Silencing the Prophets While Tolerating Balaam
“I have a few things against you… there are some who hold the teaching of Balaam …” – Revelation 2:14
Balaam was a man who had been gifted with the ability to prophecy by YHWH. He was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to come and curse the Israelites because they were intruding on his land. Balaam eventually agrees to go with the men Balak sent but YHWH would not allow him to curse His children, every time he spoke, he actually blessed them. This made Balak very angry and he finally told Balaam to go back home.
In Numbers 24 Balaam leaves and Numbers 25 starts with… Israel began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. The women invited them to sacrifice to their gods, and Israel followed suit. It says in verse 3, “Israel yoked themselves to Baal of Peor…” this was the deity worshiped by the Moab people. We will stop here in the story because it gets pretty rough for a while as God deals with His people.
Balaam. A man who was paid for divination. Numbers 22:7 tells us that the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left to find Balaam with ‘fees for divination’ in their hands. This tells me that Balaam was known for receiving payment for ‘divination’ or if they wanted to use a more holy term, ‘prophecy’.
Balaam. A man of anger. He had a donkey that he had ridden most of his adult life. The donkey sees an angel and refuses to move. The Word tells us, “Balaam’s anger was kindled”, and he began beating the donkey to the point that YHWH opens the donkey’s mouth and it speaks. Even in that moment, which would more than likely stop me in my tracks, Balaam told the donkey, “If I had a sword I would kill you”.
Balaam. A man obedient to speak what YHWH told him to speak, but deceptive enough to give to the one hiring him exactly what they are asking for without ‘cursing’ them. How do I know? Because the Word tells me.
In Moses’s last war, recorded in Numbers 31, YHWH sends Israel in to seek vengeance on Midian. They killed every male, including the kings of Midian. In verse 8 it says, “They also killed Balaam with the sword…” skipping down to verse 16, Moses is angry at the captains of the army because they spared all the women. He said, “On Balaam’s advice, his counsel, these women caused the sons of Israel to trespass against the Lord…”
So, after Balaam blessed Israel, since he couldn’t curse them, he found somewhere between that last moment before going home, and Israel yoking themselves to the unrighteous culture, to counsel Balak in how to weaken Israel.
“I have a few things against you… there are some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel…” – Revelation 2:14
“For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling blocks comes.” Luke 17:1
Balaam. A prophet, yet a deceptive stumbling block to YHWH’s children.
In 2 Peter 2, Peter talks to us about the dangers of false teachers and prophets aligned with false doctrine. This is a very heavy subject and not one I speak of often, but I am at a point that I am no longer going to be quiet. Why? Because I see a people, the Bride of Christ, being led astray. Many aren’t even being led astray by false prophets. They are being led astray by false doctrine created out of fear placed by radical false prophets and the desire for control.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, the ‘prophetic’ move began to sweep through the Church. It was during this time that Prophets got a bad rep and many denominations refused to accept them. I am not going to say they were all false prophets, because I do not believe that, but I will say, many were simply immature and without guidance. A Prophet usually is very black and white, so they must be taught how to allow Holy Spirit to do the convicting while they are speaking Truth with grace. Sugar coating, NO! But, being Christ like, bearing His fruit and not our own. That comes out in how we speak. Anyway, there were a lot of Prophets seeing the sin in people’s lives and publicly calling it out absolutely destroying people. Then of course, yes, there were many that wanted to be the “prophet” so they carried the title without the anointing and well, we all know that is a disaster waiting to happen. So, again, because of the history, fear entered the Body of Christ and many early prophets just did not have any structure or order and this brought about the need to control the service and not be so “radical”. We can’t tolerate Balaam, but we can’t silence the Prophets either. We must learn balance!
As a 5-fold Prophet, I see this fear, I sense the controlled atmospheres, and I get a lot of questions tied to, “Are prophets even biblical?” or “Prophets died with the apostles, right?” The claim I am personally sick of hearing is that a false prophet came into a gathering claiming to be a “prophet of the Lord” and wreaked havoc on the church body. I have experienced this! My family has experienced it. This has destroyed trust, acceptance, and the growth of YHWH’s voice in His body. Enough is enough.
Prophets are as much a part of the Body as a preacher is!
His Word is clear that He does NOTHING without first revealing His secrets to His Prophets. It doesn’t say without first speaking through a prophetic person. There is a MAJOR difference in one who carries the governmental office of a Prophet and someone who desires to “exhort” or “prophesy” as Paul tells us all to desire.
A Prophet calls people to true, life-transforming repentance; they carry an anointing for this!
A Prophet calls people to holiness.
A Prophet carries a weight that shifts atmospheres.
A Prophet is so linked to the Father’s heart that they live and breathe His every word.
A Prophet is judged by YHWH differently.
A Prophet carries a weight of intercession for the realm YHWH has called them to.
A Prophet cannot see in gray because they hate what YHWH hates and they love what YHWH loves.
A Prophet does not play with the Word of YHWH to manipulate the body to get what they want, and they for darn sure do not charge a fee for a prophecy… that is exactly what Balaam was known for. You see, he was considered a prophet until he was paid, then he was called a diviner. Think about that.
“YHWH’s Prophets are called to spheres of influence; they aren’t called to be your spirit guide.”
A Prophet understands the posture of surrender and a life lived in the Fear of the Lord.
A Prophet models this to the Body of Christ and even those who do not KNOW Him!
A Prophet is the most misunderstood, misused, and abused by the Body of Christ.
Why? There are many reasons. But I will lay a few out here:
Misunderstood because they do not think like anyone else on the ‘team’. They see, sense, feel, know, and hear differently. Many times, they are labeled “the unsteady one”. Especially immature Prophets who have yet to step into their office. They very seldom stick to one ‘job’, ‘duty’, or ‘area’ of calling like a pastor or teacher. They are builders and equippers similar to Apostles. They are always seeing ahead of the game and other giftings struggle with this.
Misused because the church has followed the false doctrine that Prophets are no longer a part of YHWH’s purpose in today’s church. Because of the lack of knowledge of the truth, the prophetic ministry is malnourished. The gift in them is silenced, and they are placed as teachers, pastors, prayer members, but they aren’t settled inside because YHWH has given them a voice to prophesy His heart to His people. And if a person is recognized as a Prophet, people categorize them and think they should all function the same and should be ready to give a word to them whenever they snap their fingers. YHWH’s Prophets are called to spheres of influence; they aren’t called to be your spirit guide.
Abused, that’s hard for many to accept. How are Prophets abused by the Body of Christ? It goes back to being misunderstood. People who do not understand them will spend more time belittling them than building them up. They will cap them off, they will call them names like dreamer, dramatic, loud, too much, excentric, etc. I’ve been told I take my walk with YHWH too serious, I’m too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. Prophets walk in the heavenlies with YHWH in order to be of earthly value to His kingdom. If a Prophet is not heavenly minded, they are no earthly good. It’s just what it is. It’s part of our spiritual DNA. Words and comments like these can destroy a young prophet and make them believe there is something greatly wrong with them, then they try to change to be like everyone else and that brings on a life of frustration. Another area that can lead to abuse is this, Prophets are anointed to see the sin, tolerance, and false within the Body. If they are mature, they will take it to the leaders, even if it is the leader. Many in church leadership do not like this because this means they have to change, so they will either push the Prophet out of their Body, or they will silence them with a spiritual muzzle/control. This is spiritual abuse.
We must learn how to recognize the Balaam’s and let the true Prophets out of the cage of control, Church!
I want to quickly lay out for you signs of a false prophet and false teachers as given in 2 Peter 2. Holy Spirit has been speaking with me about this since October of 2025.
They are like Balaam.
Secretly infiltrate division in the Body.
Some will even deny Jesus! The sad part is that most will not even recognize that they are denying Jesus because they do it so deceptively with a hint of a twist that those who do not KNOW YHWH for themselves will quickly fall into the deception.
Follow immoral lifestyles! When their lives do not line up with the morals and standards of the Word, their lifestyle is immoral!
Exploit others for their own gain.
Condemning, not convicting.
They despise realms of power and authority.
They can be caught slandering others in secret.
They are professional insulters who slander what they do not understand. These are those who love to create doctrine to remove the hard things… prophecy, tongues, Holy Spirit fire, etc.
They have no fear of the Lord found in them.
The Word says they have eyes full of adultery (lust of the flesh). They love to entice souls, are greedy and will forsake the right way for money.
2 Peter 2:15 in TPT says, “They have wondered off the main road and have gone astray, because they are prophets who love profits – the wages they earn by wrongdoing. They are following the ways of Balaam…”
They are dried up river beds, waterless clouds pushed by chaos – they produce zero fruit of the Spirit of God.
Arrogance and pride fill the atmosphere when they walk in, it doesn’t matter how ‘humble’ they pretend to be.
Balaam was unable to curse the Children of YHWH, but he was able to cause them to stumble through temptation and compromise.
This is what false teachers and prophets do, they are a stumbling block of temptation and compromise to the Body of Christ. The Church today is so full of compromise it’s sickening.
The Word of YHWH is clear that we are to have NO OTHER gods before YHWH, we are to love Him with all of our heart, our soul, or might, we are to live lives daily sacrificing the flesh, we are to be free from the lust of the flesh…
Adultery (physical and spiritual), Immorality – homosexuality, porn, etc., Sensuality, Idolatry, Witchcraft of any kind, hatred and hostility, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, self-promoting, division, any form of intoxication, carousing, reveling, rioting.
ANY teacher of the Word or Prophet claiming to be of YHWH that teaches any form of tolerance, division, etc. FALSE!
ANY teacher of the Word or Prophet claiming to be of YHWH that comes in with no authority in their lives. WALK AWAY! They may be spot on, but Peter was clear the false despise authority.
If a “Prophet” ever tells you to leave a spouse... FALSE!
If a “Prophet” ever tells you who you’re supposed to marry… FALSE!
If a “Prophet” ever tells you when you’re supposed to die… FALSE!
If a “Prophet” ever speaks something contrary to the Word of God… FALSE!!
ALWAYS take a word spoken over you to a trusted leader and to the Word for confirmation. Pray over it, test the spirit behind it. NEVER just jump!
I am a Prophet, I can tell you this! It’s all scriptural. When I speak, take it to the Word and test what I say! I am human, sometimes we can be off because of our human filter.
Church of the Living God, YHWH …
Not only must we stop allowing fear and the desire of control to keep the voice of YHWH silenced in His house, but we also must stop accepting instruction, direction, and words from every person who claims to be a Prophet! Stop allowing just every claimant to speak over YOUR Church Family! Leaders, it is your duty to protect those you oversee and in that, it is also your duty to allow the gifts of His Spirit flow as He wills! TEST the SPIRIT!!!
Talk to their overseers, look for the fruit in their lives, KNOW YHWH and those you allow to labor among you. This will put a stop to the fear of false prophets and the destruction they can bring! It’s that simple.
Prophets are a part of the governmental foundation of a Body and without them, it will be hard to move forward.
Prophets are still a part of His plan!
How do I know?
“And He gave some [as] apostles, and some [as] prophets, and some [as] evangelists, and some [as] pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” [Eph 4]
Have we attained the unity of faith, and the true knowing of the Son of God, to maturity equaling the stature of the fullness of Jesus? Good question, right?
How do we measure this?
1. We are no longer like children tossed all over the place by every wind of doctrine… Well, since there are thousands of denominations and weekly people are following every new wave of doctrine that comes out.
2. We will not be able to be tricked by men.
3. Unable to be deceived by crafty people.
4. Unity in the faith. Denominationalism/Divisionationalism as I call it, gives us a clear answer to this.
5. Are we speaking the truth in Love? There’s as much hate within the Body then in the world.
6. Is Christ our head? NOPE! He’s our date for the weekend. Our choices and lifestyles prove this.
This, my friend, is proof… APOSTLES, PROPHETS, TEACHERS, EVANGELISTS, AND PASTORS are still in His plan!
Prophets call out disorder, chaos, sin, and tolerance! They call for repentance and holiness.
If we are truly ready to see a unified Body with Christ as the head, speaking truth and love, locking arms as we are fitted together for HIS purpose on this earth, being the mature body of Christ… we must welcome the Apostles and Prophets back in!
Let the fear of man go and the fear of God lead!
Why are we so tolerant of Balaam, yet we silence the Prophets of YHWH?