Although a previous blog referred to the prosperity theology, I though it appropriate to dedicate a special blog to false prophets. They have been around since the Old Testament. Whether they are aware of it or not, they are working in the hands of the evil one to effectively deceive and destroy the church. This is the strategy of the evil one.
Here are just a few of the Scriptures that talk about the false prophets.
Jeremiah 14:14 - Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
Jeremiah 23:16 -This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Lamentations 2:14 - The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.
Matthew 7:15 - “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Matthew 24:11 - and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Mark 13:22 - For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Luke 6:26 - Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Acts 20: 29-30 - “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”
2 Peter 2:1 - But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Timothy 4:3 The Apostle Paul said, “The time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” 1 John 4:1 - Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Some of the principles they use are:
· They claim they speak on behalf of the Lord
· They claim “new” revelations that is not founded on the Word of God
· They give false hope (Prosperity theology)
· They appear genuine and likeable, but they are wolves in sheep’s clothing
· They tend to live lavishly whilst making money out of their congregation
· They deny that repentance is required before you can become a child of God. Repentance is required so that you acknowledge that you were born in sin and need a Savior
· They can do signs and miracles, but these are not genuine. Many of the “healings” are staged to create euphoria and get people to give more money to their “church”.
· They put additional burdens on their congregation that is not from God. E.g. if you are not wealthy there is something wrong in your spiritual life. If you are not healed you have sin in your life or you do not have faith. God heals as God determines. Faith is shown by asking God for healing. That is all that is required.
· Some deny the sovereignty of God
· We need to test their spirit. God gives us the gift of descendent. If you are evaluating a preacher, if you ask God for discernment He will give it to you as the Holy Spirit is the Truth
· They use practices such as envisioning. Some claim that you only need to vision that you are healed and you will be healed.
· Some claim that if you are baptized you are saved. That is a false teaching; you are saved by having faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for you.
· Their prophesies do not happen. I remind you about such prophets that predicted the world will end in 2011. They obviously forgot that Jesus said that only the Father knows the time of Christs return.
· They distort the truth in such a way that it seems to be true. They quote Scripture out of context and in many cases without looking at the Bible in its entirety. When reading the Bible you need to take into account:
1. What does it say
2. What is the context
3. What does the rest of the Bible say about the subject
4. What does it mean to you personally in your daily lives
The Bible was written by the Holy Spirit and we must ask the Holy Spirit to interpret the Scripture. He is the Spirit of Truth.
· They preach a “soft” gospel. They try to soothe the ears of the congregation and as Paul said: People will follow those that preach this kind of Gospel. If you look at some of the larger churches who have false prophets, people are streaming to them. Their whole mindset is that the “old” church is “old fashioned”, forgetting that preachers are supposed to challenge your thinking so that people can come to Christ.
· They tend to be entertainers.
One of the things that amazes me, is that long time “Christians”, don’t seem to have the ability to discern truth from falsehood. It is tragic.
What is the remedy to evaluate whether a prophet is a false prophet or not.
1. Do they teach the Word of God? We need to know the Word to be able to discern. Isa 8:20: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. A true prophet obeys God and abides by the testimony of Bible prophets. If a prophet does not agree with the Bible prophets or obey God, s/he is a false prophet.
2. Do they proclaim the Trinity? Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three in one. Creator God. Omnipresent, all-knowing. God of Justice (must punish sin) and Love (redemption by the blood of Christ)
3. What fruit do they bear? A true prophet bears good fruits; s/he will have abundant Biblical fruits.
4. What do they say about Jesus? Lifts Jesus Christ: A true prophet lifts and reveals Jesus Christ through his/her messages. All God prophecies reveal Jesus Christ and if a person takes the attention from Jesus Christ to oneself, another person or god, be careful. A true Prophet will always point to Jesus Christ and the Absolute Authority of the Word of God, NOT to a church creed (written or unwritten), and not to any ism, cult or god.
5. Do they preach the true Gospel? Repentance, accepting what Jesus did on the cross, take up your cross, you will be persecuted, Jesus the center of your life? A true prophet preaches true gospel which is only Jesus Christ not blessings, prosperity, promises, etc. which are false gospels.
6. Do they edify the church? A true prophet edifies, builds, comforts, exhorts and uplifts the church by her/his testimony and messages. 1 Cor. 14:3: But he that prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
Which Scriptures do they interpret incorrectly?
I am only going to deal with one or two of them. There are many more:
1. Jeremiah 29:11 - 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.
The text is used to justify prosperity. There are two problems with the above
· They forget that there is a second part to the text: plans to give you hope and a future.
· They do not read it in context. It was given to the Israelites in Babel. A false prophet said they would return to Jerusalem within two years whilst God said 70 years. This text was to encourage the Israelites to work and prosper in Babel and that they can have hope for the future. The nation of Israel had been taken by the Babylonians into captivity. The Temple, as well as the entire city of Jerusalem, was in ruins. Their king was in chains with his eyes gouged out. The glory of Israel as a nation was finished. But in the midst of that terrible situation, God spoke through His prophet Jeremiah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
For thus says the Lord, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.”
Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”—for thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and a horror and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not listened to My words,” declares the Lord, “which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,” declares the Lord. You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:4–20)
At best if you wanted to apply it to yourself, the best you can do is that the best that the Lord wants for you may not be what you think is best. But this is stretching the verse beyond its context.
2. 1 Peter 2:24 - 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
The above text is mostly used to “claim” healing. This is totally against what it means. Peter 2:24 - 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. The healing is spiritual. Healing is grace. Our physical healing is not as important as spiritual healing. Being dead to sin.
The only healing text I could find in the bible is:
James 5:13-16 - 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Again the text paces emphasis on the forgiveness of sins. That is true healing. I am in the process of a miracle healing. From being on the verge of an amputation God is healing my wound slowly but surely. This is an amazing experience. It shows that God dives grace.
BUT:
The fact that I can have a living relationship with God is more wonderful than the healing of a wound. The greatest miracle in the world is when someone comes to Christ. Even the angels in heaven rejoice for every sole rescued from eternal death.
In order not to be misled by false prophets:
1. Know the Word of God
2. Read your Bible in context
3. Evaluate it against the whole Scripture whether it aligns
4. Allow the Holy Spirit to interpret the Scripture as it is applicable to you. And it will not be against the truth of the Scripture. Don’t build into the Scripture what you want it to mean.
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