This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, Angels of Light, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
The
following information is drawn from a document written around 1560 by Obe
Philips, a leader in the sixteenth century Anabaptist movement that sought the
restoration of New Testament Christianity. Philips was commissioned as an
“apostle” in this movement and he commissioned others to this “office.”
The
document, entitled “Confessions,” describes events in Europe in the 1530s. From
this document I have delineated 5 warning signs from their experience that can
help us avoid the tragic mistakes that produced such great suffering and
distress for them.
Warning Sign #1
When Prophecy is
Used for Self-Promotion
1517-1537 was a very exciting time for many Christians in
Europe. A great spiritual reformation was under way and many believed that God
was restoring the church to its original purity and power. Many believed that
out of this restoration would come a great revival and harvest that would usher
in the coming of the Lord and the end of the age.
In the midst of this end-time, revival atmosphere,
individuals began to arise proclaiming themselves to be special end-time
apostles and prophets, endowed by God with miraculous power to usher in His
kingdom upon the earth.
One of the most prominent of these “apostles” was Melchoir
Hoffman, a powerful preacher and teacher who gained a large following. His
status was further enhanced when a prophetess saw in a vision a large white
swan, larger and more beautiful than all the others, swimming in a beautiful
river. She claimed it was revealed to her that the swan was Hoffman and that he
represented the fulfillment of God’s promise in Malachi 4:5 to send Elijah
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Hyatt, Angels of Light, 24).
Biblical Insight: Satan
plays on human ego and pride. God calls us to humble ourselves before Him and
promises that He will then raise us up. Demons, on the other hand, tell us how
great, wonderful, and significant we are in ourselves. The “Elijah” prophecy
given to Hoffman is one that Satan has used again and again to bring good men
down because of pride.
The ultimate goal of prophecy is to point people to Jesus.
This was confirmed by the heavenly being who was at John’s side as they
observed the vast heavenly host worshipping and praising God. Overwhelmed at
the sight, John fell at the feet of his heavenly escort to worship him, who
stopped him and said,
See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of
your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).
In John 16:13 Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit would
come, He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to
you. The Holy Spirit is not here to promote a prophet, teacher, angel or
any other creature. Jesus is the only Savior, Healer and Lord, and the Holy
Spirit is here to point people to Him. When people use prophecy to put
themselves and their own movement in the limelight, it is a warning sign they
have strayed from the Biblical pattern.
Warning Sign #2
When Prophecy
Becomes the Primary Means for Determining the Will of God
Another individual prophesied that Hoffman would be
imprisoned for six months in the city of Strasbourg, and after that, his
ministry would spread over the whole world. Based on the prophecy, Hoffman
moved to Strasbourg where he began to preach and teach throughout that city.
The first part of the prophecy was fulfilled when the
Strasbourg authorities arrested Hoffman and had him imprisoned. Philips says
that he entered the prison “willingly, cheerfully, and well comforted,”
convinced that the latter part of the prophecy would now soon come to pass.
While in prison, Hoffman wrote many letters which Philips
says came every day describing “how his actions, his visions and revelations
affected him.” One individual prophesied that at the end of his six-month
imprisonment, Hoffman would depart Strasbourg with 144,000 true apostles
endowed with such miraculous power that no one would be able to resist them.
Elated with such prophetic predictions, Hoffman vowed that he would take no
food other than bread and water until the time of his deliverance.
Six months passed, however, and he was not released. More
time elapsed and he found it necessary to break his fast. Hoffman eventually
died in prison, a very disillusioned man. Philips says;
Everything that he so boldly professed from the prophets and
prophetesses, he, in the end, found it all falsehood and deception, in fact and
in truth; and he was so deceived with all their visions, prophecies,
commission, dreams, and Elijah role that my heart today feels pity for him on
account of this distress of his soul
Biblical Insight: It is
clear from Scripture that personal prophecy is not for giving direction in
life. There is not a single positive example of such in the New Testament. Neither
Jesus or Paul ever encouraged anyone to seek direction from a “prophet.” In
this New Covenant, all are given the Holy Spirit, and all are to be led by the
Spirit (Romans 8:14) A prophecy may confirm, but never direct.
I know the value of prophecy as confirmation for a woman
minister prophesied to me, when I could not even give a testimony, concerning
the call of God on my life. Her word gave me the courage to step out of my
comfort zone and begin to be obedient to the heavenly call. I did not learn
anything new from the prophecy; it confirmed what was already in my heart.
The only New Testament example of a personal prophecy giving
direction is in Acts 21:4 where certain disciples, by the Spirit, told
Paul, who was on his way to Jerusalem, not to go up to Jerusalem. What
did Paul do? He ignored what they said and continued on to Jerusalem. Prophecy
must confirm what we already know in our heart and Paul had already purposed
in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21).
When prophecy is sought out as the primary means for
determining the will of God, it has departed from the Biblical pattern and fallen
into cultic divining and even witchcraft.
Warning Sign #3
When Prophecy is
Preoccupied with Images, Numbers, and Symbols
Prophetic dreams and visions flourished in this movement.
These dreams and visions predicted many remarkable things related to the
establishing of God’s kingdom and the destruction of the wicked. Much of this
information was given in symbolic form which had to be interpreted by those who
were “spiritual.” Philips says,
One came dragging a wagon without wheels, another wagon had
three wheels, one wagon had no shaft, some no horses, some no recognizable
driver, some had but one leg, some were lepers and beggars, some wore a tunic
or a cloak with a lappet of fur. All this they could interpret for the brethren
in a spiritual sense (Hyatt, Angels of Light, 27).
These prophecies, dreams and visions predicted remarkable
successes for the people of God, including a super-empowerment of the Spirit by
which they would be enabled to overcome the wicked and establish the kingdom of
God in the earth. In his very moving account of these matters, Philips says,
Now when these teachings and consolation with all the
fantasies, dreams, revelations and visions daily occurred among the brethren,
there was no little joy and expectation among us, hoping all would be true and
fulfilled, for we were all unsuspecting, innocent, simple, without guile or
cunning, and were not aware of any false visions, prophets, and revelations
Biblical Insight: In the
New Testament God communicates very clearly and precisely to His people. When
He spoke to Ananias in a vision about going and praying for Paul, God gave
precise instructions (Acts 9:10-12). He told Ananias the name of the man he was
to pray for, the name of the man in whose house Paul was staying and the
precise street address. When God does speak in a symbol or image, it is for the
purpose of communicating a more clear and vivid message. It is never done as a
riddle that must be searched out and solved, or interpreted, by some spiritual
elite. God wants to communicate clearly with His children.
Warning Sign #4
When Those
Prophesying are not Open to Testing and/or Correction
During this time, two new apostles arrived in Philips’ home
town of Leeuwarden. They declared that they had been commissioned to the
apostolic office with such signs, miracles and workings of the Spirit that
words failed them to describe it. They also declared that, “In a short time God
would rid the earth of all shedders of blood and all tyrants and the godless.”
Philips says that they frightened the people so that no one dared speak against
them for fear they would be speaking against the commission and ordination of
God. He says, “For we were all guileless children and had no idea that our own
brethren would betray us.”
Biblical Insight: False
prophets are unteachable and unwilling for their prophecies to be evaluated and
tested, as Scripture commands. Virtually every time New Testament Scriptures
speak of prophecy, they also speak of evaluating and testing the prophecy,
which is the responsibility of every believer. I Thessalonians 5:19-21, for
example, says, Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all
things; hold fast what is God. I Corinthians 14:29 says, Let two or
three prophets speak and let the others judge. And in this same vein of
thought, I John 4:1 says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out
into the world.
Sign #5
When Prophecy
Becomes a Replacement for the Scriptures and Common Sense
The tragic end of this prophetic movement came, when based on
dreams, visions, prophecies, and supposed angelic visitations, a number of
these visionaries claimed that God had designated the city of Munster as the New
Jerusalem and from there the kingdom of God would spread through all the
earth. Philips says, “Some had spoken with God, others with angels—until they
got a new trek under way to Munster.” Based on the prophecies and supposed
visions, they went to Munster and took the city by force from the Catholics who
controlled it and renamed it New Jerusalem.
The Catholics, however, quickly regrouped and regained
control of the city. They wasted no time in inflicting a terrible slaughter on
those apostles, prophets and their followers who believed they were setting up
the kingdom of God on the earth.
Philips tells about going to Munster and walking among the
bodies, many of them beheaded, of these individuals who had been his friends
and acquaintances. It was a very somber time and a wake-up call for him as he
observed the sad end of these apostles and prophets who had relied without
question on their dreams, visions and prophecies.
This whole fiasco resulted in widespread persecution of all
Anabaptists who were hunted down, imprisoned, hanged, burned, and drowned.
Philips later lamented his role in the extremes of this movement. He wrote,
It is this which is utter grief to my heart and which I will
lament before my God as long as I live, before all my companions, as often as I
think of them. At the time that I took leave of those brethren, I had warned
Menno and Dietrich and declared my [apostolic] commission unlawful and that I
was therein deceived. I thank the gracious and merciful God who opened my eyes,
humbled my soul, transformed my heart, captured my spirit, and who gave me to
know my sins. And when I still think of the resigned suffering which occurred
among the brethren, my soul is troubled and terrified before it
Biblical Insight: In Psalm
119:105 David said, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness to doubt His identity, He
responded to each temptation with, It is written, and then quoted the
appropriate passage of Scripture. John Wesley, who saw many unusual spiritual
manifestations as the leader of the eighteenth-century Methodist revival, said,
“Try all things by the written word, and let all bow down before it.” When
Scripture and common sense are neglected for dreams, visions and personal
prophecies, it is a warning sign that the movement has gone astray.
Conclusion
This sixteenth
century prophetic movement highlights the need to “test the spirits” and to
“judge” prophetic utterances according to the Scriptures. For the most part,
these were sincere, seeking people who suffered much pain, grief and even death
because they neglected this Biblical admonition. May we learn from their
example and not repeat their mistakes.
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, Angels of Light, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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