"And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." vv.21-22
Read chapter 18
It is a good question to ask, "how should we know if someone is a true prophet or not." Here it says that if their prophesy comes true or not is a sign. Yet we have to remember that there are false prophets too that can make things come true, but at best their prophesies come to pass 75-80% of the time, whereas God's prophesies through His prophets come true 100% of the time. Every time anyone speaks the words of God it should always be tested with scripture. Then they didn't have the Bible to always refer to but Moses had given them the Ten Commandments and warnings of how to know of false prophets according to God's words in Deuteronomy 13:1-5. He also said in verse twenty of chapter eighteen that the prophet who speaks falsely in God's name shall die.
So how do we test today? Well first we must remember that prophesies have ceased today for a time, "But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). Also we must ask do they confess that Jesus Christ came as God in the flesh and died for our sins and rose again? For the true message will always exhort Jesus Christ. In this time of silence of God it can be confusing or hard not to hear His outloud spoken voice, but we have His word in our hands to hear Him now. How have "prophesies" today confused you?
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