Day 216: What if a dream comes true? - Deuteronomy 13 vs 1 – 5
1-2 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass - and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods’, which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them’, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. 3 For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4-5 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 English Standard Version
Did Nostradamus predict the future and should we pay attention to him? Are fortune tellers ever right and should we look for advice from them? The important instructions Moses gave to Israel about prophets and dreamers of dreams gives the answer to such questions. He said there will be times when what someone predicts will happen - actually takes place! Obviously that would impress people and make them want to hear more from the person whose dream or prediction came true. But what did Moses say was even more important than the prediction which was fulfilled (vs 1-2) and what does vs 3 imply as to how the person was able to get it right in the first place?
I'd say vs 3 implies that God sometimes grants people who are not his true followers to say things that do come to pass. When Moses did certain miracles to show Pharaoh that God had sent him, we’re told that the Egyptian magicians were able to duplicate a few of those miracles. We must never underestimate the power of Satan. That's why predictions and dreams of people (even of professing Christians) must always be looked at in the light of their overall message! We must measure what they say by God's word in the Bible. Does the prophet or dreamer point to salvation from sin by faith in Jesus Christ? Do they teach a longing for the Kingdom of God - or a love for the things of this world?
In Leviticus 2:6-8 God warned Israel about getting involved in the occult. He says: “I will turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 20:6-8) And God sometimes allows events to happen that will test our faithfulness. How seriously was Israel meant to take what Moses said about this matter? (vs 4-5)
It wasn't something to treat lightly. People's souls were at risk. The same is true with the message of Jesus Christ. The eternal state of souls are at risk. That's why Paul was so strong when he wrote to some Christians and said: “I'm shocked that you are turning away so soon from God who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News - but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ! Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.” Galatians 1:6-8
We live in days when many professing Christians claim to be prophets or have dreams. Some of them have large followings and hold meetings where all kinds of ‘supernatural’ things occur. We need to very careful because the Bible teaches we mustn't simply believe those who claim to have had a spiritual vision or revelation. It teaches that Satan can introduce counterfeit signs and all kinds of deception to fool those who refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God causes them to be greatly deceived, and they believe the lies. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11) We must have nothing to do with evil – which includes the occult – but must love God wholly and follow his word faithfully.