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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What are false prophets? | Matt 7:15 | kalos | 6111 | ||
"False prophets prophesied lies, deceived the people with their dreams..." Hank: I submit the following information in answer to your question: False Prophet "Even though the Old Testament does not use the term "false prophet, " it is clear that such "professional prophets" existed throughout much of Israel's history and that they were diametrically opposed to the canonical prophets. Scripture, however, regarded them as mere imitations of the genuinely appointed prophets of God. "Distinguishing Marks of False Prophecy and False Prophets. It was the Septuagint translators who introduced the term pseudoprophetes ("false prophet") ten times where the Hebrew text simply used the generic term nabi ("prophet") But the Hebrew text nevertheless still made the same point with the whole battery of negative descriptions. "False prophets prophesied lies, deceived the people with their dreams, prophesied by the alleged authority of Baal, threatened the lives of the true prophets, and dared to speak when they had not stood in the council of Yahweh and received a word directly from the Lord. Typically, their prophecies promised peace when there was no peace to be had, for their visions were drawn out of their own hearts . "Some false prophets used magic, others appeared to use divination, soothsaying, witchcraft, necromancy, and sorcery, which were all forbidden arts and practices in the classical passage that set forth divine revelation in contrast to such practices (Deut 18:9-13). The false prophets gave the people what they wanted to hear and thereby placed "whitewash" over every situation, no matter how adverse it appeared. "The fullest discussion of charges that could be brought against false prophets can be found in Jeremiah 23:9-39. Jeremiah condemns the pseudoprophets on four grounds: (1) they are men of immoral character (v. 14—"they commit adultery and live a lie"); (2) they seek popular acclaim with their unconditional pledge of immunity from all imminent disasters (vv. 17-22); (3) they fail to distinguish their own dreams from a word from God (vv. 25-29); and (4) they are plagiarists who steal from one another words allegedly from the Lord (vv. 30-39). Rather than having a "burden" from the Lord, they themselves were another burden—both to the Lord and to the misled people!" To see all the Scripture references and/or to read the entire article, "False Prophet," click on the following link. (http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi) Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, edited by Walter A. Elwell, 1996, published by Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516-6287. |
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2 | What are false prophets? | Matt 7:15 | DocTrinsograce | 243434 | ||
Brother Hank and Brother Kalos, both now with their maker, brought this forum so much wonderful insight. See the above note from Brother Kalos, for example. He was so wise. Here is a quote from an anonymous housewife, a victim of those who place mystical experience as more authoritative than the Word. "When I first met my husband-to-be, it was like a dream come true. We met on a missions trip. He was kind, considerate, actively serving in the church, spiritually mature, and handsome, too. Our friendship grew quickly and within months we were meeting with the elders to get their blessing on our engagement, which they gladly gave. My parents even consulted with mutual friends as to his character as a Christian, and he passed with flying colors. But to top that, he confided to me that he received a prophetic word from God promising him a special blessing on this marriage. Who could resist that? I was in a different place theologically at the time, so I did not see extra-scriptural revelation as a problem. Rather I felt humbled and honored to be the person whom God choose to fulfill His promise to my future husband. This all but guaranteed to my mind that we would have a happy marriage. "... Eventually the truth came to light. He had found my replacement and felt completely justified in pursuing her. She was God’s will. I was not." Pray for those who are people hurt by such chicanery, for often they are simple hearted people lead down trails of entrapment. This is the fulfilment of Paul's warning to Timothy, "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women [as in the anonymous housewife above], burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:2-7) Our Lord is so gracious to rescue some from the pit. Indeed, He alone can do so, for those whose minds are blinded (cf 2 Corinthians 4:4). I do not deem that those "creeping into households" do so with cognizance -- that is, perhaps rare? I hope -- nonetheless they serve the flesh, the world, and the devil, to the detriment of the weak. Search through the words posted by Hank and Kalso in this forum. They knew the Word and submitted to it, bringing blessing to all. |
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3 | What are false prophets? | Matt 7:15 | EdB | 243441 | ||
Distinguishing between spirits. This gift is a special Spirit-given ability to properly discern and judge prophecies and to distinguish whether or not a message or spiritual expression is from the Holy Spirit (see 1Co 14:29, note; 1Jn 4:1). During the end times, though the Bible warns that false teachers (see Mt 24:5, note) and the misrepresentation of Biblical Christianity will greatly increase (see 1Ti 4:1, note), this gift will be extremely important for the church. The others should weigh carefully. All prophecy (or tongues with interpretation) must be evaluated according to what is said. That is to say, the people should not automatically accept a message without using discernment (i.e., godly wisdom and Spirit-guided understanding) and considering whether it is consistent with God’s Word and relevant to their situation. This does not mean that the message will always be pleasant, convenient or easy to apply; but those who are in right relationship with God should be able to discern whether the message is truly from the Lord. This shows that NT prophecy was not infallible (i.e., perfectly reliable and free from error) and at times might need to be corrected. It certainly was never meant to be accepted on the same level with Scripture (i.e., God’s written Word as recorded in the Bible). (1) At times, prophecy and speaking in tongues might not be an authentic, or true, message from God (cf. 1Jn 4:1). People who are caught up in their emotions or sometimes misguided in their sense of direction from the Spirit may give a well-meaning message that is actually from their own mind and motivation. At times, even evil spirits, through the presence of false teachers or prophets, can work in a congregation. Prophesying, speaking in tongues or possessing any supernatural gift is no guarantee that one is a true prophet or even a true Christian (see article on FALSE TEACHERS) because Satan can counterfeit and imitate spiritual gifts (Mt 24:24; 2Th 2:9-12; Rev 13:13-14). Even if one possesses legitimate spiritual gifts from God, there is no guarantee that the person will always exercise their gifts properly. (2) If the church has not established proper and orderly ways (cf. v. 40) to apply and evaluate prophecies, it has failed to follow Biblical guidelines. Notice also that prophecy was not considered an uncontrollable urge of the Spirit; the speaker could control the impulse because only one prophet could speak at a time (vv. 30-32). (3) What should be the church’s attitude toward prophetic messages? (a) All prophecy must be tested according to the standard of Biblical truth (cf. Dt 13:1-3). If the prophecy has to do with something in the future, believers should look for its fulfillment before passing final judgment (cf. Dt 18:22). This includes preparing themselves for the possibility that the prophecy may or may not be fulfilled. (b) If the word of prophecy is an exhortation (i.e., a word of challenge or encouragement), the congregation needs to ask, “What must we do to obey the Spirit’s will and purpose?†(4) In order to properly evaluate and guide the use of spiritual gifts and expressions, church leaders must pray for godly discernment (i.e., divine wisdom and Spirit-guided understanding). In addition, the people in the church should not take offense at times when leaders offer correction or guidance in a worship service or to individuals in private. Such interaction is to be expected at times. Believers must never be so proud as to assume that they know exactly how to use the gifts of the Spirit at all times without guidance and correction. This does not mean that God is displeased or that leaders are upset with the people. Keep in mind that many of the NT letters—such as this one to the Corinthians—contained large portions on guidance and correction about such issues. And these instructions came from leaders who loved the people deeply and respected the ministry God was doing among them. Donald C. Stamps and J. Wesley Adams, ed., Fire Bible, (Springfield, MO: Life Publishers International, 2009), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Study Notes". |
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