Monday, 3 September 2012

Beware of false preachers



  Just because someone is a well-respected preacher, performs miracles, etc does not mean you should copy his behaviours and follow  his advice without thinking. Visions and dreams, angelic advice, etc must be treated with caution. Always compare and contrast the advice with the Bible before making a decision. Consider the following Biblical examples.

1. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden after listening to the Devil (Gen. 3:1 -24; Rev. 12:9). Satan was an angel who later turned against God (Job 1:6). God didn't excuse them for believing an angel; he punished them for disobeying his clear orders.

2. A prophet was sent to King Jeroboam of Israel from Judah. God told him not to eat or drink there and not to return by the way he had come. He rejected the king's food offer but fell prey to the deception of an older prophet who claimed that an angel told him to bring the younger prophet back to his house for dinner. The gullible prophet was killed by a lion. ( 1 Kings 13:8-29).

3. In contrast, the Jews in Beroa "searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether those things were so "(Acts 17:1o, 11).

Just because a prophet's prophecies come true does not make him/her a true prophet (Deut. 13: 1-4).

Therefore, "believe not every inspired expression, but test whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world" ( 1 John 4:1). 



No comments:

Post a Comment