Holllywood Props Part 1 Series

Ezekiel 13: 1 – 7

‘Hollywood props’ Part 1

“1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”

To tell you the truth, I stand in awe of the Holy Living Almighty God. I am in fear, deep respect, shock, and wonder of His Awesome Majesty. Why am I starting off with this emotional response? Well it amazes me how anyone would attempt to extort people by claiming they are representatives of the Lord when they are not. The words of Matthew 10 verse 28 rings loud in my ear,

“28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Is there no common sense with these people? Don’t they realize what they are doing? What can you get out of all this – money, fame? I have witnessed this travesty mostly by people who are on television. They use every trick in the book to swipe money from the people. The scariest verses in the Bible to me are in Matthew chapter 7, which deals with such people,

“22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

It is obvious that the word of God has no meaning in their own lives. If it did they would be scared straight. Don’t they realize that they are going to be judged by the Creator and Sustainer of all life?

In the previous chapters we have read how the prophet Ezekiel had spoken for the Lord Yahweh against the priests, elders, and secular leaders of the Jewish people. Now he is going to turn his attention towards the false prophets. 1 Kings 22: 22 reports how God saw the situations of these phony religious prophets,

“22 The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’”

Behind the scene we see how evil spirits influenced these false prophets. And then we also see in the book of Isaiah chapter 28 adding sin upon sin by giving their words as if they received them from God after drinking intoxicating beverages,

“7 But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean.9 “ Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was to them, “ Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.”

These men and women were paid staffs who were supposed to be anointed with divine wisdom. However, they were like the leaches I had just mentioned. They were peddling their religious acts for the money and complements of the people. Ezekiel points out that they spoke their own ideas and not the words of the Holy Yahweh.