Subject: Can we agree? |
Bible Note: 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. |