Don't you find that an intriguing question?
I do. Yet in my experience everyone gives the same predictable answer.
"No. I'm not wrong. Those others are."
What is your reaction? Is it any different?
This brings me to the point of this letter:
Do false prophets know they are false prophets?
Think about it. Consider the most outrageous TV evangelist/self-proclaimed prophet...do they think they are wrong? Of course not. I speak not about those deliberate shysters only concerned about money, but the rest who actually think they are speaking the "Word of the Lord."
Consider for a moment the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Openly declared as false prophets by literally everyone else, they don't consider themselves to be in error. Even with all the many missed prophecies concerning the Messiah's return, the JW's still consider themselves to be orthodox.(Don't get sidetracked here and think I'm presenting a case for the Mormons and JW's. I use them just for illustration.)
However, Yahshua (Jesus) made it plain that many in the last days will think they are doing wonderful things for Him, but in fact, He doesn't know them as His own. The people He describes are not Muslims, Buddhists, or New Agers. He describes these people as having done many wonders and prophesied in His Name. That makes them among the Christian fold. (Matt: 7:21-23)
What is your reaction? Is it any different?
This brings me to the point of this letter:
Do false prophets know they are false prophets?
Think about it. Consider the most outrageous TV evangelist/self-proclaimed prophet...do they think they are wrong? Of course not. I speak not about those deliberate shysters only concerned about money, but the rest who actually think they are speaking the "Word of the Lord."
Consider for a moment the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Openly declared as false prophets by literally everyone else, they don't consider themselves to be in error. Even with all the many missed prophecies concerning the Messiah's return, the JW's still consider themselves to be orthodox.(Don't get sidetracked here and think I'm presenting a case for the Mormons and JW's. I use them just for illustration.)
However, Yahshua (Jesus) made it plain that many in the last days will think they are doing wonderful things for Him, but in fact, He doesn't know them as His own. The people He describes are not Muslims, Buddhists, or New Agers. He describes these people as having done many wonders and prophesied in His Name. That makes them among the Christian fold. (Matt: 7:21-23)
I find that pretty sobering if not scary. There are a lot of apparently dynamic fellow believers who aren't on the pathway to heaven. Yahshua will reject them. They could be pastors, worship leaders, Sunday school teachers and more.
The ancient Israelites who witnessed the greatest outpouring of YHWH's (G-D) power in bringing them out of bondage in Egypt didn't last very long before they went astray. Time and time again we read how they disobeyed the Scripture and listened to false prophets.
Somehow we can read those accounts and still remain aloof as though it can't happen to us. I hear some who say that YHWH has preserved His church and it has progressed continually growing from glory to glory. Yet as I look around I see a continuous pattern of falling away from the faith...growing more and more apostate each time.
Notice in Matthew 24:11 how Yahshua warns us of false prophets who will rise up and deceive many.
Let me re-emphasize how tough this is and how diligent we must be.
Yahshua warns us there will be false prophets
The ancient Israelites who witnessed the greatest outpouring of YHWH's (G-D) power in bringing them out of bondage in Egypt didn't last very long before they went astray. Time and time again we read how they disobeyed the Scripture and listened to false prophets.
Somehow we can read those accounts and still remain aloof as though it can't happen to us. I hear some who say that YHWH has preserved His church and it has progressed continually growing from glory to glory. Yet as I look around I see a continuous pattern of falling away from the faith...growing more and more apostate each time.
Notice in Matthew 24:11 how Yahshua warns us of false prophets who will rise up and deceive many.
Let me re-emphasize how tough this is and how diligent we must be.
Yahshua warns us there will be false prophets
- who perform miraculous works (they look like they have the power of YHWH)
- who speak prophecy in His Name (they talk like they have the Words of YHWH)
- who deceive many (they have the power to get large multitudes to believe them - perhaps even having mega church empires)
- who are deceived themselves
Are you listening to false prophets? Would you know it if you were? Are we unknowingly acting as false prophets?
We need to be extra careful that what we believe and teach is really Scriptural.
It reminds me of the movie about Apollo 13. After all the problems caused by the explosion in the spacecraft, they were critically low on resources. They had one chance to slingshot around the moon and re-enter earth's atmosphere at precisely the right angle. Too steep and they would burn up. Too shallow and they would shoot off into space. There was a very narrow pathway back to the safety of earth. The calculations had to perfect. There would be no second chance.
Likewise for us the pathway is straight and narrow. Our calculations have to be correct. There is no second chance.
We need to be extra careful that what we believe and teach is really Scriptural.
It reminds me of the movie about Apollo 13. After all the problems caused by the explosion in the spacecraft, they were critically low on resources. They had one chance to slingshot around the moon and re-enter earth's atmosphere at precisely the right angle. Too steep and they would burn up. Too shallow and they would shoot off into space. There was a very narrow pathway back to the safety of earth. The calculations had to perfect. There would be no second chance.
Likewise for us the pathway is straight and narrow. Our calculations have to be correct. There is no second chance.
