Pretending their word is God’s word

“Her prophets are reckless and treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary; They have done violence to the law [by pretending their word is God’s word]. – Zephaniah 3: verse 4

If you believe that you have the gift to be a prophet, then it is really important that you study what the Bible says about “prophecy”.  Your church should require a specific standard to guide the church about prophets, apostles and teachers.

Prophesying falsely is rampant in some churches.  We all should follow New Testament parameters based on the OT principles (Deuteronomy 18:15-22 and other OT passages) – along with our new covenant from Christ in this present “age of grace”.  There should be definite “removal” and “restoration” guidelines established for when prophets go awry.

Heinous sins in the OT days (Old Testament days) were dealt with harshly by the Law given by God to the Jews.  The sentence for prophecying falsely — was death.

²⁰ But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name, a word which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, ^[c]that prophet shall die.’ – Verse 20 of Deuteronomy 18:15-22.

But, even though we now are in an “age of grace” and we no longer stone sinners — the principle still stands.  True prophets of God do not blunder and falsely proclaim a word as being from God.

It is a serious mistake to falsely claim your words are God’s words.  God is against you who do this. (Deuteronomy 13:5; Ezekiel 13:8; Ezekiel 13:9; Luke 11:52; 1 John 4:5)  ¹

Any sin can be forgiven by God (except rejecting the Holy Spirit all your life).  And the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives (“sanctification”) helping us to learn how not to sin.

But we cannot merely say to church leaders who sin grievously: “Go and sin no more”, as Jesus said to the adulterous woman.  There should be clear leadership parameters for churches to follow when dealing with grievous sins committed by their pastor or other church leaders:

1. Should pastors in sexual immorality (adultery, sex outside of marriage, gross lust, porn addicts, child molesters, same-sex sex, etc) be removed from their ministry?
2. Should apostles and prophets, “the prophet …falsely claiming to speak for the Lord” — be removed from their ministry?

New Testament guidelines are very logical.

1. Would you hire a lifelong thief to be your new church treasurer?
2. When hiring for your children’s nursery, would you hire a babysitter who killed a child in her last babysitting job?

The logic is clear: No.  You would not.

We can forgive, but we must “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16  WEB).

God has completed all the revelations needed.  It’s all in the Bible.  Now He calls for pastors and Christian teachers to teach the Bible – straight up, not hidden inside a framework of lies.

What should churches do with wolves in sheep’s clothing?

• False prophets?
• Apostate pastors, worship leaders, and other leaders who say they have a word that “comes from the Lord”, but it is found to not be true? 

Bethel leaders in Redding, CA

The OT (Old Testament) is the basis for our NT standards.  We don’t use the sentence of death, but the Church should have definitive standards for what we do with false claims and with grievous, active sins of leaders.

Jesus did not condemn the adulterous woman caught in her sin, but He requires different standards for those who shepherd His sheep.  Instead of death by stoning, the church should remove Him from office, and remove that false prophet from the church.

Is your church guarded by biblical standards (or “is the fox guarding the henhouse”)?  The OT standard is very clear.

• OT: Those who are caught “future telling” falsely, claiming to speak a message from God but merely projecting their own thoughts, “falsely claiming to speak for the Lord”, supposedly “prophesying”: “that prophet shall die“.  

The NT standard should be very clear: That false prophet should at the very least be removed from office.

Moses said to Israel:
You may be asking yourselves,
“How can we tell
if a prophet’s message
really comes from the Lord?”
²² You will know,
because if the Lord says
something will happen,
it will happen.
And if it doesn’t,
you will know that
the prophet was falsely claiming
to speak for the Lord.
Don’t be afraid of any prophet
whose message
doesn’t come from the Lord.

– Deuteronomy 18:21-22
Contemporary English Version

How can any church purposely “look the other way”… when grievous habits of church leaders are discovered?

Matthew 18:16
But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (See Deuteronomy 19:15)

For further reading:
False Prophets, Delusion is absolutely irrational, stupid and foolish,  The Bethel Johnsons’ unbiblical teachings,  Deluding Activity of Error,  Post New Apostolic Reformation Reflections,  They in fact have seen nothing,  Getting down to God’s meaning.  A more extensive list is here.

Just Walk Away
If they exercise what they say is one of the gifts or the gift of prophecy – do you test that against Scripture?  Do you test their preaching and teaching and other words spoken “in the Spirit”?  We are warned to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) who studied Scriptures to verify if what they hear at church is really of God.

Don’t just “do church”.  Actually actively “be” the church – the Berean church.  After all, we come to church to worship the One and Only God, not to be told falsely that “God said to me”, or to be led away from God through false teachings and false prophecies.

It’s crazy how so many have tried in the past, and are still doing it – “re-interpreting” or discovering some “personal or special” interpretation (2 Peter 1:19-21),  attempting to legitimize a new creative way to have it their way.  If that is happening in your church – don’t believe it.  Just walk away. – Source:  Getting down to God’s meaning

It is our “job”, our responsibility, as followers of Christ – to use the Bible to ascertain what is of God and what are “the words of a puny human” (we are all “puny humans“).  Huge difference. I personally do not want to hear some puny opinions when I go to church.  I want to hear God’s “word of truth“:

“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.”  – 2 Timothy 2:15

So called prophets are so plainly prevalent in charismatic and Pentecostal churches.  Many are being called out lately because they so obviously prophesied falsely about President Trump winning in 2020 (he lost).  Among the many that falsely prophesy, saying “God has revealed to me”:

1. Bethel’s main “prophet” Kris Vallotton, and
2. Jeremiah Johnson of Jeremiah Johnson Ministries.

Many popular, supposed “prophets of God” have been found out with their very own publicized words that proved to be wrong. They are as guilty as a pedophile caught in bed with a 12 year old.  No question here.  See for example:

• Jeremiah Johnson suspends online ministry after inaccurately prophesying Trump 2nd term
• Jeremiah Johnson gets threats after Trump prophecy apology; slams some in prophetic movement
• Bethel’s Kris Vallotton says his apology for election prediction was premature, will wait

Examine your church practices  ²

You might want to start examining your church practices.  Are they “teaching the precepts of men as doctrines”?  We must take heed to the actual Word of God from verses like these:

‘They worship Me in vain [their worship is meaningless and worthless, a pretense], Teaching the precepts of men as doctrines [giving their traditions equal weight with the Scriptures].’  – Mark 7:7

“…no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of or comes from one’s own [personal or special] interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” – 2 Peter 1:20-21   Amplified Bible

Her prophets are reckless and treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary; They have done violence to the law [by pretending their word is God’s word]. – Zephaniah 3: verse 4

Pastors are not able to “know the mind of God” – any more than you or I.  How many times do we need to hear false prophecies before we say,

• “He is not hearing from God.”
• “Those are merely his own suppositions
• his own “imaginings”
• his own thinking.

We have been given warnings in both the OT and the New Testament, to beware of being misled by those who say they hear from God, but actually do not. Deuteronomy 13 shows us, for today, the seriousness of falsely claiming to speak God’s words.

We do not stone false prophets today, but we should realize the importance of these so-called prophecies and heed the instructions:

• “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and all your soul [your entire being].  – Deuteronomy 13:3
• “So you shall remove the evil from among you.” -Verse 5 of Deuteronomy 13.
• ‘They worship Me in vain [their worship is meaningless and worthless, a pretense], Teaching the precepts of men as doctrines [giving their traditions equal weight with the Scriptures].’  – Mark 7:7

Other religions are not of God
Other religions are not of God, obviously.  They conflict with Scripture.

Other religions deny Christ as Lord and Savior.  They are following the wayward ways of Lucifer, the Enemy of Christ.

The world is full of “the faithful”,
but to whom are they “faithful”?
Certainly not to Christ.

And, regarding false religions: I have seen where a Pastor’s sermon actually illustrated a biblical truth – with a Muslim teaching.  And another used a heretic’s teaching! How we love mysticism and exotic sayings of men.  (So you want your young people, with young and fragile minds — to go looking deeper into a persuasive mystic false teaching? Not wise at all.)

To whom are you faithful?  To God above?  Or to false teachings?

FOR MORE:

It’s crazy how so many have tried in the past, and are still doing it – “re-interpreting” or discovering some “personal or special” interpretation (2 Peter 1:19-21),  attempting to legitimize a new creative way to have it their way.  If that is happening in your church – don’t believe it.  It is our “job”, our responsibility, as followers of Christ – to use the Bible to ascertain what is of God and what are “the words of a puny human” (we are all “puny humans”).  Huge difference. I personally do not want to hear some puny opinions when I go to church.  I want to hear God’s “word of truth”.
____________

The Mystery of the Gospel has been revealed

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Christ Is Unchanging

Getting down to God’s meaning

The Bible is the standard for Christian thought and practice. Not me. Not you.

Your Thinking or God’s Word?

Is your light actually darkness?

Accepting Jesus – Plus Some Other  Excerpt:

“Do you acknowledge the dissidence between your “want-a-be” and your whatch-ya-be? The truth is you can’t have it both ways. Salvation in Christ is what it is. God has shared His Way with us.  It is not “whatever you make it to be”.  Salvation is not something you make up for your own convenience.  Are you saved by God?  Or are you hoping your own way will be good enough?”

God’s Think

The non-stop work of God inside you and me

A healthy soul

Wolves in sheep’s clothing …8 Bible results for “wolves” from the Amplified

The Bethel Johnson’s unbiblical teachings

Examples of false doctrines

Show me actual false teachings

About False Teachings of Today

Mark them which cause divisions …and avoid them

See: Shincheonji – a highly controlling pseudo-Christian cult | A WORLD Magazine article titled: Bait and switch | Excerpt: “Beware of this highly dangerous pseudo-Christian religious movement by founder Lee Mann-Hee. They typically pretend to be first-time members when bringing a new recruit to the Bible study, and regularly report to the study leader on their recruit’s questions, goals, and personal details. Sometimes study leaders use these details to deliver a “prophetic word” to the new recruit.” | See the WORLD article: Bait and switch |How a South Korean cult mimics sound doctrine to recruit believers | Elizabeth Russell | wng.org | TOP PIC: Illustration by Kevin McGivern | Post Date: September 12, 2024 Issue Date: October 1, 2024.

About Satan… a series on our Enemy

Concurring with the Devil

Satan the Deceiver

Enemies of our soul

Are you under a deluding influence?

Search this site for: false teachers

Isaiah 29:13-16    World English Bible

¹⁵ Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?” ¹⁶ You turn things upside down! Should the potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who made it, “He didn’t make me;” or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding?”

1. A Great Apostasy is predicted.  Whether it is belief in an idol like in the Old Testament, or belief in a false teaching of today, according to the Bible it is a delusion.  When a “delusion” is created:
   • people believe a lie (Psalm 62:9)
   • people’s customs and decrees are just mere exercises in futility (Jeremiah 10:3)
   • people are absolutely “irrational and stupid and foolish” because of their disciplined practice toward something (their “idol”) that is, in reality, simply “ridiculous, empty and worthless” (Jeremiah 10:8)
   • people “become stupid and brutelike, without knowledge [of God]” (Jeremiah 51:17-18)
   • their “goldsmith” – leaders who actually form the delusionary practice (Jeremiah 51:17-18)
     • are shamed by what they create
     • what they create is a total lie
     • what they create has no true life or spirit
     • what they create is “worthless (empty, false, futile)”,
     • what they create is “a work of delusion and worthy of derision“
   • (Jeremiah 51: verse 18) “In the time of their inspection and punishment they will perish.”  When the appointed time arrives for the delusion to be inspected and shown for what it really is – the punishment will be that they will perish – eternally.

   – Source:  Delusion is absolutely irrational, stupid and foolish.

2.   Posted by Xavier Owino 2/28/21 in the comments section here: https://www.christianpost.com/news/jeremiah-johnson-suspends-online-ministry.html

   “You know, even with this new announcement, Johnson creates more confusion. He got new directions from God? The same God he mistakenly got wrong prophecies from?

   Why should we believe him now, when he says anything in God’s name? And why didn’t God stop him from making the false prophesies in the first place, instead allowing him to make an embarrassing blunder before doing damage control?

   Even more confusng who should we believe between him and other prophets who have refused to back down because they also say God told them not to back down? Which unbeliever is going to take any of these 2 groups seriously, say alleluia and get saved?

   The only guys worth taking seriously are those who either prophesied a Biden win or stayed out of the whole prophesy business.

   And do we have any biblical example of a prophet who God sent as a true prophet but who later blunders and made a false prophecy? How can God reclaim his honor when he allows this to happen? And when he uses the same prophet all over again, how will he get people to accept that prophet’s word with given his bad record?

   “Is missing some prophecies really acceptable for God’s prophets? If so what’s the difference between God’s prophets and false ones? False prophets also do get some prophecies right.

   “In fact I think you and me can get some predictions correct if we make enough of them – does it make us God’s prophets? I think the reason God allowed these prophets to go ahead and humiliate themselves … is to warn that these were never his true prophets to begin with, even if they got some things right (like the Trump win of 2016). And in case of any doubt he made it resounding through loss of the WH, Senate and House and a string of 60 court cases.”

3. Google. precepts are: a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.