|
BEWARE OF FALSE
PROPHETS
based on a study from the Holmann Bible
Dictionary
A false prophet is person who spreads false messages and teachings,
while claiming to speak God's words.
Old Testament
While the term "false prophet" does not occur in the Old Testament,
references to false prophets are clear. The pages of the Old Testament are
filled with men and women who fit the description of a false prophet given in
Jer. 14:14 :
Jer 14:14 (KJV)
Then the LORD said unto me,
The prophets prophesy lies in my name:
I sent them not, neither have I commanded
them,
neither spake unto them:
they prophesy unto you a false vision and
divination,
and a thing of nought{H=no value,
nothing},
and the deceit of their
heart.
Another examples is in Jeremiah 23:21-33.
Jer
23:21-28(KJV)
I have not sent these prophets,
yet they ran{ie.went forth on their own
with their own message}:
I have not spoken to them, yet they
prophesied.
{22} But if they had stood in my
counsel,
and had caused my people to hear my
words,
then they should have turned them
from their evil way,
and from the evil of their doings.
{23} Am I a God at hand{a local
idol}, saith the LORD,
and not a God afar off{inhabiting
eternity}?
{24} Can any hide himself in secret
places
that I shall not see
him? saith the LORD.
Do not I fill heaven and earth?
saith the LORD.
{25} I have heard what the prophets
said,
that prophesy lies in my name, saying,
I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
{26} How long shall this be
in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies?
yea, they are prophets of the
deceit of their own heart;
{27} Which think to cause my
people to forget my name by their dreams
which they tell every man to his
neighbour,
as their fathers have forgotten my name
for Baal.
{28} The prophet that hath a dream,
let him tell a dream;
and he that hath my word, let him speak my
word faithfully
Jer 23:31-32(KJV) {31} Behold, I am against the
prophets, saith the LORD,
that use their tongues, and say, He
saith.
{32} Behold, I am against
them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD,
and do tell them,
and cause my people to err by their lies,
and by their lightness{Heb=frivolity,
meaningless utterances};
yet I sent them not, nor commanded them:
therefore they shall not profit this
people at all, saith the LORD.
Punishment for prophesying falsely was severe. False prophets
were cast away from God's presence and permanently humiliated. They suffered the
destruction of their cities (Jer. 7:14-16; 23:39).
Jer 7:12-16
(KJV)
But go ye now unto my place which
was in Shiloh,
where I set my name at the
first,
and see what I did to it for the
wickedness of my people Israel.
{13} And now, because ye
have done all these works, saith the LORD,
and I spake unto you, rising up
early and speaking,
but ye heard not;
and I called you, but ye answered
not;
{14} Therefore will I
do unto this house,
which is called by my name,
wherein ye trust,
and unto the place which I gave to
you and to your fathers,
as I have done to Shiloh.
{15} And I will cast you
out of my sight,
as I have cast out all your
brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
{16} Therefore pray
not thou for this people,
neither lift up cry nor prayer for
them,
neither make intercession to me:
for I will not hear
thee.
A false prophet was also one who prophesied on behalf of another God. A familiar example is the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-39). In a test against Elijah and the true God, the prophets of Baal suffered humiliating defeat. (1 Ki 18:21-29
KJV)
And Elijah came unto all the
people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?
if the LORD be God, follow him:
but if Baal, then follow him.
And the people answered him not a
word.
{22} Then said Elijah unto
the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD;
but Baal's prophets are four
hundred and fifty men.
{23} Let them therefore give us
two bullocks;
and let them choose one bullock
for themselves, and cut it in pieces,
and lay it on wood, and put
no fire under:
and I will dress the other
bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
{24} And call ye on the name of
your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD:
and the God that answereth by
fire, let him be God.
And all the people answered
and said, It is well spoken.
{25} And Elijah said unto
the prophets of Baal,
Choose you one bullock for
yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many;
and call on the name of your gods,
but put no fire under.
{26} And they took the
bullock which was given them, and they dressed it,
and called on the name of
Baal from morning even until noon,
saying, O Baal, hear
us.
But there was no voice, nor
any that answered.
And they leaped upon the
altar which was made.
{27} And it came to pass at noon,
that Elijah mocked them, and said,
Cry aloud: for he is a god;
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey,
or peradventure he sleepeth, and
must be awaked.
{28} And they cried aloud, and cut
themselves after their manner with knives and lancets,
till the blood gushed out upon
them.
{29} And it came to pass, when
midday was past,
and they prophesied until the time
of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that there was neither
voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
(1 Ki 18:32-39
KJV)
{32} And with the stones he
(Elijah) built an altar in the name of the LORD:
and he made a trench about
the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
{33} And he put the wood in order,
and cut the bullock in pieces,
and laid him on the wood, and
said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on
the wood.
{34} And he said, Do it the
second time. And they did it the second time.
And he said, Do it the third time.
And they did it the third time.
{35} And the water ran round about
the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
{36} And it came to pass at the
time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that Elijah the prophet came near,
and said,
LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of
Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel,
and that I am thy servant, and
that I have done all these things at thy word.
{37} Hear me, O LORD, hear me,
that this people may know that thou art the LORD God,
and that thou hast turned
their heart back again.
{38} Then the fire of the LORD
fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice,
and the wood, and the
stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
{39} And when all the people saw
it, they fell on their faces:
and they said, The LORD, he is the
God; the LORD, he is the God.
Israel could not always distinguish between the true and the false prophet as seen in 1 Kings 22; Jeremiah 28. The prophet could only say, wait and see whose prophecy proves true in history (Deut. 18:22; 1 Kings 22:28; Jer. 29:9). Compare 1 Kings 13. Deu 18:18-22
(KJV)
...and the
Lord said:
I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren,
like unto thee, and will put
my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all
that I shall command him.
{19} And it shall come to
pass,
that whosoever will
not hearken unto my words
which he shall speak in my
name,
I will require it of
him.
{20} But the prophet,
which shall presume to speak a word in my name,
which I have not commanded him to
speak,
or that shall speak in the name of
other gods,
even that prophet shall die.
{21} And if thou say in
thine heart,
How shall we know the word which
the LORD hath not spoken?
{22} When a prophet
speaketh in the name of the LORD,
if the thing follow not, nor
come to pass,
that is the thing which the
LORD hath not spoken,
but the prophet hath
spoken it presumptuously{H=from his own pride}:
thou shalt not be afraid of
him.
New Testament
Jesus and the apostles spoke many times about false prophets. In
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about the marks of a false prophet and the
consequences of being one:
Mat 7:15-23
(KJV)
Jesus said, Beware of false
prophets,
which come to you in sheep's
clothing,
but inwardly they are
ravening wolves.
{16} Ye shall know them by
their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or
figs of thistles?
{17} Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit.
{18} A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit.
{19} Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire.
{20} Wherefore by their
fruits ye shall know them.
{21} Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.
{22} Many will say to me in
that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out
devils?
and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
{23} And then will I
profess unto them,
I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.
He also cautioned His followers to beware of false prophets who
would arise during times of tribulation and in the end times (Matt. 24:11,24;
Mark 13:22). He said to be careful when the world loves a prophet's words,
because a prophet who is false is apt to be popular among the worldly
masses:
Luke 6:22-26
(KJV)
{22} Blessed are ye, when
men shall hate you,
and when they shall separate
you from their company,
and shall reproach you, and
cast out your name as evil,
for the Son of man's sake.
{23} Rejoice ye in that
day, and leap for joy:
for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven:
for in the like manner did their
fathers unto the (true) prophets.
{24} But woe unto you
that are rich!
for ye have received your
consolation.
{25} Woe unto you that are
full! for ye shall hunger.
Woe unto you that laugh now!
for ye shall mourn and weep.
{26} Woe unto you, when all
men shall speak well of you!
for so did their fathers to the
false prophets.
The apostles instructed believers to be diligent in faith and understanding of Christian teachings, in order to discern false prophets when they arise (2 Pet. 1:10; 1:19-2:1; 1 John 4:1). 2 Pet 1:20-21
(KJV)
Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation.
{21} For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Pet 2:1-4
(KJV)
But there were false prophets also
among the people,
even as there shall be false
teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought
them,
and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.
{2} And many shall
follow their pernicious ways;
by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.
{3} And through
covetousness shall they with feigned words
make merchandise of you{Grk=buy
and sell you like a pedlar}:
whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not,
and their damnation slumbereth
not.
{4} For if God spared not
the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to
hell,
and delivered them into
chains of darkness,
to be reserved unto
judgment;
(1 John 4:1-6
KJV)
Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits whether they
are of God:
because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.
{2} Hereby know ye the
Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
{3} And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come;
and even now already is it in the
world.
{4} Ye are of God, little
children, and have overcome them:
because greater is he that is in
you, than he that is in the world.
{5} They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth
them.
{6} We are of God: he that
knoweth God heareth us;
he that is not of God heareth not
us.
Hereby know we the spirit of
truth, and the spirit of error.
The tests of a prophet are:
1) Do their predictions come true)?
2) Does the prophet have a divine commission?
Jer 29:8-9
(KJV)
For thus saith the LORD of hosts,
the God of Israel;
Let not your prophets and
your diviners,
that
be in the midst of you, deceive you,
neither hearken to your
dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
{9} For they prophesy
falsely unto you in my name:
I have not sent them, saith the
LORD.
3) Are the prophecies consistent with Scripture:
(2 Pet
1:20-21; to 2 Pet 2:1-3 KJV)
Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
{21} For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Pet 2:1-3 KJV
(1) But there were false
prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false
teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.
{2} And many shall follow their
pernicious ways;
by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.
{3} And through covetousness shall
they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not,
and their damnation slumbereth
not.
4) Do the people benefit spiritually from the prophet's ministry
1 Pet 4:11
(KJV)
If any man speak, let him speak
as the oracles of God;
if any man minister,
let him do it as of the
ability which God giveth:
that God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom be praise and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Punishments for false prophets were just as severe in the New Testament as they were in the Old. Paul caused a false prophet to be stricken with blindness (Acts 13:6-12), but most other punishments were more permanent in nature. Jesus said the false prophets would be cut down and burned like a bad tree (Matt. 7:19). Second Peter 2:4 describes being cast into pits of darkness. The ultimate punishment appears in Revelation 19:20; 20:10--the false prophet, the beast, and the devil will be thrown into a lake of fire and brimstone and be tormented forever. And the Glorified Jesus gives this warning about those who would corrupt the Book of the Revelation and by implication any part of Scripture: Rev 22:18-19
(KJV)
For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book,
If any man shall add unto these
things,
God shall add unto him the
plagues that are written in this book:
{19} And if any man shall
take away
from the words of the book of this
prophecy,
God shall take away his part out
of the book of life,
and out of the holy city,
and from the things which
are written in this book. God Bless you as you ponder these
things.
In Christ...brother bob...<><
IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN GROWTH DEVOTIONALS
ALWAYS FREE OF
CHARGE
(but not necessarily free
of COST)
Feel free to redistribute
these materials to whomever you want.
Please submit all
questions, comments, suggestions,
or
REQUESTS FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Request a free email copy of my evangelistic
presentation:
"The God Who is Really There" from [EMAIL PROTECTED]
View back-issues of Devotionals at this
site:
send an email with CANCEL in the subject
line to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
God Bless You.....brother
bob.......<>< For more information, please visit our home page http://www.nazerene.com
SPONSORED LINKS
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
|
- [nazerene] *BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS Brother Bob...<><
- [nazerene] *BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS Brother Bob...<><
