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The Inevitable False Prophets |
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After Hananiah says this, Jeremiah is moved by the Lord to say "Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month." 40 Needless to say, the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar was not broken in the next two years as Hananiah prophesied. There are a couple of things we can learn about prophets from this example. First, in almost every case, those that prophesy or teach that the people will have peace are almost always false prophets. Jeremiah tells us "the prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence." In short, most true prophecies came as warnings to various peoples concerning a judgment of God. The scriptures confirm this repeatedly. Second, Jeremiah actually tells us that "when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." 41 Once again, here is the classic interpretation that the fulfillment of the prophecy itself will validate the statement. This is consistent throughout the scriptures. |
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Familiar Spirits |
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Early historical accounts tell us this same Simon Magus became a false prophet of some repute for he became the leader of the gnostics. In a letter to a certain Roman leader, church father Justin Martyr tells us that "thanks to the art of the demons who possessed him, (Simon) worked wonders of magic, and in your imperial city of Rome was regarded as a god, and like a god was honoured by you with a statue in the River Tiber...." 44 In the book of Acts we read about another individual that led thousands into a an ill-fated rebellion. Ancient writer Eusebius tells us that he was an "Egyptian false prophet...." 45 In Revelation, the church at Thyatira was rebuked for tolerating "that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." 46 In this instance, the sin of this false prophetess is to lead the people to serve other gods in the form of the sacrifices to idols. Once again, the concept of a false prophet is consistently found to be one that leads the people towards a false religion or a false understanding of the true religion of Christ. In addition to communing with evil spirits, Peter reaffirms that the real danger of false prophets is that they "privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." This statement is strikingly similar to the Old Testament admonition in Deuteronomy that refers to false prophets that successfully prophesy and then "entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods...." 47 Notice even the similarity between Peter's "privily" and the Deutero "secretly." The ultimate example of a prophet gone astray is the final prophet that complete the great rebellion against the government of God: The False Prophet. Revelation tells us he "causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." 48 Here is consummation of all the false prophets who have ever lived, and this one commits the very sin the Bible warned us about back in the very beginning of this study. He leads the people into the service of another god - in this case the Beast of Revelation. |
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The State Of Modern Prophecy |
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Vast number of believers have been taught the concept of 100% infallibility in their assessment of prophets, and so they widely reject several true moves of the Holy Spirit that are being poured out even now. Worse yet, I've been in many churches where during a time of prayer, someone would utter a supposed word from the Lord that was clearly unscriptural - and there was no one present in a position to oppose this falsehood. With all of these aspects working against the manifestation of any genuine word from God, it's no wonder the true prophets of the Lord are outside the institutional churches. So it goes in the last days. The harlot churches are all the institutional religions of the world - including vast numbers of so-called Christian denominations. The true prophet of the Lord is doing what he has always done: Standing outside the door of the great city and crying against it. But not for much longer. Hear now the word of the Lord: "Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, the days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall use it no more as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision." 49 ©2002 CHRISTIAN MEDIA RESEARCH, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED See Also Prophetic Parallels And Role Reversals |
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his
is not the only episode where two prophets come into conflict with
each other. In Jeremiah, we find the famous seer opposed by Hananiah
the prophet. In this fascinating exchange, Jeremiah, wearing a yoke to
illustrate that God had ordained Nebuchadnezzar would rule the nations
for a set period, says "...hearken not unto the words of the
prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of
Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them,
saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive
you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy
unto you." 
any
other types of false prophets are relatively easy to spot. In the book
of Acts, we encounter one "prophet" that was actually a
sorcerer. Although the text says he was a "false prophet"
named Elymas, Acts tells us he was versed in magic for his power was
in sorcery. When Elymas opposed Paul, he found the power of God was
superior to his own as Paul caused the evil prophet to be blinded.