But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

In John chapters 14-17, at the last supper, just before Jesus’ arrest, He speaks to us clearly of the work of the Holy Ghost, who would be poured out after He ascended to heaven. An essential role of the Spirit of God is to teach us. The word ‘revelation’ (as I will be using it) means rather like it sounds ‘revelation: reveal’ to have something unvealed or revealed. The book of Revelation, for example is titled for the first verse of the book:

THE Revelation of Jesus Christ… (Rev. 1:1a) The unveiling, or ‘revealing’ of Jesus. (In fact, understanding that helps to unlock some of the mystery of that book.) I explain this vocabulary because some like to use terms that are ambiguous, and leave one with a sense of spiritual mystery, as though their hyperspiritual terminology maakes them deep and profound without explainiing their meaning.

Christ wants us to have understanding, not to be perpetually stupified with an ambiguous sense of spirituality.

Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understsanding.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; wherefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Having revelation from the Spirit of God is supernatural, but its intention is not to spiritual mystery and ambiguity, but to understanding. Jesus said that the Holy Ghost will TEACH us all things. If you are receiving what you think is ‘revelation’ but it seems to put you off of understanding into a position of mystery rather than inform you, then it is likely not true revelation from the Spirit of God. That’s not to say that you will understand everything the Lord begins to reveal immediately, but true revelation is the Spirit of God TEACHCING you, like Jesus said He would.

We’ll get some further understandning from Christ’s teaching as we continue, but why am I posting about this to begin with?

We have in our day myriad false revelations, false prophecies, and wrong understandings of God’s Word. These things will increase as the final day approaches, but those who hold fast to the truth will be saved. Yet as we are innundated with mis-information, dis-information, false prophecy wrong teaching, people claiming to have revelation, etc. this contributes to the disillusionment, deconstruction, and falling away of many in the church.

One of the great world-widee phenomena going on right now – for example – is the ‘Passion Translation’ which is one man’s re-interpretation of scripture on the basis of his own ‘revelation’ rather than on the basis of what the text of scripture actually says. (This TPT is broadly accepted and preached from among neo-Pentecostals, and general evangelicals as well.) Likewise, we’ve had the sweeping false political prophecies regarding the re-election of Trump (and other things); we also have progressive Christianity re-interpretting scripture from often outright Satanic perspectives, as well as any number of cults.

The love of many grows cold because iniquity abounds. How do we discern true and false revelation in the contemporary buffet of spiritual misdirection? Some in their dissillusionment have simply rejected the notion of Holy Ghost revelation and bent toward cessationism; some (more tragically) have abandoned the faith altogether because of false prophets and corrupt teacchers. And many who have had false revelation have further entrenched themselves in their error, consoling themselves with the notion that revelation and prophecy are biblical, and that they are fundamentally correct although they ‘may have missed it’ sometimes. To theese lattter, I would say, if we are missing it at all, it is our due diligence to fully repent, and correct our error – and that goes back to our fundamental perceptions of scripture. If we are ‘miissing it,’ we cannot assume we are fundamentally correct.

How do we assess true and false revelation of the Spirit? Now first let’s consider this in the light of our own vessel, not of asessing others. If we cannot discern the voice of the Spirit of God to us, we will certainly fall prey to deception of others. Anyone can stand up and confidently affirm God revealed something to them and rattle off a few bible verses, but not everyone is trustworthy. Are you a Christian? Have you received the Holy Ghost? If you have, and Christ’s words are true, then He SHALL teach you all things (John 14:26).

Now, you’ll also notice that not everything I say is dripping with positivity. Why do I need to address contemporary misconceptions about revelation? Because God told Jeremiah to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy and to throw down before he told him to build and to plant (Jer 1:10)

In fact, that is a great starting point, even as we continue to look at the words of Christ about Holy Ghost revelation.

John 16:7-11
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Of sin beccause they believe not on me;

Of righteousness beecause I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.

Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged.

The Holy Ghost will teach us; He will also reprove us.

One of the greatest deceptions of the modern prophetic movement is this teaching that all prophecy must be positive. They use one text: 1 Corinthians 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. and they apply this text as a law. Then they literally teach people to ‘prophesy the opposite’ if they percieve something which seems to be negative. The other day I made a post about Satan’s deception of all mankind. What did Satan say? ‘Ye shall not surely die!’ (Gen 3:4) Well, that is certainly more positiive than what God had said, isn’t it? That in the day we partook of sin we SHALL surely die (Gen 2:17) – I guess Satan was ‘prophesying the opposite.’

True revelation of the Spirit, and True prophecy is not flattery. 1 Cor. 14:3 is not a law, it is a statement of fact. All prophecy will encourage strengthen and comfort – even if it is a warning, even if it is a correction, even if it is a rebuke.

Here is a similar verse:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for instruction in righeousness. (2 Tim. 3:16)

Recall what we started with? The Holy Spirit will TEACH you all things: God’s word is for doctrine (that means ‘teaching’), and for instruction… but also for reproof and correction.

Taking positivity as a law destroys our ability to present the Gospel to people. How do I present one with the truth of the danger of hell if I only speak encouragement? If I affirm to the sinner only that God loves them (because it’s positive) they have no understanding that they are going to hell unless they enter covenant with Him through Jesus Christ. I could encourage and affirm them right into hell. If the Gospel cannot be preached using only positivity, then neither is prophecy of this sort valid.

Now I don’t want to get too hung up on this; I am addressing it beause of false revelation, and false teaching. The Holy Ghost is not all reprrof and judgment; He is our Comforter, Teacher and Friend. He encourages, uplifts, heals, restores, rebukes, reproves, corrects. Is the Holy Ghost primarily encouragement, or primarily correction? He is the exact perfect balance in order to be our Teacher.

Now to be a little more specific, what exactly is the Holy Ghost intending to teach us?

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26)

The Holy Ghost’s primary teaching focus is Jesus. His primary teaching method is God’s Word. He will bring all things to remembrance whatsoever the Lord has said (God’s Word); He testifies of Christ.

Now we know that nothing can be added to, or taken away from scripture (again, I warn you not to give any place to Brian Simmonns’ ‘Passion Translation’ (Eph. 5:11) the more he ADDS his interpretation and ‘revelation’ into the text, the more it subtracts from your ability to glean Truths from God by the revelation of the Holy Ghost; what you need is God’s undefiled word, not some man’s ‘revelation’ read into it.), and frankly, there is no need to (add to, or take from scripture, that is). The depths of the wisdom of scripture – a book written by the Holy Ghost, Himself, is limitless. The Holy Ghost has so much to teaach you from scripture that you will never exhaust it if you live a million years and get new revelation every three minutes.

In scripture God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness. What need have we then, of revelation?

Revelation is the Holy Ghost teaching YOU the Truths of God’s word. In order to be saved you had to have a revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelation, or contemporary prophecy do not add to scripture; rather it is a quickening of the Truth of scripture in your spirit – just like salvation.

In the famous passage where Peter affirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Liviving God (Matt 16:15-20) – and Jesus tells him that flesh and blood had not revealed it, but the Father – we often mistakenly assume that Peter was the first to have this revelation of Jesus. In fact, John the Baptist had allready been teaching that Jesus was both Christ, and the Son of God (John 1:32-34). In fact, Peter’s brother Andrew had been a disciple of John the baptist, and HAD told Peter that Jesus was the Christ (John 1:40-42). So how could Jesus say that it was not flesh and blood who revealed this Truth to Peter? The Truth was there all along, but Peter had received the revelation of it from God.

So it is with contemporary revelation and prophecy: it is the work of the Holy Ghost teaching the Truth of scripture to YOU; bringing God’s Word, and the Truth of Christ to life in you.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when the, the Spirit of truth, is come he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16:12-14)

The Holy Ghost’s primary focus is teaching you Jesus Christ. The importance of this for us today should be readily evident. The utility of it is both necessary for our salvation, and immensely helpful in our daily lives. The Lord has revealed all things we need in His word, even up to the events of the last days. Recieving revelation on all of God’s word, we will know – as Jesus said ‘things to come.’ ‘Revelation’ which obscures God’s word, or which enlightens you to something not of Christ is false revelation.

If you receive a revelation from God, it will be verifiable from the scriptures.

Notice in the passage above, Jesus says: ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.’ Is this an open door for contemporary revelation to over-ride scripture? Or for new scripture to be written by men today? (As some ‘progressive Christians’ use this passage to imply.)

No; God’s word is complete, and we must not add to or remove from it (Rev. 22:18). Keep in mind that in the context, He is speaking about the coming of the Holy Ghost, whom He has already said will teach us all things. He now also declares that He will shew us things to come because He will take of what is Christ’s, and show it unto us.

The first and foremost applicable content is God’s Word. Here’s an example from scripture: Jesus would teach the Apostles that the Gentiles were included in the plan of salvation in these days. This was such an immense revelation – such a shock to them – that they would not be able to bear it had Jesus revealed it while He was with them. But He began to reveal it to Peter by revelation; first in a vision, then by experience as he preached in Cornelious’ household, and saw the gentiles not only trust in Christ but also receive the Holy Ghost (see Acts 10). Now, as James would later point out, this was foretold in scripture all along (see Acts 15:13-18), but they had been unable to perceive it because the Holy Ghost had not revealed the understanding to them.

Personal testimony for applicability:

I have had experiences in which I have needed to know what to do in certain situations, and prayed about it. Like this situation with Peter, the Lord began giving an answer – clear guidance for the situation. Yet, in one particular instance, I did not have the theological equilibrium for what I sensed He was saying, and determined I would not act until the Lord revealed it in His word. He did precisely that, walking me through scriptures to fill in me the understanding of what I sensed He had directed, much he same as this account in Acts 10 & 15. (Actually, that was the begining of the revelation which eventually became the second book I wrote (linked below).)

We can’t assume that I am correctly discerning the voice of God, we must expect that if we are receiving True revelation of the Spirit that He will actually teach it to us through God’s word. Surely He delights to do this, it is the job Christ sent Him for. It is also essential for us because I have flesh: emotions, opinions, and a certain theological perspectives.

I am regularly astounded at how prophetic God’s word is, and astounded at how little the church by-and-large seems to perceive it. So many false revelations come from people trying to work up so ething new an innovative, something intellectually stimulating. There’s great danger in that that we leave off the simplicity of the Gospel. (2 Cor. 11:3)