Beware of False Prophets

TEXT: JEREMIAH 23:9-22

Key verse: “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah” (Jeremiah 23:14).

The spread of apocalyptic literature purporting to tell us the exact dates of the rapture and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ has taken on a frightening turn in our generation. None of the predictions made in the books by these “prophetic” authors has come to pass. And that is because they were made by those God did not send. They did not have the Bible as their source.

From the text before us, God condemned the priests and prophets of Israel for their profanity, adultery, swearing, lying, hypocrisy, and deception. He threatened to judge them. The people were exhorted not to hearken to them, nor accept their misleading promise of peace and safety; whereas the storm of God’s wrath would fall upon the head of the wicked. The Lord declared plainly that he had not sent these prophets. Their so-called prophesies were no other than dreams, and the deceits of their own hearts. So, the Lord declared Himself to be against these prophets, for stealing His word from their neighbours and using of His name to propagate their error with which they misled the people.

False prophets are chameleonic in appearance and character. Jesus says they will disguise to deceive others. Paul affirmed that false brethren among the Corinthian elders appeared as ‘angels of light’ or ‘messengers of righteousness’ (2 Corinthians 11:3,14,15). Jesus, our Lord and Master tells us that we shall know them by their fruits, not their leaves (Matthew 7:16). By their ‘fruits’, He meant their character and conduct, the converts they produce, and the overall results of their ministry. So, do not join those who peddle error. Beware!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Leaves may fade but the fruit is sure