,” filmed November 6, 2016, YouTube video, 7:14, posted November 6, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGRQY6ke_M.

[3] BBC, (9 November 2016, “Nigerian preacher TB Joshua deletes prophecy of Clinton win,” BBC News, retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/.

[4] As quoted by John Pesebre (23 November 2013), “Part 2, Pastoral Guidance On Prophecies of the 2013 Calamitous Events in the Philippines,” Nabuenyo, retrieved from http://nabuenyo.blogspot.com/.

[5] Ibid.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl...
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m...
Read more

Detour, Not A Dead End

Image
A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.”  According to another dictionary , it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.” Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end.  Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea.  I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass. (Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.) I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressure...
Read more