[Note: The following is an excerpt from my chapter in the book, Deceivers: Exposing Evil Seducers & Their Last Days Deception, edited by Terry James. Order your copy on Amazon (Paperback and Kindle)].
Discernment
Because we live in an age of frantic spiritual deception by a ridiculous amount of foreteller-fabricators, Moses’ advice must be taken to heart. Israel’s Exodus leader in Deuteronomy 18:21-22 provided a test for how one can discern false prophets:
“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”
The prophetic profile for a true prophet of God can be described, as the Apostle Peter did, as “holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Their prophecies always come true 100% of the time, because the origin of their insights come from God Himself.
Beware of prophetic predictions that are considered open-dated, meaning prophecies that have no certain time frame in which to be fulfilled. And, beware of prophecies that can be self-fulfilling, for they are often not really prophecies at all. And, avoid prophecies that are dependent upon conditions. Only close-dated and unconditional biblical prophetic predictions should be unquestionably accepted.
A second test in discerning a false prophet was provided by the Apostle John (1 John 4:1-3). In order to test the spirits, so to speak, the prophet acknowledges that for Jesus Christ to have come from God, He must have first come in the flesh. A true follower of Jesus acknowledges that the Son of God came to earth as a man and in the flesh.
A virtual potpourri of additional tests abound which aid one in discerning false prophets:1
- The prophet cannot also speak in other names such as Allah or Maitreya or Vishnu, but only by the God of the Bible (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
- The prophet can never tell you that you can be saved by putting your faith in people other than Jesus, such as the Virgin Mary (Galatians 1:8).
- The prophet cannot live a sinful life, but must be committed to holiness (Jeremiah 23:14-15).
- The prophet’s followers are never motivated by worldly living, but produce spiritual fruit (Matthew 7:15-16,18; Galatians 5:22-23).
- The prophet ignores self-aggrandizing visions about personal trips back and forth to Heaven and Hell (Colossians 2:18).
- The prophet calls people out on their sins and pleads for repentance (Jeremiah 23:16-17).
- The prophet is never desirous for money (Jeremiah 8:10-11).
- The prophet never focuses on himself or the Antichrist or the sensational, but only on Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:10).
Abide by these tests of a false prophet, and you should never fall for the deceptions of the foreteller-fabricators.
Five Applications
We certainly are living in exciting times! When I was a kid, I thought these days were oh so boring. I dreamed of living during the medieval times where I could be a knight and ride my trusty steed. Or, I dreamed of living in the Wild West and becoming a cowboy, blazing my guns away at outlaws. Yes, I thought our modern days held little importance.
Then I started studying the Bible, and what a revelation to realize we are living during one of the most exciting times in all of human history! Maybe it’s more exciting than most want it to be, but in the end, it will all be worth it. Christians are living in a time when we are going to see our Savior snatch us up in the clouds and take us to Heaven. Then, seven or so years later, we will return with Jesus at His Second Coming and witness Him defeat evil and set up His Millennial Kingdom. How can there be a more exciting time than these days?
Knowing what we now know about Jesus’ Olivet Discourse teaching on the Sign of False Messiahs, how do we apply this lesson to our lives? Jesus tells us in Luke 21:34-36.
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
We could read Jesus’ first nine signs, shakily rub our hand across our forehead, and decide to go out and get drunk as the pagans do. We could decry how awful the world has become, as the apathetic do. Sure, the weight of this world’s trials and tribulations remain heavy. Living under devastating earthquakes, shocking social terrors, frightening signs in the sky, the horrible persecution of Christians has become standard living. These and many other end times signs are most burdensome to bear.
So, how then, can we live under these crushing end times signs? Jesus says to the effect, “Don’t worry. Instead, do these…”
1) Avoid Sinning
Don’t sin anymore! You, Christian, you were never meant to live a sinful life. Instead, we were meant to be Christ-followers and light-bearers. Stop whatever you are doing that is sinful. Whatever sins you are holding onto in life, they’re not worth it. They extinguish your light.
2) The King is Coming
Therefore, keep watch! Jesus commanded Christians to keep watch for His return. I have been to churches that couldn’t give a care that Jesus is coming back. And yet, Jesus commanded His followers to watch. He told us explicitly to keep our eyes watching for His return. That doesn’t mean that Christians stand outside staring up at the sky all day, but that our lives are lived in anticipation of our King’s return.
3) Pray to Escape Evil
We are living in terribly evil times. If you’re an American, praise the Lord that you are living in a country that has provided freedom to worship for over 200 years. But, we also are offered an endless array of temptations. Pray you will escape those snares.
4) Have Hope in the Rapture
The Apostle Paul told us that the Rapture would happen before the worst time of God’s wrath is poured out on the earth (Revelation 3:10). That should provide each and every one of us who knows the Lord as Savior a tremendous hope. We can embrace hope in the knowledge that Jesus Christ will return.
5) Stand Worthy
To be worthy of escaping God’s wrath, the Son of God requires us to accept Him as Savior. We are to give up our sin and turn to Jesus Christ in repentance. We’re to pray from our hearts, “Dear, Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, and be my Lord and Savior.” And, Jesus promises to do just that. He will save us from the Father’s judgment for our sins, He will save us from having to live on earth during the Tribulation by first catching us up in the Rapture, and He will save us from the just judgment of Hell. Jesus grants new life, a life filled with purpose and hope.
And so, avoid sinning. Keep watch for the return of Jesus Christ. Pray to escape evil. Hope for the Rapture. And, accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. You, too, are now equipped to resist the greedy deceptions of those doomed foreteller-fabricators.
Resource
Indoctrination disguised as education. The religion of climate change enshrined. Witchcraft and the occult made mainstream. Fake news. We live in a world where deception is rampant and true agendas are rarely revealed. Jesus foretold of this time as He answered His disciples’ question: What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Bible prophecy experts present analysis of today’s issues and events in Deceivers, revealing that Christ’s prophecy is literally unfolding before us today.
Order the book, Deceivers: Exposing Evil Seducers & Their Last Days Deception, edited by Terry James, on Amazon (Paperback and Kindle)]!
References
1. David R. Reagan, “The Danger of False Prophets,” (accessed August 2017), http://christinprophecy.org/articles/harold-camping/.
