Chapter Three

THRONE ROOM PROPHETS AND

PROPHECY

“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place
after this.”
—REVELATION 4:1, NIV

I
n my very early years of walking with the Lord, a pastor asked me what I
was called to do in the ministry. This pastor was asking what ministry
office I felt called to, so in the best way I knew I tried to tell them. I
answered, “I know God uses me as an evangelist; I am seeing many saved
on the streets and other places, but I also believe I am called to the
prophetic office.” Of course, at the time I had limited understanding of the
prophet’s office, but I was already seeing the anointing for it manifest in my
life.
However, the response from this pastor caught me off guard. They
pointed their finger at me and in a very opposing manner said, “No, you are
not a prophet, you are an evangelist!” Those words went deep into my heart
and caused a great sense of discouragement and confusion. I really had felt
that I was called to be a prophet and that is what God was asking me to do
for Him. I even reminded myself of the Throne Room experience when I
had been filled with the Holy Spirit; that was when my call had been
deposited in me. I’d never told anyone but my wife Brenda that I had felt
called to the prophetic office.
One thing that experience taught me is that we need to be careful who
we share our dreams and giftings with. Remember, it cost Joseph a lot of
hardship and heartbreak when he shared his dream with his jealous
brothers. I’ve learned that you don’t have to go around telling everyone that
you are a prophet or pushing yourself to open doors of opportunity. I am
glad to have learned this early on.
When called to be a prophet, one does not have tell everyone what their
title is. This is because being a prophet of the Lord is not just a title; it’s a
ministry function. It is also a spiritual office given by Jesus, the Lord of the
Church. If one is truly called to be a prophet, there will be fruit that will
support what they have been called to do. It is far better and more honorable
to display the fruit of our character and our lives and let the gifting
entrusted to us testify of what we are called to do. No matter what Jesus has
entrusted us with, we must remain humbled by His calling and remind
ourselves that it is an honor to represent Him.
We have to be confident in what the Lord has called us to do and remain
strong in our character, because as we mentioned previously, the calling of a
prophet does not come without misunderstanding and even persecution at
times. If we are going to function as prophetic ministers, we must be
prepared for this. Naturally, every ministry gift will at times be misspoken
about, and that comes with the territory of being in ministry, period. Really,
it comes with the territory for simply being a believer because the Gospel
tells us to expect persecution.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).

However, I do believe it gets heightened in the prophetic because people

have unique expectations of that office. Most people want those in the
prophetic office to be flawless and unable to make a mistake. We will talk
more about perfect accuracy in Chapter Five, but it’s important that we
learn how to respond to the critics who come with the prophetic office. The
more we are grounded in relationship with the Lord and spend consistent
time with Him, the more we’ll be able to stay in love and forgiveness and
exercise wisdom, not listening too much to what people say, whether
compliments or critiques.
I did my best to keep my heart right in regard to the disagreement and
opposition from the pastor who told me they didn’t believe I was called to
be a prophet, but it was a process. The enemy used that to try and keep me
from moving toward my calling. From that experience, as a pastor I also
realize I must be careful not to dismiss the call a person may feel on their
life, whether I see it or not. I need to help guide them, but not dismiss them
altogether, as that can deeply discourage people from walking in what the
Lord wants for them.
I am confident that walking through that situation is what brought the
Lord’s confirmation to me through the many prophetic utterances that
would come in the following years. God was faithful to ensure that one
word spoken by that pastor wasn’t going to be the final word. He began to
bring countless other voices into our lives that confirmed my prophetic
calling and eventually the truth caused that pastor’s words to be uprooted
from my heart.
I began to understand that I was, in fact, hearing correctly regarding the
prophetic office and ministry call upon my life. I will never forget the day
when my wife and I received a word from a very seasoned veteran in the
prophetic ministry. He said, “Hank and Brenda, the Lord is calling you both
and will use you both as prophets all over the world and it will be to the
highest of nations, to the lowest of nations, to those who are well known,
and even to those no one knows about. God is changing your feathers from
chicken feathers to duck feathers—their words and what they say will roll
off your backs like ducks’feathers so you can be bold and confident with
the word of the Lord.”
This word not only confirmed the calling that we felt but also helped us
to better understand the importance of letting the Lord make and mold us,
so we can have the character to stand against opposition and criticism that
may arise at times. This is a great example of how when someone is called
to be a Throne Room prophet they need the company of prophets and others
in their lives to encourage them and bounce things off of, as we see in
Scripture. In First Samuel 10, we see how the company of prophets were
hanging out together. I’m not saying we should just find people who agree
with everything we say and do. Rather, I’m saying there is fellowship,
agreement, revelation, and encouragement in the company of others who
understand and desire the word of the Lord. It also reminds us that we must
remain teachable so the Lord can continue to develop needed character,
tweaking our fortitude through those we surround ourselves with.
 I believe this has greatly aided my wife and I in our ministries. We’ve
been surrounded by seasoned vessels, many generals in the faith; we also
have had good pastors and spiritual fathers we could open our hearts and
lives to, who have helped us in the calling entrusted to us. Having godly
counsel and authority will help us to be honest and humble enough to
realize we are all undone without God and we all need His continual
working in our lives. Not one of us has arrived; we are all a work in process
for the Lord.
In the years that followed this significant prophetic word, God was
faithful to keep undergirding the prophetic call on our lives. We didn’t ask
for it, but He saw to it because the call was genuine. My wife, Brenda, and
I, no matter what meeting we attended in our early years of ministry,
seemed to get called out of the audience and prophesied to. Those prophetic
words over us kept confirming the call to the prophetic ministry and office.
These prophecies came consistently in a series after the incident I opened
this chapter with, but there was one specific prophecy that forever changed
us and marked our life and ministry. We received a word from a woman
who was speaking at an event we attended; she walked up to us during the
service and began to prophesy. She spoke about us being called to teach and
minister the word of God. She then pointed at me, declaring I was called to
be a prophet for the Lord. She continued, “How low are you willing to bow
to see how high I will raise you? says the Lord.” In other words, she was
prophesying the only way up would be down—down on my knees and in a
place of humility. I thank God for those words as they have been a continual
reminder for Brenda and me of our true focus, character, and commitment
to God and our calling.
I want to take a moment to encourage you that if you are called to be a
prophet, God will not let that fail. You don’t have to force it, just be
obedient. If your call is genuine and from Heaven, God will make sure it is
not aborted. It doesn’t matter who doesn’t believe in you or who the enemy
uses to try to discourage you. Even well-meaning people can be used to
discourage us without realizing it, as in my case, but the Lord ensured that
the ministry call came forth. Rest in that and know if you are called to be a
prophet, God will make it happen! Just stay humble and let the Lord do the
work.
 That said, what marks genuine prophets or prophetic vessels is humility.
They will carry this quality and a presence that marks them and identifies
them as those who have been with the Lord. A true Throne Room prophet is
one who serves with their title and gifting, recognizing it is a function with
which to serve the Lord and others as He directs. “Surely the Lord God will
do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”
(Amos 3:7). I have heard this Scripture spoken in reference to the Lord
always keeping the prophets informed first before He does anything in the
earth. While that is true, it important to note this is not the only truth found
in this verse. Notice how it says, “his servants the prophets.” We must be
reminded of the One whom we serve and the awesome responsibility to
carry His words and revelation as His servants. Our prophetic calling is one
of serving, not of being served.
I believe the word I heard from the Lord, when He asked how low we
were willing to bow, can be applied to us all. How low are we really willing
to bow and humble ourselves to see how high He will raise us as His
prophetic servants? As I have been saying, this means we don’t have to
push and make a place for ourselves. We just need to be servants in the
Kingdom and let God do the rest.
As we are intentional about humbling ourselves, the presence of God
will mark our lives and ministries. It was not hard for people to see that the
disciples had spent time with Jesus because they carried His presence,
which was manifested through signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. This
presence comes when there is a life of serving in purity, integrity, and
strong character. These qualities can be easily found in our speech, conduct,
morals, methods, message, money handling, marriage, and family to name a
few. Jesus reminded us why He came, which needs to be our standard and
example as well. He told us that He didn’t come to be served, but rather to
serve. In fact, the apostle Paul describes Jesus as one whom no man who
ever walked this planet could match in their character, gifting, revelation,
glory, anointing, signs, wonders, and healings. Jesus was often
demonstrative, but He wasn’t a showman or even the least bit arrogant in
His methods or ministry. Look at what Paul says about how the Lord
walked on this earth and how He ministered. This needs to be our standard.

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form
of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being
 found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians
2:7-8).

Did you notice how He humbled Himself and did not come to build His
own reputation but came as a servant to God His Father and others? His
attitude and servant’s heart were, “Whatever You want, God, that is what I
will do.” Jesus said, “I am here to do what My Father has shown me, and I
speak what He has told me” (see John 5:19). Jesus could say that because
He was as a son under authority and accountability. He was not only
submitted to God the Father but operated in submission to human authority
as well.
We can learn a lot from Him when He submitted His first miracle of
water into wine and offered it to the governor of the feast. In other words,
He didn’t take over or draw attention to His own ministry, but instead He
submitted it to the one in charge. This is an example for us, that we would
take on the same humble servant’s approach as Jesus. In Jesus’ case, He
submitted the wine (representative of the anointing) to the person in charge.
This also teaches those of us who minister prophetically that we always
submit our gifts to those in charge. For example, if we are visiting or even
invited as a guest speaker in another pastor’s church, we must submit to
their authority, being respectful of protocol, timelines, and mindful of how
that pastor functions. If we are visiting or attending a church, not as a guest
speaker, we should not go around ministering to people in the church.
Remember, the pastor is the governor in charge of the feast, so to speak.
Jesus displayed this kind of attitude of honor because He spent much time
in prayer with His Father, being molded in His presence.

CHANGED AND SHAPED IN HIS PRESENCE

Like Jesus, in order to receive the heart of God and the right attitude in
ministering to others, we must spend time with the Lord. Being developed
for ministry is a lifelong process. This will require many encounters in the
Throne Room, pouring our hearts out to Him and letting Him make us into
exactly what He wants. No matter how much God promotes us and uses us,
we have to remain pliable and teachable. Doing this also means we have a
willingness to recognize our imperfections and work on these areas as the
Holy Spirit shows them to us.
We definitely need strong giftings today, but they must be coupled with
strong development of character, protocol, and mentoring. So many today
have strong giftings but are underdeveloped in their character. Again, this is
often due to lack of good spiritual mentors, no local church connection, or
simply because of independent, unaccountable mindsets. As a result, some
with genuine gifts never see them come to proper fruition. Having our
foundations set deeply is so vital to seeing our gifts and callings become
effective. I know some people will always say, “But I can’t seem to find a
pastor who understands my call!” That may be true, but consider that
perhaps our pastor isn’t necessarily required to “understand” our call. What
I mean is, when we attend a church and submit to its leadership, we are
there not to primarily grow our ministry or calling. We are there to grow as
believers and learn how to serve the church and function alongside others in
the Kingdom. We learn manners, ethics, and servanthood. In our local
church, we are there to help the wider vision of that church’s mission, not to
build our own. From that, God will ensure every genuinely called person
gets what they need from the growth opportunities the local church
environment provides. Even if your local church doesn’t have any formal
training for what you feel called to do, prophetic or otherwise, many
training courses and online schools can help with this. We can’t expect
pastors to be required to ensure the proper training for every person’s
specific calling.
The key is, we need to continually have the foundation of a local church
body and mentors in our lives. If many who have been called to the
prophetic had their foundations set deeply in this manner, allowing for
proper mentoring and input, they would now be better equipped. Their
ministries would be better represented, without reproach and also better
prepared to endure for the long haul.
Let’s look once again at the prophet Isaiah as an example of what makes
a prophet, and all believers who prophesy, genuine. It is worth delving
deeper into because Isaiah’s experience is vital. He had an encounter with
the Lord that forever changed him and caused his outlook and motive to
change. We see this in Isaiah 6:
 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isaiah
6:5).

When Isaiah truly came into revelation of who God is, it was followed
by his cry of “woe is me.” After he saw the King, the Lord of Hosts, he
made this cry of being undone and a man of unclean lips. Consider for a
moment how the attention shifted from Isaiah’s prophetic office, anointing,
and function to his own human weakness and frailty in the presence of the
Lord. This is evident by the six previous “woes” that he’d spoken
prophetically in Isaiah 5. He prophesied from his prophetic office and
anointing concerning the greedy and those whose lifestyles were consumed
with partying. He prophesied woe to the mockers of God, to the sexually
perverted, the conceited, and to those who practiced lawlessness. It was
“woe unto them” as he pointed out their shortcomings. Yet now, after being
in the Throne Room, it wasn’t about them but his own shortcomings as he
says, “Woe is me!” This is his response as he recognizes his call to be a
prophet, and the words with which he was entrusted were nothing compared
to the Giver of his office and gifting, the Lord Jesus Christ! It caused him to
take the attention off his gifting and message to others and look at his own
life as the messenger.
This is a beautiful picture of the making of a prophet as they must be
changed by and in His presence. They must be molded and made by Him,
allowing the Lord to refine them so they may stand as vessels of honor.
Only then are we truly prepared and changed, where we realize nothing is
as important or greater than Him. Isaiah came to that realization. This is a
realization every Throne Room prophet must have as well.
We can learn from Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord that in order to
effectively minister for Him in whatever facet that may be, we need to
allow God to mold us, change us, and purify us first. If we bypass this
necessary process, it will put the prophet’s attention more on the need for
others to change than ourselves. We will spend our time saying, “woe unto
them” rather than looking inward at our own need to be continually
changed by and in His presence. When this change happens first in us, then
the assignment given by the Lord to prophesy words that call for change,
repentance, and correction will be ministered in the right spirit. This is
because we have been purified, our lips cleansed, and we recognize our
own frailty outside of His grace. This becomes the spirit, the revelation, and
the position we minister from, just like we see with Isaiah. This is the call
that the Lord is extending at this time, and it’s what marks a true, genuine
prophet today.
Consider for a moment those in Scripture who had the same feeling and
experience of being completely undone in His presence like Isaiah.
Remember Peter, who fell down at Jesus’ feet, asking that He would depart
from him because he knew his own sinful human state. And we see Job,
whom the Scripture declares abhorred himself and repented in dust and
ashes. “So I hate the things that I have said. And I put dust and ashes on
myself to show how sorry I am” (Job 42:6 NLV). How about Moses, who
hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God? (See Exodus 3:6.)
In all these examples, we can conclude that their own human weakness
was magnified and became evident when they encountered the Lord’s
awesome presence. It’s not self-condemnation but rather self-examination
that empties us to be more like Him. This self-examination will aid us in
carrying the word of the Lord inside us with the right spirit. Once we empty
ourselves, He can fill us and use us in a supernatural, powerful way that
reflects Him.
We see another prophetic example of this, again from the first miracle
of Jesus. He had the wedding guests of Cana fill six empty water pots with
water. This speaks prophetically of salvation that only comes through Jesus
Christ. The empty pots represent the condition of mankind without God—
we are empty and in need of His presence. The contents of these pots were
supernaturally transformed when Jesus turned the water into new wine. This
transformation of the water into wine is not only a prophetic type of the
Holy Spirit, who baptizes and fills us after our salvation (see Acts 2), but it
is also what happens to us when we choose to empty ourselves to be used of
Him. God’s presence and the new wine of the Holy Spirit are always
available to us when we empty ourselves before Him! This is what
happened to the believers in Acts 2 when they were filled with the new
wine of the Holy Spirit.
Like the empty water pots, Isaiah was supernaturally transformed by the
Lord’s presence as he humbled and emptied himself before the Lord. As a
result, he also gained a true prophetic revelation and insight into the
condition of the people he was prophesying to.

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched
thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send,
and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And
he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not (Isaiah 6:7-
9).

Once Isaiah’s lips had been touched by being in the presence of God
and his iniquity was taken away and his sin purged, he was then ready to be
sent by the Lord to speak His words. When this is out of order in prophetic
vessels, it can cause us to spend more time focusing on the words we
prophesy, rather than allowing those words to form in us through the power
of His presence. We should never allow our desire to be used of the Lord to
be greater than our desire to be changed by the Lord. The more we are
changed in His presence, the more He can use us and the more effectively
our words will touch others. It also helps us in making necessary changes
that better us and position us to have the right heart, motives, character, and
focus. Our lips will be marked like Isaiah’s, with Heaven’s touch and fire
that will be felt and heard in the words we prophesy!
Once we understand that there is a holy fire that is taken from His altar
to purify and cleanse us, it will help us to better speak His words and not
our own. It is important to spend time with Him consistently and never
forget that the Throne is for God—that is where He rules and reigns, and it
is the place of our determined pursuit. The altar, however, is for us—so we
may find cleansing, purging, and the surrender of our lives and wills to
Him.
There is such a glorious change that happens from being in His
presence, especially when we worship. Look at what happened to the
twenty-four elders when they worshiped the Lord.

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the
throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast
 their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O
Lord, to receive glory and honour and power (Revelation 4:10-
11).

In order to fall down, they must have been sitting or standing, which
means they had to make a heartfelt commitment and connection to bow
before the Lord. It wasn’t about their crowned positions, titles, or functions
—it was about focusing on and worshiping God. The same is true for us and
will also enable us to correctly minister to others. We will be prepared like
the apostle John to come up higher and see the things that will “come
hereafter,” or in the future. In other words, our heartfelt commitment and
decision to come into His presence will sharpen our spiritual senses and
position us like John to go higher in the prophetic and prophesy change to
others.

I WILL SHOW YOU THINGS

When John was caught up to the Throne Room, as we mentioned, he was
told that the Lord would show him things that would come hereafter. “Come
up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Rev. 4:1).
I want you to notice the emphasis on “show you,” meaning God desires
to show us things personally that will take place in our lives, in the lives of
others, and in the earth. In other words, God did and still does choose to
reveal His secrets to mankind and entrusts us to speak for Him. This is why
He has set prophets in His Church today (see 1 Cor. 12:28). It is also why
prophecy has been given to every generation since the time Peter declared
on the day of Pentecost that our sons and daughters would prophesy (see
Acts 2:17).
You don’t have to be a prophet or have a prophetic gift to hear from the
Lord. That is why the Scripture repeats the phrase in the New Testament at
least fifteen times, “Let those that have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is
saying.” This is not just talking about our natural ears, but it is speaking of
our spiritual ears. We can learn to sharpen these spiritual ears so that we
recognize the voice of the Lord more clearly. This is done by staying in His
presence, praying, and studying His Word.
 This is exactly what happened with the young prophet Samuel, which
shows us that God will talk to us at any age. He heard the voice because he
laid down next to the ark of the covenant, which was the presence of the
Lord. Samuel was connected to the things of God.

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying
down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then
the Lord called Samuel (1 Samuel 3:3-4 NIV).

Now, the priest Eli didn’t hear the Lord because rather than lying down
in the presence of God, he instead lay down, as the Scripture says, in his
own place, or “in his usual place.” “One night Eli, whose eyes were
becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual
place” (1 Sam. 3:2 NIV). This means he resorted to his own place of
comfort and choice, which was not the presence of God. Did you notice
Eli’s condition? The weakness of his eyes speaks of his inability to discern
the word of the Lord. His spiritual and natural senses were affected because
he didn’t spend time in the presence of God, which was where the ark of the
covenant was. Instead, he lay down in his usual place, separate from the
Lord’s presence. We need to be wise not to get stuck in habits, our usual
routines, or busy schedules that cause us to not spend time with the Lord.
This is especially true for those called to the office of prophet because so
much of their gifting requires time in His presence to accurately
communicate the Lord’s heart. When this is hindered, interrupted, or not a
priority, it will hinder hearing and receiving from the Lord, like it did with
Eli the priest. His eyes became weak, meaning he wasn’t sharp in his
perception and discernment. This is the same for us as our own spiritual
senses and prophetic flow and discernment will be hindered if we neglect
being in the place of the Lord. Eli didn’t hear God’s voice because he was
spending time in his usual place or routine. Instead, the voice of the Lord
came to young Samuel, who was in the presence of God!
If you want to sharpen your hearing, your spiritual perception, and
release more accurate flow of prophecy, be wise to choose the place of His
presence like Samuel did, and not the usual place of Eli. When you do, He
will show you, just as He showed the apostle John, prophetic revelation of
things.
 Let’s consider another way to position ourselves to hear the Lord’s
voice. Elijah was a strong prophet who heard the voice of the Lord. When
the widow’s son died, he performed a prophetic act, raising the boy back to
life. This act can be prophetically applied to us, whether we are a prophet or
a believer who prophesies. Notice what he did to develop a greater
sensitivity to the Lord and be received and recognized as a true Throne
Room prophet. Elijah would be considered a true Throne Room prophet as
his life and ministry had great impact upon the time he lived and even today
we can glean insights from him.
He did three things that are essential for Throne Room prophets and
those who want to come up higher in the things of God and increase
prophetic accuracy.

And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried
unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this
child’s soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice
of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he
revived (1 Kings 17:21-22).

1. In verse 21, “he cried unto the Lord.” You have to set a time
and place to seek the Lord with all your heart and might. We
must learn to press into God.
2. Then, “he stretched himself upon the child.” We need to be
willing to stretch ourselves and be willing to learn to
prophesy and stretch our spiritual hearing.
3. Again in verse 21, “three times.” Remember, don’t quit or
give up. Keep trying more than once, as each time you will
go higher!

We must remember that there are many ways in which God speaks
today that qualify as true Throne Room prophecy. It doesn’t have to be you
putting a hand on someone and saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” for it to be
considered Throne Room prophecy. Remember, prophecy is God’s heart,
mind, will, intent, and agenda revealed. This can come through various
means or ways that the Lord communicates to us today.
 There are different ways in which the Lord communicates His heart
through Throne Room prophecy. He may choose to communicate through
something we see, hear, or perceive. It may be through visions, dreams,
thoughts, impressions, gut feelings, repeated messages, or just everyday life
events. The key is to know He is speaking and communicating more than
we realize.
Yet I have still found in all the various ways the Lord speaks to us, the
primary way is by the inward witness of His voice, or that still small voice
that speaks to us. We see this with the prophet Elijah. Much like us, he was
wanting to discern the voice of the Lord, but the Lord’s voice was not in the
things he expected. The Lord was not in the wind, the fire, or the shaking,
but in the still small voice (see 1 Kings 19:12). All three of these ways—the
wind, fire, and shakings—represent how God communicates through things
we see, hear, or feel. But the Lord used the still small voice to get Elijah’s
attention.
Elijah had to accurately discern whether God was speaking in the wind,
the fire, and the shaking. Many times, we do the same thing as Elijah when
it comes to hearing the Lord—we expect His voice in the obvious rather
than in the quiet, unseen things. We must remember that God does
sometimes speak in the wind, fire, and shakings. Yet every prophetic vessel,
especially the Throne Room prophet, must learn how to correctly hear and
discern the voice of the Lord.
We can learn some things about hearing God and delivering prophecy
from the wind, the fire, and the shaking in Elijah’s story. What do they
represent and how should they be discerned when hearing the word of the
Lord?
First, the prophet must not always treat the word of the Lord, their
gifting or anointing, like the wind. The wind can have a mysterious way
about it—you can’t see it, but you can hear it, feel it, and see its effects. In
the same way, our gifting and anointing may be powerful, but not every
prophecy has to be a “super-spiritual,” mysterious phenomenon that blows
everyone away and causes the hearer to look at us rather than Jesus.
Second, the Throne Room prophet must not always be quick to want to
call down fire like James and John were. Remember that Jesus rebuked
them for not knowing what spirit they were of. Prophets and people
speaking prophetically who call down fire, seeing only the bad and
portraying God as angry and judgmental, often don’t know what spirit they
are speaking from. When we hear a prophetic vessel or prophet constantly
call down fire and judgment, we need to be aware that perhaps the words
they are prophesying are out of balance. This can be because the person
prophesying might be speaking from their own fire of revelation and is not
correctly communicating the heart, mind, will, and intent of the Lord. Their
own spirit or perspective could be tainted in some way. This is where Jonah
got off course and where immature prophets often make the same mistake.
They lean toward consistently prophesying words of destruction,
vengeance, and God’s judgments. When God chooses not to manifest
according to their heated prophecies, they get mad like Jonah did and adopt
a wrong attitude instead of adjusting themselves.
Third, the prophet must not always feel the need to give an earth-
shaking or Heaven-shaking prophecy that gains them attention and
popularity. Again, this is why some are not hearing the Lord’s still small
voice, which equally carries Throne Room authority and accuracy. Instead
they are driven to only look for the fiery, mysterious, or earth-shaking way
that God may speak or manifest.
The key thing we must remember is that the Lord desires to show you
and I things that carry prophetic truth and revelation to not only bless us,
but others as well. This is the true heart of God and is the real heart of the
prophetic.

RECOGNIZING TRUE THRONE ROOM PROPHETS

Now that we understand the various elements of Throne Room prophecy
and how God will reveal things to you, let’s take a look at the
characteristics of a true, genuine Throne Room prophet. It’s important to
know how they differ from those who are not called to be prophets but
perhaps prophesy from time to time.
So, what is the definition of a prophet? In the New Testament, Thayer’s
Greek Definitions describes the New Testament prophet as “one who
solemnly declares what he has received by inspiration, especially
concerning future events.” Other words are often used to describe the
prophet’s function, including “to hear, sense, see, and to know by the
anointing of the Holy Spirit; to instruct, comfort, empower, encourage,
convict, discern, and foretell certain future events.”
The word prophet in the Old Testament Hebrew is nabiy, which is
simply a man inspired of God. A female is referred to as prophetess, which
is nebiyah, or a woman inspired of God. Here is where prophets differ from
those who simply prophesy. Any Christian can receive prophetic or divine
inspiration, but a prophet is unique because his inspiration is often designed
specifically for speaking to a wider audience and communicating a special
message from God. This means they may hear more specific words and
instructions at a higher level of authority and responsibility. The Brown-
Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon states that a prophet’s express
purpose is to be a spokesman or spokeswoman. How is he a spokesman? He
prophesies the things that God wants to say; this is a regular job
requirement for the Throne Room prophet.
The Father has specifically chosen His spokespersons, the prophets,
giving them a special grace to hear and speak for Him. They are to repeat
the Lord’s heart, mind, will, intent, and agenda through the means of
prophecy. They are not better than those who are not called to such an
office, but rather graced to see, hear, and perceive at a level that often
forthtells, like John, the things the Lord is revealing that will come
hereafter. This does not imply that the person who is not called to be a
prophet will never be privy to knowing, seeing, or hearing specific events,
but it will not typically be at a grace level that a Throne Room prophet has
been given.
Just because we may evangelize like an evangelist or teach and love
people like a pastor, it doesn’t mean we are called to those offices. The
offices of the evangelist and pastor carry a special grace level for what they
do. As believers, we may do some of the things they do, but we are not all
graced with the same level of revelation, anointing, or function as those
who are called to these offices. It is the same way with prophets and those
who may prophesy. Of course, all believers may be shown things by the
Lord at times, just as prophets are shown things. This can come as a result
of their personal prayer life or their disciplined walk with the Lord.
However, the spiritual position, grace, authority, and responsibility given to
a prophet is different than what is given to one who prophesies as a
believer.
 One important difference that separates a prophet from a person simply
used in prophecy is that they are granted an office or a set position by Jesus,
which is confirmed by church leadership. The prophet’s office is given to
some, not all (see 1 Cor. 12:28-29).
It’s important to truly understand that for a person to function as a
prophet they must be given a set position. Overlooking this element is often
one of the reasons there is confusion over who is a prophet and who isn’t.
Titles can be tossed around, but this set position cannot be attained by
someone giving themselves the title of “prophet.” It must be established by
church leadership. There are plenty of people all over the internet who
claim to be prophets, but who appointed them? Who are they connected to,
and who set them into such a position?
The fivefold ministry gifts given by Jesus in Ephesians 4:11 are there
for the purpose of leading the Church as we see in verse 12, which says
they are given for the “perfecting of the saints.” In other words, their
function is to bring the people of God to maturity. This speaks of positional
authority. Yes, positional authority is granted by Jesus first and foremost,
but then those to whom He gives those gifts must then be appointed and set
into place by the elders or established leadership who have this authority.
We see this pattern throughout the New Testament when leaders were
ordained into position. For example, you can have a gift of budgeting and
have a great skill for handling finances, but this would not qualify you to
carry the title or position of a bank president. In order to be the bank
president, you would have to be recognized, received, and placed in that
office. You couldn’t just appoint yourself, go into any bank and let them
know that since you have a gift for handling money, you should now carry
the title of bank president. Neither can we do the same thing with any of the
five spiritual offices of ministry. We cannot self-appoint or give ourselves a
title and take over in an office that we haven’t been positioned to carry, just
because we have a gifting. Having a gift doesn’t mean we have been
granted a position of a higher authority or responsibility. This is why, as we
have said, Jesus set some, not all, to be prophets in their office.
Acts 13 also shows us how prophets were set into positions and
recognized within the local church.
 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was
called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had
been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul (Acts 13:1).

The prophets mentioned in this verse were connected to the local

church, serving and functioning as prophets with the necessary character
and fruit that qualified them to be titled as prophets. They were not spiritual
mavericks or lone rangers; rather, their connection to the church helped to
mark them as genuine prophets. This is clear in the example of the prophet
Agabus, who came with other prophets from the Jerusalem church to
Antioch. He prophesied a warning about a great famine that would take
place globally.

Now in these days there came down prophets from Jerusalem

unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus,
and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine
over all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius
(Acts 11:27-28 ASV).

Such a prophetic word of warning was received in Antioch because he

obviously was recognized as a genuine prophet connected to the Jerusalem
church.
Why was his word of warning received? It was because of his
connection to the Jerusalem church. We see he had both a spiritual and
church connection, which gave him validity. In would be safe to consider
that he must have had a solid track record of proven prophecies that those in
the church of Antioch knew. This helped his word to be discerned as being
a genuine word from the Lord. It is when there are words of direction,
correction, and warnings spoken that we must consider not just the words
prophesied or the prophet speaking, but their church connection, spiritual
covering, and track record. Agabus had all of these—so not only was he
received as a genuine prophet, but his prophetic warning was received as
well.
This is why when hearing prophetic words of warning or prophetic
words that have to do with global and national events, it is necessary is to
ask the questions, “Who are they, what are they connected to, and are they
recognized as being genuine by true spiritual authority?” When these things
are established, their title and function will carry a greater impact and
authority, and they will be found trustworthy.
Those who stand in the prophetic office have an anointing and grace
that consistently rests upon them to speak the word of the Lord regularly,
not just on occasion. Their prophecies also go beyond exhortation,
edification, and comfort, as they give more directive, forthtelling words.
Their office carries an authority to prophesy on multiple platforms such as
to individuals, local church, global church, and the nations. Here are a few
examples from Scripture of some of the different expressions of the
prophetic office:

■ Prophets over nations: “I have this day set thee over the
nations” (Jer. 1:10).
■ Prophets to the Body of Christ: “Exhorted the brethren”
(Acts 15:32).
■ Prophets in local churches: “at Antioch certain prophets and
teachers” (Acts 13:1).
■ Prophets of events: prophet Agabus prophesied a famine (see
Acts 11:27-28).
■ Prophets to individuals: Agabus to Paul (see Acts 21:11).
■ Singing prophets and intercession: David ministered
prophetically in song and in prayer (see 1 Sam. 16).

PROPHETS AND PROPHECY STILL EXIST TODAY

The prophet’s office and prophecy still exist today because the Lord is still
speaking. Some have suggested that these two things have passed away and
are no longer needed. The argument of some is that the Scripture says that
prophecies will cease.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they

shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether
there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part,
 and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is
come, then that which is in part shall be done away (1
Corinthians 13:8-10).

This verse doesn’t mean that prophecy has already ceased but rather that
when we are in Heaven one day we won’t need the gift of prophecy because
everything will have been perfected. We can further conclude that if
prophecy passed away then so has knowledge because that is mentioned in
this same verse as prophecy. So, this verse is speaking of the perfect coming
in regard to Heaven, when we will not only have Jesus who is the Prophet
and His word for all eternity, but we will not need prophecy because we
will know all things completely (see 1 Cor. 13:12).
The second verse often used to justify that prophecy and prophets have
been done away with is Luke [Link] “The law and the prophets were until
John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man
presseth into it.” Some reading the King James Version think that the
prophet’s ministry has passed away, but the Amplified Bible, Classic
Edition of this passage clearly states the messages of the prophets were
pointing specifically to the period of time until John.

Until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since
then the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God is being
preached, and everyone strives violently to go in [would force
his own way rather than God’s way into it].

However, it does not say the office, functions, and gifting of the prophet
ended, but rather that the specific messages of the Old Testament prophets
pointed to the Messiah. If the ministry of the prophet has become obsolete,
then it makes what Jesus appointed and established in both Ephesians 4:11
and First Corinthians 12:28 obsolete. It also would disqualify the words of
the prophet Agabus.

PROPHETS EDIFY AND CARRY AUTHORITY

Not only is God still speaking, but His prophets are prophesying His words
today. They have been set and positioned to edify or build up the saints just
as all of the fivefold ministry gifts do.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,

evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12).

This verse also provides another way to help discern genuine prophets
and prophecy. Notice it says, “for the edifying of the body of Christ.” When
a prophecy or someone prophesying is constantly speaking harshly or using
words that sound judgmental, things get out of balance. Prophets are to
build up and edify God’s people and add their part in leading them into
maturity and perfection. When this important element is not prioritized by
the prophet, they will often start going the wrong direction and eventually
become consistently false.
There are people who believe that in order to be considered a true
prophet, that person must have a stern delivery and message. This is a
misperception and has led to many prophecies that are overly expressive.
Of course, prophets should carry authority, just as Jesus had authority on
His words, but there is a vast difference between having authority and
acting as if you do. Some of the most genuine prophets I know do not shout
or express themselves in a harsh tone. They are just the opposite—soft-
spoken and gentle. Now, some are more forthright in their manner and that
can be fine, too, as long as their prophetic words are delivered in grace to
edify the recipients.
There is no place for embarrassing or belittling anyone in the effort to
appear powerful. Sure, prophetic words can carry warnings and
admonitions—but when they do, caution must be exercised to ensure that
what is communicated serves to lead the listener into faith, not fear, shame,
or hopelessness. This is an important thing to remember if you desire to be
used by God in prophecy. Make sure what you say, and how you say it, is
building up and comforting the person or audience you are speaking to.
In saying this, let’s touch on the prophet’s authority and what it truly
means to have authority on prophetic words. A prophet’s authority often
foretells the future at a deeper level of accuracy than the authority of those
who are not called to this office. It’s not so much in how they communicate
but rather in the depth, detail, and precision of the message. Prophets are
often shown future events that will occur in someone’s life or on the earth
and communicate them with marked accuracy. Now, a believer may at times
have things shown to them regarding future events, but it will typically not
be at the level of consistency or precision of the prophet.
The apostle John was able to see future events as shown him by the
Lord. “And I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Rev. 4:1). The
meaning of “things which must come hereafter” is a reference to future
events. This is paramount in the prophet’s ministry. Information about
future events was going to be disclosed to the apostle John, and he received
that information with precise accuracy. However, notice that it never
mentions a specific date or time that these events would take place. I
mention this point because some believe that if a prophet speaks of a future
event to come, there should be a time frame involved. The fact of the matter
is most of us want to hear time frames! We like to hear what year, month, or
day something will happen, but this shouldn’t be a requirement for
prophets. This expectation can either cause prophets to misspeak, by
causing them to try and give a date or time frame that God didn’t give them,
or can cause them to be misunderstood. This should serve as a reminder for
us in the prophetic that if God doesn’t speak a date, a year, or a specific
time, then we should be cautious about declaring or inserting one. The
prophet’s focus should be on communicating future events with authority
and accuracy and there should be depth and a notable anointing on their
words.
I do want to mention that when it comes to accuracy, the prophets of the
Bible were not always 100 percent accurate because human error is always
involved. I will give some examples and discuss this in detail in Chapter
Five. I’m not saying prophets can go around missing it all the time, and
they most certainly should be accurate, but a prophet’s authority cannot rest
on accuracy alone. Accuracy must go hand in hand with the other elements
of authority we have mentioned, including a notable anointing and a
detailed depth of message.
When we look at Jesus, it wasn’t so much the accuracy of His words
that got people’s attention, though that is important—it was the weight of
what He communicated. This is what they said about Jesus regarding the
authority upon His words:
 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned
among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new
doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the
unclean spirits, and they do obey him (Mark 1:27).

Like Jesus, true prophets speak with the weight of the Throne Room and
of Him who is seated on that Throne. Something to consider when
discerning whether a prophecy or prophet is accurate is that accuracy is
often in the eye of the beholder. What do I mean? Just as they say beauty is
in the eye of the beholder, so is prophecy. This means some people will be
drawn to or believe that something is beautiful, while others may not think
so and even find fault. Some will recognize a prophetic word as accurate,
while others will not. This can be because so often people believe what they
want to believe about a prophecy, either looking for any reason to discount
the word or the prophet or because they misread and misunderstand the
word. This is why, when accurately discerning a prophet and prophecy,
there is more to consider than just accuracy alone. We must be careful
before calling a prophet or prophecy false or erroneous until we have
considered all the factors.
People can argue accuracy if they really want to, but you can’t deny all
the other elements that should be evident in a Throne Room prophet’s life
and ministry. They will be known for speaking authentic words, but in
addition, you will be aware of what they carry and what you feel when they
speak from the Throne Room. The attention will always be upon the
testimony or testifying of Jesus and will carry the correct spirit of prophecy
when they speak.

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See
thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that
have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

This means the prophecies given should convey the heart, mind, will,
intent, and agenda of the Lord that honors Him and makes us want to come
to Him.
 How did Jesus get this authority on His words that marked Him as a
man sent from the Throne Room and speaking from the Throne Room? He
prayed, seeking God’s face and developing His heart with the Father, which
resulted in power. Jesus’ private prayer life produced public demonstrations
of power and authority.
In the same way, when we invest in our relationship with the Father, we
will carry a strong heavenly authority and so will the Throne Room
prophecies we speak! This is why John hears a voice like a trumpet. It
signifies a sound that is heard and recognizable.

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:

and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet
talking with me (Revelation 4:1).

Prophets and Throne Room prophecy must carry this same heavenly
sound as God’s trumpets in the earth. The sound of their voices and words
will be with authority, weight, and a recognizable backing from Heaven, in
the same way the scribes and Pharisees recognized these things about Jesus.
These characteristics help us identify genuine prophets who are set in
position by the Lord of the Church.

DISCERNING PROPHECY
One of the best ways to position ourselves to function in true prophecy is to
learn to listen, watch, and wait.

Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates,

waiting at the posts of my doors (Proverbs 8:34 ASV).

Our learning to receive the Lord’s words starts with spending time just
listening to the Lord and hearing what He has to say. It is in spending time
with Him in fellowship, not necessarily entrenched in trying to hear a word,
that He begins to speak and we learn to recognize His voice. We also need
to learn to watch, as the previous verse stated, meaning we must make sure
we are focusing on the right things and not being distracted. This helps us
carry the Lord’s word with greater clarity. Finally, we need to always
remember to wait on the Lord for His perspective and words that He would
desire to speak. When we learn to listen, watch, and wait, it will cause us to
carry the anointing and utterance of His Spirit, just like those we read about
in the Bible and throughout history. The secret of all the those in the Bible
was their ability to hear God’s voice and it is still what marks the Throne
Room prophet.
When discerning how the Lord speaks prophetically, I see a great
example in what I refer to as the “prophetic” threefold cord (see Eccles.
4:12). This is what the gift of prophecy is in its basic definition. It is like a
threefold cord that should not be broken whenever we are ministering in the
prophetic. It is made up of the three parts we mentioned earlier—
exhortation, edification, and comfort. “But he that prophesieth speaketh
unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3). Most
prophecy when given through a believer is this threefold cord type of
prophecy. This cord is the strength and foundation of the prophetic gifting.
The three conditions of the earth mentioned in Genesis 1:2 coincide
with how edification, exhortation, and comfort are ministered through
prophecy.

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face (Genesis 1:2).

Think about the condition of the earth as it’s described here compared
with mankind today. So many people are often without form, void, and
living in darkness, in need of God’s intervention. This is why we need
prophecy! People are often lonely and empty and need to be edified or built
up. Each one of us has a need to be loved and comforted. We also know that
man without God is in spiritual darkness and needs words of
encouragement or exhortation. We must do what God did when seeing the
condition of the earth—He spoke. He said, “Let there be light!” This is
exactly what prophecy does—it brings light and life to people’s hearts.
Now, this doesn’t always apply to the office of the prophet as they don’t
only minister in prophecy of exhortation, edification, and comfort. Though
the spirit in which they deliver the message should always offer hope or
God’s redemptive plan help, they do stand in a set authority or office, which
at times requires them to speak words of confrontation, conviction,
judgment, rebuke, and direction. Keep in mind that they prophesy from a
delegated office to deal with things at a higher, more specific level of
function and responsibility than one who exercises the gift of prophecy. As
we said previously, they should build and edify. This is especially true with
the New Testament prophet as they minister under a covenant of grace
because Jesus’ death on the Cross has given us love, mercy, and
forgiveness. Obviously, the Old Testament prophets did not minister under
this same grace because the Lord had not yet come to redeem mankind and
establish the covenant of His mercy and grace through His shed blood.
There are times that prophets may, like Jeremiah, need to root out and
pull down strongholds. In such cases, their prophecies may carry warning,
rebuke, or correction in order to build and plant, bringing something
positive that exhorts, edifies, and comforts.

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to
throw down, to build, and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10).

Again, this is more manifested in the prophet’s office and not so much
in the simple gift of prophecy through the believer.
Another important aspect of prophecy to keep in mind is timing. As we
are seeking to accurately discern prophecy, let’s consider three different
periods of time that can be addressed through prophetic words. Sometimes
hearers can get confused because they don’t understand the season the Lord
is speaking to them about. Whenever we hear a prophecy, it isn’t
necessarily speaking of something yet to happen. Prophetic words may
apply to any time in our lives—past, present, or future. The Lord may be
confirming or encouraging us with something from our past; He may reveal
something in our present, to assure us that He knows exactly where we are
and what is happening; or He may give us insight into something that will
come to pass in the future, in order to direct or prepare us.
I call these confirming (past) words, now (present) words, and future
(future) words. Confirming words confirm something we already know or
something from our past.
 ■ The early church spoke many confirming words (see Acts
14:22).
■ Jesus told Nathaniel the exact place He’d seen him sitting
(see John 1:43-51).

Now words address our current situation—for example, Jesus with the
woman at the well: “he whom thou now hast is not thy husband” (John
4:18).
Future words reveal something about our future.

■ It can be something we already know, such as when Agabus

spoke of a famine that would come (see Acts 11:28).
■ Or it can be a “new word”—something that hasn’t entered
our minds until it is spoken, such as Jesus prophesying
Peter’s death (see John 21:19).

Each type of prophetic word should come to fill the voids of life that
people experience and should carry the heart of the Father for both
individuals and larger groups. Don’t forget, the goal of all prophecy is to
reveal the heart of Him who sits on the Throne and to move people from
where they are, further into the purposes of God.
Finally, there are true, wrong, and false prophecies. True prophecies are
from the Lord and we will see the fruit of the prophetic word come to pass.
Wrong words are those where part or all of the prophecy is wrong. This
doesn’t make the vessel or prophet false, as they may have simply
misspoken. Perhaps all of the word was wrong, not being from the Lord, or
part of the word was wrong—meaning they spoke out of their own heart,
but not with purposeful intent to deceive or manipulate through devious
means. When someone has a normal, trusted track record and the majority
of their words are true, but they perhaps speak something wrong, that
prophetic vessel or prophet should not immediately be disregarded. It is
when most of their words are wrong that this can create confusion. It could
be that the person prophesying needs to be held to a higher standard or, in
some cases, they should be disregarded altogether. However, this should not
be the case over a small number of honest mistakes. Remember, prophets
grow in grace too, just like pastors, teachers, and just like we all do.
 Obviously, false prophets and prophecies are meant to deceive, lead one
in error, or draw attention to the one speaking. Scripture clearly warns us
about those who speak prophetically with wicked intentions.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s

clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew
7:15).
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many
(Matthew 24:11).

If we remain close to the Lord and can hear His heart, we will be able to
recognize true, wrong, and false prophecies. Then we can keep ourselves
and others from the damage the enemy brings by distorting the true
prophetic.
Throughout this chapter, we’ve looked in detail at the ministry of the
prophet and the functions of prophecy. Remember, first and foremost as
prophets and prophetic people, we must stay in a place of humility where
we allow the Lord to shape us. From that place, when we see the spiritual
condition of man, we can truly release His prophetic words in the earth.
God’s heart is that all would know and walk with Him, and we have a great
privilege as prophets, and believers who prophesy, to speak His words and
convey His heart to people. As we allow the Lord to mold and shape us, we
will become vessels who can bring great light to the darkness and lift up the
hearts of men. I encourage you to get into that place with God in His
presence—the Throne Room. Let Him make you everything He has called
you to be and prophesy His words!
 Chapter Four

PROPHECY AND DISCERNING THE

SOURCE: FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD
HEAVEN?

“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a

throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
—REVELATION 4:2

Y
ou may remember the year 1999, when countless people were in fear
of a coming apocalyptic event that would hit the planet, stopping
computers and anything that didn’t have upgraded software to handle
the new millennium we were entering. That event would be known as the
Y2K computer bug crisis. Everything that had to do with a computer, a
chip, or non-updated software was expected to fail. It was thought that the
crisis would cause planes to quit working and some feared they would fall
out of the sky. The stock market was supposed to crash worldwide due to
computer systems not being upgraded. People everywhere were in panic
and fear as they were encouraged to prepare for major food shortages,
chaos, and global crisis. Some believed that the government would have to
get involved to establish order. As news outlets warned people of the
impending doom, some prophets were even prophesying in agreement with
the reports coming from the media. Whole churches were warning their
congregations to be ready and encouraging them to store up food supplies.
At the stroke of midnight, many things were expected to shut down.
I will never forget the experience I had the summer before this event
was expected to happen. The Lord spoke to me that Y2K would not be as
they were prophesying, discussing, and prognosticating. He said that the
demonic forces from hell were trying to cross the new millennium ahead of
His Church through the spirit of fear and that the agreement from those in
the earth with this fear would cause our nation to be vulnerable to attacks.
God wanted there to be faith, excitement, and expectation of His goodness
and upcoming prophetic plan. This would be extended to a new generation
that was arising in this new millennium. However, fear was trying to
dominate and hinder what the Lord was desiring.
So much was being reported from the media and discussed by people in
the earth, which I refer to as the first realm. If that wasn’t enough, the very
source or spirit you could feel affecting people was fear, panic, and worry—
coming from the second realm. This place, also called the second heaven, is
where the devil and his spiritual forces operate. The second heaven is the
place we refer to as the atmosphere or space, and the Bible calls this “the
heavenlies” (see Eph. 6:12 DARBY). This is why the devil is referred to as
the prince of the power of the air (see Eph. 2:2). This is not Heaven as we
would think of Heaven. The Bible refers to that as the third realm or what
Paul the apostle referred to as the “third heaven,” where he was caught up.
So, we have the earth realm and its atmosphere, which is the first heaven;
the second realm or heaven, which is space or the heavenlies; and the third
heaven or the third realm, where God’s Throne is.
In reference to this Y2K event, the enemy understood the power of
agreement and caused not only the Lord’s Church but those in the secular
world to get into agreement with this spirit of fear. Fear is a spirit as
recorded by the apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy (see 2 Tim. 1:7).
Now, I am not implying one shouldn’t be wise and prudent and heed sound
warnings. However, I am drawing attention to the fact that often when
warnings are made known, people can respond in fear, especially if such
warnings become heightened or exaggerated because of people’s wrong
assumptions and misinformation. The is where the enemy and the spirit of
fear get involved. As prophets and prophetic people, we must be able to
discern the spirit behind such warnings as well as what God is saying from
the third heaven.
There was tremendous fear surrounding the Y2K situation and people
were falling into agreement with that spirit of fear. Yet I remember the Lord
telling me Y2K would not be a big deal or as they said. Now this was
opposite of what was being said at the time. Yet it was exactly as the Lord
prophesied, as this global catastrophic event never happened as they had
predicted.
In fact, the very night that the planes were supposed to fall from the sky.
I took a flight overnight to go to a football game that would be potentially
affected by the Y2K crisis, due to the flight times having me in the air at
midnight. It was the best flight time and cheap price for a great football
game matchup. I knew what the Lord said, even though it honestly messed
with my head at times, but I was settled in my heart with what I’d heard
from the Throne Room.
I and one other person were the only ones on the flight that night. We
had all the snacks to ourselves! It was also a great opportunity to share with
the flight crew what the Lord said and to reassure some of them that it was
going to be alright. The earth was not going to crash, and neither would the
plane. The sad thing is, I believe the very spirit of fear and the agreement
people had with it, which had come from the first and second heavens (the
earth and its atmosphere), opened a place of vulnerability. I believe that
mass fear opened the door to the spirit of terrorism that would soon follow
as we saw just a little less than two years later on September 11th, 2001.
The reason I say all this is because we need to understand that in
accurately discerning prophecy and the prophetic interpretation surrounding
certain events, we must know which realm we are listening to and how it is
affecting the current situation and what is being communicated. This is
especially true concerning the various avenues of communication. Whether
it’s from prophets or the media speaking to whatever the latest fears are, it
is important to understand which realm that information is coming from and
the source of their words, perspectives, and insights. This is especially true
regarding prophets. Now obviously, we can’t expect the secular media to
get their perspective from God, but sometimes prophets listen to these
media outlets and their messages get tainted by the news reports. We must
ask ourselves, is this coming from the first heaven, the second heaven, or
the third heaven? Then we can determine how those who hear are being
influenced.
Genuine prophets must not be caught up in or influenced by things in
the earth. This is especially true with what is on the news, and they
certainly must not repeat the words and agenda of the enemy coming from
the earth or the second heaven. If they do, they will then speak wrongly or
even give false prophecies. The second heaven is the location of demons,
spiritual warfare, and witchcraft, which all desire for us to give them access
to the earth realm where they can steal, kill, destroy, and deceive.
We must never forget the power of our agreement and how both God
and the enemy work by what we add our agreement to. This is why God has
prophets who speak from the Throne Room, the third heaven—so we may
believe those words and add our agreement. This gives the Spirit of God
access and freedom to carry those words and bring changes in people’s lives
and on the earth.
The enemy, the devil, also has his prophets or those who “prophesy,”
meaning they repeat and agree with his agenda, lies, and deceptions. This
not only affects individuals but will also affect spiritual climates in the
heavenlies and, therefore, events on the earth. The Bible shows us how the
enemy uses the first and second realms to release wrong and false
information through the means of prophecy. As in the examples of the
prophets that King Ahab sought, they not only told him what he wanted to
hear, but they gave misleading prophecies. There were false prophets of
Baal who ministered under a false, occultic spirit driven by the hands of
Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife. It is not hard to discern what sources they were
prophesying from, which caused them to speak false words. Their
prophecies were not from Heaven but were rather influenced by evil spirits
operating in both the heavenlies and on the earth. Their words were also
what the king wanted them to say, which resulted in a release of hell’s
agenda. This not only affected the king but also the whole nation of Israel.
If we spend time dwelling in fear, anxiety, or popular trends, news
topics, and discussions, our perspectives will become skewed and may keep
us from discerning which realm is influencing our lives the most. It is so
vital that we have Heaven’s words more than ever right now, so we can
pierce through the darkness, deception, fears, and confusion that exist
today. It takes vessels in the earth who will live and walk in the light in the
midst of darkness and who will seek out the truth from the Throne Room
itself.

I WAS IN THE SPIRIT

When the apostle John was called to come up higher by the Lord, we find
the source of his prophetic perspective and instruction. The Scripture tells
us in verse 2 of Revelation 4 that immediately John was in the spirit.

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was

set in heaven, and one sat on the throne (Revelation 4:2).

While in the spirit, he received prophetic words from the third heaven
that he was ordered to declare. Notice, he had to be in the spirit in order to
correctly perceive the word of the Lord and even how he was encountering
the Lord through heavenly experiences.
In the same way, genuine prophets must perceive by the Holy Spirit and
through their spirit so their prophetic words do not come from their own
minds and emotions. Now, at the same time, we will also see that the
information we receive, even if from the Throne Room, still gets filtered
through our minds, wills, and emotions. This is why it’s so important to
walk and operate in the spirit so there can be pure flow of prophetic
revelation and giftings in our lives.
So, just what does this verse mean by being “in the spirit”? It is where
your spiritual senses transcend or exceed your natural five senses and your
awareness of the spirit realm becomes greater than what you are
experiencing in the natural realm. We will discuss the different realms from
which revelation, information, and spiritual activity come in this chapter. As
we can see in this moment with John, it is a spiritual state or place that
allowed him to see, hear, feel, and experience with his spiritual senses what
was taking place in the third heaven. We must remember that we live in a
physical earth suit, which is our body; we possess a soul, which is our mind,
will, and emotions; but our spirit is who we really are.
Because John was in the spirit, he could accurately receive genuine
prophetic revelation to share with others. This is vital because it was when
he was in the spirit that he began to hear the words of Heaven and see
things from Heaven’s perspective. His revelation was clearly coming from
the Throne Room, or the third heaven.
Being in the spirit and operating from this heavenly place is what will
take you higher in your gifting, sensitivity, and preciseness as it did with the
apostle John. When words spoken with “thus saith the Lord” often do not
happen, it is because the one speaking either wasn’t sharing it from a
Throne Room experience or they weren’t in the spirit when they spoke it.
Sometimes people will speak from their own mind, experience, feelings, or
even personal biases. When prophets and prophetic vessels are not speaking
by the anointing of the Holy Spirit but through their human spirit, it will
cause the words they carry to not have Heaven’s backing. As a result, their
prophecies don’t come to pass or what they say lacks heavenly weight and
authority.
Remember, Jesus walked in the spirit, and people often were amazed by
the authority they saw in Him (see Matt. 7:28-29; Mark 1:22). The pure
flow of the Holy Spirit’s anointing manifested through Him in power. How
did He maintain a life in the Spirit and create this heavenly flow? Jesus
spent countless hours in the Spirit and in prayer with His Father and
therefore knew His Father’s words. These words were already rich inside
Jesus before He ever ministered or spoke publicly. It is the key for us as
well—to spend time with the Lord in the Spirit through prayer, reading
God’s Word, praying in the Spirit, and living spiritual lives. We are then
positioned to speak for our heavenly Father, who is Spirit, because our
words have come from heart-to-heart, spirit-to-spirit conversations with the
Lord. This is how we not only become more sensitive to the spirit realm but
also walk in the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit is a continual practicing of the presence of the
Lord throughout your day. It is practiced in your speech, your conduct, and
by staying aware of His presence and in constant communication with Him.
This helps to position you to recognize when prophetic revelation is coming
from the Holy Spirit and what He is wanting to reveal to you or speak
through you. When one chooses to be in the Spirit, or as the Scripture says,
to live and walk in the Spirit, there will be evident fruit. “This I say then,
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).
We must walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, meaning the way of sin, and
not compromise or participate in what the Scripture declares are the works
of flesh.

Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious):

they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery,
enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions
(dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar
 opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like
(Galatians 5:19-21 AMPC).

When we choose to live and walk in the Spirit, others will then see the
evidence (or fruit) of our walk and what the Bible calls the fruit of the
Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith” (Gal. 5:22). When you walk in the Spirit, you
will naturally manifest the fruit of the Spirit. It will enhance your gifting
and also will be visible in the prophecies you speak. A pure spirit and life
will produce pure prophecy, even though it gets filtered through our own
human soul. If our soul is filled with works of the flesh by the carnal things
we choose to look at, hear, and even do, then it will taint the pure stream of
God’s revelation from His Spirit to our spirit. Our revelation is then
hindered by our flesh and compromised soul. I am certainly not saying
everyone has to be a perfect vessel but, rather, pure vessels who want to live
a life in the Spirit. As we are intentional about purity, it will cause us to be
in the Spirit more and better positioned to be entrusted with what is on the
Lord’s heart.
Now as we said, if one chooses to not walk in the Spirit, but rather
chooses to live a life in the flesh and of compromise, it will hinder them.
The spirit behind their words and revelations will be tainted and affected by
their fleshly tastes, decisions, and lifestyles. Once we choose the life of the
Spirit, we will be hungry for more of what the Spirit of God wants to do and
say. It will be like a magnet that draws His words, His thoughts, and His
glory to us. When we open our mouths to speak His words, even though we
are human vessels, we will have a pure, Holy-Spirit-inspired prophetic
message.
One key to being in the spirit like the apostle John was, as he was
caught up into this heavenly experience, comes by praying in the Spirit.
This will aid us in in receiving prophetic revelation from the Lord and help
sharpen our prophetic gifting. Praying in the Spirit takes our spiritual office
as a prophet or our giftings and life to another level. Our hearing, receiving,
and ability to prophesy all increase in accuracy.
We can further understand this powerful connection between
prophesying and praying in the Spirit by looking at the Day of Pentecost.
Consider for a moment what happened when the believers were baptized in
the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. The Bible says they
magnified God, which began to open a flow of power and boldness. This is
evident in Peter as he stood up and preached a prophetic sermon in Acts 2.
He declared that what he and the 120 had received was a fulfilment of the
prophet Joel’s prophecy, that sons and daughters would prophesy and have
visions and that dreams would be given to the young and old. In other
words, what the group in the upper room had received was an inflow of
supernatural power so they could operate in the prophetic!
We continue to find this powerful connection of prophecy and speaking
in tongues when the apostle Paul came to Ephesus and ministered to a
group of twelve disciples. When he prayed for them, Scripture tells us they
didn’t just speak in in tongues, but they also prophesied!

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied
(Acts 19:6).

Think for a moment of the pure stream and flow from Heaven that came
to them and now through them. They were not only filled with His Spirit
but prophesying by His inspiration and divine ability. The same is true for
us!
I have learned firsthand how the increase of prophetic revelation,
insight, and a deeper level to the prophetic giftings become sharper and
more frequent by a committed life and by praying in the Spirit. The more I
pray in tongues, the more sensitive my spirit becomes to the Lord. I
experience an increase of God’s thoughts, impressions, and voice. If you are
filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, I challenge you to increase
your praying in the Spirit and watch the prophetic flow that increases within
you. You will receive more precise prophetic insights from the Throne
Room, the third heaven! It is one very vital way that you are “in the Spirit”
like the apostle John. Being in the Spirit comes by praying in the Spirit,
walking in the Spirit, and living in the Spirit (see Gal. 5:25)!

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!

Now, if you haven’t yet been filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence
of speaking in tongues, I want to share with you how to receive that. The
first requirement is that you are saved, by inviting Jesus to come into your
heart and forgive your sins. This begins your life and walk in the Spirit.
This is the water of salvation Jesus offered the woman at the well in John 4,
which springs up unto everlasting life.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him
a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14).

However, there is a separate experience in addition to the new birth—

the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which helps us to live a life in the Spirit.
Jesus talked about this wonderful experience by likening it to a river of
living water or living power gushing out of us!

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he
of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for
the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not
yet glorified) (John 7:37-39).

If you have received the Lord as your personal Savior but have not been
yet filled with His Spirit and prayed in tongues, you can receive that today
in the same way you received salvation by asking Jesus to come into your
heart. You received that simply by believing you received. Do the same by
asking the Holy Spirit to fill you. Then begin opening your mouth and
speak out the heavenly words He is giving you. Many people begin to hear
syllables or sounds down inside them; the key is just open your mouth and
begin to speak. The Holy Spirit gives the utterances. In other words, He
takes those sounds you make and gives them meaning. It’s a spiritual
language—not your own dialect but a supernatural one. Again, your job is
to just speak out or repeat what He is giving you. It’s not in your head, even
though you will process it in your mind, but rather it’s from your belly,
meaning your heart or the innermost part of you. This is the beginning of a
lifelong journey that will help you be in the spirit like John. It is also a
reminder to us who are already filled with the Holy Spirit to increase our
praying in the Spirit. As we do, we will see an increase in the kind of
prophetic that causes us to come up higher in the things of the Lord.
Regular praying in tongues connects you to the heart of the Father as the
Scripture tells us that he who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks
mysteries to God (see 1 Cor. 14:2). Praying in the Spirit helps position us to
walk in the Spirit and to have a tangible presence of God upon our lives and
words that we speak. Not only will we speak mysteries to God, but His
mysteries or secrets will be revealed to us and through us in prophecy and
the gifts of the Spirit. When we pray in tongues on a regular basis, we will
not only have the right prophetic perspectives, but what we prophesy will
be more accurate. In addition, it will help us to prophesy not by our own
perspective of our mind, will, or emotions; rather, it will be from God’s
Spirit to our spirit, filtered correctly through our soul.

FILTERS OF THE HUMAN SOUL

The human soul is involved with any person prophesying or operating in
the gifts of the Spirit. This is a point where prophecy or prophetic ministers
can miss it. Sometimes the source from which they are receiving and
speaking may not be the Spirit of God but rather their own human soul.
Another reason is they could be ministering out of what they heard from
people, what they heard on the news, or what is influencing them in the first
and second heaven. When this happens, prophetic revelation is hindered
because their soul is affected by what they hear with their natural ears and
continually dwell upon.
We must be reminded that there is a right and purposeful place for our
mind, will, and emotions when it comes to prophecy. The truth of the matter
is every prophecy, vision, and dream or gift of the Spirit gets filtered
through our soul. This means our mind, will, and emotions are involved in
every prophecy we give, no matter who we are or how long we have walked
in prophetic things. The more we connect to the Lord in the Spirit and seek
to walk, live, and pray in the Spirit, the less we hinder the flow of His heart
and words. The result is that the words we speak will be more effective as
they are filtered through our souls.
 True prophecy’s source is always the Holy Spirit, as He reveals things
to our spirits, even though the revelation is subject to our human souls. This
is why we must fine-tune our spiritual hearing. Remember, Jesus said, “Let
those who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying” (see Rev. 3:6). It
is far too easy to formulate our own opinions and perspectives from what
we spend time listening to and thinking about. Again, when we spend time
in His Word, prayer, and praying in the Spirit, we will carry the third-
heaven perspective. This helps keep us sharp in the prophetic, even though
we may experience spiritual opposition and interference from the first and
second heavens.
We must remember the Lord is perfect and so are His words. However,
this doesn’t mean the one prophesying or all prophecy spoken is going to be
perfect. It also doesn’t mean that it won’t be affected by our soul or
influenced by the first and second heaven. Revelation given by God is
perfect, but it is always subject to the imperfections of the human soul.
Now, in the case of those who penned the Scriptures, the perfect Word of
God being spoken was uniquely and sovereignly overshadowed and
protected by the Holy Spirit.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture

came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For
prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets,
though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by
the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV).

Even then, you will still find God using the writers’ personalities and
emotions to speak forth His words! The prophecy of Scripture had to have
the special protection of the Lord because it is the final authority and
measuring stick for all prophets, gifts, and prophecies. This is why the
Bible, when speaking in context about prophets and prophecy, tells us to
test all things. The way we do that is to hold everything up against the
Scripture.

Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not
depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired
instruction or exhortation or warning]. But test and prove all
 things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold
fast (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 AMPC).

In the case of a prophet who prophesies today, he may hear the word
exactly as the Spirit of God is saying it but can also put his own
interpretation upon it when speaking it or even after it is spoken. That’s
why Paul says we see in a mirror dimly (see 1 Cor. 13:12). We don’t know
everything; our souls are always involved in giving and receiving prophetic
words. This is why Paul taught us that “we know in part, and we prophesy
in part” (1 Cor. 13:9).
When we realize that every prophetic word spoken is filtered through
the human soul, we can better discern prophecies we receive and hear. It
also helps us understand why a true prophet or someone with a genuine
desire to prophesy accurately might miss it on occasion. This person was
likely not trying to be false, manipulative, or deceptive. They intended to
speak the word of the Lord, but their own soul interfered. This doesn’t
make them or their prophetic word false—it is simply wrong.
Have you ever had a dream that was so real, but one part of the dream
made no sense or made you feel like you’d had a pizza dream? The dream
came to pass even though you never figured out that one strange part. This
happened because, although it was a true dream from the Spirit of God to
your spirit, your soul was still involved. Your human mind can continue to
dream about other things even after dreaming something that genuinely
came from the Lord.
This is also what happens sometimes when a prophetic word is spoken
and 99 percent of it is spot on, with a small word or point that doesn’t seem
to line up. Again, the human factor was involved in what was spoken. Let
me give you an example from Scripture. As we look at Samuel, we’ll see
where his own human filter was involved. Many people use Samuel as an
example for why people or prophets should never make a mistake when
they prophesy. They base this on First Samuel 3:19, which says Samuel’s
words never fell to the ground. We will discuss in detail why the Bible says
this about Samuel in the next chapter; however, we do find that Samuel’s
own soul was involved in his prophetic revelation at the house of Jesse.
 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul,
since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn
with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of
Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king” (1 Samuel
16:1 NIV).

First, notice that Samuel was still in mourning over Saul. His own
emotions were obviously affecting him enough that the Lord corrected him.
So it’s possible that even as he went to the house of Jesse, his own personal
experiences were having an effect on him. Samuel obeyed God and went to
the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. However, he initially
chose the wrong person when he assumed Eliab was the Lord’s chosen. The
human filter of his soul was involved and the Lord had to remind him not to
look on the outward appearance.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the
Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said
to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I
have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:6-7 NIV).

Even after this, Samuel had to continue working through the filtering of
his soul several more times as each of Jesse’s sons was brought before him.
Now he began to accurately discern the word of the Lord and to perceive
correctly from his spirit. Once he was able to do that, it enabled him to
prophesy correctly. As each of Jesse’s sons were brought, Samuel knew
none of them were the one the Lord had chosen. However, he still didn’t
have a clear word on who was chosen. Finally, he asked if there was
another, and it wasn’t until David was brought that he knew who the Lord’s
anointed was. He was no longer being moved by his own human filter but
now by his spirit.

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of

Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one
either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said,
“Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his
 sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord
has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the
sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered.
“He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will
not sit down until he arrives” (1 Samuel 16:8-11 NIV).

We can conclude from this that even though Samuel did eventually
discern the one the Lord had anointed, it did not happen without his soul
being involved in the prophetic revelation.
Another example is when Ezekiel had to eat a heavenly scroll. He put it
in his mouth and then it reached his belly. Through this spiritual encounter,
Ezekiel shows us this process of how a prophetic word given by the Lord is
filtered through our soul before it reaches our spirit. It further reveals the
source of information, or the realm where he received this word. It had
come from the Throne Room, the third heaven.

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this
scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened
my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me,
“Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your
stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in
my mouth. He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the
people of Israel and speak my words to them” (Ezekiel 3:1-4
NIV).

Prophetic words and revelations always pass through the human filters
of our soul as we see with Ezekiel. He was instructed to first eat the scroll
handed to him from Heaven before he would prophesy. In other words, the
scroll represents the prophetic revelation God is bringing to us that we must
chew on or process before we are quick to share it or speak. This is
especially important for prophets.
Ezekiel had to take time to digest or process the word of the Lord,
which is what the scroll represents. Him “eating it” or it entering through
his mouth speaks of a process. It points to the fact that he had to see it,
receive it, and digest it, all of which must include the soul or mind. Again, it
was filtered through his mind, will, and emotions before it would be
deposited into his belly or spirit. Once it was processed through his soul and
had become sure in his spirit, he could then speak this prophetic word
accurately. Notice Ezekiel 3:2 says it had to become “sweet as honey.” This
tells us he had to process it through his soul so he could minister the word
in the right spirit or with the right taste and grace! Ezekiel’s encounter
shows us how important it is for the word of the Lord to get into your belly
and spirit after it is filtered through your human soul. Often when a
prophetic word is given by the Lord, it is easy for our heads to get in the
way. However, our human reasoning must not interfere or hinder the word
of the Lord from being deposited and ministered from our spirit. This is
often why it is a process.
Remember, the Bible says the things of the Spirit are foolish for those
who try to figure them out in their head or judge them only with their mind
(see 1 Cor. 2:14). This can also be why prophecy and genuine prophets are
misunderstood or labeled falsely—some hearers will hear them from a
place of soulish understanding rather than through spiritual discernment and
understanding. Additionally, those offering their opinions and judgments
are sometimes doing so not from their spirits but rather their souls or flesh.
Spiritual things do require common sense and biblical backing, but we must
always seek to understand with our spirits.
It is important that we subject our souls to spiritual things and are wise
about what we allow into our minds, wills, and emotions through what we
see, hear, and feel. When we do so, we will find prophetic revelations pure
and accurate as they enter our spirits. As a result, our words will carry more
accuracy, authority, clarity, and purity.
Knowing this will help us to better discern whether a genuine prophet or
prophetic word was from the Lord or not. We can better understand such
questions as, “Did they speak it from their spirit? If so, how much was
tainted or affected by their own mind, will, and emotions?”
For example, sometimes when we hear a prophecy that sounds right, the
word doesn’t come to pass, or it doesn’t register with us in our spirits. Why
is this? It is often because the prophetic word had too much of the person’s
own mind involved when they spoke it, meaning much of their own will
and emotion was added to it. Another reason the word didn’t seem accurate
when it was spoken could be because the one judging the true prophecy put
their own interpretation on the word and believed it to say something it
didn’t. The prophecy could be accurate, but their own mind interfered,
causing them to see it as wrong or false. Their own human filters were
involved in the hearing of the word and they did not discern it from their
spirit. Like Samuel initially at the house of Jesse, people are sometimes
moved by what they see, hear, and feel. This causes them to discern or
judge from their own soul or perceptions rather than their spirits. This is
often where we find ourselves agreeing with certain parts of a prophetic
word and not others or discounting a word because we didn’t like the way
the prophet looked or how they ministered the word. As much as we don’t
like to admit it, we let outward appearances affect us.
My wife Brenda and I had this happen to us once with a prophet who
ministered to us early in our marriage. He was dressed differently from how
we normally expected a preacher to dress. Actually, it wasn’t to our
preference and his style and delivery were unusual as well. We initially
began to dismiss him based on our own perceptions. What he prophesied
was spot on; however, there was one part we didn’t feel was accurate and
that was when he said that we were called to pastor a church. You see, at the
time we were traveling in the ministry and felt no calling to pastor. We
didn’t fully receive this word because of some hang-ups in our human
souls, and at the time we didn’t discern it in the spirit. Thank God we
discovered that word was, in fact, right and so was that prophet—even
though he didn’t measure up to our expectations for dress, ministry style,
and delivery. We have been pastoring for over twenty years today and love
it. You see, we liked or agreed with certain parts of the prophecy, but other
parts we didn’t receive, simply based on our own interpretation and
preferences.
This is where many prophets and prophecies are unfortunately
mistreated, falsely accused, or wrongfully judged. We do what Samuel did
with the human filter of his soul—we look on the outward appearance or
discern things based on our biases, opinions, or hearsay and not from our
spirits. So rather than be quick to mislabel the prophet or prophecy, we need
to pause and ensure that there isn’t something in us that needs to be
adjusted. And remember, there isn’t any rush to draw conclusions.
Sometimes it’s wise just put the word on the shelf, so to speak, and let it
play out.
 It is vital that we understand that if a word is spoken and it doesn’t
appear to initially come to pass, this does not necessarily make the vessel
false or the word false, particularly when there was no purposeful
manipulation, trickery, or deceit. Again, no one is without the filter of their
soul when it comes to being a prophet or prophesying. This is why in the
New Testament, the prophet and vessel are under grace, meaning there is
room for human error, and truthfully, error is to be expected sometimes.
Now, that is not saying that we just say anything we want and expect to get
a pass. It just means there is space for people to make mistakes, even in the
prophetic. And by keeping our souls (minds, wills, and emotions) pure, it
will aid in allowing the prophetic words we are receiving from the Lord to
be processed correctly and accurately.
We have to remember, when we hear a prophecy that is as if the Lord is
speaking, that all humans have a soul and every prophetic revelation flows
through this filter. Knowing this will help us as we learn to yield to the
Holy Spirit and seek to minister to others. This will also help us when we
listen to a prophecy—to discern correctly and not fall into unnecessary
judgments and criticisms.
It is far too easy, when a hearing a prophetic word, to be quick to deem
something or someone as false based on our own emotions rather than
discerning correctly in the Spirit.
Even a genuine Throne Room prophet who speaks by and from the
Spirit still processes the prophetic flow they are receiving through their own
human soul. It is a reminder that we must all strive to have our words and
giftings flow from the source and person of the Holy Spirit, through our
spirits, and be delivered accurately without our souls being too involved.
We can always count on the fact that the Holy Spirit of God will show
us and help us to discern what is of Him and what is not. That is why there
can be wrong, false, wishful, and true prophecy—because of the vessels
involved. God understands this, but still chooses to use human vessels who
are a work in progress and who are progressing. Yet it should be our goal to
go higher and to have excellence in all facets of our gifting, function, and
how we are ministering in our spiritual gifts. This is the Lord’s desire for us
as well. Again, this comes by being reminded of the awesomeness of the
One seated on the Throne and the distinct honor to represent Him and speak
for Him. When we do, our gifting will go to another level, especially in the
accuracy and manifestation of our gifts. The key is to speak by the Spirit of
God and in the spirit and not of our own mind or things that we wish for
and formulate them into prophetic words.
Because God has made each one of us unique, it is important to be who
you are. However, when you are ministering a prophetic word, try not to
have mannerisms or strange behaviors that draw the attention to you and
away from the Lord and the word you have been given. People notice our
ethics, mannerisms, and how we represent ourselves and our giftings. We
understand uniqueness and diversity of expression in how we minister, but
it is always wise to be genuine and to act normally, without coming across
as strange or flakey. When we maintain our uniqueness without adding
excessive expressions, people are better able to receive us and our words.
We can see the importance of accurately discerning the word of the
Lord, understanding the human filter of the soul, and knowing what realm
the information is coming from. Remember, we live in the information age.
The perspectives we form through our minds, wills, and emotions can be
affected by so many things. There is a source of every piece of information
we are affected by. It comes from either the third heaven, the second
heaven, or the earth realm (first heaven).

THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD HEAVEN

Let’s look at these three realms of information and how they affect things in
the earth as well as what affects prophetic revelation. First is the Throne
Room level, which is the third heaven or realm, where God is seated on His
Throne and rules over all things. The second realm, we learned, is the spirit
realm or the heavenlies, meaning the atmosphere—where the Scripture
references satan as the prince of the power of the air. This realm is where
much spiritual warfare is happening in the high places and is the source of
divination, witchcraft, and the psychic realm. Then last, we know that
information comes from the first heaven, including media and things that
are spoken in and from the earth realm.
So how does one accurately discern prophetic words or what is coming
from the different realms that we have been discussing? First and foremost,
discernment comes as we make a habit and commitment to spend time with
the Lord in the Spirit. In addition, it is protecting or possessing the human
filter of our souls from dwelling on things that will affect us negatively or
interfere with a pure life in the Spirit. Jesus even mentioned the importance
of possessing our souls, meaning that like a horse, we put a bridle on it. “In
your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19). This keeps our minds,
wills, and emotions in check and keeps us sharp when it comes to
discerning information from the three realms.
This is why spending time with the Lord, worshiping Him who is seated
on the Throne, and living a life in the Spirit will help to discern the realm
and the source from which things are being predicted or prophesied. You
will be able to do so because your spiritual senses will be sharpened. You
will discern God’s character in a prophetic word, the spirit (or Spirit) behind
it, because you have been with Him. As we mentioned, He is the source and
the One from whom all true Throne Room prophecy comes.
Yet to accurately discern what realm is speaking, it is important to not
get caught up with the fears, the trends, or the cultural mindsets in the earth
realm, or what we call the first realm. We can lose our discernment,
hindering our spiritual sensitivity to God’s Spirit and Word, when we listen
too much to the media for our points of truth. For example, I have watched
things being prophesied that were not from Heaven’s perspective because
they spent too much time forming their opinions and political viewpoints
based on what they heard on the news or what other people are saying.
As we mentioned concerning Y2K at the beginning of this chapter, fear
gripped the hearts of people who believed the world was supposed to come
to a crashing halt. The prognostications and prophecies from the second
heaven and the earth produced this fear and caused wrong and false
prophecies. This was due to where the information was coming from and
the spirit that was behind it. This caused some prophecies to be spoken
based on fear, anxiety, and panic, taking many in the direction of those
words.
Now, that doesn’t mean that God won’t or doesn’t warn us, but it is
never driven by a contrary spirit or source. God is not a spirit of fear or
panic. He is the Spirit of power, love, and soundness of mind (see 2 Tim.
1:7). Sure, words of warning or judgments may cause one to feel fearful,
but it is a healthy fear that causes us to turn to God. It is not a spirit of fear
that binds us, consumes us, and causes us to take our eyes off of Him and
place them on the thing we are fearing.
 We can see from Scripture that the Throne Room prophets were often
speaking contrary to what was happening in the earth or culture. One such
example is found with Micaiah in the book of First Kings. He’s often
referred to as the 401st prophet, because after the 400 prophets of Ahab had
spoken he was the only prophet who had the true word of the Lord from the
Throne Room. He wasn’t concerned with being popular, promoted, or
appearing powerful in order to be accepted by the king. In fact, King Ahab
didn’t like him because he never prophesied the things the king wanted to
hear. This is what marked him as a Throne Room prophet and not a prophet
of the land. He spoke for the one true King of Kings and Lord of Lords
from the Throne Room, the third heaven. He didn’t speak what was popular
in the culture of the earth or pull hell’s agenda into existence from the
second heaven. Again, this is a reminder of how we discern true from
wrong or false. If we take time to observe what the culture is bending
toward and the spirit behind that bending, we will see the realm that is
influencing the culture trend the most.
We often see in the Bible where genuine prophets were not influenced
by the first and second heaven and didn’t go along with public opinion,
what was popular, or the cultural trends of the day. If the people were
partying, sinning, and living wrong, the prophets were weeping and
bringing words of repentance and change. If the people were weeping and
turning to the Lord, the prophet would bring words of hope and restoration.
In the same way, when the world goes the direction of evil or its perspective
is contrary to the Lord, we can accurately discern what is the voice of the
Lord and what is not.
Another thing we must be aware of when discerning prophecy or
prophets is the negative demonic influence of the second heaven, where the
occult and warfare realm exists. We must not pull those words or demonic
agendas from the second heaven and call it God’s voice or will. This is the
danger of prophets and prophecy getting caught up in different forms of
predicting rather than forthtelling, as a prophet will do. Prediction is based
on chance, while forthtelling is based upon revelation, unction, insight, and
anointing by the Spirit of God. Psychics operate in this realm of the second
heaven and use it to affect those in the earth realm. They are given to
prediction. We as prophets are not called to the office of prediction, but
rather as those who forthtell by what Heaven reveals, not because man
wants the latest bullet points on future events.
 Where this has become a real danger is with regard to political
elections. Many prophetic vessels spend time predicting who will win an
election, rather than forthtelling what God’s agenda is. When we first focus
on God’s agenda, then we can discern who fits the description and purpose
of the Lord. Too many things are being prophesied and believed from the
second heaven influence. How do we know? This influence is usually found
in what become hot button issues that divide, foster hate, and oppose God’s
agenda, sadly without many even knowing it because they are deceived and
blinded by the effects of this second realm. The god of this world, the
prince of the power of the air, has blinded their minds from seeing God’s
perspective and agenda.
The reason fear is so dangerous is because it comes from a spirit
contrary to the Lord. Think about how many things are predicted to happen
that never do, which cause fear and panic in the earth. Sure, it might have
been stopped by prayer, and when we hear such words we should always
pray. But how much material has been produced about fearful events that
have never taken place? We first have to acknowledge that fear sells. What I
mean is that people are geared to tune into predictions about some
impending doom or another. We must consider, however, if such material
really benefits the listener if it is lacking God’s prophetic agenda and plan
to help people in the midst of such events. Other than respond in fear, what
are hearers supposed to do with information about some apocalyptic event?
Just because someone teaches Bible prophecy doesn’t mean they stand in
the office of a prophet. Just because a person can discern the times, predict
certain things, or turn news headlines into prophecies doesn’t mean they are
receiving and speaking from the Throne Room or have been given that
office to forthtell. This doesn’t mean prophecy teachers don’t have their
place, and many of them do tap into prophetic revelation. However, we also
need prophets who can reveal the redemptive purposes of God and not just
detail and predict fearful end-time events.
Fear creates a lot of confusion because it is part of the demonic agenda
of the second realm (see 1 Cor. 14:33). The enemy is always looking for
ways to devour those in the earth through doing and saying things contrary
to what the Lord is doing or saying. He creates confusion, fear, and entices
people to go along with what the majority says and believes, especially
through the media. Sadly, the media plays a major role in formulating in
people’s minds what is acceptable and what is not, what is of God and what
is not. The problem is that so often what the world accepts is very contrary
to what the Lord does. This results in some people becoming convinced
something is being endorsed by the Lord simply because everyone is doing
it or saying it.
The prophet Elijah boldly confronted the popular opinion of culture by
asking, “Why are you caught between two opinions?”

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt
ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if
Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word
(1 Kings 18:21).

He addressed them this way because prophets of Baal were false

prophets of the land. They were trying to mix the worship of Jehovah God
with other false gods, thus creating confusion. It took a Throne Room
prophet to come and show the people the source and the difference between
the words being spoken and what was truly coming from the Throne Room.
False mixtures like with the false prophets of Baal are at work in our
day. There have been far too many false mixtures of words being
formulated from the earth realm or the second heaven that are supposed to
be from God. This mixture brings confusion and division because these
prophecies are combined with information and revelation from the first and
second realms and then attributed to the Lord. It is those like Elijah who
represent the Throne Room who will bring authority, words, and actions
that are backed up by Heaven’s witness. This is what happened when Elijah
prophesied, and he said “at my word it shall not rain.”

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead,

said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word (1 Kings 17:1).

Again, when he said, “the God that answereth by fire, let him be God,”
the Lord backed it up (1 Kings 18:24).
How does this apply to us today? We, too, will be able to accurately
discern words or things by whether they have the Lord’s backing, witness,
and manifestation. In other words, what the genuine prophets say will
happen, and you won’t be able to deny its source or the realm from which it
came. We will clearly know whether it is of the Lord or not. This is why
wanting true Throne Room prophets to just spend their time predicting
events is wrong and unbiblical. It doesn’t mean they won’t reveal things to
come, but it is through forthtelling, not prediction. Prophets who get into
the prediction game fall into the race of who can prophesy the most
accurate, specific, and earth-shaking words first and draw the greatest
public “wow” factor. What is the danger of prediction-based prophetic? The
answer is, it can tap wrongfully and falsely into the second realm of the
occult where psychic prediction resides.
Another danger is a true prophet will fall into the need to perform rather
than waiting on the Lord to know whether he is to release the prophetic
word or not. The longer we walk with the Lord and the more He reveals to
us, the less we are allowed to tell and the more carefully we must steward
what we receive. When we are secure in our relationship with the Lord, we
need not fall into the trap of prediction and feeling like we always have to
have a word.
Make it a practice to really pay attention to what you feel and sense
when you hear “prophetic” words. When the third heaven is speaking, your
spirit will know and your soul will be refreshed! However, when it comes
from the second heaven it will feel off and even evil, making you
uncomfortable. Now, when words are coming from a person’s own soul or
flesh, it will come off odd, strange, and will affect you in a negative way. It
will give you an uneasy feeling. When words from the second heaven and
the earth realm are taken as true words from Heaven, it will bring a sense a
fear, panic, evil, and anxiety. Yet words from the Throne Room are filled
with authority, power, peace, and will always carry God’s redemptive plan
of help and hope for mankind and this planet!
Remember, prophets today will minister hope with their warnings if the
Lord is truly speaking to and through them. They will offer solutions in the
midst of confusion and their prophecies will bring edification, comfort, and
exhortation. They will get their information from the third heaven and
forthtell Heaven’s plans through a healthy filtering of their soul,
prophesying words that restore hope, a future, and an expectant end (see Jer.
29:11)!
 Chapter Five

THRONE ROOM CLARITY AND

PROPHETIC ACCURACY

“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a

sardine [sardis] stone: and there was a rainbow round
about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.”
—REVELATION 4:3

I n this chapter we will delve further into the question of whether or not
genuine prophets can ever miss it, or must they always be 100 percent
accurate? This is one of the largest misconceptions surrounding the
prophetic. As we mentioned, people commonly believe that a prophet or
anyone who prophesies can never make a mistake. Many also believe that if
anyone does miss it or prophesies something that doesn’t come to pass, they
are automatically a false prophet. This is commonly seen across social
media platforms where people comment and label various prophetic vessels
as false prophets. They do this either because a prophetic word didn’t come
to pass, or perhaps they wrongly assumed it didn’t come to pass and they
conclude that the one who spoke is false.
I will begin by saying that the term false, when it comes to the
prophetic, is tossed around far too loosely. How do we know? Because this
term isn’t used so quickly when it comes to pastors or teachers who also
make honest mistakes in what they communicate. But when it comes to
prophets, the term “false” is often used with ease. The truth is, no honest
person with good intentions wants to hear their name attached to the word
false! The word carries such a tremendous indictment against one’s
integrity, and this needs to be addressed if we are going to function properly
in prophetic ministry.
 In this chapter I want to give plenty of biblical examples for why we
should be careful not to label something as false too quickly. Sure, some of
the sloppy practices in prophetic circles have not helped. Some individuals
want to be recognized so badly in prophetic ministry that they almost say or
prophesy just about anything. This becomes very confusing and misleading
to listeners as a whole host of contradictory “prophetic” messages get
presented. People wonder who and what to believe. Therefore, as we look at
biblical examples of prophets who misspoke or whose prophetic words
didn’t happen exactly as they said, this is not to imply we don’t need a very
high standard for accuracy. Accuracy should still be paramount, but just
because someone misses it does not mean they are false. They might be
wrong, but not false. We also want to learn how to differentiate between
honest and good-hearted prophets, who may be wrong at times, and false
prophets, who are intentionally deceptive.

JASPER, SARDIS, AND EMERALD

Before we seek to answer those questions, let’s look again at what happened
with the apostle John during his heavenly experience. In Revelation 4, he
mentions the jasper and sardis stones and the rainbow around the Throne
that looked like an emerald. “A jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a
rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Rev. 4:3).
When the apostle John was caught up in the Spirit, He was able to see
amazing heavenly things and the worship of the heavenly Father on the
Throne. It was in that setting that he saw the jasper and sardis stones and
the rainbow around the Throne like an emerald.
He also saw a book that was sealed with seven seals and the Lamb, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who is worthy to open the book. When you think of such
magnificent stones and their brilliance, you quickly picture their reflective
nature. From this setting of brilliant stones around the Throne we can glean
some key elements that we need when accurately discerning the word of the
Lord. It will also help us to discern genuine prophets and prophecy from the
false.
First, these stones and emerald color of the rainbow have a unique
prophetic meaning and purpose that point to what must mark every Throne
Room prophet and believer. You see, these stones and emerald color not
only reflect the Lord’s countenance and image but also represent His
message. Their reflective, brilliant nature communicates His entire being!
These reflections must become ours as well as we reflect Him.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of

the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).

It is interesting to note that when Jesus revealed Himself to John, John

did not describe His human or natural characteristics, but rather His
spiritual characteristics that were full of brilliant light reflected in His
countenance. When we read Revelation 4, it is obvious that John was
deeply impacted by the brilliance of light and color that radiates from the
Lord’s appearance.
All three of these things that John saw are heavenly Throne Room
characteristics that all Throne Room prophets must have and emulate, both
in their messages and their character. It was as though John was recording
what God looks like based on His brilliance and countenance, comparing
His countenance to the jasper stone and His character, heart, and sacrifice to
a sardis stone. He also described the rainbow around the Throne, which was
representative of God’s nature of love and grace.
These qualities must become our desire and our nature as well and what
will mark true prophets. They reveal what is necessary in every prophetic
vessel, which false prophets will ignore. What John saw regarding these
stones and the emerald color of the rainbow is not just a standard that must
be upheld but part of the call to come up higher. Again, these precious
stones and color reflect the character, the focus, and even the message of
those who minister prophetically and are reminders that will keep us from
error. This is where the line separating true from false becomes clearer,
because false teachers and prophets were marked by their messages and
prophecies as well as their character and behavior.
Let’s look more closely at the prophetic meaning of John’s description
of the Throne Room stones and colors. Scripture says that He who sat on
the Throne was like jasper. This color was like a diamond, pure and clear.
This is a reference to the Lord and His purity of heart and everything that
He is and represents. We find the comparison of the Lord’s countenance
with the color of jasper recorded in other places as well.

Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone
most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal
(Revelation 21:11).

Jasper is like a diamond, which represents the purity of our lives,

character, motives, and heart. For the Throne Room prophet, it speaks of
purity of heart, purity of words, purity of life. Our hearts and motives must
be pure in everything we do! These are not the characteristics of the false
prophet; false prophets aren’t focused on emulating Jesus or upholding His
standards of purity!
In addition to the jasper stone, John sees the Lord as the color of a
sardis stone, which is deep red in appearance. This is a blood-red stone
representing the redemptive work of the Cross through Jesus’ shed blood. It
is because of this precious sacrifice, obedience, and act of love, that we
have been redeemed. Our sins are completely forgiven and the plan of
redemption was fulfilled in Jesus. This means His redemptive love and His
plan of help and hope is being extended to those in the earth today.
Every Throne Room prophet must minister with an understanding that
God always has a redemptive plan. What do I mean? God’s redemptive plan
is a plan of help and a plan of hope in every situation and should be found
in every word or revelation given. This is the message, mindset, and
prophetic understanding that vessels of the Lord must always carry. When
you understand this, it will keep you in the right spirit, temperament, and
perspective, and the prophetic words you give will carry that as well. This
also includes when the Lord gives a warning, chastening, or judgment. The
false prophet is not about offering a message of redemption and hope but
rather words that draw you away from the Lord. False prophets tend to
draw people to themselves using gimmicks, manipulation, trickeries,
flatteries, along with corrupt methods and messages. Immorality is also
common to their character. All this is contrary to the message and act of
redemption we find in the color of the sardis stone, reflecting the Lord’s
appearance. Every genuine prophetic minister must also appear as a sardis
stone, so to speak, because we are His representation in the earth. We must
carry and emulate Jesus’ redemptive nature of self-sacrifice that offers hope
and help. As long as His Spirit remains on earth, God always has a
redemptive plan for mankind and for this planet! This means we don’t just
prophesy problems mixed with doom and gloom, but we prophesy solutions
filled with His hope and His help in the midst of the trials, problems, and
chaos in people’s lives and in the earth.
John continued by describing an emerald-green rainbow around the
Throne. He recorded how the Lord operates in both Heaven and earth by
the standard and symbol of the rainbow. Today we understand that the
rainbow represents God’s goodness displayed upon earth, as we see when
He promised to never again flood the entire earth with water (see Gen.
9:15). The rainbow shows us His covenant of grace that is extended to all
mankind. Every Throne Room prophet must minister with that grace and
that is also how prophetic words must be judged. Whether it’s a prophecy
we share or one that we hear, it must always be filled with grace.
This is where the functions of the Old and New Testament prophets
differ. The function of the New Testament prophet is now under a covenant
of grace and we minister according to this grace. The Old Testament
prophets, however, did not operate under this grace because Jesus had not
yet come to establish this covenant of grace by His shed blood. This is why
the false prophets and sinful people were stoned in the Old Testament but
not in the New Testament. We must be continually reminded of the emerald
green color of the rainbow. It is not just a symbol but a reminder that we are
to test or judge the prophets according to this covenant of grace, not with
harsh judgment. This is the New Testament standard—not the Old
Testament standard of the law, which was stoning.
Again, God doesn’t deal with His prophets or His people according to
the Old Testament law, but by His grace. Today individuals obviously aren’t
physically stoned, but unfortunately people still hurl verbal stones through
harsh, mean-spirited, critical, and judgmental words. Just as we wouldn’t
throw a physical stone today, we also shouldn’t throw stones with our
words against others or against God’s prophets, regardless of whether we
agree with them or not.
The Scripture reminds us that we know in part and we all prophesy in
part, meaning we don’t know everything. It shows that as imperfect human
vessels, we can miss it or make mistakes in our prophetic utterances. Each
of us must carry the humble attitude that we are subject to mistakes even
with the best of efforts. It is those who think they know everything and hear
everything perfectly who can wind up falling into error and ultimately end
up becoming false. It’s because they are not self-evaluating, and this leads
to pride. Pride is one of the dominant characteristics of a false prophet. A
lack of self-evaluation not only opens the door to making ongoing mistakes,
but it sets one up to fall into dangerous error. Many who have fallen into
this trap are easy to recognize in churches because they will often act as
though they know more than the pastor. We all need to keep a humble,
teachable spirit—especially those of us who minister in the prophetic.
It also tells us in Scripture that the prophets in the church were to judge
the revelations of the prophets. “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let
the other judge” (1 Cor. 14:29). If it’s unacceptable for prophets and
prophetic ministers to make the occasional honest mistake, then why would
Paul even say that prophecy should be reviewed or judged? Here Paul was
making allowance for the human error factor. At the same time, he was also
ensuring that a proper safeguard was established so God’s people would be
protected from careless prophetic practices. Also notice that the other
person judging or analyzing the prophecy in this verse is referring to
another prophet, not any random believer in the church. The prophetic
words given in the church setting were evaluated by other seasoned
prophets who were recognized by church leadership. They were obviously
skilled at evaluating the accuracy and genuineness of the prophetic words
being spoken. I believe this is important because if this task was opened to
the wider congregation for analysis, it would lead to confusion and likely
differing viewpoints and opinions.
The word judge in this verse means to weigh, evaluate, and to discern,
and this is what other prophets are to do when prophetic words are released,
particularly in the church setting where they serve. Now this doesn’t mean
the average believer cannot test a word or a prophet. We most certainly
need to use discernment, especially with the many things that get posted
online these days! We should use spiritual discernment and common sense,
regardless of whether we are prophets or not. We are all called to exercise
our spiritual senses so we can discern between both good and evil (see Heb.
5:14). But this doesn’t mean we resort to suspicion and criticism of the
prophet because something initially appears as if it didn’t come to pass. It
may be that the prophetic word spoken needs time to breathe or manifest,
and sometimes it can simply be misunderstood by the one hearing or
interpreting it.
Of course, vessels or prophets whose inaccurate prophetic words
outnumber their accurate ones need to be seen as not speaking for the Lord.
Even so, this doesn’t automatically make them false. It could be that they
need to improve their prophetic practices, and this underscores why we
need to know a person’s track record and character. However, if all these
things do not line up, it shouldn’t be hard to make the simple personal
decision not to follow them or their words. It’s not necessary to get out of
the love walk and become unkind in how we respond. We are equally
wrong when we point fingers and label someone as false if they aren’t false.
We need to reflect and emulate the colors that John saw in the Throne
Room. As we do, it will help us in our prophetic ministries and gifting and
also in accurately discerning true, wrong, and false prophets and prophecy.
Why? Because we will readily recognize the things that do not reflect the
Lord’s character and truth. When encountering a false prophet, it will be
notable because they are tainted by their own pride with themselves as the
center focus. Their character isn’t one of purity. Even though they may say
some accurate things, there will be key elements lacking in their character,
revelation, and message. Something about them will lack the reflection of
Jesus.
Remember, prophets who do not emulate these three colors that John
saw get off track in their character, their message, and the spirit in which
they prophesy. They often fall into a situation like Jonah. Jonah was a true
prophet of the Lord who prophesied that in forty days Nineveh would be
overthrown because of its sinfulness. However, the people repented and
God did not overthrow the city. As a result, Jonah’s prophetic word didn’t
come to pass in the way he prophesied it. This made Jonah very angry.
Jonah’s anger came because God sent him with a prophetic word, but that
word never came to pass. Jonah was so upset over it that he wanted to die.
Undoubtedly, Jonah wondered what onlookers might have thought and how
it may have appeared that he made a mistake. Jonah not only became angry
because his word didn’t come to pass, he was angry that God extended
mercy to Nineveh (see Jonah 4:3). Imagine being angry because God
offered someone mercy! Sadly, there are prophetic vessels even today that
almost sound as if they want God to judge the world. It often seems this
way when they are constantly prophesying God’s judgment about almost
every situation.
Jonah wasn’t a false prophet but a wrong one. He became wrong in his
attitude and he focused on himself and his public image. This resulted in
him not reflecting the Lord, and he resorted to having a pity party. Jonah
could not see the good in the people or rejoice that God had a redemptive
plan for the people of Nineveh.
Like Jonah, when our attitude gets off track and we become focused on
ourselves, we can fall into the trap of ministering with a wrong spirit.
People who do this can only see the bad of a situation, a people, a territory
(city or nation) and their bad attitude and words reflect it. Furthermore, they
continually prophesy doom and gloom. In effect, they put their hands over
their eyes and develop tunnel vision, only seeing their burden and the
obvious evils of the day. They don’t see the bigger, wider perspective or
redemptive plan of God like the sardis stone. They forget that God is
merciful and is offering hurting humanity His redemptive blood. They also
become so focused on their limited perspective that they have forgotten
what the rainbow represents, which is God’s covenant of grace. This is why
every genuine prophetic minister, or believer for that matter, must learn to
stay balanced by evaluating themselves honestly and humbly.
Even still, just because a prophet has what I call a “Jonah moment,” that
doesn’t mean they are false. They may just be wrong; but eventually if these
wrong attitudes are not dealt with, they can lead to the things that do
characterize a false prophet.
This doesn’t imply we won’t ever receive words from the Throne of
coming danger, judgments, or rebukes. It means the scope of what you
prophesy and see should not just be always limited to the bad, negative, or
the evil of the day. On the other hand, the Throne Room prophet must also
be willing, like Jonah, to hear and be open to speaking words that will bring
the fear of the Lord. They must be willing to speak God’s warnings as well
and not imply everything will always be a wonderful bed of roses. It is a
healthy balance, but the wider view and Spirit that the Lord ministers from
is through the lens of His redemptive blood. We must always consider His
Spirit of grace and covenant of mercy in every situation when prophesying.
 THRONE ROOM CLARITY
We need to give space for the Throne Room prophet to clearly speak and
communicate what they are receiving from the Lord under this covenant of
grace. What do I mean? Oftentimes the one who is receiving the heart,
mind, will, and intent of God will see or hear something but not always
understand the whole picture. An example of this was when the apostle
John was caught up to the Throne Room and heard, “Behold, the Lion of
Judah” but he didn’t see a lion. Instead he saw something completely
different from what he heard. He saw the Lamb who had been slain.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open
the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld,
and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain
(Revelation 5:5).

John heard a lion but saw a lamb! This doesn’t mean he heard wrong,
but this shows us that we can see things and hear things differently and
sometimes we need time to get the clarity. It may not be that a prophecy
spoken was wrong either. It may just mean there is more to the picture than
what we heard or thought the prophetic word was saying. We know that
Jesus is both the Lion and the Lamb!
This is a good reminder that often what we hear is not always the final
picture. This is why it’s important to not draw conclusions about a prophecy
or prophet too quickly. There may be other pieces to what you heard and it
may be different from what you initially perceived. It also means that what
we hear takes longer to perceive than what we see, because it takes us
longer to identify an object by our hearing or sensing, whereas it takes only
a few seconds to identify an object by sight.
When a Throne Room prophet says things like “I perceive” or “I feel,”
it may be because they sense what the Lord is trying to show or tell them,
but they may need more clarity or understanding. We should not be too
quick to deem them or their words erroneous. Not only does the prophetic
vessel need clarity to what they are hearing, but so does the person
receiving the prophecy. A genuine prophetic vessel will always desire
Throne Room clarity when prophesying. Their desire is not to miss it or be
falsely accused, knowing there are those who are too quick to judge
something as being inaccurate.
Remember, the one who prophesies does so according to the measure of
their faith. If they or their prophetic words are being judged too quickly as
false, this could affect how and what they prophesy going forward. In other
words, it may affect them in a negative way by bringing insecurities and
reluctance. True Throne Room prophets want to represent the Lord
correctly. Due to excessive criticism by those who do not have Throne
Room clarity, prophets can be pressured not to step out and give prophetic
words from the Lord. It can affect their faith level regarding what they hear,
see, or perceive, and even affect their accuracy. They may receive
something from the Lord but will hold back for fear of being wrongly
accused of speaking an inaccurate word.
An example of this is found in the book of Matthew when Jesus said He
would have gathered Israel like a mother hen gathers her baby chicks, but
couldn’t because they stoned the prophets and those sent to them (see Matt.
23:37). The prophets’ words were not received because those who heard
their words lacked Throne Room clarity in understanding what they heard.
This ultimately not only affected the prophets but those who rejected them.
Because they deemed the prophets’ words as false, God’s agenda was
hindered.
Can you imagine how this must have affected the faith level of the
prophets throughout history? They might have looked at how other prophets
were treated, and it affected their faith to the point of not stepping out and
speaking. They would rather play it safe to not create a mess or be part of
one. The Scripture shows us an interesting concept in regard to this, that we
can also apply when stepping out to speak the prophetic words we receive.
“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean” (Prov. 14:4). Notice that things in
the stall were clean and safe as long as no oxen were in the stalls. This is
what can happen to those who prophesy. There is no mess to clean up when
you don’t step out or desire to go to another level in prophesying. It’s safer
not to be misunderstood, persecuted, or accused falsely. Some prophets
simply will not want to take a risk because of public opinion or scrutiny. As
a result, they play it so safe that they end up with empty words or very little
to share. As much as we see a great deal of sloppy prophecy and those who
are willing to say almost anything, we are also seeing genuine prophets who
are holding back because of the fear of accusation.
It is also why some pastors have gotten into a place of suppressing the
prophetic in their churches. Obviously, it’s because of the bad behavior of
some. However, instead of mentoring, teaching, and activating people under
correct authority and leadership, they suppress or won’t allow prophecy to
flow in their services or among their people. They reason that it is safer that
way, with no messes to clean up! Now, this desire, goal, and passion to have
clean words, pure words, and not create a mess is the mark of a genuine
prophet and believer. It is, however, not the nature of a false prophet, as
they create messes and don’t care what they mess up or who they hurt in the
process. This clearly indicates that the level of the prophetic word has not
reached the potential that God wants.
Remember when Jesus turned water into wine and had it submitted to
the governor of the feast? As we discussed earlier, this speaks of
accountability, as He submitted His first miracle to the one in charge of the
wedding feast to do a “taste test,” if you will. Today, it is a good pastor or
prophetic council or advisors who will “taste test” what we are presenting
to be from the Throne Room. They can hold us accountable, encourage us,
or protect us by giving wisdom and caution to the things we receive from
the Lord. This will cause the faith level and measure to arise in the
prophetic vessel. When this happens, it will take them to a higher level in
what they are receiving from the Lord because they are welcoming
accountability and a support system that is not afraid to say, “hey, wait on
that,” “that is good,” or “that tastes awful!”

TESTING PROPHETIC WORDS

In understanding prophetic clarity, we need to briefly discuss how to test
prophetic words. Before we deem a prophecy or a prophet as being false,
we need to do what the Scripture says—to try or test the spirit of the
prophetic word.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into
 the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it
in the world (1 John 4:1-3).

First, every prophetic word needs to be tested by the word of God, the
final authority for testing all prophecy. Prophetic words don’t add or take
away from the Bible; rather, they are backed up by the Scriptures and right
doctrine.
Second, a word from God will carry the Spirit’s witness with our spirit
because the word is coming from the Lord. If being spoken through a true
prophet, and if it’s from the Lord, it should carry weight, authority, and
anointing. If the prophecy is being spoken through a believer who is not a
prophet, your spirit should still bear witness with a peace or a sense of
spiritual confirmation that it’s coming from the Lord. I am not saying the
word has to always confirm something you already know; rather, there is
confirmation by a sense of agreement that we feel in our spirit. It should
bring an uplifting witness in our spirit that edifies, exhorts, and comforts us.
When accurately discerning a prophecy, it is important to not just
discern the words that were spoken but also the source or spirit behind the
one speaking. This will help to better determine if the word is coming from
the Lord, the person delivering the word, or an evil spirit. Always
remember just because a word may be accurate doesn’t mean it is coming
from the Lord. As we will consider further in this chapter, false prophets
were known for some of their prophecies being accurate, or they wouldn’t
have misled the people. In addition, the enemy does and can appear as an
angel of light, deceiving many with accurate words, revelations, and
experiences. This is why we need to discern both the vessel and source
speaking through them as well as the word prophesied.
The apostle Paul is a good New Testament example of discerning
prophecy and the ones delivering the prophetic words. He had a young girl
following him with a spirit of divination or witchcraft who was speaking
accurate things. Yet after a while of hearing these sayings, Paul discerned or
felt in his own heart that even though the words were true, the source or
spirit behind them wasn’t! The source of the words this young girl was
speaking was an evil spirit.

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel

possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her
masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and
us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most
high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this
did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to
the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come
out of her. And he came out the same hour (Acts 16:16-18).

Third, before deeming a prophecy as false or wrong, we should always

remember the importance of timing when a word is spoken and the
importance of having correct interpretation of it. Throne Room clarity keeps
us from putting our own interpretation on the prophetic word. This is
especially true with prophetic words that have to do with timing, as we
mentioned. Many prophets of old and even today are mistakenly labeled as
false because of a wrong interpretation of their prophecy or because the
timing didn’t seem to play out as spoken. An example of this would be all
the prophets of the Bible who spoke words that they thought would happen
in their lifetime but didn’t.
A true prophet will anguish over the words given them. In other words,
they deeply care about how hearers are affected by the words they speak.
However, an immature, undisciplined, and even false prophet will not do so.
True prophets and believers who desire to prophesy genuinely are more
concerned about the Lord’s heart being correctly represented and
communicated. How does this affect the people whom we are delivering the
word to? We want to make sure it is in the right spirit and delivered
correctly so it doesn’t bring dishonor to the Lord, the word, or the vessel
giving it. This is why a genuine prophet will be slower to deliver a word
and have a certain caution. He or she will have a holy respect and fear
before delivering the words of the Lord. This is all part of the anguish of the
prophet and will include possible misunderstanding, mistreatment, and even
spiritual opposition that comes with the prophetic word. A false prophet is
unlikely to anguish over these things as they are not connected to the heart
of God or His truth. Understanding this will help us to receive greater
Throne Room clarity when discerning a prophetic word, and it will
correctly mark a true prophet who will anguish over the word of the Lord
that they give.

THE ANGUISH OF A TRUE PROPHET

Let’s look further into the subject of the anguish of a true prophet. When a
prophet truly fears the Lord, they can experience a sense of anguish in
processing the words they receive from Him. This anguish comes out of a
deep sense of always wanting to correctly represent the Lord and the words
He gives. A prophet can experience a sense of anguish as they process the
words given due to fearing the Lord because they are careful to represent
Him and the word correctly. They can sometimes feel the opposition,
responsibility, backlash, and misunderstanding of them and the word they
carry. This is especially true when the word the Lord has spoken to them
goes against what they reasoned or is completely opposite of what people
believe or want to hear. The anguish becomes an inner tug-of-war or even
wrestling as to whether the word is correct. Did they receive it correctly and
is it supported by Scripture? How is it going to be received? Is it going to
be understood, misinterpreted, or judged incorrectly? Will it stir up natural
and spiritual opposition that no one knows or understands but the prophet
who spoke it? Will this word prophesied cause the prophet to be mislabeled
and judged harshly? In the end, will the prophet be vindicated by the word
given?
Jeremiah was one such prophet who anguished over the words that the
Lord gave him. His anguish clearly shows what a genuine prophet will
oftentimes go through when the Lord gives them a word.

Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of

my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For
I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle
cry (Jeremiah 4:19 NIV).

This is just a small glimpse of the anguish that comes from the prophet’s
inner dealings with the Lord and the rehearsing of the words prophesied,
especially when they are not popular in public opinion. Yet this is the price
of the prophetic anointing and office given by Jesus.
This anguish is what marks a true prophet from those who are not. The
mere fact that they are even anguishing at all over the word of the Lord is a
proving sign. This is a great safety check and reminder of the One we
represent and how important His words are. A true prophet never wants to
misrepresent the Lord or His anointing and giftings and never desires to
hurt the people to whom they minister the word of the Lord. A false prophet
never anguishes but often brags, gloats, and refuses to humble themselves
concerning the prophecies they speak. False prophets don’t anguish over the
words they share because they don’t hold the Lord and His heart with honor
or respect.
Remember, prophesying accurate words that come to pass is vital, but it
is not necessarily what fully identifies a true prophet from a false prophet.
Definitions are often formulated by the ideals and expectations. Many
define either a true or false prophet based on whether they prophesy things
that come to pass or not. They are labeled as true prophets if they had an
accurate word and never miss it. People commonly differentiate true from
false based on accuracy, and if someone is 100 percent accurate then they
must be a true prophet. This ideology simply isn’t reliable. One failed
prophecy does not mean a prophet is false any more than perfect accuracy
makes one genuine. Again, as we have been discussing, their character is
the first factor on whether they are true or false.
On the matter of accurate versus inaccurate prophecy, I do want to go
back for further review of the story of Samuel. As I mentioned, this is
probably the most common example people use to support the belief that
prophets cannot ever make a mistake. Let’s look at this example from
Scripture more closely.

SAMUEL’S WORDS
I regularly hear people say, “We want accurate prophets today who are like
Samuel, whose words never fell to the ground!” While having prophetic
accuracy is important, we also must not imply that somehow the Old
Testament prophets were more anointed, better, or more accurate than those
in the New Testament. We also shouldn’t think that even the genuine
prophets of the Bible were faultless or without error.
Now, let’s consider why the Bible says that Samuel’s words never fell to
the ground. Does it mean he never missed it and was 100 percent accurate
in every prophetic utterance given? Should this be the rule for all who
prophesy?
As we touched on in the previous chapter, it seems that Samuel went to
the house of Jesse with some of his own preconceived ideas or biases.
Remember, the prophetic word he was carrying was to go to the house of
Jesse and anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel.

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for
Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill
your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his
sons” (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV).

Like every person who prophesies, this prophetic word still had to be
filtered through Samuel’s own mind, will, and emotions. We can see how
this could have been true when he thought the oldest son, Eliab, would be
the most likely candidate for king, based on the fact that the firstborn son
carried the right of inheritance. He certainly looked the part. Samuel began
to speak that Eliab was the Lord’s anointed whom he would anoint as king.

And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on

Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him” (1
Samuel 16:6 KJ21).

These words Samuel spoke were not the Lord’s but his own. These
words didn’t mean Samuel was false or even knew everything; he had to
process the prophetic word the Lord had spoken so he could minister the
prophecy accurately.
It took several times of Jesse’s sons passing before him to process the
word of the Lord regarding the one the Lord had chosen.
 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel.
And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then
Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the
Lord chosen this one.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass
before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not
chosen these” (1 Samuel 16:8-10 NKJV).

In each case, until it was revealed that David was the Lord’s anointed,
he still had to process the prophetic word though his own human soul.
However, as Samuel looked upon the firstborn son, Eliab, the Lord told
him this was not His anointed and instructed him to not judge by outward
appearance.

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance,
or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for
the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (1
Samuel 16:7).

This is where genuine prophets and those who prophesy can make
mistakes. It is important to avoid allowing our minds or preconceived ideas
about something or someone to cause us to miss it. Samuel started to anoint
Eliab until the Lord stopped him. Although he eventually heard which son
was to be anointed, he was initially on the wrong path and it took a divine
interruption to redirect him.
I remember once hearing a prophetic word in my heart concerning a
specific woman the Lord was showing me in the audience. The prophetic
word I heard was she had just recently lost her husband and was now a
widow, and she was really grieving his departure. Yet when I looked at her
my mind didn’t line up with the word I heard. She looked happy, had a huge
diamond on the ring finger of her left hand, and to make it more challenging
she was sitting next to a man who looked like he was her husband.
Nevertheless, I tread on what I thought was risky ground. I decided to step
out and deliver the word in the form of a question. I asked, “Have you
recently become a widow?” She immediately burst into tears and began
sobbing. I ministered the word to her and later was briefed by the pastor
that the man sitting next to her was a relative who brought her to the
meeting because her husband had just died, and she was grieving terribly.
The same was true for Samuel at the house of Jesse—his mind was
telling him one thing as the prophetic word came to him. As a result, he
spoke out thinking Eliab, the firstborn, was the one God was choosing.
Samuel was not being a false prophet. He was simply processing the
prophetic word through his mind, as all prophets and prophetic people have
to do. He wasn’t 100 percent right, nor did he know everything. Yet his
spirit, his character, and his words could be trusted by those who heard
them—even to the point that they feared his name and his coming into a
city.

So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And
the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do
you come peaceably?” (1 Samuel 16:4 NKJV)

This same trustworthiness and reliability should be true of us. We may

have human error from time to time in our prophetic gifting or prophecies.
The difference between what makes it false, wrong, or true is our intention.
The intention of our hearts will clearly differentiate what is false from an
honest mistake. However, just like with Samuel, our track record needs to
be more dependable and accurate than not. The majority of our prophetic
words should line up and reveal a genuine prophet or prophecy more than
the minority of words that show otherwise.
If Samuel had to process the prophetic words he received just like we all
do, what does it mean when the Bible says his words never fell to the
ground? I believe upon further consideration and looking at this phrase
within its context we will see that his words not falling to the ground
carried a much larger purpose. It was not so much about Samuel being a
prophet without human imperfections, but rather about the era and time of
history in which he was called to prophesy.
If having perfect accuracy, or one’s “words never falling to the ground,”
is the requirement or measuring stick for all true prophets and prophecy,
then we just indicated that every other prophet in Scripture was a false
prophet. Think about it. The Bible never says their words didn’t fall to the
ground. It only says this of Samuel. However, the other prophets of the
Bible were also true prophets. To use what the Scripture says of Samuel’s
words as a prophetic measuring stick for discerning between true and false
prophets would discount or even falsify prophets such as Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Elijah and Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and many others.
When Scripture says Samuel’s words didn’t fall to the ground, it points
to several things that were happening and needed at the time of his
prophetic calling and assignment.
First, Eli the priest was allowing corruption in the priesthood on the
front steps of the temple by his sons, who committed sexual immorality
with women. This defiled the priesthood and the temple because Eli did not
do anything is stop it. This required a prophet and prophetic words that
would not only confront the issue but bring things into divine order. Samuel
would be used as a prophet who heard from the Lord and would reestablish
divine order in the house of the Lord.
Second, we must consider that the Lord’s word to Samuel had to be
upheld because of who Samuel was and what he was called to prophesy. He
was called to declare that the Messiah would come and be seated upon the
Throne of David. David would have to be appointed and chosen correctly,
because he was instrumental in bringing forth the lineage of the Messiah.
Samuel’s words had to be carefully watched over by the Lord. The very
lineage of the Messiah was at stake and how He would come forth could
not fall to the ground! This historic prophetic assignment was given to
Samuel because of his precise track record in hearing the voice of the Lord.
It didn’t mean Samuel never had to filter the words through his own
emotions before he delivered them. The Lord saw to it that Samuel’s words
and conduct would be trustworthy. Not only that, but the Lord also ensured
Samuel was raised up as a respectable and honorable man, since he’d been
trained as a young boy under Eli, a corrupt priest and mentor.
Third, we must consider the whole verse and not just the latter part.
“And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his
words fall to the ground” (1 Sam. 3:19). As we can see from this verse,
Samuel grew up—meaning, from the time his parents entrusted him to Eli
the priest, the Lord was watching over his prophetic process, maturity, and
prophetic words. It was not just his words that would have to be upheld, but
a combination of his character, integrity, morals, and maturity as he was
growing in the midst of a corrupt environment. If you recall, at that time
people were being taken advantage of under the priesthood of Eli and his
sons, and the Lord had to exonerate Samuel in a special way. God ensured
Samuel’s words would never be discarded and discounted by those who
would witness them. It was important for people to see that Samuel was
unique and not like the corruption under which he served. God upheld
Samuel’s words carefully so the lineage of the Messiah could be established
in the midst of this immoral environment. God carefully saw to it that
Samuel would be known as a trustworthy and pure prophet who did not
partake in the sinful practices of those around him. It is all very similar to
the way the Lord watched over the prophetic destinies of Moses and Jesus
when they were born, protecting them from Pharaoh and Herod so the
purposes of God would not be aborted.
Samuel’s words would not be hindered, compromised, or aborted
because of what was at stake. Again, this is not saying he could never miss
it, nor is it saying that no prophet could ever make a mistake. This further
underscores why, when discerning a prophetic word, we have to be careful
not to be too quick to label a prophetic minister or prophecy false or wrong.
We live in a microwave society that wants everything now, including
prophecies. Yet there are many prophetic words from the prophets of old
that are still coming to pass even now, centuries later. Some were accused
falsely in their day because people misinterpreted the timing of their words.
As a result of misinterpretation, they were often deemed false and even
stoned. In the same way, we do a disservice to prophetic ministers when we
jump on the bandwagon of accusation. We must be intentional about
seeking the Lord anytime we hear prophecies and prophetic words,
knowing that if a word has truly come from the Lord, He will be faithful to
bring it to pass.

TESTING PROPHETS AND PROPHECY

So, if it’s possible that prophets and those who prophesy can make the
occasional honest mistake, then how are we to handle such situations?
Matthew 7 tells us that we will recognize false prophets by their fruit. If we
can recognize a false prophet by their fruit, then we can recognize those
who are not false prophets by their fruit as well.
 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but
a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them
(Matthew 7:15-20).

Here are a few things to consider when you hear a prophetic word that
you’re not sure about. Consider the person giving the word, and ask
yourself these questions:

■ Do they reflect the character and integrity of God in other

areas of their life?
■ What is their track record (have they given accurate words in
the past)?
■ How do you know the prophecy is wrong?

If you see the nature of God in them and they have a solid history of
accurate words, consider that they may have made a mistake or possibly
that the word itself may take time to come to pass. This person is not a false
prophet, but simply a person who’s perhaps made an honest mistake.
Also, be careful how you hear. As we’ve discussed throughout this
book, human error is involved in both the one who gives the word and the
one who hears the word. It is always wise to lay prophetic words before the
Lord, asking Him for interpretation and understanding. Consult the
Scripture to make sure what was spoken aligns with God’s Word. In our
“microwave” world, we want all the answers now, but it often takes time for
words to unfold and come to pass. It is always worth taking the time to
search the Scripture and seek the heart of the Lord!

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of

kings is to search out a matter (Proverbs 25:2).
 Most importantly, it is critical that we stay in the Spirit and not become
carnal in our reactions to the words we hear. When we are quick to react in
our flesh, we actually side with the enemy in bringing division and discord.
This does much more damage to the Body of Christ than we often realize. It
is never appropriate to assassinate someone’s character because we don’t
agree with the words they speak. If, and when, prophets (and those who
minister prophetically) make honest mistakes and we harshly judge and
criticize them, we can shut ourselves off from the voice of God. Although
this may not be our intention, this attitude of our heart rejects not only the
person speaking but the Lord, who has entrusted them to speak His words.
Again, we need to remember that the primary characteristic of a false
prophet is found in their intention and character. Having this clear
understanding will help us better recognize and handle those who have
perhaps made an honest mistake. If someone is a false prophet, we will
likely see evidence that their primary activity is leading people astray,
whether doctrinally, financially, or for some other purpose. This is how the
Bible describes the false prophet.

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams,

and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder
come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go
after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve
them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to
know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God,
and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice,
and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet,
or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he
hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which
brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of
the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the
Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the
evil away from the midst of thee (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

Notice in verses 1 and 2 that the prophet had dreams and miracles that
actually did come to pass. In other words, they gave accurate prophetic
revelations, but they were still a false prophet. It wasn’t about their
accuracy; it was about their intent to deceive.
Think for a moment why there would have to be certain elements or
segments of a false prophet’s words and prophetic revelations that would
have accuracy to them. If it was obvious that everything they were saying
wasn’t true, people wouldn’t be deceived. So, there is more than accuracy
that we need to consider.
First, can you discern the source behind their prophesying? If you don’t
know the person, again, pay attention to how their words make you feel. Do
you have an uneasiness in your spirit? If it is a genuine word from the Lord,
even though the delivery or their appearance may feel uncomfortable, you
will have a witness or an “agreement” in your spirit. Also, does what they
are saying line up with the Word of God?
If they aren’t a legitimate prophet, then obviously it wasn’t the Lord
who was speaking but rather it was their own spirit or perception that was
involved. In some cases, it was an evil spirit giving them insights. The
Bible calls these spirits familiar spirits. Familiar spirits take on something
familiar, or something that you would recognize. A familiar spirit is a
demon that is summoned by a medium with the intent that the spirit
summoned will obey his or her commands. Often, familiar spirits are
believed to be the spirits of people who have died (see Deut. 18:11).
However, biblically this is not the case. Such appearances are actually
demonic forces imitating people in order to deceive.
Another way familiar spirits operate is by watching and becoming
familiar with information that is revealed in the natural realm, not by
supernatural revelation from God. Now, this is not to say that our human
ability to perceive things means that we are tapping into the demonic realm.
We can often perceive things naturally, but it’s important to let others know
what we’ve observed on our own and what we’ve heard from the Lord. This
will eliminate confusion regarding the source of revelation.
People operating in the realm of familiar spirits usually know they’re
doing it and are manufacturing “revelation.” These evil spirits are revealing
something from what they have observed about another person or situation.
It’s important to mention that when people don’t rely on the Holy Spirit and
operate in this kind of manufactured knowledge, they are opening a door
into the demonic realm. They are receiving accurate information, but it is
coming from a demonic source, not from the Lord. Though operating this
way may seem harmless at first, once this door has been opened, the enemy
will not hesitate to rush in and overtake the person if they choose to
continue their practices. When this happens, the person is on their way to
becoming a false prophet, as their motives are becoming manipulative and
self-seeking rather than pure and God-seeking.
Second, what separated a false prophet from a wrong prophet in the
Bible was the fruit of his life and message that drew the people away from
the Lord and into serving other gods. He drew their love and attention away
from God. It was this type of false prophet who was to be put to death.
Continue to note that it was not so much based on the accuracy of their
prophetic words, as we saw in Deuteronomy 13:1-2. Notice the reason why
this false prophet who had accurate words was stoned.

And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to

death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord
your God (Deuteronomy 13:5).

The false prophet was stoned because they were intentionally deceiving
the people through their accurate prophetic words and revelations, which
drew people away from God.
This is why stoning wasn’t for the true prophet. Even though they were
unfortunately falsely accused, God didn’t require the genuine prophet who
may have missed it, misspoke, or made an honest mistake to be put to
death. Remember how Samuel continued down the line of Jesse’s sons after
his first mistake. He was not a false prophet because He mistook Eliab as
the Lord’s anointed—Samuel was simply human! Because Samuel was pure
in heart, the Lord stuck close by him and made sure he understood and
spoke the word correctly (see 1 Sam. 2:3). God’s heart is always toward
those whose intentions are good, even when they make mistakes! This is
not at all how He deals with false prophets. Though God is a god of mercy,
the Bible says His Spirit doesn’t always strive with man (see Gen. 6:3). The
false prophet intentionally determines to draw others away from the Lord,
and the Lord takes this very seriously.
 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken
nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against
you,” says the Lord God. “My hand will be against the
prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall
not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the
record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land
of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God”
(Ezekiel 13:8-9 NKJV).

This is a serious reminder why there must be solid prophetic training.

We must help to develop the right character in those who prophesy so they
can present pure and accurate prophetic words and stand in the days of
testing and persecution. When people are solidly trained, it also gives them
credibility with their hearers. Those who hear them prophesy know without
question where they’ve come from and who they are connected with, and
this is key to discerning the true from the false. Purposefully deceitful false
prophets and, yes, even undisciplined, wrong prophets do need to be
discerned and discounted, but proper training and development will make
the genuine stand out from the false. Jesus said that branches that don’t
produce good fruit need to be removed, so we must remember that looking
at the fruit of a person’s life and ministry is essential in drawing the right
conclusions.
We should also consider the fact that stoning in the Old Testament was
not just limited to false prophets but also included those who committed
adultery and other sinful acts under the same law.

The man who commits adultery with another’s wife, even his
neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be
put to death (Leviticus 20:10 AMPC).

In reality, under this same law King David should have been stoned for
his adultery with Bathsheba, but he wasn’t. We also should have had this
same law go into effect concerning Aaron the priest. He actually did what a
false prophet does. He drew people away from God to worship a golden
calf. The law of God was fresh in Moses’ hands as he was coming down the
mountain. According to the law Moses had just received, his brother Aaron
was now guilty of being a false prophet and punishable by death! The Bible
says that Aaron was a prophet.

And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to
Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet (Exodus
7:1).

There was no better time to enforce this law, was there? I find it
interesting that Aaron wasn’t stoned by Moses or the elders. Why weren’t
David and Aaron stoned? Perhaps it was because the intentions of their
hearts were not to deceive, even though they both did deceive. Remember,
man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (see 1
Sam. 16:7).
Look further at Deuteronomy 13 about who else was to be stoned as
punishment. Notice it was not just the prophet who turned people away
from the Lord.

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter,
or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own
soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other
gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; namely,
of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto
thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even
unto the other end of the earth; thou shalt not consent unto
him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him,
neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but
thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to
put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he
hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no
more any such wickedness as this is among you (Deuteronomy
13:6-11).

We can see here that this requirement for stoning or being put to death
also applied to anyone who simply drew people away from God for any
reason! Remember, the false prophets in this chapter of Deuteronomy had
accurate words, and the main reason they were stoned was because their
character and prophecies purposefully drew people away from the Lord. If
they were leading people astray as the prophet did in the previous verses of
Deuteronomy 13, the same discipline was to be applied.
It is interesting that when people want to call for a modern-day
“stoning” of someone they deem to be a false prophet, they often ignore
those in the church who draw people away from the Lord into carnal, sinful
living. How about the person who may have tried to draw people away
from a good church, a godly pastor, or draw others into things that divide
the house of God through gossip, strife, and offense? Typically, we prefer to
make church discipline apply to prophets but are less quick to apply our
same methods of discipline when things hit closer to home. However, as we
saw with Aaron, Moses’ brother, he actually did do the things that made
him guilty of being a false prophet and he wasn’t stoned according to the
law. We must be careful not to do the same to genuine prophets and
prophetic people today!
As we give and receive prophetic words, let’s stay mindful of the fact
that we are all human and, therefore, all prone to error. Not every word will
be delivered with 100 percent accuracy and clarity. On the other side of the
equation, not every word will be heard or understood in the way the Lord
intends it. We must remember it is not only the one who gives a word who
is responsible for it, but the hearer is also responsible to steward their own
discernment and understanding of what they’ve heard.
Remember, whether we are giving or receiving prophecy, we are safe
when we stay before the Lord and ask for wisdom and understanding from
the Holy Spirit. It is always important to be able to discern true from false
and to separate ourselves from that which is not pleasing to the Lord. He
has made it very clear that He will deal with those who speak deceitfully
and lead people away from Him. The key for us is, no matter what anyone
else is doing or saying, we must always remain humble and gentle in how
we act toward others, seeking to reflect the heart and nature of the One who
sits on the Throne.