Does God Inspire Astrologers and Psychics?

If some self-proclaimed prophet suddenly arose and began drawing crowds with stirring messages, healing the sick, raising the dead, bringing fire down from heaven, and revealing knowledge of your personal secrets—would you believe in him or her? Should you believe? Your ultimate destiny just might be tied directly to your ability to distinguish between true and false prophets. So it’s very important to know what the Bible really says about this timely subject!

“It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17).

Answer: Yes. Both men and women will prophesy in the last days (Joel 2:28–32).

“For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

Answer: Jesus gave all five gifts for the equipping of His saints. The equipping of God’s end-time church is not possible if any of these five gifts is missing.

“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

Answer: They will remain until God’s people are all unified, mature Christians—which, of course, will be at the end of time.

“If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. … I speak with him face to face” (Numbers 12:6, 8).

Answer: Visions, dreams, or face to face.

Answer: Notice these six crucial points:

A. Will initially lose physical strength (Daniel 10:8).

B. May later receive supernatural strength (Daniel 10:18, 19).

C. No breath in the body (Daniel 10:17).

D. Able to speak (Daniel 10:16).

E. Not aware of earthly surroundings (Daniel 10:5–8; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4).

F. Eyes will be open (Numbers 24:4).

These six Bible points provide the physical evidences of a true prophet in vision; not all of them always appear together. A prophet’s vision may be genuine without manifesting all six evidences at once.

“They are spirits of demons, performing signs [miracles]” (Revelation 16:14).

Answer: No. The devil and his emissaries also have the power to work miracles. Miracles prove only one thing: supernatural power. But such power comes from both God and Satan (Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Revelation 13:13, 14).

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

Answer: Test their teachings and conduct by the Word of God, the Bible. If they teach and behave contrary to Scripture, they are false prophets and “there is no light in them.”

“Prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe” (1 Corinthians 14:22).

Answer: The Bible is clear. Although a prophet’s message may sometimes edify the public, the primary purpose of prophecy is to serve the church.

Answer: In Study Guide 23, we discovered that Jesus gives a six-point description of His end-time church. Let’s review these six points:

A. It would not exist as an official organization between ad 538 and 1798.

B. It would arise and do its work after 1798.

C. It would keep the Ten Commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment.

D. It would have the gift of prophecy.

E. It would be a worldwide missionary church.

F. It would be teaching and preaching Jesus’ three-point message of Revelation 14:6–14.

It is important to remember that God’s end-time remnant church must fit all six of Jesus’ descriptive points. This means that the gift of prophecy must be included. It will have a prophet.

“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14).

Answer: It will anchor you spiritually. You will no longer be uncertain and unsettled in your beliefs.

Answer: It would be blind. Jesus referred to the subsequent dangers when He said, “If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

Answer: Yes. An angel told the apostle John in Revelation 19:10 that he was John’s “fellow servant,” one of his “brethren” who have the testimony of Jesus. This same angel repeated the identical information in Revelation 22:9, saying, “I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets.” Notice this time he called himself a prophet rather than one with the testimony of Jesus. So having the “testimony of Jesus” and being a prophet mean the same thing.

Answer:
The Bible’s testing points for a true prophet are as follows:

A. Live a godly life (Matthew 7:15–20).

B. Be called to service by God (Isaiah 6:1–10; Jeremiah 1:5–10; Amos 7:14, 15).

C. Speak and write in harmony with the Bible (Isaiah 8:19, 20).

D. Predict events that come true (Deuteronomy 18:20–22).

E. Will have visions (Numbers 12:6).

She Served 70 Years
Ellen accepted God’s call with the understanding that He would enable her physically and keep her humble. She lived an additional 70 years and died at age 87. She insisted that her aim and work were to point the church and its members to the Bible—which was to be its creed—and to Jesus’ free gift of righteousness. Ellen fulfilled every test of a prophet mentioned in this Study Guide.

Her Pen Name and Books
Ellen married James White, a clergyman, and wrote under the name Ellen G. White. She became one of the world’s most prolific female writers. Her books, read worldwide, give inspired counsel on health, education, temperance, the Christian home, parenting, publishing and writing, assisting the needy, stewardship, evangelism, Christian living, and more. Her book Education is considered an authority in its field. Dr. Florence Stratemeyer, a former professor of education at Columbia University, said the book contained “advanced educational concepts” and “was more than fifty years ahead of its time.” Dr. Clive McCay, former professor of nutrition at Cornell University, said of her writings on health: “In spite of the fact that the works of Mrs. White were written long before the advent of modern scientific nutrition, no better overall guide is available today.” Late newscaster Paul Harvey said she “wrote with such profound understanding on the subject of nutrition that all but two of the many principles she espoused have been scientifically established.” Her book The Desire of Ages, on the life of Christ, has been labeled an “English masterpiece” by Stationers Hall in London. It is heartwarming and uplifting beyond description. She said on the subject of intelligence that a person’s IQ could be increased—long before experts agreed. She said in 1905 that cancer is a germ (or virus), which medical science began to endorse only in the 1950s. Ellen is said to be the fourth-most-translated writer of all time. Her book on Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been translated into more than 150 languages and dialects. (For a free copy of this inspiring book, please write to Amazing Facts.)

Answer: Yes—many of them. They lasted from a few minutes to six hours. And they meet the Bible standard for visions as outlined in the answer to question 7 of this Study Guide.

Answer: No. Doctrine comes from the Bible alone. As an end-time prophet, her aim was to stress the love of Jesus and His imminent return. She urged people to serve Him and accept His righteousness as a free gift. She also directed people’s attention to the Bible prophecies for the end time—especially Jesus’ three-point message for the world today (Revelation 14:6–14). She urged that they share these messages of hope quickly and worldwide.

Answer: You can’t—until you read what she has written. However, you can know that (1) God’s true end-time church must have a prophet, that (2) Ellen White met the tests of a prophet, and that (3) she did the work of a prophet. We urge you to obtain and read one of her books and see for yourself. (An inexpensive paperback copy of The Desire of Ages may be purchased from Amazing Facts.) As you read it, ask yourself if it draws you to Jesus and if it is in harmony with the Bible. We think you will find it absolutely enthralling. It was written for you!

Answer: Jesus counted the rejection of a true prophet as rejecting the will of God (Luke 7:28–30). Further, He stated that spiritual prosperity hinges upon believing His prophets (2 Chronicles 20:20).

B. Lead God’s people into a closer walk with Jesus and a deeper study of His Word.

C. Help God’s people understand difficult, unclear, or unnoticed portions of the Bible so that they suddenly come to life for us and bring great joy.

D. Help protect God’s people from fanaticism, deception, and spiritual stupor.

E. Help God’s people understand end-time prophecies which, verified by everyday
news events, suddenly take on new meaning.

F. Help God’s people sense the certainty of Jesus’ soon return and the end of the world.

For a deepening love for Jesus, a vibrant new excitement about the Bible, and a fresh understanding of Bible prophecies—listen to God’s end-time prophet. You will find life taking on glorious new dimensions. Remember, Jesus said He would bless His end-time church with helpful prophetic messages. Praise the Lord! He is doing everything heaven can do for His end-time people. He intends to save His people and take them to His eternal kingdom. Those who follow Him are guaranteed entrance to heaven (Matthew 19:27–29).

Note: This is the ninth and final Study Guide on the subject of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–14. Three fascinating Study Guides on other crucial subjects remain.

Answer: