You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”
//Here’s a practical concern. If someone claims to speak for God, how do we know whether or not to pay attention? Suppose a man of God tells you the world will end tomorrow? Do you put things in order, lock yourself in your closet and wait?
The answer given may be a little more practical than you wish. The verse continues:
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, so do not be alarmed.
So the answer is, you don’t know. You can’t know. The only way to know whether it’s God speaking is to wait and see whether it comes true.
If it comes true, God said it. If it doesn’t, the man of God spoke out of turn.
