Pastoral Guidance On Prophecies of the 2013 Calamitous Events in the Philippines, Part 1

Sadhu Sun­dar Sel­varaj


NOTE: This article and the subsequent ones are Facebook posts written by Rev. Dr. Doy Castillo, PhD for the members of his church. I am republishing them here for guidance of a wider readership. Used here with permission from Rev. Castillo.


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How should you, the members of this church, view the prophecies of Prophets Sadhu Sun­dar Sel­varaj and Vin­cent Selk­vaku­mar? Did they, in fact, prophesy accurately the calamitous events that have taken place in our country? Please Read, analyze and post your questions.
THE TESTS OF PROPHECY

THE FIRST TEST: THE ACCURACY OF THE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF THE PROPHET:

Deuteronomy 18:20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." 21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. NIV

The same principle is discussed in Jeremiah 28:9
But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true. NIV

The message is attractive ("Peace") but the measure of the prophet’s message is not in its power to attract but in its fulfillment. This is the test of accuracy.

THE WARNING TO THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE PROPHETS
The prophet who speaks in the name of the Lord and makes a proclamation when the Lord has not told him to do so, that prophet “must be put to death” (verse 20).
 The prophet who speaks in the name of other gods must also be put to death. (verse 20).
THE WISDOM FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HEARD A PROPHET

The test is in the prophet’s message. (verses 21-22)
If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message that the Lord has not spoken. It is considered presumptuous prophecy and the prophet proclaiming it is a presumptuous prophet.

THE SECOND TEST: IDENTITY OF THE DEITY THAT THE PROPHET REPRESENTS

Deuteronomy 13:1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. NIV
This is a specific type of a dreamer. He foretells (predicts) by dreams. If the prophet claims that his message is a direct revelation from God and not through a dream, he is not included in this category. There is, however, an instructive reminder in the passage about signs that a prophet is to be rejected: the prophet is representing a deity that is different from the God that that Bible tells us about.

The deity that the prophet represents can also be identified by the kind of teaching that the prophet espouses. remember that a prophet speaks only what God has told him to speak. If his teachings are clearly contrary to the teachings of the Bible, then the prophet has failed in the second test.

Conclusion

It is important not to be drawn into the debate as to whether a prophet is a genuine prophet or not. His true identity will be revealed at the proper time. What is important is the apply the test of Accuracy, the test the identity of the deity he represents and the conformity of his messages with the revealed Word of God the Bible.

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