THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The Word of God does not condemn those who are truly His, those who embrace the gift of prophecy; may it never be so! Instead, it rebukes those who feign divine inspiration, as their prophecies are tainted by falsehood. Such individuals, lacking the foundation of truth, utter whatever they wish, leading to their own misguidance. It is through this discernment we can determine whether God is authenticating a message or if it originates merely from human thought. Indeed, the Divine law will provide clear evidence in this regard.
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As stated in Deuteronomy, if someone wonders internally, “How can we know that the Lord has not spoken?” and a prophet declares a word in the Lord’s name that remains unfulfilled, it is clear that the Lord did not utter that word; rather, it was the prophet who spoke from their own presumption – “do not fear him” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). This illustrates that the failure of a prophecy to come to pass is a definitive sign that it did not originate from God; for truth is always aligned with truth. Similarly, through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord proclaims, “Am I God only at hand, says the Lord, and not God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? I have heard what the prophets say, who prophesy lies in My name” (Jeremiah 23:23-25). After firmly addressing those who disregard Divine law, He presents the truth as a distinct measure of what is divinely inspired and what is not. He continues, “The prophet who has had a dream, let him recount it as a dream; but he who has My word, let him declare My word faithfully” (Jeremiah 23:28). Therefore, if any teaching contradicts the truth, it will be evident that the prophet is a falsehood, speaking "from his own heart and not from the mouth of the Lord," as recorded (Jeremiah 23:16).