Who's A True Prophet?(Part 2)

WHO IS A TRUE PROPHET? (PART 2)

THE NEW TESTAMENT PROPHETS

Greek: transliteration: prophétés —a prophet (an interpreter or forth-teller of God’s will)

Greek: transliteration: prophéteia —meaning: prophecy

In New Testament times, the prophetical office was continued. Our Lord is frequently spoken of as a prophet (Luke 13:33; 24:19). He was and is the great Prophet of the Church.

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"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased". Hebrews 13:16

There was also in the Early Church a distinct order of prophets (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20; 3:5), who made new revelations from God. They differed from the “teacher,” whose office it was to impart truths already revealed.

The prophet Elijah is frequently mentioned in the New Testament.

THE GREATEST PROPHET

The greatest prophet, above all others, is Jesus the Christ—who is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:1-3) and speaks for God because He is God. Of course, Jesus is much more than the greatest prophet—being the greatest High Priest, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the second person of the Triune God, the Alpha and Omega, etc. God had long promised that this Prophet would one day come (Deuteronomy 18:18; John 6:14; John 7:40; Acts 3:20-23; Acts 7:37).

According to Jesus (Matthew 11:11), the second greatest prophet is John the Baptist, who was born “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” Jesus Christ (Luke 1:17) by calling the people to repentance of their sins (Luke 3:3).

FALSE PROPHETS

Hebrew transliteration: kosem —meaning: a “diviner” or soothsayer, one who practices divination

In Joshua 13:22 Balaam is called a qasam (kosem) — This word is used only of a false prophet.

A false prophet claims to speak for God but does not.

Jesus Christ solemnly warned,

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will [a]know them by their fruits.  Grapes are not gathered from  thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. —Matthew 7:15–20

Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way. —Luke 6:26

The Apostle Peter also warned,

But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. —2 Peter 2:1–3

Likewise, the Apostle John said,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. —1 John 4:1–3

The future deceiving false prophet of Satan (and his end) is described in the book of Revelation,

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. —Revelation 19:20

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. —Revelation 19:20.

Let me explains this about false teachers and prophets,

They have a ready hearing among most people, because they say only what people like to hear. Just as did ancient Israel in Jeremiah’s time, people today like it that way (Jer. 5:31). They want to hear illusions, not truth. They are enamored with pleasure and fantasy and resent being confronted with anything disquieting and condemnatory. They want encouragement but not correction, positive words but not negative truth. They will accept grace as long as it is cheap grace and does not reflect against their own sinfulness, inadequacies, and lostness.

The creed of the false prophet, if he has any at all, will be vague, indefinite, and ethereal. No demanding truth will be absolute or clear-cut, and every principle will be easy and attractive.

False prophets can also be identified by their converts and followers. They will attract to themselves people who have the same superficial, self-centered, and unscriptural orientation as they do. “Many will follow their sensuality:” Peter tells us, “and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned” (2 Pet. 2:2). They have many followers because they teach and promote what the majority of people want to hear and believe (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3).

Their followers will be like them,  Egotistical, Proud, Self-centered, Self-indulgent, Self-willed, and Self-satisfied, while being Religious. They will be both Self-oriented and Group-oriented, but never God-oriented or Scripture-oriented. —The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Moody Publishers: 2006).

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