False Prophets Deceive

Friday, January 29, 2021

Jesus Christ warned of the end-times that “many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (Matt. 24:11). Well, that deceit is increasing more than ever. America is rife with false prophets. Charlatan prophets were again exposed during the 2020 election cycle, claiming that “President Trump will be inaugurated for a second consecutive term, as ‘thus saith the Lord!’” Now, God doesn’t ever make mistakes, yet, China-Joe Biden, and not Donald J. Trump, was sworn in as president. So, God did not speak to false prophets, they just deceitfully blathered false hope!

Let’s learn from God’s Word the measure of a true prophet. “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ – when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:21–22); meaning, you shall not revere, honor or believe that prophet! Period. But for the praise of man, popularity, and money, false prophets sowed false hopes into many who believed in them.

The Western body of Christ is in turmoil, no thanks to the many false prophets. They should all be ashamed with confession, repentance and humility before God and man, who prophesied that Trump serve a second consecutive term. They spoke not by the Spirit of God, but from their own will and selfish pride while people untrained in discernment and knowledge in the Word believed their false prophecies. And now, some of those false prophets make the most ridiculous excuses. Watch this repulsive clip wherein Jerimiah Johnson actually says that his false prophecy proves that it was from the Lord! This is flagrant mockery of biblical prophecy!

The heathen mock the Church, and false prophets’ shameless decrees gives them fodder for it. False prophets Kat Kerr and Paula White are among the worst, speaking for God that President Trump would gain reelection, with Kat Kerr even prophesying that former Vice President Mike Pence would serve eight consecutive years after President Trump! Then there’s false prophets Jerimiah Johnson and Loren Sanford, who, owning their false prophecies at least had the guts to publically apologize. But this should be a clarion call to all false prophets that they did not hear from God, but prophesied presumptuously from their own deceived spirit. True prophets don’t ever apologize because God doesn’t ever get it wrong! The only way one can prophesy saying, “thus saith the Lord”, is if they prophesy that which has already been written in God’s infallible Word. But that’s not sensational enough for charlatans who love the praise of man above God!

In a prophetic prayer gathering led by Dutch Sheets in northern Pennsylvania, one man even prophesied, “The angels, God, from the Allegheny region, the angels from Pennsylvania, the angels that walked with William Penn, walked with George Washington, walked with Thomas Paine — we just decree that these angels are released into the nation tonight.” Possibly ignorant, that man actually invoked demonic angels into America who walked with George Washington, and Thomas Paine as these men were 33rd Degree Freemasons, who have as their god, Lucifer, the light-bearer, the great architect of the universe! The book “The Secret Destiny of America” by Manly P. Hall, (1901–1990), who himself was a 33rd Degree Freemason, bears out the truth that the 33rd Degree honors Lucifer as God. That man at the prayer gathering prayed a very dark and presumptuous prayer which likely helped incite chaos and destruction in Washington, DC, Wednesday, January 6, 2021! Christian prophecy must be rooted in and by the Spirit of God.

Ancient Israel had the same plague of false prophets as revealed by God’s Word, saying, “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land; 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?” (Jer. 5:30–31). God’s concluding question “But what will you do in the end?” is indeed the challenge to us all, for the end is almost here as we “see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

Since these many false prophesies have been exposed, it’s been my prayer that somebody with influence in the body of Christ, having Godly national influence, is able to minister truth to false prophets who built a destructive and false hope in the lives of millions of Christians. To that end, God may have answered through Dr. Michael Brown who wrote a “Strong Appeal to Those Who Prophesied Trump’s Reelection”. I pray this utter failure on behalf of modern-day false prophets awakens church leadership and their flocks to love, to know and to discern the truth of prophecy.

God tells us how strongly He feels about false prophets speaking in His name: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die” (Deut. 18:20). [Emphasis mine] Now this: “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you” (1 Peter 1:10); that’s real biblical prophecy! It confirms that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). Biblical prophecy is about having God’s interest in the salvation of people, and being Spirit-led to the point that God can confirm His Word through His servant prophet at just the right time and place for the edification of all.

Man’s praise motivates most false prophecy. And many false prophets in search of praise feel at liberty and even emboldened to speak from their own proud spirit declaring “thus saith the Lord” though God didn’t speak. Today, prophecy is NOT about “foretelling” the future, but of “forth-telling” what God already said in His Word. It’s a spiritual gift. It’s hidden within and Spirit-led. Christ is the last Prophet, thus the Word was given by Him and His Spirit, “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Now that truly covers everything the true Church could possibly ever need for edification!

God’s Spirit said that biblical prophecy is about Jesus – “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past [past tense] to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days [present tense] spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Heb. 1:1–4). Again, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10), and from a prophet’s spirit, he or she will prophesy to the glory and honor of Jesus for the edification of all who hear.

Moses, by the Spirit of God, prophesied to ancient Israel – “The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him [meaning Christ] you shall hear…I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him” (Deut. 18:15, 18–19). [Emphasis mine] Here, God identifies the true prophet, in that, God will put His Words in the prophet’s mouth, and that prophet shall speak to the people all that God commands. God commands prophets in His Word – not man’s wishes!

And now for the second witness parallel from Peter’s first sermon – “For Moses truly said to the fathers, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22–23). If a prophet does not by his or her prophetic word clearly point the hearer to Christ exalting and honoring Him and all He has done, let that false prophet clap his hand over his mouth and be silent before God! Just as Moses prophetically pointed forward to Christ, so the true prophet today also points to Christ.

Marlin J. Yoder