CULTURE
PROPHETS - REVISITED
How Do I Recognize and Die to
Culture Prophecy?
The obvious question arises: Can't we prove or disprove cultural prophecy by the factual accuracy of its revelation?
The answer is NO. Because of the anointing, a culture prophecy can still prove out factually true, accurately predicting or revealing things knowable only through God's Spirit. But because of its context and effect through soul-life intermingling, it is still a culture prophecy and work of iniquity. If there is doubt about this, one need only study the living context of Balaam's accurate prediction of the Messiah to understand that this is possible. He was the most accurate man alive (and prided himself on so being)—yet doomed to destruction.
Because factual accuracy is the only basis on which we have been taught to test prophecy, most prophecy receives no testing because it is so non-specific and open to many interpretations of its fulfillment. Culture prophecy easily escapes detection in this environment. To test for culture prophecy, we must go beyond this by discerning "between the prophetic lines" to perceive its real spirit: "Does the prophecy's effect reaffirm my goal toward eternal destiny and purified identity in Christ, or does it retrench my mortal and religious soul ties and identity in the here and now?"
Failure to discern beneath the issue of factual accuracy has left most earnest saints befuddled in their attempts to effectively spot and challenge culture prophecy for what it is. They feel resigned to having to accept culture prophecy as "from God" because the anointing seems real, and especially if the prediction came true—even though deep inside they sense something about it is contrary to the Lord's deepest pull on their inner being.