Beware of False Prophets :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: November 22, 2021 by RR7

Throughout Scripture, we read about false prophets. A true prophet is one who speaks the word of God and doesn’t sugar coat it, nor does a true prophet twist God’s truth.

Peter writes about false prophets and their heretical teachings. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring them upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 1:1-3).

False prophets are all around us, and they profit by promoting their lies. Their heresies are brought into congregations in the form of books promoting New Age lies, contemplative prayer, meditation, purpose-driven, and yoga, among other heresies. Scripture doesn’t promote any of these ideas, and Christians need to reject these teachings, as well as many other ideas that aren’t of God. You’ll find many false teachings on the mainstream news, and Christians need to run everything through Scripture. That is where truth is found. Peter says that these false prophets will reap the reward of their false teaching.

“And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots, they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:13-15).

Balaam sold his services to Balak, the king of Moab, in order to destroy Israel. Even a donkey was smarter than Balaam. “But was rebuked for his iniquity; the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:16). Read the full story in Numbers chapter 22.

God will always prevail; He worked through His prophet Elijah to destroy hundreds of prophets who were evil. “Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:19).

Jezebel was the very wicked and evil wife of King Ahab. She practiced paganism, and Baal was a god worshipped by the Phoenicians. Any prophet who speaks for a demon god cannot be trusted, including the false prophet, Mohammed. Their words are only meant for destruction. Elijah was a prophet of God Almighty, and through God’s power, the false prophets were utterly destroyed in a miraculous way. Elijah was outnumbered by the false prophets, so how did he prevail against them? Faith. He knew and trusted God. No matter how much it seems that you’re in a minority, if you have faith and only serve God Almighty, you will win the battle. If you believe everything you hear on MSNBC or CNN, you’re listening to false prophets who sell their services with no thought about God’s truth.

Jeremiah was another of God’s true prophets who dealt with the lies of false prophets. Why is it that people are willing to believe liars and fools? God told Jeremiah that the Southern Kingdom (Judah) would be taken captive by the Babylonians for 70 years. God’s people had disobeyed God by not allowing the land to rest every seventh year. It’s always a good idea to obey God. Because of their disobedience, God was going to remove them from the land to allow it to rest, and Jeremiah told the people this was going to happen.

God directed Jeremiah to make bonds and yokes, put them on himself, and also send them to the kings of Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, Tyrus, and Zidon. This was a warning that God would use a pagan king to do His bidding. Nebuchadnezzar had no idea that God Almighty was allowing him to conquer many nations, but he went about taking people hostage and destroying nations. The nations to which Jeremiah was to send the yokes were nations that listened to false prophets. God added a warning to the yokes.

“Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish” (Jeremiah 27:9-10).

When you listen to God and hearken to His word, you follow truth. Unfortunately, there are always false teachers who make it seem as if God is wrong. God is never wrong.

Nobody wants to hear doom and gloom. They may not honor or obey God but believe that God will wink and snicker at their disobedience and not allow anything bad to happen. God is fair. He warns us of what disobedience brings, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). He gives us Scripture to guide us in His truth.

Prophecy tells us what the future holds, but too many people, even Christians, choose to listen to the prophets of Baal and ignore God. Jeremiah had to deal with a false prophet, Hananiah, who thought he was smarter than God. His false teachings that contradicted God’s words prove he was a false prophet. Hananiah was bold in his actions. He went to the house of the LORD, and in front of the priests and the people, he contradicted Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70-year captivity. Hananiah said,

“Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 28:2-4).

There’s more than one lesson here. First, don’t take Scripture out of context. If you just read these verses, you could make the mistake of thinking Hananiah was speaking God’s words. Next, remember that not everyone who claims to have a message from God actually speaks God’s truth. Test everything under the lens of Scripture. Anything that contradicts God’s word is a lie. Jeremiah could have become angry at him, but he very wisely left it in God’s hands to reveal who was correct.

“Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; the prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him” (Jeremiah 28:6-9).

Instead of arguing, Jeremiah simply said to wait and see which prophecy was proven by time.

After Hananiah left, God directed Jeremiah to confront him. “Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; the LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou has taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month” (Jeremiah 28:15-17).

We need to be very careful who we listen to. Only God has truth. By not studying Scripture, you can easily be duped by a false prophet who speaks for a false god.

Jesus warned that the last days would be filled with deceit. Many will claim to be Christ but are imposters. There will be many reports of trouble. “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:5-7).

Have you heard reports of these things? I certainly have. It seems that pestilence and famine are news headlines, as COVID is blamed for everything from delayed shipments of products to bare grocery shelves. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to stand firm on your faith and don’t allow fear to guide your decisions.

Look to Scripture for true prophecy. Study it and understand what Daniel says about the end times, and don’t be afraid to study Revelation. I know it can be a little frightening to read of a Beast running the world and causing everyone to take his mark. Large portions of the population will die, and water will become contaminated. There’ll be a one-world government, one-world economy, and one-world religion. If you don’t worship the beast and take his mark, you won’t be able to buy or sell. Of course, if you take his mark, you cannot be redeemed and will spend eternity in the lake of fire. The good news is that those events will all happen after Christians are taken to Heaven in the Rapture.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

We’re getting very near to the end of days. Everything we see happening is paving the way for the Beast to step into power. Those who are left after the Rapture will face horrors we can only imagine in our worst nightmares. Christians will be in Heaven praising our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as we cast our crowns at His feet. We won’t face the wrath of God.

When the seven years of the Great Tribulation have passed, there’ll be a judgment by God. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

People like to speculate about the identity of the beast and the false prophet. Names like Obama, the Pope, Bill Gates, and others are mentioned. In truth, Christians will be in Heaven before the man of sin is revealed. The Apostle Paul wrote much about the Rapture.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Paul reassured the believers in Thessalonica that they would be Raptured before the “son of perdition” comes to power. First, there would be an apostasia, a falling away. The Greek word “apostasia” can mean a spiritual departure or a physical departure. The English word “apostasy” comes from this Greek word, and we use it to denote someone who isn’t walking in God’s truth. Paul may have chosen this word because it can mean either a physical departure or a spiritual departure.

Look around, and you can easily see that very few so-called Christians live their faith. How many pastors have now embraced homosexuality? How many of the brethren conform to the ways of the world instead of dying to self and standing firmly upon the word of God? Yes, there is a massive falling away from the faith. Possibly this weeds out the “in name only” Christians from those who have their feet firmly planted in Christ.

The Rapture (the physical departing of Christians) must happen before the wrath of God comes upon the whole world. Will you be one of us who are taken in the Rapture? Accept Jesus now to be sure. Turn your life over to Him and allow Him to guide your path. Put aside anger, pride, and any attitude that’s opposed to God’s word. Holding to any sin will bring tribulation into your soul. Not the seven-year tribulation described in Scripture, but conflict within your spirit.

Many false prophets are in the world today. They speak loudly and with seeming authority, but they don’t speak for the one true God. Study Scripture and allow Christ to mold you into a true follower of His truth. Then stand firmly against all false teachers and share God’s truth with others. Beware of false prophets.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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In the War Room of Prayer :: By Alice Johnson Childs

Published on: November 22, 2021 by RR7

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13, KJV).

As I was writing my second novel, the fictional Bible study/prayer group to which several of the main characters belonged called themselves the War Room. I loved the concept of that. It came to my mind based on a small Facebook Bible study and prayer group family to which it has been my honor to belong for many years. Our little group loves the doctrinal truths of the Word, and our members understand the power of prayer. Above all else, that little group is a praying group. It is our War Room.

According to Ephesians 6, we know and understand that spiritual warfare is real.

Genuine warfare is being waged in the spiritual realm, yet that eons-old conflict between Satan, the rebel insurrectionist who leads and directs the “principalities and powers of the air and spiritual wickedness in high places” against God and His holy angels, manifests and is being played out in the temporal realm. Nothing less than the eternal souls of mortal humanity hangs in the balance. During these final hours and minutes of the Dispensation of Grace – the Church Age, the intensity of this warfare is accelerating at an excruciating and almost unendurable pace.

Specifically targeted are we believers, our children, our nation, and our fellow persecuted brethren worldwide. All of us are in the direct line of fire of the Evil One with targets squarely on our backs, metaphorically speaking. We know from scripture that this warfare will grow stronger and more desperate the closer we get to the rapture of the Church and the subsequent Tribulation. Now is the time we must fight; however, we cannot fight this battle any other way except on the knees of our hearts.

We don’t have the option of not being in the battle. We’re in it whether we want to be or not. Every human being lost or saved is in this conflict.

The War Room is really nothing other than our prayer closet whether that is alone or amongst others – in your car as you drive to and from work or run errands, in your kitchen as you cook dinner, in your garage, in your bedroom as you prepare to sleep, or even online among dearly loved fellow believers whom we will not meet face to face until we meet in the air. Whether on Facebook or on every other social media platform where we spread the gospel and gather to virtually worship, share and pray with and for each other and the lost, is our War Room. Anywhere we “plug in through prayer” to the throne room of God becomes our War Room.

The battle is raging. Armor up, and let’s find our War Rooms and pray because this is war, and this war can only be fought on the knees of our hearts.

THE WAR ROOM IN ACTION: PRAYER

Oh, Father God, we cannot rest. The very fabric of this physical world and every civilization within it is crumbling beneath the weight of sin. Everything in every area of our global culture has become totally hostile and supremely wicked.

Lord, as humbly as we know how, we, Your people, come before Your throne of grace, pleading that You might be Merciful and intervene. We know, Father, that as bad as things are now, without Your restraining hand to set a boundary on evil, the depravity and wickedness that has already been unleashed upon this country – the evil that is engulfing the world – would be increased a thousandfold.

Lord, please, we ask that if You will, until You take Your Church home, please delay the complete destruction of this nation that the enemy has already set in motion. Even though we as a nation completely deserve destruction, nevertheless, for the sake of Your gospel and for the sake of those who will be left behind, we ask for mercy until You call for Your bride.

Father, our nation is in distress like never before in its history because now, unlike in the past, the majority of our people are God-haters who do not revere Your name. Lord, please protect us as well as all those who protect and serve us. Father, if it be Your will, expose and bring to light the wicked deeds and evil plans that have been brooded over and set into motion in darkness and wicked secrecy. Father, please shine the light of truth on every single person regardless of who they are or how powerful they may be, who are planning and perpetrating wickedness both in America and across the world.

Lord, bring to light the truth and expose those who are behind these acts of depravity and treason that are even now being perpetrated upon the American people and upon our country, and upon those who have dedicated their lives to protect us. We understand, Lord, that in truth, these acts of treason and rebellion are not directed against us, but against You and against Your holy name. Lord, please intervene and halt the planned bloodshed and destruction of this nation, if it be Your will. Please, Lord, we ask for You to intervene on behalf of Your people who are powerless without You.

Lord, if it be Your will, we ask that You would intervene and remove from power and position all those who have planned and who are perpetrating the evil that engulfs our nation, no matter who they are so that until You come to receive Your bride in the air, we may continue to have the freedom to cry aloud the gospel to the ends of the earth and to stand as watchmen on the walls, warning of the certain judgment that is to shortly come to pass. Lord, if it be Your will, grant us the continued freedom and the worldwide platform to do this for Your namesake, and allow our free access to the internet and the worldwide web to be able to carry out these things for as long as You desire.

Lord, please come to our aid and to the aid of those everywhere who stand for righteousness’ sake. Father, we plead with You to preserve and protect the freedoms that we still have left in America. Preserve us, oh Lord, so that we may continue to have the ability and availability to spread the gospel unrestrained and unrestricted to as many people across the world for as long as we are left here on this planet.

Father, the only refuge we have is You. The only hope we have is You. Outside of You, there is no Hope. We know this, Father, and we bow our hearts before You.

Merciful Lord, as you preserved Noah and his family through the judgment in the flood, as You in Your mercy delivered Lot and his family from Your wrath poured out upon Sodom and Gomorrah, we plead with You to come now and deliver Your people, Your Church – Your world-weary bride, from the destruction that is happening in our country and in other countries all across the world.

Father, we know that You will deliver Your Church from Your great wrath that is rapidly coming upon this God-hating world during the coming hour of Tribulation. We know that You will do this, for You have spoken it in Your Word. Thank You, Lord, that Your Church is not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. We rest in that blessed hope, Lord Jesus, and we long for Your soon return. Nevertheless, Father, what we are pleading for now is for You to deliver us from the wicked snares and schemes of the enemy of our souls – from every evil behind the destruction that is taking place within this land.

Lord, Your Bride worldwide is trapped and weary. In every country on this vile and wicked earth, our persecuted brethren are suffering horrendously, and those of us who are not suffering in our physical bodies are nevertheless suffering in our hearts and souls. Our spirits are bruised, torn, weary, and aching within us. We long to be freed from the evil that has enshrouded the corpse of this fallen world like a funeral pall. Lord, Your people are so tired of living in this vile and wicked place. Please hear our cry, oh Lord! Come, Almighty God, and deliver us!

Oh, Risen Lord, how we long for Your return! How our hearts buckle underneath the weight of evil that has engulfed our nation and the world!

Abba Father, it is with our deepest and most humble heartfelt gratitude for Your unbounding love for us that we acknowledge Your unfathomable mercy that You have extended towards us – that unsearchable mercy that called us to repentance and made a way for us who are nothing more than wretched sinners worthy of death, to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.

Lord, just as You were so gracious towards us, neither do we want to deny anyone else the opportunity to accept the grace that You have extended to them.

But, oh Father, how weary we are of the deliberate violence, the wanton evil, the vile and wretched celebration of everything wicked and profane that now permeates every single nation within this dying world. Merciful Father, we are so tired. Please come soon and avenge Your people and Your holy name! Lord Jesus, COME! Exact holy vengeance upon the wicked, and mete out true justice for Your holy namesake. Like our future brethren who will one day soon be martyred during the coming Tribulation – those whose souls will soon cry out from under the altar before Your throne in Heaven, “HOW LONG, OH LORD, FAITHFUL AND True?” – we too cry aloud HOW MUCH LONGER, LORD, BEFORE YOU COME FOR YOUR BRIDE?

Lord Jesus, Almighty God, as battle-weary as we are, as sick at heart as we are, as desperate as we are, nevertheless, we bow our hearts and our will to Your infinite wisdom and to Your great mercy that has called us out of darkness and into Your marvelous light. Oh Father, we know that our Lord Jesus Christ is our Advocate before Your throne. We know that Your Holy Spirit within us is constantly making intercession for us in groanings that cannot be uttered. Lord, we thank You for Your abiding presence that upholds us throughout every circumstance we face. We are grateful beyond our ability to express for Your faithfulness and for the truth that, indeed, Your grace is sufficient regardless of whatever horror we may face.

Father, uphold us with Your mighty omnipotent hand. Incline Your ear to the cries of Your people, and if it be Your will to do so, send our Deliverer to take us Home now, before this year, this month, this week, or this day is out.

This world hates You. It hates us too because we wear Your name. We do not belong here. We do not want or desire to have any part of this vile place. It is alien to us, and we are aliens in a hostile land, captives in enemy territory, ambassadors longing to go Home to a place we’ve never been before but for which our souls yearn and long to dwell.

Father, we know that You are beyond wrathful at seeing unborn babies butchered on the altars of narcissism; children abused in every manner possible; those whose little minds and hearts are being brainwashed and indoctrinated with every lie in Satan’s arsenal. In Your holiness, we know that You are past being fed up with seeing the minds and hearts of our children being perverted and their bodies being abused and ravaged. We know that You are past being angry with Your people Israel hated and hurt and Your land of Israel divided. We know that You are full of wrath at Your children being brutalized, hated, reviled, and killed for Your namesake. We know this because we know Your holy nature and character and because we know that You love Israel, who is the apple of Your eye, and Your Church, who is Your beloved bride.

We know that You hate sin, yet Your love is so great, Your mercies so tender, that You wrapped Yourself in human flesh. You died, were buried, and rose again victorious over Sin, Death, and Hell so that You might redeem fallen sinners who, outside of You, have no hope.

Oh, Father God, we are pleading with You now to bring in the last souls who will complete Your bride. Lord, please call them to repentance so that whoever and wherever the last souls are, they can respond to Your saving gospel of grace. We pray that You will draw these ones to You even now, even this very minute, so that your body may be completed. Lord, we long to be in Your presence, casting any crowns we may have earned at Your blessed, nail-scarred feet.

Help us, Lord! Carry us, Lord! Rescue us, Lord! It is in the mighty and matchless name of the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ and for Your eternal glory that we ask these things.

Amen and Amen

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