Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: SMTF
Program Code: SMTF000008
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00:34 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:37 Our Father and our God, 00:39 what a joy it is to be in Your presence. 00:41 And we thank You, Father, for Your word, 00:45 because it's a sure guide in a world 00:48 that is totally confused. 00:51 We ask, Father, that as we open that word 00:54 today that Your Holy Spirit will be with us. 00:57 Give us divine thoughts for our human wisdom 01:01 is not able to grasp the great things from Your Holy Word. 01:05 So we place ourselves in Your hands. 01:08 And we thank You, Father, 01:09 for hearing and answering our prayer 01:10 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, 01:13 Your beloved Son. Amen. 01:18 In our study today, we are going to deal 01:21 with the biblical concept of false prophets. 01:27 And I would like to begin by reading a couple of texts 01:30 that we find in the chapter that we're studying in this series, 01:34 Matthew Chapter 24. 01:37 You see in Matthew 24, it is emphasized 01:40 that the false prophets played a very important role 01:44 before the destruction of Jerusalem 01:47 and they will play a significant role 01:50 shortly before the close of probation of planet earth. 01:55 Now I would like to read Matthew 24:9-11. 02:01 Matthew 24:9-11. 02:05 In this passage we find 02:06 the first reference to false prophets. 02:10 It says there, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation 02:15 and kill you, and you will be hated 02:18 by all nations for My name's sake. 02:22 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, 02:27 and will hate one another." 02:30 And here comes the key verse. 02:32 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." 02:39 So you notice here a reference to false prophets 02:42 who will deceive many. 02:46 The second reference to false prophets 02:48 in Matthew Chapter 24 is found in verse 24. 02:51 And this is a very significant verse. 02:55 It has several elements 02:56 that we're going to come back to later on in our study. 03:00 Matthew 24:24. It says there. 03:06 "For false christs and false prophets will rise." 03:12 And now I want you to notice this. 03:14 "False christs and false prophets and show," 03:17 what? "Great signs and wonders 03:22 to deceive, if possible, even the elect." 03:27 So I want you to remember that in Matthew 24:24 03:31 there is a reference to false prophets 03:33 and we're told that they will perform signs and wonders 03:39 with a purpose of deceiving, 03:41 if possible, even the very elect. 03:46 Now we need to ask the question, 03:48 what will these false prophets be like in the end time? 03:53 Well, in order to understand this, 03:56 we need to go back to the Mosaic Legislation. 04:00 In other words, we need to go back to the writings of Moses 04:03 where the ground rules are laid down 04:06 as to the identity of a false prophet. 04:10 Allow me to say first of all before we go to that passage 04:13 that these false prophets are not like Jean Dickson. 04:19 They are not secular false prophets that predict 04:22 who the Hollywood celebrities 04:24 are going to marry next, so to speak. 04:27 It's not--the false prophets are not the type of David Koresh. 04:32 You know, false prophets that are whackos. 04:35 Excuse the expression but I'm sure you'll understand 04:38 what I'm talking about. 04:40 This is a special type of false prophet 04:43 who arises within the church, 04:45 within the congregation of the Lord, 04:48 and has great power and deceives people 04:51 into thinking that he is speaking for the Lord. 04:56 So we're going to notice as we go to Deuteronomy 13:1-5 05:02 what Moses had to say about false prophets. 05:06 How to identify them and how they would act? 05:11 Deuteronomy Chapter 13 05:14 and I want to read verses 1 to 5. 05:16 This is foundational. 05:19 It says, "If there arises among you," 05:23 now I want you to underline that. 05:24 Where do the false prophets arise? 05:27 Among the Israelites. 05:28 In other words, they are Israelites 05:30 and they claim to belong to God's people. 05:34 "If there arises among you a prophet 05:38 or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a," what? 05:44 Did we just read that somewhere? 05:47 Yes, we did in Matthew 24:24. 05:50 That's why we have to go back to the Mosaic Legislation. 05:53 Notice, it says, "And he gives you a sign or a wonder, 05:58 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass," 06:03 now notice, "Of which he spoke to you, saying, 06:07 'Let us go after other gods' 06:12 which you have not known and let us serve them.'" 06:17 We begin to notice that the first characteristic 06:20 of a false prophet is that a false prophet 06:23 performs signs and wonders 06:25 and he encourages God's people to go after other Gods 06:29 and to serve them which means to worship them. 06:33 In other words, obey false gods and practice false worship. 06:39 Now notice what we find in verse 3. 06:42 "You shall not listen to the words of that prophet 06:46 or that dreamer of dreams, 06:48 for the Lord your God is testing you 06:50 to know whether you love the Lord." 06:52 Now there are several synonymous expressions here. 06:54 "Whether you love the Lord your God 06:57 with all your heart and with your soul." 07:00 And now notice verse 4. 07:02 "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him." 07:09 And then what does it say? And what? 07:12 "And keep His commandments." 07:15 Is there a similar expression to that in the Book of Revelation? 07:19 Most certainly. 07:20 "And keep His commandments and obey His voice, 07:25 and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him." 07:28 Do you notice all the synonymous expressions that we have here? 07:32 Walk after the Lord, fear Him, keep His commandments, 07:36 obey His voice, serve Him, hold fast to Him. 07:40 Notice, verse 5, 07:42 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams 07:45 shall be put to death," very severe punishment. 07:49 "Because he has spoken in order," 07:52 now notice the reason, 07:54 "To turn you away from the Lord your God, 07:58 who brought you out of the land of Egypt 08:01 and redeemed you from the house of bondage, 08:04 to entice you from the way in which 08:07 the Lord your God commanded you to walk. 08:10 So you shall put away the evil from your midst." 08:16 Do you begin to discern 08:18 what the characteristics of a false prophet 08:21 are in the Mosaic Legislation 08:24 which is foundational to all of the rest of the Bible? 08:28 The false prophet leads God's people 08:31 because he rises among God's people. 08:33 He leads God's people to practice false worship 08:38 and to disobey the commandments of the Lord 08:42 and to turn away from the path 08:46 that God has established 08:48 and commanded His people to walk. 08:51 And yet they claim to be true prophets. 08:55 And we're gonna notice 08:56 that they claim to speak in the name of the Lord. 09:01 Now every false prophet 09:03 that rises after this is going to be defined 09:06 and is going to be established by what we find 09:11 here in this foundational passage 09:14 of Deuteronomy 13:1-5. 09:19 Now before we read several verses from the Old Testament 09:23 that illustrate what Moses spoke about. 09:26 We need first of all to speak 09:28 about the role of a true prophet in Scripture. 09:32 Prophets, folks, were not innovators. 09:38 Prophets were restorers. 09:40 In other words, it's--if Israel had not gone out of the way 09:44 in the service of God, 09:46 God would have never raised up prophets. 09:48 Because the purpose of the prophets 09:50 was to bring God's people back to the old landmarks. 09:54 When God's people started disobeying the Lord 09:57 and they started worshiping other gods, 09:59 God raised up prophets to call them 10:02 back to the straight and narrow. 10:04 In other words, prophets were not raised up 10:06 to bring new truth. 10:08 Prophets were raised up to bring God's people 10:11 back to the old truth that truths 10:15 that they had forgotten and that they were disobeying. 10:20 You know, the prime example of this would be Elijah. 10:23 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children 10:26 and the children to the fathers. 10:27 He will turn the children of Israel 10:29 back to the Lord their God. 10:32 Is the story that the Bible gives about the Prophet Elijah. 10:36 Now let's read Jeremiah 35 verses 15 and 16 10:41 on what the role of the true prophet was in biblical times. 10:48 Jeremiah 35:15-16. 10:54 Here God is speaking and He says this. 10:57 "I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, 11:02 rising up early and sending them, saying, 11:06 'Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, 11:13 and do not go after other Gods to serve them, 11:18 then you will dwell in the land 11:20 which I have given you and your fathers. 11:22 But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me.'" 11:28 What are the true prophets doing in these two verses? 11:32 Notice once again. 11:33 They are calling God's people to turn 11:36 from their evil ways to amend their doings, 11:40 to not go after other Gods to serve them, 11:44 in other words, to return to their obedience 11:47 and to their worship of the true God. 11:52 Now let's examine a few other passages in the Old Testament 11:55 that speak about what the false prophets do. 12:00 By the way, there were many 12:02 false prophets that arose between 12:04 when the Romans first laid seize to Jerusalem 12:08 and when Jerusalem was actually finally destroyed. 12:12 In fact, those prophets, as we've studied, 12:14 were telling the people, "peace, peace." 12:16 You know, you can still remain in this obedience to the Lord. 12:19 Of course, they didn't say it that way, 12:21 but that's what they were actually teaching 12:24 and there is still gonna be peace 12:25 and God is still going to deliver this city. 12:30 In fact, we're going to notice 12:32 as we look at the false prophet in the Old Testament 12:36 that the false prophets do exactly 12:39 the opposite of the true prophets. 12:41 They lead God's people astray from God's law 12:46 and they encourage God's people to practice false worship. 12:50 I want you to remember those two prime characteristics. 12:53 They lead God's people astray from keeping God's law 12:58 and in the second place 12:59 they lead God's people into false worship. 13:03 Now one interesting detail about false prophets 13:06 according to Isaiah 28:7 13:09 is that the false prophets were drinking wine 13:12 and therefore they were not able to tell God's people 13:17 how to return to the Lord. 13:19 In fact, they directed God's people 13:21 to go astray from the Lord. 13:23 Notice Isaiah 28:7. 13:27 It says there, "But they also have erred through wine, 13:32 and through intoxicating drink are out of the way. 13:37 The priest and the prophet 13:39 have erred through intoxicating drink, 13:43 they are swallowed up by wine, 13:47 they are out of the way through intoxicating drink, 13:51 they err in vision, they stumble in judgment." 13:56 So what were the false prophets doing? 13:57 They were drinking what? 13:59 They were drinking wine 14:00 and as a result they were not able 14:03 to distinguish between righteousness and evil. 14:08 In fact, they stumbled in judgment 14:10 and they erred in their visions. 14:13 Let me ask you, in the end time, 14:15 will wine be a very 14:17 severe problem in Christendom? Absolutely. 14:21 In Revelation Chapter 17, 14:24 we find a great harlot 14:26 who actually gives wine to the nations 14:29 which are her false teachings 14:31 and as a result she leads God's people astray 14:35 from keeping God's law and leads them into false worship. 14:40 Now notice Jeremiah 6:13-15. 14:44 You're going to notice that I'm going to read 14:46 mostly statements from Jeremiah now 14:48 and the reason is very simple. 14:50 Jeremiah lived right before 14:53 the first destruction of Jerusalem. 14:56 And more than any other prophet, 14:58 he speaks about the false prophets 15:00 that led up to the destruction 15:03 of the first city of Jerusalem in the year 586. 15:06 So if we know what characterized those false prophets 15:11 before the first destruction of Jerusalem, 15:13 we're going to know 15:14 also what characterized these false prophets 15:16 in the second destruction of Jerusalem, 15:18 and what will characterize these 15:21 false prophets at the end of time. 15:24 Jeremiah 6:13-15 tells us 15:28 that false prophets practice covetousness. 15:33 They cry out, "Peace, peace." 15:36 And they teach God's people 15:38 to practice the abominations of the nations. 15:41 Let's read that passage. 15:44 "Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, 15:49 everyone is given to covetousness. 15:54 And from the prophet even to the priest, 15:57 everyone deals falsely." 16:00 And it's speaking here about economic business transactions. 16:05 Notice verse 14. 16:07 "They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, 16:12 saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace. 16:18 Were they ashamed when they had committed?" 16:20 Now notice this, "Abomination? No! 16:24 They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. 16:29 Therefore they shall fall among those who fall, 16:33 at the time I punish them, 16:35 they shall be cast down, says the Lord." 16:39 So we notice several characteristics 16:40 about false prophets here. 16:42 Number one, they are covetous 16:44 and they are deceitful in their business transactions. 16:49 We notice also that instead of telling the people 16:52 a great calamity is coming, 16:53 you need to prepare and return to your God, 16:56 they preach, "Peace, peace." 16:59 And they actually practice and encouraged God's people 17:03 to practice the abominations of the nations. 17:06 And by the way, Ezekiel Chapter 8 tells us 17:09 that the worst abomination that was being committed 17:12 inside the city of Jerusalem, specifically in the temple, 17:16 was that the leading men of the nation 17:20 had their backs to the temple of God 17:22 and they were worshiping the sun. 17:25 Notice Jeremiah 23:17. Jeremiah 23:17. 17:31 Once again they cried out, "Peace, peace." 17:33 It says there, "They continually say to those who despise me. 17:39 The he Lord has said, 'You shall have peace.' 17:43 And to for everyone who walks 17:45 according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 17:48 'No evil shall come upon you.'" 17:52 You know, it makes me think about those preachers today 17:56 that are people pleasers. 17:58 You know, they stand up and they tell people, 17:59 "It's all right. You're okay. 18:01 You know, God will understand." 18:03 And they try to meet peoples felt wants. 18:07 I'm not talking about felt needs, now. 18:09 They want to meet people's felt wants. 18:12 And yet those people despise the Lord 18:15 by the way in which they live. 18:18 And so you'll find here that the false prophets say, 18:21 "You shall have peace. 18:23 And you can walk according to the dictates of your own heart. 18:27 And no evil will come upon you." 18:31 Another interesting thing about these false prophets 18:33 is that they spoke in the Lord's name. 18:36 That means that they arose among God's people 18:38 and they claimed to be spokesman for God. 18:42 Notice Jeremiah 14:13-16. 18:46 Jeremiah 14:13-16. 18:51 Jeremiah has a lot to say about false prophets. 18:56 "Then I said, 'Ah, Lord God! 19:01 Behold, the prophets say to them, 19:03 'You shall not see the sword, now shall you have famine, 19:07 but I will give you assured peace in this place.'' 19:12 And the Lord said to me, 'The prophets prophesy lies,'" 19:16 notice this, "In my name. 19:20 I have not sent them, commanded them, 19:23 nor spoken to them, 19:25 they prophesy to you a false vision, 19:27 divination, a worthless thing, 19:30 and the deceit of their heart. 19:32 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets," 19:36 now notice again, "Who prophesy in My name, 19:39 whom I did not send, and who say, 19:42 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land. 19:46 By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! 19:50 And the people to whom they prophesy 19:52 shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem 19:55 because of the famine and the sword, 19:57 they will have no one to bury them 19:59 -them nor their wives, 20:01 nor their sons nor their daughters 20:03 -for I will pour their wickedness on them.'" 20:08 Notice that in this passage the false prophets 20:10 claim to speak in the name of the Lord. 20:13 They prophesy in the Lord's name. 20:16 This means that these are not secular prophets 20:18 that predict all kinds of curiosities. 20:21 These are religious prophets who tell the people 20:24 that God is gonna preserve their nation 20:28 that they are not gonna be destroyed 20:29 that they can follow the deceitfulness of their hearts 20:32 and God will still be with them. 20:36 Notice Jeremiah 27:9-10. 20:39 Once again Jeremiah emphasizes 20:41 that the false prophets speak in the Lord's name. 20:44 Jeremiah 27:9-10 and then we'll jump down to verses 14 and 15. 20:50 "Therefore do not listen to your prophets, 20:54 your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, 20:58 or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, 21:02 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.' 21:04 For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you from your land, 21:10 and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 21:13 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets 21:16 who speak to you, saying, 21:17 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' 21:20 for they prophesy a lie to you, 21:23 for I have not sent them,' says the Lord, 21:26 'Yet they prophesy,'" and now notice this, 21:28 "Yet they prophesy a lie in My name, 21:34 that I may drive you out, 21:35 and that you may perish, you and the prophets 21:39 who prophesy to you." 21:42 In fact, the false prophets 21:44 actually strengthened the evildoers. 21:48 Notice Jeremiah 23:14. 21:51 Jeremiah 23:14. 21:56 "Also I have seen a horrible thing 21:59 in the prophets of Jerusalem. 22:01 They commit adultery and walk in lies," 22:06 and now notice this, 22:08 "They strengthen the hands of the evildoers, 22:13 so that no one turns back from his wickedness. 22:17 All of them are like Sodom to Me, 22:20 and her inhabitants like Gomorrah." 22:24 What did the false prophets do? 22:26 They strengthened the people in their what? 22:29 In their wickedness. 22:31 They did not turn God's people back to the Lord. 22:36 Now notice a passage that speaks about 22:39 what the true prophet did. 22:41 Jeremiah Chapter 23:20-22. 22:45 Jeremiah 23:20-22. 22:51 It says there, "The anger of the Lord 22:53 will not turn back until 22:56 He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. 23:00 In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. 23:04 'I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. 23:08 I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied,'" 23:12 now notice this, "But if they had stood in My counsel, 23:17 and caused My people to hear My words, 23:21 then they would have turned them from their evil way, 23:26 from the evil of their doings." 23:29 What do true prophets do? 23:31 They turn God's people back from their evil ways. 23:36 What do the false prophets do? 23:38 They confirm the people in their wickedness 23:41 and they actually say, "Peace, peace. 23:45 Destruction will not come upon us. 23:48 Everything is okay." 23:50 Notice Jeremiah 23:14. 23:54 Jeremiah 23:14. 23:58 "Also I have seen a horrible thing 24:03 in the prophets of Jerusalem. 24:05 They commit adultery and walk in lies, 24:08 they also strengthen the hands of evildoers 24:11 and no one turns back from his wickedness. 24:14 All of them are like Sodom to Me, 24:17 and her inhabitants like Gomorrah." 24:21 Now notice also Jeremiah 26:4-6. 24:28 Jeremiah 26:4-6. 24:33 The false prophets also tell God's people 24:35 that they don't have to keep God's law. 24:37 They turn God's people away from the law. 24:40 Jeremiah 26:4. 24:42 "And you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord, 24:46 'If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law,'' 24:50 notice, "To walk in My law which I have set before you, 24:55 to heed the words of My servants 24:57 the prophets whom I sent to you, 25:00 both rising up early and sending them 25:03 but you have not heeded, 25:05 then I will make this house like Shiloh, 25:07 and will make this city a curse 25:09 to all the nations of the earth." 25:12 So the true prophet leads God's people 25:15 to walk in the law as it says there, 25:17 "The false prophets lead God's people astray from His law." 25:23 Notice Jeremiah 28:15-17. 25:27 Jeremiah 28:15-17. 25:30 This theme comes through time and again, 25:33 the false prophets claim to speak in the name of the Lord 25:36 and yet in reality they teach God's people 25:40 to go astray from the law and they teach God's people 25:43 to practice false worship. 25:46 Notice Jeremiah 28:15. 25:49 "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 25:54 'Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, 25:58 but you make this people trust in a lie. 26:02 Therefore thus says the Lord, 26:04 'Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. 26:08 This year you shall die,''' 26:11 now notice this, "'Because you have taught,' 26:14 what? "'Rebellion against the Lord.' 26:18 So Hananiah the prophet died 26:20 that same year in the seventh month." 26:23 Are you starting to catch a picture 26:25 of what characterizes the false prophets? 26:28 You know, the prime characteristics 26:32 of these false prophets is not that they utter a prophecies 26:36 that are not fulfilled. 26:38 Although, that's true also because they say, 26:40 "peace, peace" when there is no peace. 26:42 They say that God's people 26:43 are not going to be taken to Babylon 26:45 and they were taken to Babylon. 26:47 But the primary characteristic of these false prophets 26:50 is that instead of rebuking wickedness, 26:54 instead of rebuking the transgression of the law, 26:58 instead of getting God's people to turn back to the Lord, 27:02 they do just the opposite. 27:04 They lead God's people astray from the Lord, 27:07 astray from His law, 27:08 and they lead them to practice false worship. 27:13 Now let's notice a text that we find in Ezekiel. 27:16 Ezekiel 22:25-26 and I have included this 27:21 because Ezekiel also lived shortly before 27:24 the first destruction of Jerusalem. 27:26 So he would know what he's talking about. 27:28 Ezekiel 22:25-26 and there are several characteristics 27:33 here about the false prophets. 27:37 It says there, "The conspiracy of her prophets 27:42 in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey. 27:48 They have devoured My people. 27:51 They have taken treasure and precious things. 27:55 They have made many widows in her midst." Let me ask you. 27:59 Are they covetous according to this? 28:02 Do they ransack the treasury of God's people? 28:06 Yes, in fact, it says 28:08 that they have made many widows in her midst. 28:11 Why? Why do they do that? 28:12 Because they have taken treasure and precious things. 28:15 In other words, they are in it for the what? 28:17 They are in it for the money. 28:19 Notice verse 26. 28:21 "Her priests have violated My law 28:25 and profaned My holy things." 28:28 And now notice, "They have not distinguished 28:32 between the holy and unholy, 28:35 nor have they made known the difference 28:38 between the unclean and the clean, 28:40 and they have hidden their eyes from My," what? 28:43 "From My Sabbaths, 28:44 so that I am profaned among them." 28:48 No distinction between the holy and the common. 28:52 Trampling, according to this, upon God's holy Sabbath. 28:56 Trampling upon God's law 28:59 filled with covetousness and a desire for material goods 29:04 in their ministration or in their work. 29:08 Notice Daniel 9:10. Daniel 9:10. 29:13 Once again it's emphasized that the false prophets 29:16 turn God's people away from God's law. 29:21 It says there, Daniel is praying, 29:24 "We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, 29:28 to walk in His," what? 29:30 "To walk in His laws, which He set before us 29:34 by His servants the prophets." 29:37 Once again the emphasis of walking in God's laws. 29:42 Let's notice another text, Zechariah 7:12-13. 29:46 This is taking place after the Babylonian captivity. 29:50 Zechariah 7:12-13, speaking about the experience 29:55 of Israel before the captivity. 29:58 "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, 30:02 refusing to hear," what? 30:06 "The law and the words which the Lord of hosts 30:10 had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. 30:14 Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts." 30:18 So once again the idea is refusing to hear the law 30:22 and the words which the Lord had spoken. 30:26 Now you might say, "Well, then the destruction 30:28 of Jerusalem was due to the leaders. 30:31 You know, because they taught false worship, 30:33 they taught God's people to go astray from the law. 30:36 They didn't distinguish between the holy and the common. 30:39 They trampled upon God's Holy Sabbaths. 30:41 So the fault rests with the leaders." 30:43 Well, the fact is that Jeremiah says 30:46 that the fault actually rested with the people. 30:49 Notice what Jeremiah has to say in Chapter 5:31. 30:54 Jeremiah Chapter 5:31. 30:59 "The prophets prophesy falsely, 31:04 and the priests rule by their own power." 31:09 And now notice. "And My people," what? 31:13 "Love to have it so. 31:15 But what will you do in the end?" 31:20 Isn't that a telling verse? 31:22 "My people love to have it so." 31:26 They love the prophets to tell them 31:28 what they want to hear. 31:29 And so God says, don't tell me that the leaders are to blame, 31:33 because you are to blame. 31:35 Because you gathered these leaders 31:37 to tell you what you wanted to hear from them. 31:42 Now we need to go to the New Testament. 31:44 Is this picture clear 31:45 about the false prophets in the Old Testament? 31:47 You know, we could have read 31:48 many other statements from the Old Testament. 31:50 They are all based on the legislation of Moses. 31:53 Do you remember Deuteronomy Chapter 13:1-5? 31:56 There is the key. 31:58 Everything that comes after that 31:59 is a development of Deuteronomy Chapter 13. 32:02 And the two basic ideas there in Deuteronomy 13 were, 32:06 number 1, that the false prophet does signs and wonders 32:10 to lead God's people away from the Commandments of Lord, 32:15 away from the law of the Lord and they lead God's people 32:19 to serve and to worship false gods. 32:23 That is basic to the legislation which was given by Moses. 32:28 Now we must remember that the New Testament 32:30 is a continuation of the Old Testament. 32:33 So we not--we're not going to find in the New Testament 32:36 a brand new definition of what a false prophet is 32:40 because false prophets in the New Testament 32:42 have the same characteristics 32:44 that the false prophets had in the Old Testament. 32:48 Go with me to a very interesting passage 32:50 that we find in Matthew Chapter 7, 32:53 we'll read verses 15 and 16 32:55 and then we'll jump down to verses 21 to 23. 32:59 Matthew Chapter 7:15-16 and also verses 21-23. 33:05 Notice what Jesus had to say. 33:08 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you," in what? 33:16 "Sheep's clothing," so did they look like sheep outside? 33:21 Yes they do, remember that. 33:22 By the way what does a sheep 33:24 or what does a lamb represent in Scripture? 33:27 Represents Jesus. Thank you, very much. 33:28 So that they claim to speak for Jesus? 33:31 Oh, yes they do, we're gonna notice that. 33:33 "Beware of false prophets, 33:34 who come to you in sheep's clothing, 33:36 but inwardly they are," what? "Ravenous wolves." 33:39 Have you ever read in Revelation, 33:41 a beast that comes up out of the earth 33:43 and it has two horns like a lamb but it speaks like a dragon? 33:47 Here we have false prophets 33:49 that are clothed in sheep's clothing 33:52 but inside they are what? Ravenous wolves. 33:54 In other words their profession 33:57 and what they really are are contradictory. 34:00 Now notice what it continuous saying in verse 16. 34:04 "You will know them by their," what? 34:06 "By their fruits." 34:08 Now let's jump down to verse 21. 34:10 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord.'" 34:15 Do these false prophets claim to speak in the name of Jesus? 34:19 Yes. 34:20 "Not everyone who says to Me, 34:22 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, 34:25 but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 34:29 Many will say to Me in that day, 34:32 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name.'" 34:37 Did we find that in the Old Testament? 34:39 We certainly did. 34:40 "'Cast out demons in Your name, 34:43 and done many wonders in Your name?'" 34:46 Did false prophets in the Old Testament 34:48 also do signs and wonders? 34:50 Did they claim to speak in the name of the Lord? Yes. 34:53 Are they identified as false prophets? 34:55 Yes, they are. Now notice verse 23. 34:59 "Then I will declare to them, 35:01 I never knew you, depart from Me, 35:04 you who practice lawlessness!" 35:09 Now isn't that interesting? 35:11 What characterizes the false prophets? 35:14 They practice what? Lawlessness. 35:18 Is that related to what we studied 35:19 about the false prophets in the Old Testament? 35:22 They teach God's people to what? 35:24 To go astray from the law of God. 35:28 Now let's go to Matthew 24:11-13. 35:31 And I want you to notice a very interesting word here. 35:34 Matthew 24 and verses-- 35:37 actually we'll read verses 11 and 12. 35:41 It says here, "Then many false prophets 35:44 will rise up and deceive many. 35:49 And because," what? 35:51 "Lawlessness will abound, 35:54 the love of many will grow cold." 35:59 Is there a link here between false prophets deceiving many 36:03 and the abundance of lawlessness 36:05 that arises in society? Absolutely. 36:09 You see the religious leaders today 36:11 they cry out and they say, 36:12 "We need to moralize the United States, 36:15 we need to return to God's law." 36:17 But where do they go to change people? 36:19 They go to Capitol Hill. 36:21 But Capitol Hill can't change the hearts of people. 36:24 You see, for obedience to be acceptable to God 36:28 it has to come from inside. 36:29 It cannot be imposed from outside. 36:33 And so as a result of not doing the work from within 36:37 so that righteousness can come out 36:40 society gets worse and worse and worse. 36:44 Lawlessness abounds according to this. 36:47 Now notice Matthew Chapter 24:24. 36:51 Matthew 24:24. 36:53 We not only notice that these false prophets, 36:56 by what they teach, cause lawlessness in society 37:00 but we also notice that these false prophets will perform 37:03 signs and wonders just like we read in Deuteronomy Chapter 13. 37:07 It says there, "For false christs 37:09 and false prophets will rise 37:12 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 37:17 if possible," whom? "Even the elect." 37:21 By the way, do the prophets in the New Testament 37:24 also want to please people? 37:27 Notice what Jesus had to say in Luke Chapter 6:26. 37:31 Luke Chapter 6:26. 37:35 Jesus had a dire warning here. 37:37 He said, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, 37:45 for so did their fathers," to whom? 37:49 "To the false prophets." 37:52 You know, ministers have not been called 37:54 to win a popularity contest. 37:57 They've been raised up by God to speak the truth. 38:01 Have you ever found a prophet in scripture 38:03 that the people loved? 38:05 You know, I don't know of one prophet in the Bible 38:08 that the people actually loved 38:10 when God sent that prophet to the people. 38:12 Do you know why the people did not love the true prophet? 38:16 Because the true prophet was a meddler. 38:18 The true prophet stepped on toes. 38:21 The true prophet ruffled feathers. 38:24 In other words, the prophet-- 38:25 the true prophet told people what they didn't want to hear. 38:29 As the apostle Paul says, "Then in the last days 38:32 people will pile up teachers who will teach them 38:35 what they want to hear. 38:36 And they will turn away their ear from the truth 38:40 and they will be turned on to fables." 38:42 The apostle Paul speaks 38:43 about these false prophets in the end time. 38:47 Now I want us to go to Revelation Chapter 13 38:51 and notice something very interesting 38:53 here in Revelation Chapter 13:11. 38:58 Revelation Chapter 13:11. 39:02 This is speaking about a second beast. 39:06 You know, there are two beasts 39:07 in Revelation Chapter-- actually Chapter 13. 39:11 There are two beasts in Chapter 13. 39:13 The first beast comes up from where? 39:16 Comes up from the sea. 39:18 The second beast comes up from the earth. 39:22 And the second beast actually helps the first beast 39:26 to get its power back. 39:27 Have you noticed that? 39:28 Now let's talk a little bit about this second beast. 39:33 It says, "I saw another beast rise," 39:35 out of the what? "Out of the earth. 39:38 And he had two horns like a lamb and yet he spoke as a," what? 39:44 "He spoke as a dragon." 39:47 Now hold that for a moment. 39:49 And I want you to notice 39:52 what this second beast is called. 39:54 This second beast has a special name. 39:56 In Revelation 16:13. 40:00 Here John inspired by the Holy Spirit. 40:03 It says, "I saw three evil spirits 40:07 like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 40:12 out of the mouth of the beast, 40:13 and out of the mouth of the," what? "Of the false prophet." 40:17 So what is this second beast called? 40:20 This second beast is called the false prophet. 40:25 Now do you suppose that there might be any relationship 40:27 between this end time false prophet 40:29 and the false prophets that we studied about 40:32 in the Old Testament and in the New Testament? 40:35 Absolutely. 40:37 Now I want to for a few moments about the two horns like a lamb. 40:42 Do you know the word lamb is used 40:43 29 times in the Book of Revelation? 40:46 28 of those times it applies to Jesus. 40:51 In this one case it applies to this beast 40:55 that has two horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. 40:59 Let me ask you then. 41:00 Would this false prophet claim to be spokesman for Christ? 41:04 Absolutely. 41:06 Because invariably, in Revelation, 41:08 the lamb is the symbol of Jesus Christ. 41:11 So this beast that rises from the earth 41:14 is actually going to claim to speak in the name of Jesus. 41:20 Now let's talk a little bit about the two horns like a lamb. 41:24 What do horns represents in Bible prophecy? 41:28 You know what horns represents in Bible prophecy? 41:32 They represent kingdoms. 41:36 You say, "How do we know that?" 41:38 Well, you remember Daniel Chapter 8 we have a ram. 41:42 And the ram has two horns. 41:45 And one of the horns is higher than the other 41:48 and the highest horn comes out last. 41:51 What do those two horns represent? 41:54 They actually represent, according to Daniel 8:20, 41:59 the Kings of Media and Persia. 42:03 And the lamb represents the kingdom. 42:07 In other words there is actually one nation 42:11 composed of two nations or two kingdoms. 42:14 In other words-- I don't know 42:16 if you're understanding what I'm saying, 42:17 but what I'm saying is that there is actually 42:19 one united nation that is composed of two kingdoms, 42:23 the Medes and the Persians. 42:25 So in other words, the two horns represent two kingdoms. 42:30 This must mean that this beast that has two horns 42:34 like a lamb is a beast that recognizes two, what? 42:41 Two kingdoms. 42:42 And there must be kingdoms that were taught by, whom? 42:47 They were taught by Jesus 42:48 because Jesus is the lamb in the Book of Revelation. 42:53 Now the question is which two kingdoms 42:56 did Jesus recognize and did Jesus teach about? 43:01 I'm sure you know. 43:02 Once He said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things Caesar's 43:09 and unto God the things that are God's." 43:13 How many kingdoms that Jesus recognize? 43:15 He recognized two kingdoms. 43:17 He recognized the kingdom of earth, 43:21 the kingdom of a state. 43:22 And He also recognized 43:24 and He was the representative of the kingdom of God. 43:28 In fact, Jesus said to Pilate, 43:30 "My kingdom is not of this world." 43:32 He is saying, "You have a kingdom 43:34 and your kingdom is of this world." 43:36 He says, "But my kingdom is not of this world." 43:39 So how many kingdoms is Jesus recognizing? 43:41 He's recognizing two kingdoms here, 43:45 the civil power and the religious power. 43:48 By the way, we're sitting in a church this evening. 43:52 Do you know that we are actually citizens of two kingdoms? 43:56 You know, right now we're sitting in a place 43:59 that is the kingdom of Jesus. 44:02 But, you know, when we go to vote 44:04 and when we pay our taxes 44:07 which kingdom are we recognizing? 44:09 We're recognizing the kingdom of Caesar, so to speak. 44:12 In other words, we are respectful 44:15 of the civil authorities and we are also citizens 44:19 of the Kingdom of Christ which, by the way, is the church. 44:22 You remember that Jesus said to Peter, 44:24 "Upon this rock I will build my church." 44:26 And then He says, "I will give you the keys," of the what? 44:29 "The keys of the kingdom." 44:31 So the church is a kingdom. 44:33 So basically what I'm saying is that this beast 44:36 that rises from the earth is going to have 44:40 two Christ like kingdoms that it recognizes. 44:45 And what are those two Christ like kingdoms? 44:48 It is the civil power and it is the religious power, 44:53 but not joint together, but separate. 44:59 Now let me ask you, what nation on planet earth 45:02 which is a worldwide power arose 45:06 and in its bill of rights recognizes 45:10 the existence of two kingdoms, 45:13 the civil power and the church 45:15 separate from one another repeating the principle 45:19 that Jesus taught when He said, 45:21 "Render unto Caesar, that which is Caesar 45:24 and unto God that which is God's" 45:26 What nation is that? 45:28 It's the United States of America. 45:30 And of course we've been studying 45:32 in this series on Matthew Chapter 24 45:35 about the abomination of desolation, 45:37 about the eagles of Rome, 45:38 and about the eagle of the United States. 45:41 About the sun wreath that was around the eagle 45:44 on the Roman standard. 45:46 And about the imposition of the day of the sun 45:51 in the United States in the future. 45:53 In other words, what is going to happen 45:56 in the United States is that this beast, 45:58 who originally recognized two kingdoms 46:01 separate from one another, 46:03 the power of the state and the power of the church, 46:06 suddenly this kingdom is going to start speaking like, what? 46:11 He is going to start speaking like a dragon. 46:13 In other words He is gonna set aside these basic principles 46:17 upon which this nation was built 46:20 and He is going to speak like the dragon. 46:23 He is going to speak like Satan. 46:26 You say, "Well, Pastor Bohr, 46:27 this could never happen in the land of the free 46:29 and the home of the brave." 46:30 You know, we've studied all ready that in the 1880s 46:34 there was an agitation to establish 46:36 a National Sunday Law in the United States. 46:38 We've also studied how the conservative Protestants 46:43 in the United States-- 46:44 we dedicated a whole lecture to this. 46:46 How the conservative Protestants in the United States 46:49 are joining church and state. 46:51 They're joining the papacy with Protestantism 46:55 and they are speaking like the dragon. 46:57 They are saying that this idea of church and state 47:00 is a figment of someone's imagination. 47:03 In other words, they are getting 47:04 rid of the two foundational principals 47:07 upon which the United States was built. 47:10 By the way, I'm gonna give you now 47:14 several passages from Scripture that show 47:16 that this end time apostasy has to do with God's holy law. 47:21 You say, how is this? 47:23 Allow me to mention the text. 47:26 We read from Matthew 24 47:28 that there would be a great increase in, what? Lawlessness. 47:34 And the immediately preceding verse speaks 47:37 about the false prophets, the work of the false prophets. 47:41 In 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 we have the expression, 47:47 "The man of sin" speaking about the Antichrist. 47:51 And the man of sin is called the mystery of, what? 47:57 The king James says, the mystery of iniquity, 47:59 but many modern version say, the mystery of lawlessness. 48:03 It is the same word that use in Matthew 24 48:06 and is used also in Matthew Chapter 7. 48:10 So in other words, the antichrist 48:12 somehow is going to emphasis lawlessness. 48:16 We've read in Matthew Chapter 7 where Jesus says, 48:19 "Depart from me you who work," what? "Lawlessness." 48:25 In Revelation we find that this second beast imposes 48:28 the mark of the first beast. 48:30 Which is what? 48:31 The idea that Sunday is the day of rest. 48:35 And by the way, Daniel 7:25 48:37 speaking about this same power says, 48:40 "That He thought that He could change times," and what? 48:44 "And law." 48:45 So in all of these antichrist passages, 48:48 the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24, 48:50 2 Thessalonians, to the man of sin, 48:52 Matthew 7, the false prophets, 48:55 Revelation, the beast and the lamb beast, 48:59 and Daniel Chapter 7, the little horn, 49:01 all emphasize that the final apostasy 49:04 will have to do with the holy law of God. 49:07 And incidentally that's why Revelation says that, 49:11 God will have a people who keep the commandments of God. 49:15 God will have a people who fear God 49:18 and give glory to Him, 49:20 recognize that we're in the hour of the judgment 49:22 and worship Him who created the heavens, 49:25 the earth, the seas, and the fountain of waters. 49:28 In other words, they will recognize God as the creator. 49:33 I want you to notice in Revelation 19:20, 49:39 a very interesting detail. 49:41 Revelation 19:20. 49:47 It's speaking here about this lamb beast. 49:51 And I want you to notice what it says about the false prophet 49:55 as well as the first beast of Revelation Chapter 13. 49:59 It says, notice. 50:01 "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet 50:07 who had worked signs in his presence." 50:11 And now comes the key portion. 50:13 "Who work signs in his presence, by which he," what? 50:19 "He deceived those who received the mark of the beast 50:24 and those who worshiped his image." 50:26 Now let me ask you. 50:29 What is it that the beast and the false prophet do 50:34 in order to deceive people? 50:37 They perform what? Signs and wonders. 50:41 But the purpose of the sings and wonders 50:43 is to get people to receive, what? 50:45 The mark of the beast and to worship his image. 50:50 Let me ask you, is the end time crisis 50:53 than going to have to do with the issue 50:56 of obedience and worship? Absolutely. 51:00 So what I'm saying is that the false prophet 51:03 is going to encourage people 51:06 and he is actually gonna deceive people 51:08 into receiving the mark of the beast 51:10 which by the way is a sign of disobedience to God. 51:14 Now I want to end by reading a statement that we find 51:17 in "Signs of the Times" March 31, 1898. 51:23 Here Ellen White is speaking 51:25 about the story of Nadab and Abihu. 51:28 Do you remember that I read a text in the Old Testament, 51:31 where it says that the priest and the prophets 51:33 did not distinguish between the holy and the common 51:35 and they trample upon God's holy Sabbath? 51:38 Now notice this very significant statement. 51:42 "Those who ignore the Lord's Sabbath 51:46 to keep holy the first day of the week, 51:50 offer strange fire to God." 51:57 Notice what she continues saying. 51:59 "It is a strange Sabbath, 52:02 which He has commanded them not. 52:05 Will He accept it at their hands? 52:10 Men have sought out many inventions. 52:13 They have taken a common day, 52:15 upon which God has placed no sanctity, 52:19 and have clothed it with sacred prerogatives. 52:23 They have declared it to be a holy day, 52:26 but this does not give it a vestige of sanctity. 52:31 They dishonor God by accepting human institutions 52:35 and presenting to the world as the Christian Sabbath a day 52:40 which has no 'Thus saith the Lord' for its authority. 52:46 As did Nadab and Abihu, 52:48 they offer the common in place of the sacred." 52:53 You remember what Nadab and Abihu did? 52:57 God had said that that whenever the priest 52:59 brought incense with fire they were to get the fire 53:02 from the Altar of Sacrifice, 53:03 because that fire had been rained from heaven. 53:05 That fire was holy. 53:07 But Nadab and Abihu, it says, 53:09 under the influence of alcohol-- 53:12 you can read it there at Leviticus Chapter 10. 53:14 "They decided that they would bring common fire 53:17 and offer the incense with common fire." 53:19 And so the Bible says that they brought 53:21 the common fire in before the Lord. 53:24 And of course the Lord said, "Oh, who cares fire is fire." 53:29 Is that what the Lord said? No. 53:31 The Lord was offended by the fact 53:33 that they brought something common 53:35 and they presented it as if it was holy. 53:38 And the Bible says that a fire came 53:40 from the presence of the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu. 53:44 Because they took the common 53:46 and they present it to God as if it was holy. 53:50 But you know, that there is another story 53:51 that we find in Daniel 5 about the fall of Babylon. 53:55 There we have the other side of the coin. 53:58 There it says that Belshazzar, 54:00 the king-- the apostate Babylonian king, 54:03 took the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had brought 54:07 from the temple and he used them 54:10 for common purposes in his banquet. 54:12 In other words, he desecrated the holy vessels 54:15 by using them for a common propose. 54:18 And the Bible tells us that as a result Belshazzar was slain 54:22 and Babylon fell that very night. 54:26 So in other words, God does not accept 54:30 something common from us as if it was holy 54:34 and He expects us to take what is holy 54:36 and never treated as if it was common. 54:40 You know if God accepts the observance 54:42 of the first day of the week from Christians 54:45 then God is going to have to apologize to Nadab and Abihu. 54:49 You say, why is that? 54:51 Because Nadab and Abihu took common fire 54:55 and they presented it as if it was holy. 54:58 Now you tell me, in principle, 55:00 how is that different from taking a common day... 55:07 Sunday and present it to God as if it was holy? 55:10 Is there any difference? 55:12 There is no difference at all. 55:13 Because when God says that we're supposed 55:15 to present to Him what He has made holy 55:18 He means what He has made holy. 55:21 How do you suppose the Lord feels 55:23 when people take the holy Sabbath 55:26 and they treat it as if it was common? 55:29 Now let me ask you, who are those 55:31 who are spearheading this idea 55:34 of trampling upon one commandment of God's law? 55:38 It is the ministers who are preaching. 55:40 People constantly come to me 55:42 when I have evangelistic meetings. 55:43 They say, "Well, you know what my preacher says?" 55:46 And I say, "What does your Bible say?" 55:48 That's the key, what does the Bible say. 55:52 Maybe you're being deceived to disobey God's law 55:55 just like the false prophets did in the Old Testament, 55:58 in the New Testament, in the Book of Revelation. 56:00 Maybe he is preparing you 56:03 to receive the mark of the beast. 56:06 I know that's strong language. 56:08 But I'll tell you, folks, 56:09 that what's going to happen at the end 56:11 happened in New Testament times 56:13 and also happened in Old Testament times. 56:16 There is noting new under the sun. 56:18 By the way, Revelation Chapter 13 tells us, 56:22 that this false prophet will perform great signs. 56:26 Remember Deuteronomy 13, 56:28 he will perform great signs even to the point of making fire 56:33 fall from heaven in the sight of men. 56:38 And so the false prophet is distinguished 56:43 from the true prophet by two central characteristics. 56:47 The true prophet will always call God's people 56:50 to obey God's law out of love and to worship God 56:55 in the way in which God has established. 56:58 The false prophet on the other hand 57:00 will teach people that it's okay to violate one commandment 57:07 or other commandments of God's law 57:10 and leads them into false worship. 57:13 And we have to decide today 57:16 which voice we are going to listen to. 57:18 Whether we're going to hear the voice of the Lord, 57:21 or whether we're going to listen 57:23 to the voice of religious authorities 57:25 who do not have a "Thus saith the Lord." |
Revised 2014-12-17