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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

False Prophets


False Prophets

Definition: Individuals and organizations proclaiming messages that they attribute to a superhuman source but that do not originate with the true God and are not in harmony with his revealed will.

How can true prophets and false ones be identified?

True prophets make known their faith in Jesus, but more is required than claiming to preach in his name

1 John 4:1-3: “Test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. You gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God, but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God.”http://biblize.com/search?q=1+John+4:1-3&q_scope=

Matt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name . . . ?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”http://biblize.com/search?q=Matt.+7:21-23&q_scope=

True prophets speak in the name of God, but merely claiming to represent him is not enough
Deut. 18:18-20: “A prophet I shall raise up for them from the midst of their brothers, like you [like Moses]; and I shall indeed put my words in his mouth, and he will certainly speak to them all that I shall command him. And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him. However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.” (Compare Jeremiah 14:14; 28:11, 15.)
Jesus said: “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.” (John 8:28) http://biblize.com/search?q=John+8:28&q_scope=
He said: “I have come in the name of my Father.” (John 5:43) http://biblize.com/search?q=John+5:43&q_scope=
Jesus also said: “He that speaks of his own originality is seeking his own glory.”—John 7:18.http://biblize.com/search?q=John+7:18.5&q_scope=

If any individuals or organizations claim to represent God but decline to use God’s personal name, and make it a practice to express their own opinions on matters, are they measuring up to this important qualification of a true prophet?


Ability to perform “great signs,” or “miracles,” is not necessarily proof of a true prophet

Matt. 24:24: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs [“miracles,” TEV] and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.”
2 Thess. 2:9, 10: “The lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.”
On the other hand, Moses performed miracles at Jehovah’s direction. (Ex. 4:1-9)
Jehovah also empowered Jesus to perform miracles.
But more than the miracles gave evidence that God had truly sent them.

What true prophets foretell comes to pass, but they may not understand just when or how it will be

Dan. 12:9: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of the end.”http://biblize.com/search?q=Dan.+12:9:&q_scope=

1 Pet. 1:10, 11: “The prophets . . . kept on investigating what particular season or what sort of season the spirit in them was indicating concerning Christ when it was bearing witness beforehand about the sufferings for Christ and about the glories to follow these.”http://biblize.com/search?q=1+Pet.+1:10,+11&q_scope=
1 Cor. 13:9, 10: “We have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with.”
Prov. 4:18: “The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.”http://biblize.com/search?q=Prov.+4:18&q_scope=

The apostles and other early Christian disciples had certain wrong expectations, but the Bible does not classify them with the “false prophets.”—http://biblize.com/search?q=Luke+19:11&q_scope=
Nathan the prophet encouraged King David to go ahead with what was in his heart regarding the building of a house for Jehovah’s worship. But later Jehovah told Nathan to inform David that he was not the one who would build it. Jehovah did not reject Nathan for what he had said earlier but continued to use him because he humbly corrected the matter when Jehovah made it plain to him.—1 Chron. 17:1-4, 15.http://biblize.com/search?q=1+Chron.+17:1-4,+15.+&q_scope=

True prophets and the false can be recognized by the fruitage manifest in their lives and the lives of those who follow them

Matt. 7:15-20: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. . . . Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit . . . Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.”
What characterizes their way of life? “The works of the flesh are . . . fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. . . . Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. On the other hand, the fruitage of [God’s] spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—Gal. 5:19-23;


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