My minister friends will understand when I say that I wrestled with writing this blog for a couple of days before sitting down to write it. There are times when a minister is given instructions to preach a sermon or to teach on a particular topic that is uncomfortable for them. In this modern era, this is also true for those of us who blog or write articles and, this is one of those times for me.
Over the past several months I’ve seen a lot of blogs, articles and videos from people who claim to be ministers, teachers, prophets and other assorted things, calling on their audience to label certain ministers as “false prophets.” While we all know there are a lot of false prophets and teachers out there, there are also a lot of people being called this that shouldn’t be. One of the dangers in trying to claim someone is a false prophet is that many times people mistaken label someone as a false prophet when, in realty, nothing could be father from the truth. The truth is a lot of people label someone as a false prophet simply because they don’t see eye to eye on a particular theology or belief.
I’ve got a lot of wonderful ministers that I follow who happen to be on national television. The vast majority of these ministers and I see just about everything the same. There are, however, a few of them that we don’t agree on certain biblical doctrines and interpretations. This doesn’t mean that they, or I for that matter, are a false prophet, it just means we have a differing view of a particular doctrine. Herein lies the danger of trying to label someone.
Look, just because you don’t believe the same as someone doesn’t mean that they are a false prophet; it might just be a differing opinion on that subject. Here’s something you need to consider very urgently. If you put out a message, a blog or a video calling that minister a false prophet when all it really comes down to is a differing view, you’re falsely accusing a fellow Believer and therefore, you’re committing a sin. That’s right, you read correctly. When you point your finger at someone and make a false accusation that could damage that person’s reputation in the public eye, you are making a false accusation and that, according to God’s Word, is barring false witness against your neighbor!
We’ve all seen people who truly are false teachers or false prophets on television or heard them on the radio. What they’re promoting has no basis in fact with biblical teaching. They’re self serving egomaniacs who cannot substantiate their teachings without distorting the biblical truth and taking the Word of God completely out of context. There is a huge difference in this and calling someone a false prophet simply because you don’t agree with them.
In I Chronicles 16:22 we see a very stern warning from Yehovah. This verse says “touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” This isn’t a suggestion; this is a command from our Father in Heaven. This isn’t something that should be taken lightly or blown off because, one of these days we’re going to be judged and everything we’ve said and done will be brought out into the open. If you’ve falsely accused someone, you will have to answer for it.
One last point I want to make here before bringing this article to a close. Some of you making these accusations need to consider some things. First, when Jesus walked this earth, the religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees, called Him a false prophet and wanted to kill Him because of it. We all know that Jesus wasn’t a false prophet and that He had revelation the Pharisees didn’t. Jesus had the full knowledge of the Scriptures and, because of His righteousness; He had the full revelation of what the Scriptures meant that those self-righteous Pharisees didn’t. Could it be that some of you, for whatever reason, don’t have the revelation knowledge that someone else does? Have you stopped to consider the possibility?
In Daniel we’re told that the books were to be sealed until the time of the end, don’t you think it might be possible that there a few people on this earth God may have revealed something to in order to teach us? There are a lot of things that our fathers taught and believed that we’re learning now don’t line up with Scripture after all. There are things that have been taught as fact for hundreds of years that, since the Bible has become available to everyone, we’re learning were manmade doctrines and not supported by the Bible.
In this day and age the world is ready to line all Christians up against the wall and shoot us. The world is looking for any and every excuse it can dig up, real or not, to claim that our faith isn’t real, that Jesus isn’t the only way to heaven and that we’re just a bunch of intolerant, homophobic lunatics trying to cram our beliefs down everyone’s throats. They see the Church as a group of people who can’t agree on what we believe and that we’re unloving, rude and hypocritical. We’ve been commanded to love one another and to pray for one another and not to take pot shots at each other. As a matter of fact, we’ve been commanded to help a fallen brother get up off the ground and restore him, not to publically humiliate and accuse in so the world can have another reason not to believe in Jesus. Why are we handing them ammunition to fire back at us?
The bottom line is this: before you call someone a false prophet, you’d better make sure that they are. Before you accuse someone of being a false prophet, you’d better make sure that your Father in Heaven agrees with that assessment and that you have irrefutable biblical evidence to support your claim and, that it isn’t just a matter of not seeing eye to eye on something. Our job isn’t to go around accusing fellow Believers falsely, our job is to love one another and to bare one others burdens.
For the sake of your soul, your personal reputation and being careful not to make our Father, our Savior and the rest of the Christian world look bad: don’t ever accuse someone of being a false prophet unless you’re absolutely sure your Father instructs you to. You might find yourself at odds with the Father if you’re wrong and bring an unfounded accusation against one of His anointed.
Peace, love and blessings from our Father to you and your family,
Dave
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