“The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” (Lamentations 2:14).
False prophets. How do you know when you’re in the presence of a false prophet?
There are several things the Bible tells us about false prophets.
- The visions and prophesies did not expose sin. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. That’s the whole point of the cross and the resurrection! No one likes to hear that they are sinners. No one likes to hear that we will be held accountable and judged for our sins. No one. But that’s the truth. And the good news is that God made a way in Jesus to transform sinners into sons and daughters of God.
If the pastor, teacher, prophet never exposes our sin and our need for a Savior, that’s a false prophet. They are lying to you. - False prophets deny Christ. 1 John 2:22 tells us, “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son.”
“Such a person is the antichrist.” Wow! Those are strong words. They are strong words because Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world is the only way to the Father. There is NO OTHER PATHWAY TO SALVATION.
False prophets deny the empty tomb. They deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. They deny that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World. Anyone who proclaims that there are other pathways to God than Jesus, they are liars. They are the antichrist. They are false prophets.
Why do I tell you all this? Because there are those in our pulpits, in our denominational headquarters, and seminaries who deny Christ.
Beware. Measure the fidelity of your church, pastors, and teachers against the rule of Christ and against the truth revealed to us in God’s word.
Praxis: Faith in Action 