There are those who try to represent people … be it as an agent in business, sports, music, acting, arts, real estate … etc. … without actually knowing the person they pretend to represent. Once the “represented” person finds out about being misrepresented, they will say to the wrong doer … “I don’t know you… never knew you. Get away from me and my business, assets and rights.” Jesus says that to counterfeit “prophets”!
Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
We have spent a few days setting the stage for this passage’s thrust.
1) Jesus says “many” will declare faith in Him but it will not work because as He says, not everyone who says Lord, Lord will be ushered into His glory. This is rather shocking when we think of the size of the Visible Christian Church throughout the ages. So many have set themselves up as “prophets, teachers and leaders” but they were not appointed by God … and they were fake.
I write these Daily Notes from a theological position that is Reformed and Evangelical. I believe the Bible in its original parchments to be the very out breathed Word of God … fully inspired, inerrant and authoritative. Because of this position and persuasion, I cannot accept that God still speaks through “prophets” today because that would be extra-Biblical Revelation … and Revelation is complete. The Canon of Scripture is closed.
Those who believe God speaks through them … or says He does are false prophets and teachers. They are the ones who says … “God says to you …” and then follows some message, often not related to anything in the Bible. That is taking God’s Name in vain. That is claiming the Lord … Lord … has given them words to speak to a person or congregation.
There was one who traveled through a city where I pastored. Because no Church would give him their pulpit, he “prophesied” that the water of baptismal fonts used to baptize infants of believing parents would turn into blood. He also said the city would fall into a huge hole. This was thirty plus years ago and neither of those prophecies have come true.
He is a false prophet! He is roaming around speaking words and claiming God gave him those words to say. Did God give him those words and go back on what He said … or is this man a counterfeit prophet … an agent of the devil?
We have already stated that exorcism can be done by non-believers or are they fake trying to deceive those seeing what happens? Equally we have spoken about miracles. They are so many “tricks” used to lengthen legs or get wheelchair bound people to rise and walk. How sad that little boy was “lifted psychologically” so high that he rose out of the wheelchair and walked … and soon thereafter both legs were amputated! It is frightful how the false prophet can use mind manipulation to get people to do things … and it’s all supposed to be in the name of the Lord.
This is why you, my friend, need to have a good working knowledge of the Bible. Don’t just believe everything you hear and see. Reference the Bible, and if you don’t know it well enough, get someone who does to help you find answers or clarity. On the Day of Judgment God will not listen to you saying … “But prophet so and so told me that You said …” God has made His Word available in your language. He has allowed His Word in your language to be printed and is available to you … and if you can’t afford a Bible, many Churches hand out free Bibles. In others words, you have no excuse for not getting to know the Bible. Another important tool is to take your Bible to Church with you, as well as a note book and pen. As the preacher preachers, take notes and turn to Bible verses he uses. Remember:
Ac 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
The apostle Paul was teaching and preaching, yet they examined the Bible to see whether what He said was true. There is no excuse. You cannot plead ignorance before God for being deceived and falling into the false prophet’s trap! One that Day they will try to prove their allegiance to Jesus and He will reject their claims because they were fake in what they did and because they led souls astray … to hell!
2) Jesus says He will deny them entry into His glory. Why would He allow anyone who has taken His name in vain and imitated what His true prophets and apostles we gifted to do, entry into His heaven? Sadly these evil people do not understand the Gospel and its requirements. They don’t realize that God becoming incarnate and going to the Cross to suffer wrath and punishment, to suffer the worst death was for sinful rebels … and they imitate God’s servants. That is extremely wicked and often they do this as a means to enrich themselves. Jesus says:
Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Each of these describes the deeds of false prophets … even murder because through their falsehood they lead souls to eternal hell … that is murder!
3) Jesus will say that He never knew them. Remember, He only knows His own. He wrote their names in the register of glory … and no unrepentant soul … including false prophets have their names in that register! Jesus says:
Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
He has to be true to Himself! Only the elect are and will be saved and they are the ones whose names are found in the register in Glory.
4) Jesus will demand these false prophets are removed from His presence. To get it right … His presence here is the Day of Judgment and … Away from me, you evildoers … means they are separated from Him forever. Those words utter the final sentence. Hell is where God is not … that is why it’s hell. “Away from me” is being cast into hell where God is not. For their falsehood and deception they will suffer eternal hardship and pain. They might get away with much on earth but they will pay for their evil in hell!
Father, protect me from false prophets and their deception. Help me to remain true to You. Amen.