PROPHECY (continued) prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I w ill pour their wickedness upon them (Jeremiah 14:13-16). The prophecy of God was one of judgment against the sins of the people. This message of doom was intend ed to lead the people to forsake their evil ways and to turn to the Lord. The false prophets as emissaries of Sa tan, had given assurance of prosperity and peace, which could tend only to make the masses more indifferent to their sinning ways. False prophets always speak smooth things to cause their hearers to suppose that sin is a light thing. While they go about like peddlers, hawking their wares and making merchandise of the people’s sins, the true prophet of God is overcome with grief and he weeps at the very thought of Divine judgment (Jeremiah 14:17, 18). These verses in Jeremiah present a solemn picture of Christendom as we know it today. Ever since God insti tuted the prophetic office, Satan has had his false prophets. Our Lord, and His apostles after Him, warned repeatedly of the appearance of pseudo-prophets during the present age. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (M atthew 7:13). And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many (Matthew 24:11). For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24). The two warnings of Christ in Matthew twenty-four demand the most careful study. For our purpose here it will suffice to point out that the entire chapter, begin ning with verse four, is made up of predictive prophecy. Jesus is telling His disciples what will come to pass before He returns to establish His kingdom on earth. The very first words of His discourse are “ Take heed that no man deceive you” (v. 4). He uses the word “ deceive” no less than four times (w . 4,5, 11,24), and then He proceeds to tell them that this deception will be taught by “false prophets.” Satan, knowing well the value of prophecy, will deceive whom he can with lies about the future. As did the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day, he will ridicule those predictions of a dark and troublesome future, or else deceive men as to the time when these things shall come to pass, either by setting dates on the one hand, or else by having us look for the conversion of the world. The presence of false prophets in the world today should drive every Christian to a prayerful and careful study of the prophetic Scriptures, for “ if it were pos sible, they shall deceive the very elect” (v. 24). They are but forerunners of “ the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) who, after the rapture of the Church, will appear “ with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness . . .” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10) . Peter, stating the Divine origin of the prophetic office and of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19-21), then adds the follow ing: 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 deny ing the Lord that brought them and bring upon themselves sw ift destruction (2 Peter 2:1). Near the close of his First Epistle, the Apostle presents
the enemy as a “roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), outwardly persecuting believers. Here we see Satan working within the ranks. Satan’s “false prophets” and “false teachers” will come “ among you,” says Peter. The false prophets will profess to be one with us; that is, they will be pro fessing Christians within the broad scope of Christen dom. Jude says that “ there are certain men crept in unawares . . (Jude 4). Paul says that “grievous wolves [shall] enter in among you . . .” (Acts 20:29). The first verse in Second Peter, chapter two, begins with a reference to the false prophets among the people of God in Old Testament times. He especially mentions Balaam (v. 15), whose history is recorded in Numbers 22-24). Other such false prophets are described in First Kings 18 and 22 and Nehemiah 6:12-14. We have made mention of one passage in Jeremiah, but one finds fre quent references to false prophets. Concerning them God says: 1 have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: 1 have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied (Jer. 23:21). The following is possibly the saddest of all: A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will y e do in the end thereof? (Jeremiah 5:30, 31). How awful that even today this very condition prevails. Ministers of religion, posing as prophets of God, preach their world-betterment programs, and predict peace and prosperity while our leaders in government blindly accept this deception. These self-appointed prophets arise, not from any sense of a call from God, but “through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you . . .” (2 Peter 2:3). In view of these conditions, it would seem that every Christian would make a point of applying himself daily to a per sistent and purposeful study of Bible prophecy. The Apostle John added a most solemn warning dur ing the closing days of his life and ministry. Hear and heed him as he says, 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). Here again we are warned about “false prophets.” Those to whom John refers had at one time identified themselves with believers (1 John 2:18, 19), but now they prove that they received their called, not of God, but from the powers of darkness. And John says that they “ are gone out into the world,” that is, to the mass of humanity, the souls of which they seek to damn. ABOUT THIS MONTH'S AUTHOR
Dr. Strauss is pas tor of the Highland P a r k B a p t i s t Church, Highland Park, M i c h i g a n . His previous serv- i c e included 1 8 years as pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Br i s t o l , Pe nn . , and 10 years as instructor of the Philadelphia Bible College. Dr. Strauss was a l s o the author of last month's stimulat ing article in the King's Business.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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