Ezekiel #9

Ezekiel #9

Lying Prophets and False Prophetesses

Ezekiel 13:1 - 7 (NKJV) ¹And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’” ³Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ⁴O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. ⁵You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ⁶They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. ⁷Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

Professing themselves to be prophets of God, “Thus saith the Lord” false prophets give utterance out of their own spirits. They say what they vainly hope is the word of God, they tell what they hope God will do. Prophecy in the NT church is different from that in the O.T.

1 Corinthians 14:1 - 4 (NKJV) ¹Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. ²For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. ³But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. ⁴He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

New Testament Prophecy:

• Edifies
• Exhorts ( advise, give urgent recommendations, pleads for change)
• Comfort

Why the New Testament Prophet does not pass judgment

• The Christian was already judged on the cross
• The penalty was paid by Jesus
• What God has already judged and the penalty has been paid cannot be judged again!

Therefore if a prophecy is brought forth in a Church that declares judgment on any part of the Body of Christ that prophet is saying what he hopes will happen! The New Testament minister does not make people comfortable in their sins but it is the “goodness of God” that brings us to repentance and repentance gives a chance for blessing.

False prophets today tell people that they will escape the coming tribulation either by going through it without it affecting them or that they will be raptured even in continuing known sin! With the judge standing at the door they continue to cry peace, peace when there is no peace.

Ezekiel 13:8 - 16 (NKJV) ⁸Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD. ⁹“My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. ¹⁰“Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar— ¹¹say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. ¹²Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’” ¹³Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ¹⁴So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵“Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, ¹⁶that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’” says the Lord GOD.

False prophecy is like building a wall for your protection with mortar that has not been cured. The concrete and sand have not been blended so that the blocks will not adhere to each other. When rain and wind come the wall will fall. The false prophets have built such a wall but God is going to see that the rain and winds come and what the prophets have built will fall on them. The ministry will fail and the minister will be brought down with it!

Ezekiel 13:17 - 23 (NKJV) ¹⁷“Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them, ¹⁸and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms ^£on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? ¹⁹And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?” ²⁰‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. ²¹I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ²²“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. ²³Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

Likewise, there are women, prophetess, who use guile and magic to get their words out. They are like Jezebel and apply manipulation, deceit, and trickery to accomplish their ends. They make amulets (magic charms and bracelets, on their arms and sleeves such as gypsies and fortune tellers wear, and use hair covers with magic trinkets and signs) to attract familiar spirits. ( a familiar spirit is a demonic spirit that is familiar with you and even dead relatives) They hunt Christians like a person with a net goes out to hunt birds – so they hunt souls. They are like harlots using their charms to lure the righteous toward their death!

2 Peter 2:1 - 3 (NKJV) ¹But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ²And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^£does not slumber.

It’s not new but it hasn’t stopped!

II. Watch out for men with Big Bibles!

Ezekiel 14:1 - 11 (NKJV) ¹Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ²And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? ⁴“Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’ ⁶“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. ⁷For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. ⁸I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ⁹“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, ¹¹that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.’”

These “Elders” came to Ezekiel. Oh how pious these men are! The sat at Ezekiel’s feet as a sign of submission. “See!” they said, “We haven’t put up any idols!” That’s what I mean by “watch out for men with big Bibles!” They were declaring that they did not serve idols they were there to help the prophet with his ministry!”

What Ezekiel tells them is, “That’s right you do not have any idols in your house, nor do you have them in your hand because they are in your heart!” God says that he will judge these men, they were hypocrites! Jesus used that word more than any other against the religious leaders of his day. How tragic this is, God is going to judge them not only because of their hypocrisy but because they cause His people to stumble and fall.

There are two spirits operating here. The Jezebel spirit and the Absalom spirit!

2 Samuel 15:1 - 13 (NKJV) ¹After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. ²Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, “What city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.” ³Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.” ⁴Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.” ⁵And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. ⁶In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. ⁷Now it came to pass after ^£forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord. ⁸For your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If the Lord indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’” ⁹And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’” ¹¹And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything. ¹²Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city—from Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. ¹³Now a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

Like Jezebel, Absalom was deceptive. The Absalom spirit pretends to be submissive, works his way in and then tries to steal the heart of the people. So were the Elders of Israel but Ezekiel recognized their spirit and declared that they had set up idols in their hearts.

Ezekiel 14:12 - 23 (NKJV) ¹²The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: ¹³“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. ¹⁴Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. ¹⁵“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate. ¹⁷“Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it, ¹⁸even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered. ¹⁹“Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” ²¹For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? ²²Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. ²³And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord GOD.

The Fourfold Judgment

• Famine
• Evil Beasts
• Sword
• Pestilence

The sin was so great that not even intercession prayer could help

Noah spared his family

Daniel spared his friends

Job spared his friends

But if Noah, Daniel and Job had all been there the Jews would not have listened!