“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14).
False prophets have always twisted God’s truth. God told Jeremiah that they try to make it look as if everything is fine and dandy (tickle ears), when in fact things are in a mess. It pops into my mind that this is much the way that it is within the Christian community. Pastors seem to allow more and more false doctrine to replace God’s truth. Instead of equipping saints to stand against the enemy, they are promoting Satan’s lies and deception. How many women pastors do you see? How does that line up with Scripture? It doesn’t.
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2).
This brings into question the Catholic view of forbidding priests to marry. If a bishop is to be the husband of one wife, then a bishop cannot be a woman. I guess if a lesbian was put in charge of a congregation, she might say she’s married to another woman, but that whole scenario is false teaching since Scripture confirms a marriage is between one man and one woman. Can you see how far this thinking is from sound teaching of Scripture? God hasn’t changed, and we must align our beliefs with His truth. Look to God, not to false prophets.
The Apostle Paul was very concerned that the men he put in charge of congregations didn’t water down their teaching or stray into false doctrine. When he wrote to the young pastor Timothy, Paul encouraged him to stand on God’s word.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
That time has come. Today, instead of the full word of God being preached from Genesis through Revelation, people want to hear that their sin is acceptable. By hopping through Scripture like a stone skipping across a pond, preachers only choose happy verses to teach on. The reasons behind Noah’s Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are ignored, and prophecy is avoided. This actually fulfills prophecy.
The final letter, which Jesus dictated to John in the Revelation, was to “the angel of the church of the Laodiceans.” It describes the church today. He described a lukewarm church filled with worldly riches but being far from God. Jesus isn’t welcome in Laodicea.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
Come out of this pitiful excuse for a church and invite Jesus into your heart and insist He be honored in your congregation. Look to God, not false teaching.
Prophecy is an important part of Scripture, yet too many preachers ignore it. Nearly 30% of Scripture is prophecy, so obviously God thinks it’s important. The study of prophecy can give much insight to the problems of today. People have questions about what’s happening in the world, and many are afraid. I know quite a few Christians who are very fearful, but many pastors seem to be more interested in teaching like the false prophets of Jeremiah’s time who spoke “… a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.”
Equipping the saints for battle is far from their hearts. Shallow preaching tickles ears and makes for a warm and fuzzy feeling, but doesn’t equip the congregation to be ready for spiritual battles, or to know that God holds the future so we need not fear.
Peter walked with Jesus and saw many miracles, but in spite of all he saw, he said prophecy was more certain. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
When we study prophecy and see that so many prophecies have been fulfilled, we can have confidence that the rest will be fulfilled. False prophets can only give false hope, but God gives eternal hope.
When you study prophecy, pray for understanding, and the Holy Spirit will help you. When prophecy isn’t taken seriously, it can mean the downfall of nations. One key to understanding Scripture is understanding that God loves His chosen people of Israel. God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation, but Abraham and his wife were very old and had no children. Still God had made it clear that there would be a great nation come from Abraham. Before Abraham could be used for God’s purpose, he had to leave the idol-worshipping community and family that he was part of.
God made him a promise: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).
God means what He said, and Israel is a blessing to all nations. I’m thankful that President Trump supports Israel.
Because Abraham and Sarah were very old, they couldn’t understand how God would accomplish this. Instead of believing God, they took it upon themselves to “help” Him. Abraham had a child with Sarah’s handmaid, but Ishmael was not the child that God promised them. To this day, much trouble has come from Ishmael, but Isaac was the child promised by God. Only studying Scripture will open your understanding.
Because God gave His prophets His word, and they shared it, we can see that many prophecies have been fulfilled. That means we can trust prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. They will be fulfilled just as God says.
Daniel was shown amazing things that were impossible for him to understand. He didn’t have the knowledge to understand, but he was faithful to write what he was told. The angel who presented him with the prophecy told him to seal the book until the end times.
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4).
Today, we can look back and see that parts of this prophecy have already come to pass, but some are still future. As our knowledge increases, so does our understanding. Daniel wanted to understand, but this prophecy was for the time of the end…our time. “And I heard, but I understood not, then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8-9).
If you have trouble understanding prophecy, take heart. The closer we get to the end of days, the more we are able to understand.
As we enter a new year, we can expect many people to make big predictions. Remember, God will never contradict Himself. If a “prophet” makes a big prediction (quite often on social media) that the Rapture will happen on a certain date, that’s a false prophet. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He began by warning about false prophets.
“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).
“False prophets” is from the Greek word “pseudoprophetes,” which describes a person who is acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet, but utters falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies. My strongest advice is to filter all new “prophetic words” through the lens of Scripture. God will never, I repeat never, contradict Himself. So, if a new prophecy comes along, that contradicts Scripture, disregard the new prophecy.
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:32-33).
If the Father didn’t tell Jesus when the end would be, why would He trust this information to a mere human? It’s wise to live each day as if Jesus will call us Home any minute. That way, you won’t be caught slacking in your Christian walk. By all means, watch and be ready. There are many signs that the Tribulation is in the near future. That means that the Rapture is even closer.
There are many false teachers who disregard the Rapture, claiming it is a recent belief. It isn’t. It goes way back to Enoch being taken prior to God’s judgment by Noah’s Flood. Christians will be taken Home prior to God’s judgment of the Tribulation. Don’t let false teachers confuse you.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
The Rapture is seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Please don’t send me a long dissertation about why the Rapture won’t happen. I have come to my conclusion from much study. If you disagree with me, then you have that right.
Jesus said that things would become very bad and that the Tribulation would be worse than anything that has happened before. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end, we need to read His answer in context. Jewish men asked their Jewish rabbi about the end. The answer was about a future event concerning Israel. The Christian church had not been born yet. The signs that Jesus described were signs leading to the Tribulation, not the Rapture.
The Rapture will be at least seven years before the Tribulation, so the signs are important to us. We look at them as indications that time is very short and the Rapture is very near. In order to understand this, study Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. Understanding the times in which we live requires a study of Biblical prophecy.
Today, prophecy buffs are excited about all that’s happening in the world. Earthquakes are becoming more frequent and of a larger magnitude, strange objects are entering our solar system, the sun is emitting strong magnetic flares, and much more.
“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. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).
Israel is under great threat from the surrounding nations. The evil world leaders who attack Israel are Satan’s servants. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; God won’t forsake them.
We also see Russia continuing the war with Ukraine, and the citizens of Iran are rising up to overthrow the evil leadership they’ve been under. These are the wars and rumors of war spoken of by Jesus. It’s all coming to a head, and even the secular world can feel that there’s something big coming.
The only way to prepare for the Tribulation is to repent of your sin and ask Jesus to forgive you. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are sincere in asking Him for forgiveness, you will be taken Home in the Rapture prior to the Tribulation. That is our blessed hope.
There will be many false prophets who make headline news. Don’t be deceived by false prophets, but look to God for answers.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).
