17 “For a command came to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’ 18 He said to him, ‘I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord…'”
As I was reading a passage from God’s Holy Word, the verses above leapt off of the page. How many say they speak “by the word of the Lord,” or say that an angel spoke something of importance to them.
Muhammad is the most followed false prophet in our day.
“The above pic shows Mohammed receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. Miniature illustration on vellum from the book Jami’ al-Tawarikh (literally ‘Compendium of Chronicles’ but often referred to as The Universal History or History of the World), by Rashid al-Din, published in Tabriz, Persia, 1307 A.D. Now in the collection of the Edinburgh University Library, Scotland.” (Wikimedia Commons)
“When Islam’s defenders challenge Christianity and other faiths, their dialogue is based upon their assumption that Muhammad was the ‘Seal of the Prophets.’ According to them, this would give him the authority to supersede and refute the teachings in the Bible with his writings in the Koran.” (1)
I hope you get a chance to watch the video at footnote 1 below. It quotes Islāmic texts (including the Koran), and clearly identifies Muhammad as a false prophet. I love my Muslim friends, but the truth must be told.
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, is another. Joseph Smith said . . .
(Regarding Joseph Smith’s alleged first vision where celestial personages appeared to him.) . . .) “My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right — and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt . . .” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 5-6).
“What is it that inspires professors of Christianity generally with a hope of salvation? It is that smooth, sophisticated influence of the devil, by which he deceives the whole world,” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 270.)
(In questions directed to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. . .) First — “Do you believe the Bible?” If we do, we are the only people under heaven that do, for there are none of the religious sects of the day that do.” Third — “Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?” Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness.” (Teachings, page 119.) (2)
In one of Joseph Smith’s stories, it was the angel moroni. (Click on the picture above to see how the story changed over time.)
In Muhammad’s story, it is the angel Gabriel:
HERE is an interesting list of modern-day false prophets and teachers.
(There are quotes for the NLT in a few of these sites. It is not my favorite translation because of its treatment of John 6:37. I find its treatment unbalanced compared to the KJV or the NASB. Check it out if you wish. The NLT is not a bad translation for a new believer who hasn’t dealt with the free will/predestination issue.
Since I’m a rabbit trail guy, I’ll quote the verses now.
John 6:37
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
John 6:37
King James Version (KJV)
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:37
New Living Translation (NLT)
37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
There is a subtle difference in the NLT translation.)
Let me get back on track…
Another modern-day false prophet was L. Ron Hubbard.
He is the founder of scientology and as THIS ARTICLE states:
“The Scripture warns that ‘many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.’ L. Ron Hubbard was such a false prophet. And the Godless ‘religion’ he created truly has deceived many.”
The article linked to above also states:
“The creepy part of Scientology is its teaching that we are all, everyone, descendants of Thetans brought to Earth 75 million years ago by Xenu, the tyrant ruler of the ‘Galactic Confederacy.’”
THE ARTICLE also mentions celebrities who believe the lies, and shows Mr. Hubbard’s hand-written description of Xenu.
THIS POST lists a number of modern-day false prophets. Some would disagree with one or more of the editor’s choices, but the majority listed leave no question.
HAROLD CAMPING is one of many found at this site.
BENNY HINN is another.
JIM JONES was another who is not listed anywhere I looked. He is mentioned at Manny’s blog named “Cracked Pot.” My friend’s blog may be seen by going to my BLOGROLL. Manny also shared THIS LINK about the man who ” in 1965, Jones claimed that the world would be engulfed in a nuclear war on July 15, 1967, that would then create a new socialist Eden on earth.” Manny has also put up a post with A LINK to a slide show about this false prophet.
And here’s the scripture that started this little study:
1 Kings 13: 11-30
11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For a command came to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 18 He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water. 20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” 27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
False prophets are nothing new. As this Biblical narrative describes the deception of a “prophet” and its consequences, we must ask God for discernment regarding those who claim special revelation from God.
I found a few verses about false prophets HERE.
They are:
“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Luke 6:26 KJV
“For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Mark 13:22 KJV
“For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Matthew 24:24 KJV
“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
Matthew 24:11 KJV
“[ You Will Know Them by Their Fruits ] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7:15 KJV
“Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD had not spoken.”
Ezekiel 22:28 KJV
“Your prophets have seen for you False and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, To bring back your captives, But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.”
Lamentations 2:14 KJV
“[ False Prophets and Empty Oracles ] My heart within me is broken Because of the prophets; All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine has overcome, Because of the LORD, And because of His holy words.”
Jeremiah 23:9 KJV
“And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.”
Jeremiah 14:14 KJV
“The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?”
Jeremiah 5:31 KJV
Don’t be fooled.
Chris Reimers
(The photo above is not indicative of my view of Ford automobiles.)
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XGZS_GO8NI&list=PL-y7hT8aCU7BgjetGh2VE6MagVkwFLeuA&index=9&t=722s
“I Did Not Send These Prophets”
May 25, 2021Reading through the Bible recently, I came across these verses from a true Prophet named Jeremiah:
20 “The anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 “I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 “But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
-Jeremiah 23
Prophecy has a major role in the Bible. One source states that there are 1,817 prophecies which are found in 8,352 Bible verses. If this subjective number is close to correct, then 26% of the Bible is prophetic. If even 1% of the Bible is prophetic, its value cannot be understated.
A good example of true prophesy is found in the book of the prophet Nahum. In it Nahum wrote specific prophecies that God had given to him. He used the words “Thus says the Lord” (1:12) to describe upcoming events involving Nineveh, the great city of the Assyrian Empire.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments there are warnings about false prophets. The deceitful prophets mentioned in the verses above were not sent by God, but they ran with zest to announce self-produced words.
As I read the verses, I could not help but think of the past year and a half and how, in that short time, many of today’s false prophets have been dramatically exposed.
Many of today’s false prophets who imply or say without hesitation “Thus says the Lord” meet with or hear from God on almost a daily basis. It is a serious problem that needs to be discussed and unmasked. People are being duped.
The false prophets of our time have been consistently wrong about recent momentous events. Not one of them that I’m aware of warned us that something like the coronavirus was coming. Almost all of them stated or “prophesied” that Mr. Trump would win the 2020 election. If election fraud was as bad as some think, wouldn’t God have told them about that? I have watched videos about the messages that “God gave them” for the upcoming year as 2020 approached. Most of it turned out to be woefully erroneous. One common theme was that huge amounts of wealth would be redistributed to “God’s people.” Another theme was that God’s spirit was going to move in wondrous ways.
These modern day false prophets are nothing like the prophets in the Bible.
An evangelist who knows a lot about the subject is Justin Peters. He is featured in the two videos I have shared below. The first video discusses the problem. The second video is a round table discussion about the recently published Prophetic Standards Statement which has been signed by 685 people. They have allowed us to see some of the more “prominent” signers. The statement was designed to blunt the criticism that the “prophets” have received over the past year or so.
Some of the statement is pretty good but there are seriously flawed sections:
“WE REJECT the notion that a contemporary prophetic word is on the same level of inspiration or authority as Scripture or that God always speaks inerrantly through prophets today, since the Bible says we only know in part and prophesy in part (1 Cor. 13:9).“
Really? Then why in the world would anyone even listen to these people and why are they called prophets?
The second to the last paragraph describes three types of prophets.
There are only two types of prophets: real ones and fake ones.
The first video is aptly named and is divided into six sections (approx. times):
The “missed events” and the “presidential prophesies” are difficult to listen to. The interview with Dr. Busenitz is very interesting. The second time I watched the first video I realized that near the end Justin uses the same scripture that inspired this post.
I can’t help but wonder if this situation is going to get any worse. I recognized a number of the false prophets exposed in the first video. I also recognized a few signatures on the Prophetic standards statement but there are a lot I had never seen before. Obviously, the real Christian Church, the true Bride of Christ, needs to be informed about this sad sign of our times.
Chris Reimers
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7
***Evidently, I am not the only Christian blogger who has been thinking about this subject lately. “False Teachers” is the name of a poem Deborah Ann published a day before I got this post up. HERE IS THE POEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ IT.
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