Mat
24:3-5,10-11 (NIV) ..."Tell us," they
said, "when will this happen, and what will
be the sign of your coming and of the end of
the age?" Jesus answered, "Watch out
that no one deceives you, for many will come in my
name,.. At that time many will turn away from the
faith... and many false prophets will appear and
deceive many people." As spiritual
adultery increases in the church, false prophets
will flourish as highly sought after speakers,
and as Christians accept more of these false
teachings indiscriminately, many will fall away,
believing in a phony "faith". Since we
have been warned, it might be wise to seek insight
into how to
discern false prophecy--what are false prophets
likely to say? What are they like?
Signs And
Wonders
Deut. 18:20-22 (NIV) "A prophet who presumes
to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him
to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of
other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves,
'How can we know when a message has not been
spoken by the Lord?' If what a prophet proclaims
in the name of the Lord does not take place or
come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.
That prophet has spoken presumptuously..."
But what if it does come true? In
fact, aren't we specifically warned that near the
End of the Age many will show great sings and
wonders? What then? Are signs and wonders
"fruit"? Effective witchcraft is not
the "fruit" we are to look for (Gal
5:22-23). Signs and wonders are not to be sought
(Mat 16:4). Does the prophet call for
repentance, for holiness and loyalty to Christ? Or
is he providing an enticing strip-tease away
from God?
Deut 13:1-3 (NIV)
"If a prophet, or one who foretells by
dreams, appears among you and announces to
you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign
or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and
he says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you
have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you
must not listen to the words of that prophet
or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to
find out whether you love him with all your
heart and with all your soul."
The Enemy Is Among You...
Deut. 13:5 -8 (NIV) "That prophet or dreamer
must be put to death, because he preached
rebellion against the Lord your God... He has
tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God
commanded you to follow. You must purge the
evil from among you. If your very own brother, or
your son or daughter, or the wife you love,
or your closest friend secretly entices you,.. do
not yield to him or listen to him..."
False
Prophets, And Their Followers, Reject The Truth
Neh 9:26 (NIV) "But they were disobedient and
rebelled ...They killed your prophets, who had admonished
them in order to turn them back to you; they
committed awful blasphemies."
The Message
Of False Prophecy: "Peace,
Peace"--Without Repentance
Jer 23:21-22 (NIV) "I did not send
these prophets, yet they have run with their
message; I did not speak to them, yet they
have prophesied. But if they had
stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my
words to my people and would have turned them from
their evil ways and from their evil deeds."
Micah 2:11 (NIV)
"If a liar and deceiver comes and says, 'I
will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,'
he would be just the prophet for this
people!"
Prophets For Profit
Micah 3:5 (NIV) This is what the Lord says:
"As for the prophets who lead my people
astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim
'peace'; if he does not, they prepare to wage war
against him." Jer 8:10-12 (NIV) "From
the least to the greatest all are greedy for gain;
prophet and priest alike, all practice
deceit. They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,'
they Say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed
of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame
at all; they do not even know how to
blush."
Eze 13:1-16
(Read from the NIV about the big whitewash and the
storm approaching.)
Jer 23:30-32
(NIV) "Therefore," declares the Lord,
"I am against the prophets who steal from one another
words supposedly from me. Yes,.. I am against the
prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare,
'The Lord declares.' Indeed, I am against those
who prophesy false dreams,.. They tell them and
lead my people astray with their reckless lies,
yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit
these people in the least," declares the
Lord.
Going To The Dogs
Mat 7:15, 20-23 (NIV) "Watch out for false
prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves... Thus, by
their fruit you will recognize them... Many
will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did
we not prophecy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.
Away from me, you evil doers!'"
Evil
"Unleashed"
Jer 23:9-11 (NIV) "Concerning the prophets:..
'The land is full of adulterers;.. The prophets
follow an evil course and use their power
unjustly. Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,'
declares the Lord." 2 Cor 11:13-15 (Phi)
"God's messengers?" They are
counterfeits of the real thing, dishonest practitioners
masquerading as the messengers of Christ. Nor do
their tactics surprise me when I consider how
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It
is only to be expected that his agents shall have
the appearance of ministers of righteousness--but
they will get what they deserve in the end.
1 Tim 4:1-2
(Phi) God's spirit specificaly tells us that in
later days there will be men who abandon the true
faith and allow themselves to be spiritually
seduced by teachings of demons, teachings given by men
who are lying hypocrites, whose consciences are as
dead as seared flesh.
Discernment
Jer 23:25-27 (NIV) "I have heard what the
prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They
say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long
will this continue in the hearts of these lying
prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their
own minds?.. Let the prophet who has a dream tell
his dream, but let the one who has my word
speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with
grain?" declares the Lord. "Is not my word
like fire," declares the Lord, "and like
a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"
2 Pet 2:1
(NEB) But Israel had false prophets as well as
true; and you likewise will have false teachers among
you. They will import disastrous heresies,
disowning the Master who bought them, and bringing swift
disaster on their own heads. Col 2:18-19 (Jer) Do
not be taken in by people who like groveling to
angels, and worshipping them; people like
that are always going on about some vision they
have had, inflating themselves to a false importance
with their worldly outlook. A man of this sort is
not united to the head...Eph 4:14-15 (Jer) Then we
shall not be children any longer, or tossed one
way and another and carried along by every
wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks
men play and their cleverness in practicing
deceit. If we live by the truth and in
love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who
is the head. 1 Jn 2:20-26 (Phi) God
has given you all a certain amount of spiritual
insight, and indeed I have not written this
warning as if I were writing to men who don't know
what error is. I write because your eyes are
clear enough to discern a lie when you come across
it... For yourselves keep faithful to what you
heard at the beginning. I had to write to you
about these men who try to lead you astray.
Acts 20:
29-31 (Jer) "I know quite well that when I
have gone fierce wolves will invade you and have
no mercy on the flock. Even from your own
ranks their will be men coming forward with a
travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the
disciples to follow them. So be on your
guard..." Mat 10:16-17 (Phi)
"Here am I sending you out like sheep with
wolves all round you; so be as wise as serpents
and harmless as doves. But be on your guard
against men..." Luke 10:3 (NIV)
"Go! I am sending you out like lambs among
wolves."
Mat 24:25
(Phi) "False christs and false
prophets are going to appear and produce great
signs and wonders to mislead, if it were possible,
even God's own people. Listen, I am warning
you."
