Beware of False Prophets (Bible Study)

1 Kings (NKJV) The Message of the Man of God 13 And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” 4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. 7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”8 But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place.9 For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.

11 Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. 12 And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 For I have been told by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’” 18 He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” 23 So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26 Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” 27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it. 28 Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him.

There have always been those false prophets who speak and their words contradict the Word of God. Here the Word of God came to this young prophet, and he told him not to eat bread or drink water in that place. Now here comes this old man who says “I’m a prophet too, an angel came to me and told me to tell you to come back and eat and drink water at my place.” He was lying to him in the name of the Lord. Now he has a choice to make. To believe the Word of God spoken by God directly to him, or to believe what this old man is saying to him. God says one thing, and the old man says another. Who to believe?

We see the choice that has to be made many times by each one of us as to who to believe and what to believe. Do you believe what God says, or what man is saying? This problem has existed since the beginning. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of good and evil, and if you do you will surely die. Satan came to eve, and Eve knew that they were not supposed to eat from it, and Satan says you will not surely die. (He was lying) Does she believe what God said or what Satan is saying to her. Unfortunately she believed what Satan said and the results were disastrous.

God’s Word says if you live after the flesh you will die. Satan says, you will not surely die. You can indulge in the lust of your flesh, just don’t go overboard. “All in moderation (including sin).” Satan lies to people all the time telling them it’s ok for them to do it when Gods Word clearly tells us not to be deceived that if we give ourselves over to the works of the flesh we are not going to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Many of us respect older “Godly” people and believe them over what God says. God’s Word is forever established. Jesus says heaven and earth will pass away but My word will remain forever (Matt 24:35).

Psalm 89:34 No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. (AMP) “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

Deuteronomy 4:2 (AMP) 2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you.

The Lord warns those to add to his word or seek to take away from the Word. That’s always the case with false prophets. They are either adding to the Word of God or taking away from it. Telling you that God didn’t mean what he said, or didn’t say what he meant, and “let me tell what God really means when he said this”. God says you shall not add to the word not diminish it, that you may keep the commandment of the Word.

Consequences for False Teachers

Revelation 22 (AMP): 18 I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new Jerusalem), which are written in this book.

Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.’

It’s a serious thing to misguide people in the realm of the things of the Word of God or the realm of the Scriptures. James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Always a dangerous thing, not only the person who teaches but the those who follows teaching something other than what Gods Word has declared. The choice you have to make is, 1. Will I believe what God says? Or 2. Will I believe what man said that God says?

This is serious because it involves your eternal destiny. Your eternity is determined whether you believe what God says in his Word that is established and does not change or alter, or will you believe a man with a bunch of letters behind his name is telling you that it doesn’t matter, that you can just be good, sincere, kind and be saved? Your eternal destiny rests upon your receiving Jesus as Lord (ruler) of your life. There is only one name, and that is the name of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:15-20 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.