What Distinguishes True Prophets from False Prophets?
During times of crisis and what seems to be the increase of darkness, one of the most important truths Believers need to understand is how to walk in the light of the council of the Lord. There are powerful parallels of revelation that are seen when comparing the language of the relationship of the Old Testament prophets and God with Jesus and His disciples. In the book of Jeremiah, God addresses the false prophets and makes a clear distinction between the true and the false:
"For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear His Word, or who has paid attention to His Word and listened?" (Jeremiah 23:18)
According to the Word of the Lord from Jeremiah, what distinguishes true prophets from false prophets is that true prophets stand in the council of the Lord. Those who speak for God have to meet Him and receive instructions and directives from His divine council. That word "council" is the Hebrew word, "sod."
The Key to Walking in God's "Sod"
According to Brown-Driver-Briggs, the Hebrew word "sod" means "council, secret counsel, divan or circle of familiar friends, of intimate friendship." It is also used in the book of Amos:
"For the Lord God does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
Amos declares that God does nothing until He reveals His "sod" or divine council to His servants the prophets. Council differs from counsel in that the word counsel is to give or receive wisdom and advice, whereas the word council means to be part of the judicial, governmental, and legislative company to institutes laws.
Notice that when we talk about the council of the Lord, by definition, we are also talking about intimacy. Amos 3:3 states, "Do two walk together, unless they have agreed?" This denotes two who are walking together and doing life together, as they are coming into a place of union that flows out of intimacy. It is agreement that flows out of doing life together. The first revelatory truth to grasp from walking in His council is that He reveals His secrets to those who are intimate with Him. Agreement that flows out of intimacy derives from a place of trust, because the two who walk together are doing life together.
The council of God is not a physical place, but it is where God's dwelling place is, which means His council is also His dwelling place. Biblical scholars have argued that the Garden of Eden, where God walked with man in the cool of the day, was terminology used to express that Eden was where God dwelled in visible form because "spirits do not walk." Therefore, God's dwelling place is the abode of His council. This is profound when we draw the relationship between walking with God and His divine council. (Photo via Pixabay)
If walking with God refers to someone who abides in His presence, then it gives greater significance to being the house or dwelling place of God. God's council is where His house is. Thus, if we are walking with God, He is also walking with us and among us, meaning that we ourselves are the place of His council.
The powerful truth and correlation between discipleship and walking with God is that walking denotes presence. Therefore, walking with God indicates continually abiding in His presence in order to learn.
Jesus - the Council of the Lord
As discussed previously, sod, or council, refers to where the secret and divine council of Yahweh takes place. Jesus, who is Yahweh in the flesh, taught His disciples differently than He taught the crowds, as we see in the narrative of the gospels:
"Then the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' And He answered them, 'To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.'" (Matthew 13:10-11)
Jesus taught the crowds in parables, which was a fulfillment of Psalms 78 as well. A parable is a story with a hidden meaning or moral within it which has the purpose of teaching and instructing. When Jesus taught the parable of the seed and sower, the disciples did not understand why He did this.
Then the disciples pulled Jesus aside and asked Him to explain the meaning of the parable to the people. His response was this: "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given." Let us first look at the essence of His statement, which once again indicates that intimacy is the key to understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.
All of the Synoptic Gospels record this dialogue with Jesus, which is evidence that it is important to understand the meaning of the parable. The parable itself was a seed that contained the seed of the truth that would produce a harvest in the life of the disciple who disciplined his life by it. The mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven was hidden or concealed in the narrative of the parable, and Jesus only revealed it to those yoked to Him in discipleship. (Photo via Pixabay)
The Greek word for mystery is a powerful word when understood within the context of revelation about the life and culture of the Kingdom of Heaven. Vine's Dictionary defines mystery as: "mysterion (G3466), primarily that which is known to the mustes, the initiated (from mueo, 'to initiate into the mysteries'; cp. Philippians 4:12, mueomai, 'I have learned the secret,' RV). In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit."
The mysteries of the Kingdom are spiritual truths that are revealed to the Believer who has been initiated through intimacy. We know that Enoch "walked with God," and the name Enoch also means "initiated," so we can conclude that disciples are initiated into spiritual truths, which bring transformation through walking with Jesus.
Thayer's defines mystery as "secret will of God and secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly." The Abbott-Smith Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament equates the word "mystery" or "musterion" with the Hebrew word for "secret council" or sod.
This is a profound truth if you have been following me up to this point. If Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh, then the disciples were walking in the very council (sod—secret council; mystery—musterion) of God!
In the midst of chaos and the increasing of darkness, God has called His children to become reacquainted with walking in the light of His council to become light in a time of darkness.
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Wayland Henderson
Greater Works Generation Ministries
Email:Â greaterworksgeneration@gmail.com
Website:Â www.greaterworksgeneration.com
Wayland and Jeanette Henderson are founders of The Gathering Kingdom Center, as well as Greater Works Generation Ministries International. Their heart and mandate is to equip and prepare an end-time Bride for reformation, advance Kingdom culture, and see the Ekklesia prepared for the second coming of Jesus. They have been operating in prophetic ministry, worship, healing, deliverance, and leadership development for almost twenty years. Wayland hosts a weekly podcast channel on Charisma Podcast Network called "Keys to Walking in Kingdom Culture." He is also the author of the book "Walking with God: Repairing the Breach & Restoring the Ancient Path of Discipleship." Wayland and Jeanette currently reside in Arlington, Texas with their three beautiful children Jaleesa, Michael and Moriyah.
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Wayland Henderson is someone I see as a son in the Gospel. In 2010, he and his wife came to the Dallas/Fort Worth area with a powerful word of revelation and awesome downloads concerning revival. He and Jeanette joined their hearts and minds with others in our surrounding area.
