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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 34, The Ball is Now in Our Courts  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
In the story of the Judean prophet, a lying prophet appeals to spiritual authority (“I too am a prophet”) and even claims an angelic message; what does this story teach about discernment when someone claims God has “updated” or “reframed” a command, and what would obedience have looked like for the Judean prophet?
Another way to ask: In the story, a lying prophet claims spiritual authority and even says an angel told him something new. What does this teach about being careful when someone says God has “updated” a command, and what would simple obedience have looked like for the Judean prophet?

Direct Answer The story teaches that discernment means refusing any later “update”—even from someone claiming prophetic or angelic authority—when it contradicts God’s clear command; obedience for the Judean prophet would have been to keep traveling home without eating or drinking there, exactly as God originally told him.

Support from Transcript:

  • God’s command to the Judean prophet was specific: “You shall not eat bread, nor drink water…nor return by the same way you came.”
  • The prophet initially obeyed, even refusing Jeroboam’s invitation: “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you.”
  • Another prophet pursued him and claimed authority: “I too am a prophet as you are,” plus “an angel spoke to me…Bring him back.”
  • Bercot states plainly: “He was lying,” showing spiritual language can mask deception.
  • The Judean prophet believed the contradiction, stayed and ate, and later “a lion attacked and killed the prophet.”
  • Bercot’s conclusion: “If God gives us a clear command, he isn’t going to later contradict it.”
Discussion Follow-ups What kinds of “angelic” or “God told me” claims show up in modern Christianity? How can a Christian hold firmly to Scripture without becoming cynical or dismissive of all guidance?

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