Rubbish!

Friday, July 1, 2022

“Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:30-32 KJV).

If Satan successfully appointed false prophets six centuries before Christ, are we so foolish as to believe no counterfeit spiritual messengers are with us now?

While scanning television channels, I recently saw the program of a notorious televangelist who has promoted religious scams for decades. The gimmick this self-proclaimed “prophet” was peddling this time—in the name of “Jesus,” of course!—was the testimony of a woman who had written in to report how his “prophecy” had come true. He had foretold “God” would give her two new cars—and she “miraculously” received a BMW and a Bentley! Then, he turned to the camera and declared with a chuckle, “Amen! If you want a Mercedes, God will give it!” No thinking person, someone using common sense, would ever believe such folly. While we cannot be sure if someone in his own “ministry” did not forge that letter by feigning to be a viewer, we can be certain emotionally-driven and desperate watchers send him “generous donations” with the hopes of receiving “God’s blessings.”

In today’s Scripture, individuals were “stealing” God’s words from their neighbors. How? They were promoting a false message but claiming “the LORD said it.” By having people focus on spiritual error, they were void of God’s power and light, thereby making their nation vulnerable to Satan’s destructive doctrine. While not written to or about us, there is great profit in the LORD’S words through Jeremiah. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Bible Q&As #969 and #970: “What are ‘dregs?’” and “What is a “bolster?’”