Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
This passage of scripture warns us against those prophets who produce signs and wonders, in order to try to validate their prophetic calling. Whenever a true prophet is called to the prophetic office by God, that person does not have to make any personal efforts to try and convince anyone of their calling. That is something which is left to God and God alone. When the above passage says they give a "sign or wonder", that refers to their own personal efforts to appeal for recognition, with the sole intent of leading their subscribers into false paths. This is exactly what Simon Magus succeeded in doing in Samaria, where he bewitched the entire populace through signs and wonders, and then embarked on a platform of self promotion, a sure sign that his work did not bear the credentials of heaven, for a true prophet always seeks to magnify God alone, and not themselves. Let's read:
Acts 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
The tendency to believe a prophet or anyone for that matter, solely because of miracles they are able to perform, makes a person very vulnerable to the deceptive arts of satan, who according to the Bible, is well capable of producing supernatural phenomena, which appeal to our senses. This is what he has done several times as recorded in the scriptures, and therefore we are to be sober and alert, lest we get carried away with spiritual manifestations that imperceptibly lead into gross errors. Just because a phenomena is supernatural does not mean that it originated with God. Let's read:
Exodus 7:10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
In our day there are vast multitudes of prophets and prophetesses, all claiming the divine credentials, and purporting that their visions, dreams, teachings, and predictions are sent from God. It was one such "prophet" who succeeded in getting many Americans all riled up and agitated about the year 2013, and consequently triggered an unprecedented spike in the sale of dooms-day bunkers, but 2013 ended uneventfully, and life goes on in its unvarying round. Now it is true that the world as we know it will one day come to an end, for the scriptures clearly point to a cataclysmic confrontation between the forces of good and evil, but Jesus has warned us specifically of the appearance of a plethora of false Christs and false prophets at just such a time, hence the reason why it is more important than ever for us to be fortified by the word of God and to be kept by the power of The Holy Spirit.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us that one of the most prominent hallmarks of a true prophet, is the promulgation and practice of the truth, as it is written in God's word. Let's read:
Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
May the grace of God enable us all to live by His every word. "Good night" and God bless!