The further into the last days we go the more crucial it becomes that we know how to discern the true from the false, especially regarding spiritual authorities.

Who would have thought, for example, that in the fall of 2006, one of the leading evangelical authorities in the United States would be exposed as a drug addict with homosexual tendencies?! The correct answer is almost no one because this particular man seemed so “normal!!” If you want to know how to spot a real man of God, take a lesson from the lives of two of the Bible’s greatest prophets, Elijah and John the Baptist. What is interesting about these two men is that they had the same spirit, or anointing upon their lives and ministries.

John came to “prepare the way of the Lord,” as a type of Elijah, according to Jesus. In Matthew 17:9-13, Jesus also infers that there will be another such figure preparing things spiritually before He comes again (also see Malachi 4:5). Notice how both Elijah and John looked; hairy guys in leather, doing wild things! In other words, not normal everyday church folk! Be careful what you think Christianity should look like. What we tend to incline to will be exactly what real prophets are sent to straighten out!