NOT LONG AFTER THE JEWISH EXILES ARRIVED IN BABYLON, some of their prophets began to declare that it would only be a short time before they would return to Israel. “Just two more years and you’ll be packing up your bags,” said these so-called prophets. However, when Jeremiah received his word from the Lord it included a repudiation of these deceivers and their message – “it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:9). Rather than spending only more two years in exile, the Lord declared through his prophet that only when seventy years had dawned would some return to their homeland. The living among this group would most likely never see the Promised Land again.
In every era God’s people have had to tune their ears to God’s voice above the noise of false prophets, political pundits, and others who have sought to influence in ways that are not in line with his Word. Today is no different. The Church in America faces several major threats from those who would use the power of their words to mislead. Some of the deceivers are deceived themselves; others are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Consider the following groups that are routinely leading many Christians astray:
Religious Deceivers
These “preachers” tell their listeners that God desires for them to be materially wealthy, that they can “speak things into existence,” and that they wouldn’t experience illness if they had enough faith. Sometimes these messages are more veiled; other times they are spoken boldly. These “preachers” are often found on Christian TV networks and write some of the bestselling Christian books. The Apostle John warned the churches of his day, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). We need to evaluate the words of preachers based upon how faithfully they align with God’s Word.
Cultural Deceivers
These deceivers tell their listeners that either God’s Word is not fully true or that when the Bible is “properly” applied to our context, certain traditional positions concerning marriage and sexuality, the atonement of Christ, or biblical authority are outdated. They view more conservative, orthodox Christians as intolerant and bigoted. When Christians are influenced by them, they fulfill what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own pas-sions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” These kinds of false prophets are often found on social media, write influential blogs, or lead podcasts.
Political Deceivers
Christians need to be sober-minded when listening to “Christian” political pundits on both the Right and the Left. These influencers often seek to persuade their Christian listeners that their party’s platform faithfully represents what Christian ethics should look like. If you listen to them long enough you may begin to espouse positions that are anti-immigrant or pro-abortion (neither of which are biblical), or you may become angry and jaded and lose your love for your neighbor who may not be a member of your political tribe. These individuals are often found on talk radio, television news programs, and the Internet.
So, how do we safeguard ourselves from these prophets and pundits? Three primary ways:
- Read and study God’s Word for yourself.
- Sit under the teaching of a church with formally trained pastors.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you wisdom to see the difference between truth and falsehood.
PRAYER
Father, you are the God of all truth. Jesus, you are the Truth. Holy Spirit, you desire to lead me into all truth. Open my eyes, clear my ears, tune my heart, and direct my mind to that which is of you. Grant me the wisdom to know the difference between that which sounds good and that which is good. Amen.
PONDER
- Why do you believe the Lord was so emphatic in his repudia-tion of the false prophets among the Babylonian exiles?
- Why did the Jewish exiles want to believe what the false prophets were saying? How are we often like them?
- Which of the deceivers listed above do you find yourself most prone to being influenced by? What do you need to do to tune them out?