The people they are prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. There will be no one to bury them-they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will pour out their own evil on them.
Jeremiah 14:16 HCSB
Back in the fall, we had a false preacher come into our area. He was supposed to do a 3-4 day revival, but the people were flocking to him in droves. His church revival turned into a tent revival and he’s still here. He was allowed to preach in a Baptist church even though he claims to be non-denominational.
He was “saving” hundreds of people. It was a big deal. A local Baptist preacher called him out as a false prophet or preacher. But still, many flocked to him. It caused me to wonder what about the people that were supporting him. What about those going to listen to him and follow him?
Were they truly saved? Well, as with everything, that answer is found in the Bible. You see, way back in the days of Jeremiah, the people were listening to false prophets. This is not a new problem. They were listening to preachers telling them what they wanted to hear.
False teaching can lead to false salvation. Our pastor often asks when people are saved, and we see no change in their behavior, what were they saved from? Thanks to social media, we were seeing all these people being saved but if you check their social media accounts their behavior had not changed.
They were still going out and drinking and showing off all the pretty drinks they were getting in the restaurant. They were still wearing inappropriate clothing. They were doing all the things they had done before. Nothing had changed. When we are truly saved it changes everything because it changes our perception of the world. We go from a worldview to a Biblical view.
I recently heard that one of his followers was using the Bible to justify sinful behavior. Sadly, there was also a respected preacher who was backing this person up. Scripture was being pulled out of context. While another Scripture concerning this matter was being totally disregarded.
This is why we must be so careful. We must not listen to false teaching. We must be sure preachers are preaching God’s word. We must be sure what they say lines up with what is in the Bible. We must be sure their actions don’t go against God’s word.
When you have gotten saved under a false preacher and you are using God’s word out of context to promote and justify your sinful behavior, you have a serious problem. A pastor who not only condones this but supports this has a serious problem.
Jeremiah had been begging the people to repent. He had been warning them of God’s coming judgment by famine and by the sword. These false prophets had told them not to worry about all that, they were God’s chosen people. God is a loving God that would never destroy His people. Sound familiar?
These prophets were lying to them telling them what they wanted to hear. God told Jeremiah that those who had been listening to these false prophets would die in the streets with no one to bury them. This means they would die a very dishonorable death.
But worse than this, God told Jeremiah He would pour out their own evil on them. Now I frequently mention Romans 1:21-24 which tells us if we reject God long enough, He will give us over to our evil desires. There will be a point of no return.
My friend don’t listen to false prophets. Stay far away from them. To avoid being deceived, study your Bible. Pray for wisdom and discernment. A good general rule is if they are promising health and wealth if you follow them, stay away.
If they are not speaking of God’s wrath and judgment for those who disobey, stay away from them. Most importantly, if they are saying anything that goes against God’s holy word, run away.
You will not know if they are preaching something that goes against God’s word if you don’t study God’s word. Fact-check them with your Bible. Be sure they are not pulling Scripture out of context. Pray continually and trust God to lead and guide you in the right direction.
Have a great day!