Is God Providing New Revelation – Private Interpretations?

 I often wonder if God speaks to people audibly today. Many Christians’ replies are, “Yes! Of course He does!” Many evangelical leaders claim God is telling them specific details about someone’s life; like they are going to get a financial breakthrough in 10 days. Or their prodigal son and daughter will come home in the next 30 days. What happens when these predictions do not come to pass because most of them do not happen as the preacher “prophesied” they would? Some of them have and will blame the person they prophesied to that they lacked faith in the “word of the Lord” they heard so it neutralized the prophecy. No. What actually happened is the preacher either presumed they heard from God (some inner unction?) like several false teachers did when they claimed the Lord told them Donald Trump would be re-elected in 2020, or they willingly lied and put Jesus’ name on their false prophecy to give it “divine authority.”

It has and will be continually argued that modern day prophecies are not Biblical because the canon is closed. God has said all He needed to say to humanity in the pages of scripture. Any supposed new revelation means God is not finished speaking to us and the Bible is being added to. While many know they cannot add to holy writ, they are convinced God has spoken to them perhaps audibly, in a dream, a vision or an inner voice. They believe God is speaking to them just like He spoke to the prophets and apostles of old. Proverbs 30:6 says, “Add not to His word lest He reprove you and you be found a liar.” Deuteronomy 4:2 says, “Do not add to what I command you and not subtract from it but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

Revelation 22:18-19, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll; if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

If you are claiming to speak in the name of the Lord, make absolutely sure you heard from Him. Because if what you say does not come to pass, you are a false teacher. In the writer’s view, that person is disqualified from ministry until they repent, sit down, and receive counsel from holy men of God.

What about private interpretations?

We can define private interpretations as explanations of men. Sadly, many false teachers and prophets today claim to have a personal revelation from the Lord; and because they play fast and loose with the Biblical text, they eisegete scripture to their own destruction. The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:19-21 these words, “We also have a surer word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirt (emphasis added).  

The word interpretation is the Greek word epilusis. It literally means to loose, solve or explain. So, the Narcigete[1] who’s puffed up and anemic when handling Bible truth always sees themselves in the text of scripture and applies Bible passages that have nothing to do with them thus butchering the text. This results in them putting a private interpretation on God’s word rendering it of no effect. The fallout from this reckless handling of the word is catastrophic! How many people in congregations have been misled and destroyed emotionally by godless sermons? What is the net of result this? That person has delivered a demonic doctrine (1Tim 4:1). Many turn away from God and the truth. Their only experience with the Church was one of deception and hypocrisy. Any wonder why Paul commanded that we study to show ourselves approved unto God a worker who does not have to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)?

A loving warning to all: Be very discriminate who you listen to and articles you read – including this writer. Be like the Bereans who received the word with all readiness of mind and search the scriptures daily to determine what they were hearing was so (Acts 17:11). Test the spirits to see if they are of God. Why? Because many false prophets are in the world (1 John 4:1). That means we have to wait for it…..JUDGE their fruit (Matt 7:15-20)! Those that do not teach the truth we are to mark and avoid them (Rom 16:17). That is a command from the Lord.

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them – Ephesians 5:11.

---

[1] A Narcigete is a person who is selfish and eisegetes scripture. The word is a combination of Narcissism and Eisegesis. The word probably has not made its way into the dictionary yet.