Watch Out ! Jason , Missionary , Blessing Youth Mission
Watch Out ! Jason , Missionary , Blessing Youth Mission
“ See that no one leads you astray ”( Mat 24:3,4 ) Seven Characteristics of False Prophets ( From Jeremiah Chapter 23 )
When the disciples of Jesus were very curious about the signs of the end of the age , He did not tell them stories about Jerusalem and feed their curiosity . He just warned them to be careful . The message for Christian believers today , who are living in these last days is to , “ watch out !”. There will be a phenomenal increase of the false prophets and false teachings ( Mat 24:11 ). And they will lead many astray ( 24:5,11 ). They will also try to deceive the elect ( Mat 24:24 ). All these are the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ . He has warned us sufficiently beforehand . Hence , ' Watch Out !'
Many today like to grow in the Lord . They want to learn a lot of new things from the Bible . They want to attend a Bible study . They want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and see the gifts of the Spirit manifested in their lives and ministry . All these are good desires . But the Bible warns to keep a watch . In our curiosity we should not run here and there . Rather , we should turn to the Lord and His Word . Let us meditate the seven characteristics that mark the ministry of false prophets .
1 . They Strengthen The Evil Hands Jer 23:17 - “ They say continually to those who despise the
word of the Lord , ' It shall be well with you '; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart , they say , ' No disaster shall come upon you .'”
The ministry of the false prophets invariably strengthens the hands of the evil doer ( v14 ). They do not preach about sin and the coming Judgment . They always preach about the message of peace and prosperity . They teach that judgment is an Old Testament concept . Hence the evil doer does not turn from evil . When we read the Bible for five minutes and watch the television for two hours , are we not despising the Lord ? It would be blasphemous if I were to say , ' God bless you ,' to such an individual or family . Today we do not have the reverent fear of the Lord because we have been taught that God will not punish us for our sins . Whereas the truth is found in Revelation 22:12 , where God says that He will repay everyone for what he has done .
2 . They Promote Ungodliness Jer 23 : 15 “ From the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land .”
Since their preachings are devoid of sin and Judgement , profaneness goes out into all the land . Today we find people misappropriating God ' s money . Immoral lifestyle is termed as weakness . Hence they sin boldly . They do not know that the sin they commit is an abomination unto the Lord . They and their children will reap the fruits of it . How sad that God ' s people are being destroyed due to lack of knowledge !
3 . They Are Not Called Jer 23:21 “ I sent not the prophets , yet they ran : neither spoke I to them , yet they prophesied .”
God did not call them to be prophets , but they wanted to prophesy . He also did not send them , but they went . May be , ministry was very interesting to them . Or , may be they wanted to be in the limelight . Or , ministry was the only option they had . Whatever might be the reason , they were never called by God .
Today , we find many people in various ministries who are not called by God . Their parents pushed them into the theological colleges because they were not good at studies or business . Or may be they thought ministry was a good business .
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