This End Times Prophecy Is Being Fulfilled Right Now
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For many years when I looked at this passage in Matthew, I thought the false prophets would be voices that would only exist outside the church, but as I have studied more I have realized that is not true. This is one of the greatest tricks of the enemy and he has been doing it for a long time. If you go back to the church in Corinth here is what Paul told the church.
I have news for you. The false prophet is not going to come with the billboard flashing “I am false.” No, they are going to come looking and sounding like true believers. Within the church in Corinth there were people who looked like there were legitimate, but they were not. I know we don’t like to talk about these things and honestly, they are hard to admit, but there are false prophets that are within the church right now.
I am not pointing my finger at anyone specifically, but Jesus said many false prophets would arise and many of those are coming from right within the church. It happened in the first century church and it is still happening today. The false prophets that Jesus spoke about would be voices that would speak from pulpits and they would carry Bibles. They would have all the outward markings of a follower of Christ, yet they would be anything but true disciples of Christ.
My goal here is not to make you skeptical, my goal is to make you careful. Because there are so many voices out there, be careful who you listen to and make sure you do like the Bereans.
Perhaps the most dangerous challenge of the false prophet is they prey on those who are vulnerable. Here are two descriptions of false prophets I want to share with you.
Notice the two remarkably similar descriptions. Jesus called them ferocious wolves and Paul called them savage wolves. These false prophets will not spare the flock and will show them no mercy because they really don’t care about the flock. Therefore, you must be careful. These people will appear to be harmless, yet inwardly they are ruthless, preying on those who are sincere and most vulnerable. This is not only a challenge, but it is also what makes them dangerous.
If we are going to take the words of Jesus seriously, then you have to be on guard because false prophets will arise and indeed have already arisen. Like it or not they are here, and they will not be going away any time soon.
It’s important to remember who Jesus was talking to when he made this statement. He was talking to the disciples. He wasn’t just telling them what was going to happen, he was telling them so they could be prepared for it. The same is true of you and me. We can’t stop the rise of false prophets because Jesus said they will come. However, we don’t have to fall prey to their message. If we listen to what Jesus said and search the scriptures like the Bereans, we won’t become a victim to the many false prophets that will arise.
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