Sharing part of an assignment I did for a class project toward
my 2nd doctorate at Liberty University. (27JUL23)
Prophecy and divination have been paramount throughout various religions and faith-based organizations over the centuries. Being able to distinguish between the two is even more important for believers in today’s times, especially when so many people desire to carry the title of prophet. One can call themself a prophet on any given day via social media, and thousands of people will follow in hopes of receiving a prophetic word concerning the outcomes of certain events. For example, when Donald Trump was running for re-election, many of these self-professed prophets stated that he would not only win but return to office.[1] They may have gotten the first part right, but they were wrong about him returning to office at that time. This is not to say that he could not possibly do so in this next election, but their prophecies were inaccurate. However, the question is whether these people are actual prophets or diviners. The Bible says: “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ 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” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Therefore, Hilber, in his chapter Prophecy, Divination, and Magic in the Ancient Near East, gives an excellent interpretation of prophecy versus divination.
True prophecy refers to a message received from the Lord given to His servant for His people and/or the nations.[2] For example, God told Noah that He was going to send a flood to destroy all of mankind because of their corruption (DNA was corrupted with fallen angels and human women procreating) and wickedness, so he was commissioned to build an ark (Genesis 6:11-22). Therefore, Noah was given this prophetic word as a word of knowledge for himself and as a prophecy to relay to his family. He obeyed the Lord by building the ark even though it had never rained, and he and his family were saved. The Bible says: “ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith” (Hebrews 11:7). However, divination works differently.
Divination invokes the gods (demonic forces) to communicate their will or plans for the future. It involves any process in gaining secret knowledge that can only be received from the spiritual realm.[3] For example, many adults and children watched the Simpsons animated sitcom during its thirty-four seasons – 1989 to 2023. However, some of its predictive programming have been unmusically precise in foretelling the destruction of the Twin Towers, faulty voter machines, Donald Trump as president, the Siegfried and Roy attack, and more.[4] Many people have wondered if the show's writers received direct communications from the underworld; thus, divination would explain their success of being the longest-running sitcom and predictive accuracies over the years.
Hilber draws attention to the description that prophecy can be viewed as a type of divination when God reveals His plans to and through His prophets for conveyance to a third party.[5] This would coincide with the word given through the prophet Amos. The Bible says: “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Prophecy entails a message being given and received by and through a person’s cognitive operations. Therefore, a message intended only for the recipient is revelation, but a message intended for a third party is prophecy.[6]
In Mesopotamia, the people thought they could receive messages from the gods through astrology for royalty, government, and upper-classmen, while sacrificed animals were used for commoners. The Babylonians and Assyrians believed the sky to be a tablet of the gods’ writings.[7] While this was the belief for the foretelling of things to come and omens through their gods, the Jewish nation knew that God would also speak through signs in the heavens. The Bible says: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25).
Mesopotamia’s use of sacrificed animals involved priests posing yes-no questions to receive an answer through certain parts of the animals’ anatomy. This reminds me of the breastplate that the high priests were to wear to receive answers from God. The Bible says: “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen” (Exodus 28:15). Prophecy as a form of divination was permitted by God, but was different from Near Eastern practices that required knowledge and skills in spells, omens, etc.[8]
[1] Micael Grenholm, "These 12 Church Leaders Prophesied That Trump Would Win the 2020 Election," PCPJ, last modified December 29, 2020, https://pcpj.org/2020/12/15/these-12-church-leaders-prophesied-that-trump-would-win-the-2020-election/.
[2] Jonathan S. Greer, John W. Hilber, and John H. Walton, Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Ada: Baker Academic, 2018), 368-374.
[3] John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 581-583.
[4] Megan McCluskey, "17 Times The Simpsons Accurately Predicted the Future," Time, last modified March 9, 2017, https://time.com/4667462/simpsons-predictions-donald-trump-lady-gaga/.
