It’s sad to say, but many in our society today have bought into the notion that truth is relative. In other words, truth depends on how you define it. What is true for one individual may not necessarily be true for another. What is true today may not necessarily be true tomorrow. Consequently, the idea of absolute truth is quickly becoming obsolete.
The nature of truth has always been a topic of discussion. When questioning Jesus Pilate asked the age old question, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). There are many today who are still pursuing the answer to that question.
Unfortunately, in their pursuit of truth, many have come in contact with those who have claimed to be teachers of truth who have turned out to be impostors. These wolves in sheep’s clothing have claimed to be men of God with a message from God designed to impact our lives in a positive way. However, in many cases the impact has little to do with anything positive.
Without mixing any words, Jesus plainly tells His followers to "Beware of false prophets." We are called upon today, more than ever, to be discerning of religious teachers and their teaching. To help us in that task, Jesus gives us some good instruction as He nears the end of His Sermon on the Mount. In regards to false prophets we see:
I. THE FRAUD THEY EXECUTE
A. Their Coming
1. False prophets have been a part of the religious scene for thousands of years.
2. As clear back as the book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 13:1-3), God has been warning His people of the danger of false prophets.
3. Men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Micah, all spoke out against those so-called prophets who were guilty of prophesying lies.
a. Isaiah 9:15-16
b. Jeremiah 14:14-16; 23:13-16; 28:15-17
c. Ezekiel 13:22
d. Micah 3:5-7
4. The apostles also warned of false prophets.
a. Acts 20:29-30
b. 2 Peter 2:1-3
B. Their Costume
1. The danger with false prophets is that they look so good. Judging them based solely on appearance can be a dangerous thing.
2. Two of the more recent examples of ravening wolves masquerading in sheep’s clothing would be Jim Jones and David Koresh.
3. In his book Deceived, Mel White gives us an interesting picture of Jim Jones.
a. "He knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need; He counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement center; He opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; He had a health clinic; He organized a vocational training center; He provided free legal aid; He founded a community center; He preached about God. He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal."
b. Many church leaders, governors, senators, congressman, and even the President of the United States recognized Jones for the great work he was doing.
4. The story of David Koresh is much the same.
a. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, a reporter by the name of Steven R. Reed said, "The beginning was innocent enough. A charismatic young man named Vernon Howell embraced God’s word, sought God’s will and worshipped God’s Son." He went on to say, "Called to serve Christ, Howell-Koresh instead had tried to supplant Him."
b. Outwardly, David Koresh appeared to be a man who was seeking the truth and who had a sincere desire to lead others to that truth. Sadly though, in the end, David Koresh was himself deceived and ended up deceiving many others.
C. Their Cunning
1. Jude 4
2. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
3. The picture we should have in our minds of a false prophet is one who has the appearance of being everything that could be desired. By all appearances he is thoroughly Christian and seems to say all the right things.
4. His terminology is just what it should be. He talks about God. He talks about Jesus Christ. He speaks of the cross. He emphasizes the love of God. All in all, there is nothing in his speech that would betray his true identity.
5. How then are we to identify a false prophet? It’s not so much by what he does say as it is by what he does not say.
6. While the false prophet’s message seems to be divine, it is in all reality, quite deceptive.
7. There is generally nothing found in his message which is offensive to the natural man. That is, there is very little, if anything, about the holiness, righteousness, justice, or wrath of God. There is never anything that would cause a sinner to tremble. Nothing is said of sin or hell or the lake of fire.
8. The false prophet generally does not deny believing in these things, he just doesn’t say anything about them. He is careful not to say things that are obviously wrong, but he refrains from saying things that are obviously right and true.
9. To conceal the truth is just as damaging and damnable as proclaiming rank heresy.
10. Under the ministry of a false prophet, an individual can be lulled to sleep spiritually and wake up in the flames of hell before they know it.
11. Like the false prophets of the Old Testament, today’s false prophets heal the wounds of sinners slightly saying "Peace, peace; when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 8:11). They daub with "untempered mortar" (Ezekiel 13:14) and prophesy "smooth things" (Isaiah 30:10).
II. THE FRUIT THEY EXHIBIT
Because appearances can be so deceiving, we are encouraged to look beyond what is on the surface and look to the fruit that is being produced. A fig tree is easily known as such because it brings forth figs. A grape vine brings forth grapes just as as an apple tree brings forth apples.
Once we begin to examine the fruit of the false prophet, we are then able to put as an end to his masquerade and reveal his real character.
A. Their Creed
They say the best way to identify a counterfeit bill is to know what the real thing looks like. The same holds true for identifying a false prophet. Once we know the truth, a lie is not hard to detect. Isaiah gave us a good standard to measure by when he said, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). We don’t have to know a lot about what is false if we know about what is true. The true prophet of God will speak the truth concerning:
1. The Sovereign
a. The truth about the Sovereign is that He and He alone is God and beside Him there is no other (Isaiah 44:6). There is not a plurality of gods.
b. God is the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1).
c. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). He does not have a body of flesh and bones and is not as tangible as a man. God is not a man who has achieved divinity through some step by step process.
d. God is to be worshipped (Psalm 95:6).
2. The Son
a. Jesus is the virgin born Son of God (Matthew 1:18-25). He was begotten of the Holy Ghost and is not the offspring of Mary and Adam by natural generation.
b. Jesus was not created by God nor was He in any way inferior to God (John 1:1).
c. Jesus lived a perfect life in every way (Hebrews 4:15) and is the only Saviour of the souls of men (John 3:36, 14:6; Acts 4:12).
d. The true prophet of God will agree that Jesus had a supernatural birth, He spoke supernatural words, He performed supernatural miracles, He lived a supernatural life, He died a supernatural death, He rose in supernatural splendor, He intercedes as a supernatural priest and will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth.
3. The Spirit
a. The Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature.
b. As to His ministry He reproves "the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement" (John 16:8).
c. The Holy Spirit never seeks to edify Himself (John 15:26).
d. In the life of the believer He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps (Ephesians 1:13; Luke 24:49; John 16:13; Luke 12:12; Acts 20:23).
4. The Sinner
a. All men are sinners (Romans 3:10, 23), dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and in need of the Saviour.
b. Man in his natural state has no love for or interest in God. Far from seeking Him, the natural man tries to banish Him from His thoughts (Romans 3:11, 8:7).
c. He is blind to His excellency, deaf to His voice, defiant of His authority and unconcerned for His glory.
5. Salvation
a. Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
b. Salvation involves "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).
c. Salvation is not to be found in baptism, good works, church membership, or anything or anyone else outside of Jesus Christ.
d. Salvation is the instantaneous result of the new birth and is not a process (John 3:3-7).
e. Through salvation, as an individual is made a partaker of the new nature (2 Peter 1:4) and is given eternal life (John 3:16, 5:24; 1 John 5:13).
B. Their Character
1. Dangerous
a. Greediness
(1) The word "ravening" speaks of the greed by which most false prophets are driven.
(2) 2 Peter 2:3
(3) These "ravening wolves" consider their followers to be nothing more than merchandise.
(4) Matthew 23:25
b. Viciousness
(1) As "ravening wolves" these false prophets also have a very vicious nature about them.
(2) The natural tendency of a wolf is to feed on sheep. Because these false prophets have not become partakers of the new nature (2 Peter 1:4), they cannot carry on the pretense of being a sheep very long without their real nature being revealed (2 Peter 2:22).
(3) Many cult leaders have been known to exhibit very violent and vicious behavior.
2. Deceptive
a. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (Note verse 6)
b. These religious hucksters take advantage of the problems people have, and promise them quick and easy solutions. They sneak in and soon control people’s lives.
c. Before long, these leaders have grabbed their followers’ loyalty, money, and service. And their "converts" are worse off than they were before. They still have their problems, but they have been duped into thinking that all is well.
III. THE FATE THEY CAN EXPECT
A. Cut Down
1. 2 Timothy 3:9
2. At some point, the false prophet will be found out and cut down.
B. Cast Out
1. Jude 12-13
2. 2 Peter 2:12-17
