43. Prophecies Always Come to Pass
Yesodei HaTorah 10:3
Since magicians and sorcerers also predict the future, how are they different from prophets? For starters, some prophecies made by sorcerers may come true but others do not. Isaiah 47:13 says, “Let the astrologers, the stargazers and the prognosticators arise and save you from what will come upon you” – the implication is from some of what will occur, rather than from all of it. Additionally, it is possible that a sorcerer will err completely and none of his predictions will come true, as per Isaiah 44:25, “(God) frustrates the signs of imposters and drives diviners mad.”
All the words of a prophet, on the other hand, necessarily come true. II Kings 10:10 says, “God's word will not fall to the ground," and Jeremiah 23:28 tells us that “The prophet who has a dream may tell his dream; one who receives My word will speak words of truth. What is chaff to grain?" This verse compares the words of sorcerers to chaff that has some grain mixed in with it. The word of God, however, is like grain without any chaff at all.
The Torah promises that a prophet will tell the truth about things about which sorcerers lie to the other nations. Therefore, the Jews have no need for sorcerers or diviners, as per Deuteronomy chapter 18 (verses 10, 14-15): “There shall not be found among you… one who uses divination, a soothsayer, an enchanter, or a sorcerer… the nations that you are to dispossess listen to soothsayers and diviners but Hashem your God does not permit you to do so. Hashem your God will raise a prophet unto you from among you, one of your brethren, like me (i.e., Moses); to him you shall listen.”
We see from this that a prophet will arise specifically to tell us about future events that will occur in the world, such as whether there will be abundant food or a famine, war or peace, etc. The prophet will even inform a particular person regarding his needs. Therefore, when Saul lost something, he went to a prophet to find out where it was. These are the kinds of things that a prophet will say. A prophet will not try to establish a new religion, or to add or detract a mitzvah.
Yesodei HaTorah 10:4
There is an exception: prophecies of punishment that a prophet may relate - such as that a certain person will die, or that famine or war is coming – may be averted. If such predictions do not come true, the validity of the prophecy is not affected, nor do we criticize the prophet saying that his words were not fulfilled. This is because God is slow to anger, full of kindness, and forgiving of evil. It is therefore possible that the subject of a prophecy will repent and be forgiven. This is what happened with the people of Nineveh. Punishment might also be held in abeyance, as was the case with King Chizkiyahu.
However, if a prophet foretold that something good would occur, if his words do not come to pass, he is definitely a false prophet. Any good that God decrees, even conditionally, will never be annulled. The only time we see God annul a positive prophecy was during the destruction of the first Temple. He promised the righteous that they would not die together with the wicked, but He annulled this prophecy, as is explained in Talmud Shabbos. (Editor's note: There is reason to believe that the preceding two sentences are not the Rambam speaking, but a later insertion that may be in error.)
A prophet should therefore be tested based on his positive prophecies. This was what Jeremiah meant when he told Chanania ben Azur that he was foretelling doom while Chanania was predicting good. Jeremiah 28:9 says, “Regarding the prophet who foretells peace, when the words of this prophet come to pass, it will be known that God has truly sent this prophet.” The implication is, “If my (negative) words are not fulfilled, this will not cause you to conclude that I am a false prophet. But if your (positive) words are not fulfilled, it will be proved that you are a false prophet.”