7. BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS

7. BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS

The Antichrist, in his bid to rule the world, will have the help of the “second beast,” or the False Prophet, who is described in Revelation 13:11-17. The False prophet’s main role will be to give the Antichrist an appearance of credibility, to deceive the world into worshipping the Antichrist.

Little is written in the Bible about the False Prophet himself, but a lot is said about the danger of false prophets in general. As we consider the Bible’s warnings, we can come to appreciate the enormous seriousness of what the False Prophet will do during the last days.

1. Jesus states in Matthew 7:15 to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

2. According to the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 people “will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

3. False teachers are described in Ephesians 4:14 as “cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”

4. In 2 Peter 2:1-3, the three things false prophets will do are:

(a) They will secretly bring in destructive heresies.

(b) They will deny the Lord who bought them.

(c) By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words.

5. In second Peter 2:12-17, Peter describes these false prophets with strong language:

(a) They are like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.

(b) They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you.

(c) They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

(d) They have forsaken the right way and gone astray.

(e) They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Peter uses such strong language to get across the point to us that these false teachers deny the Lord.

Ways in which we can protect ourselves against false teachers:

(a) 2 Peter 3:14 “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”

(b) 2 Peter 3:18 “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

(c) 2 Timothy 3:10, 14, 17 “You have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance.”

“You must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.”

 “That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.