My dear friends, many false prophets are in the world now. So don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.
We live in the era of high knowledge, and technology is excessive in daily life. Daniel 12:4 indicates that in the last days, knowledge shall increase; and indeed, this is the era of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI at our fingertips! Historically, computer networks were like a medieval castle with a strong perimeter, protecting everything within the castle’s high walls. Before entering the strong gate, you are validated to see if you belong to the community or family of the king. When you have entered the gate (access control), you are trusted to be among the community, and movement is free. Modern cybersecurity is much less trusting. Even if someone is within the walls of the castle, it must still double-check and do multi-factor authentication!
The “zero-trust” principle aligns with today’s verse. We live in a corrupt and fallen world, where trust should not be given without investigation. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, we read Paul’s warning: “But test everything. Keep what is good, and stay away from everything that is evil.” We must guard our theology just as tightly as we guard our bank details. Even friendly-looking teachers can be as dangerous as email scams.
The community of faith has become ignorant of testing the spirits. In our verse of the day, John is giving a warning to every child of God. He has a deep affection and pastoral love towards his audience, addressing them as “my dear friends.” He wants a circle of friends who are not naïve to every teaching and prophecy seen on YouTube and social media platforms. Accountability is upon us to relate well with the Holy Spirit, the source of truth when we feel confused. The Bible in 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “That does not surprise us, because even Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light.”
The gift of discernment is imperative in the days we live in. We are compelled to know God’s Word and use it to enlighten situations that are confusing in our lives (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word outshines the pretentious light of the devil. King Solomon, when there were no DNA tests to validate who the mother of the living child was, asked for a sword! Then the truth came out (1 Kings 3:16-28). The sword is a representation of God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17) for victory and discerning matters that are impossible to judge fairly without it.
The verse of the day tells us that there are many false prophets in the world; we must not believe every “prophet” that seems good. Our faith is to be used like the zero-trust principle. We are commanded to test. When you test, you use God’s Word, which cannot contradict itself! Rather, it will expose the heresy being told to you by the false prophet! Hold on to the truth of God’s promises always. Even when doubts want to creep into your heart. Make God’s Word your light, to outshine the enemy!
By Christopher Thetswe, Bible League International staff, South Africa
