Aberrations in the prophetic ministry by lying prophets who say “Thus saith the Lord thy God”
In the 13th chapter of Ezekiel, the Spirit commanded the prophet to prophesy against the prophets of Israel and against the daughters of the people of Israel because – (i) they prophesy out of their own hearts by following their own spirit; (ii) they have seen nothing; (iii) they have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel; (iv) they have seen and spoken vanity and lying divination, saying The Lord saith; (v) the Lord has not sent them but they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word (vi) they have seduced the people of God saying, “Peace” and there was no peace
“Thus saith the Lord thy God”
These days, we see multitudes of God’s ministers prophesy, saying, “Thus saith the Lord”. I have heard and read many messages, beginning with the words addressed to a congregation or to individuals i.e. “Oh My people” or “Oh My son” or “Oh my daughter”. Then the speaker keeps talking to the audience and then ends with the words, “thus saith the Lord thy God”. We can clearly see here that the speakers are speaking here as the mouthpieces of God the Father under the Old Covenant. We are told that these are words of prophecy. If we listen to such messages, we will find many aberrations which are contrary to the written Word of God, especially the gospel of grace and truth under the New Covenant.
Many such people prophesy under the Old Covenant saying, “thus saith the Lord”. Secondly, we should note that God the Father has spoken to us through His Son only, and does not speak to the world through any person (Heb.1:1-2).
Only the Old Testament prophets prophesied under the Old Covenant, saying, “thus saith the Lord”
No prophecy under the New Testament would reveal a new way of salvation. All the prophets prophesied until John. . “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matt.11:13).
The Holy Spirit led me to examine many messages given by certain servants of God who said at the end of such messages, “thus saith the Lord”. The following litmus tests should be applied to such words of prophecy as revealed by the Holy Spirit to me:
(i) The message purported to be from Jesus does not conform to the words of Jesus in the gospels and the apostolic doctrines.
(ii) The message purported to be from God the Father reveals a message which is contrary to the gospel of the New Testament.
(iii) The message purported to be in the Name of God the Father conveys a message in future tense about the salvation through Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus for our sins is a fait accompli and Jesus will not again go to the Cross for our salvation.
(iv) The message purported to be either in the Name of God the Father or in the Name of the Son of God conveys a way of salvation through works and not through grace.
Prophecies concerning the salvation plan of God
In fact, the prophecies concerning the salvation plan of God came to an end with the ministry of John the Baptist who revealed Christ as the Lamb of God to the Israel. However, the Bible Prophecy concerning prophetic events continued to be revealed through Jesus Christ and through His apostles who wrote the Gospels and the Epistles. Since the salvation plan of God had already been revealed through the Old Testament prophets, Jesus as the Prophet did not make any fresh prophecy in this regard. However, He made prophecies concerning prophetic events that would take place. He spoke words of comfort and of promises. He also spoke words of condemnation against the Pharisees and Scribes, and condemned the sin. He also conveyed timely messages of God to Israel.
The Bible Prophecy concerning revelation of the salvation plan of God came to an end with the ministry of John the Baptist. The fulfillment of the salvation plan began with the birth of Christ. All the Old Testament prophecies concerning the ministry of Christ right from His birth to His ascension to God’s right hand were fulfilled. The word of prophecy in Gen.3:15 concerning the seed of a woman was fulfilled with the birth of Christ as mentioned in Col.4:4. The word of prophecy in Ps.68:18 regarding Christ’s ascension to God’s right hand was fulfilled as per Mark 16:19.
No prophet under the New Testament shall further add to the salvation plan of God which had been revealed once and for all under the Old Testament. Neither shall he add to nor shall he delete what the Old Testament prophets spoke. If he adds or takes away any of the words of prophecy spoken by the Old Testament prophets, he will be a false prophet.
End-time Prophets?
These days, some prophets claim to be “end-time” prophets and their claim is not scripturally correct. God has revealed all the truths to us in the Bible Prophecy which came to an end in the isle of Patmos when John received the special revelations from God. There are not such “end-time” truths to be revealed to such “end-time” prophets. Of course, in these last days, the New Testament prophets get revelations on the Bible Prophecy which had already been given to the Church. The New Testament prophets only interpret the Bible Prophecy and are not supposed to give any other prophecy which contradicts the Bible Prophecy. Through the revelations and visions received by them from the Holy Spirit, they only confirm the Bible Prophecy that takes place in the end-time. These so-called “end-time” prophets should not and cannot proclaim any message which is outside the written Word of God. Leaders of certain cults proclaim other ways of salvation than what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. They are indeed false prophets.
Fulfillment of the Bible Prophecy
The Bible Prophecy concerning the salvation plan of God which had begun in the Book of Genesis was partly fulfilled at the Calvary. The remaining part of the Bible Prophecy concerning the final redemptive plan of God would be fulfilled after the second advent of Jesus Christ when those who would be alive and those who are dead in Christ would put on immortality (I Cor.15:51-58).
The Bible Prophecy concerning prediction of future events which had begun in the Garden of Eden was finally revealed to John the apostle and prophet, when he was in the island of Patmos. The Book of Revelation was given to the Church through John as the last book of the Bible Prophecy concerning future events about the end of this world and about the final redemptive plan of God. Revelation is the book of consummation. In it, the divine program of redemption is brought to fruition. Although there are numerous prophecies in the Old Testament books, the Gospels and Epistles, Revelation is the only New Testament book that focuses primarily on prophetic events. This book is an unveiling of the character and program of God. It is also known as the Apocalypse, a transliteration of the word apokalypsis, meaning “unveiling”. No prophet under the New Testament is supposed to “add unto these things” or “take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (Rev.22:18-19). The Bible Prophecy concerning prediction is still being fulfilled. Though many of such prophecies had been literally fulfilled before the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, certain words of prophecies are yet to be fulfilled.
Prophecy on behalf of God the Father?
Any word of prophecy saying “Thus saith the Lord thy God” which is on behalf of God the Father is supposed to be in continuation of the Old Testament prophecies. It is absolutely false because all the prophets prophesied until John. The Holy Spirit works in us and on behalf of Jesus, and not on behalf of the Father. Jesus said very clearly that the Holy Spirit will not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell us things to come. “He will glory Me (Jesus) for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13).
Prophesies made by the early apostles and prophets
The early apostles of Christ Jesus had never prophesied saying, “Thus saith the Lord thy God”. Agabus, a prophet during the New Testament days did prophesy of a future event of great dearth throughout all the world” which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28). He also prophesied of persecution of Paul. Agabus took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this gird, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles “ (Acts 21:11). Agabus did not prophesy in the Name of God the Father saying, “thus saith the Lord thy God”.
In the church at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:1-3). The prophets and teachers laid their hands on them and sent them away. It is seen here that through the word of prophecy, the ministers are ordained for God’s ministry. The prophets did prophesy, not in the Name of God the Father but conveyed the words of the Holy Ghost, which were in other words the words of the Lord Jesus to whom they ministered.
Under the New Covenant, we can prophesy future events as led by the Spirit. We can give words of comfort and of edification to edify the Church. We can also give words of warning proclaiming the imminent judgment of God. At the same time, we should be very careful to see that no words are uttered which are contrary to the written Word of God, and which go against the spirit of the New Covenant. If you have a word of prophecy or a word of exhortation, you can simply convey the message to the people without ending such message with the words, “thus saith the Lord thy God”. A prophet under the New Covenant can convey a word of prophecy in his own words by saying that this is what the Lord or the Holy Spirit wants him/her to convey. He need not prophesy like an Old Testament prophet.
Prophesying out of their own hearts
These people prophesy out of their own hearts and not according to the revealed Word of God under the New Covenant. We can find that such prophecies are made only by the pastors or the elders and that too, only during church services. Does this mean that the Holy Spirit does not operate the gift of prophecy during other times? No.
They give their own messages to the congregations. Most of their messages are based on certain dos’ and don’ts. They condemn people from the pulpits and create fear, hopelessness in the hearts of the audience. They present a Christ who is jealous of a young girl wearing a golden necklace or wearing a jean pant. They present a message based on the Law and say that the Lord has given such messages.
In big conventions, one or two people appear on the dais and prophesy, “Oh my people, I am pleased with thee and love thee eternally. I have an abundance of blessings for thee. Gold and silver are Mine. You should inherit the same. I do not want thee to live in poverty which is My curse……thus saith the Lord thy God”. There may be many people living in sin who attend such conventions. When the speaker says on behalf of God, “I am pleased with thee….” this message condones the sin. John the Baptist cried in the wilderness with a very simple message, “Repent”.
They have seen nothing
They have seen nothing. God has not shown any thing new to them apart for what is revealed in His Word. But they claim to have seen visions and revelations. Some time back, I read a message in a Christian website that one lady saw a vision of Saddam Hussein as a lizard writhing in pain in a pot of hot water and said that Saddam Hussein was a demon to be destroyed by the American army.
They have not gone up into the gaps (Vs 5). A minister of God is supposed to go into the gaps for protecting the sheep under his care. The gaps are those areas in the lives of the sheep through which the Devil attacks them. There may be false doctrines by which the Devil takes hold of the Lord’s flock. The minister should find such gaps – grey areas in the lives of the sheep under his care. He has to make up the hedge for the house of Israel. Many sheep are attacked by the lying prophets and false teachers because there is no hedge around them. The thief comes to steal the sheep and to destroy them because he has access to such sheep in the absence of a hedge.
Speaking vanity and lying divinations
They have spoken vanity and lying divinations (Vs.7 – 9). I came across messages purported to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said very clearly about the Holy Spirit that He “shall testify of Me” (John 15:27). The Holy Spirit will not speak on His own authority. Whatever He hears from Jesus, He conveys. (John 16:13). These days, we find many people prophesy things which are contrary to the words of Jesus Christ. If a minister of God gives a message which is not based on the doctrines of the New Covenant, he speaks lying divinations even if he quotes verbatim from the New Testament. The spirit of his message should revolve only on the New Testament doctrines.
Seducing the people saying “Peace”
They have seduced the people saying, “Peace” (Vs-10). They always preach a message palatable to those who have itching ears. They do not speak about divine wrath and judgment. Neither do they speak of sin and of righteousness. They do not want to displease the rich members of their congregations who live in sin with the message of repentance. They covet their tithes and offerings but do not warn them against divine judgment.
Building a wall with untempered mortar
The prophet says in verse 10, “one built up a wall, and, lo others daubed it with untempered mortar”. On minister builds a wall through his individual ministry but the other ministers daub it with untempered mortar. We find here that there is no ordination between the one who has built up the wall and the others who have daubed it with untempered mortar. There are many ministers who daub the wall with untempered mortar. Mortar has to be made by the mixture of sand and cement in suitable proportions. For completing the work of building a wall, tempered mortar has to be applied on the bricks placed on the foundation.
Those ministers engaged in the work of edifying the people of God should put in strenuous labor for making mortar according to the specifications laid down in the drawing made by the architect concerned. An evangelist has preached the gospel to the lost and souls have been saved. He thus builds a wall. Now the other ministers come there to daub it with mortar. They have to lead the saved people to the right doctrines of the Word and to feed the babes with milk. They have to tend the babes with utmost care and love. They have to daub the wall with tempered mortar. What happens today is that the souls that have been added to the local churches are not edified in their spiritual lives by the ministers concerned.
The evangelist concerned who has built the wall should ensure that untempered mortar is not used for daubing the wall built by him. He should not go away after building the wall. It is a team work. A civil engineering work made without coordination and cooperation between the architect, the civil engineer and the masons concerned will be in vain. It will fall when an overflowing shower falls on it or when a stormy wind rends it (Vs.11). It is the Lord who causes the showers or the stormy wind to hit such a wall made with untempered mortar.
Prophets sewing pillows and making kerchiefs upon every stature
The prophet says, “Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! ….”
The ministers of God want to keep their congregations in good humor and in comfortable positions. The congregations are not convicted of their sins and iniquities. The prophet calls these ministers as women that sew pillows to all armholes. Women are known for their tender heart. However, a minister of God has to be tough with a heart filled with zeal for the living God. His heart should glow in the fire of God. The heart of Jesus was set on the fire of God when He saw the Temple in Jerusalem desecrated by the traders. A minister of God is not supposed to prophesy, “The Lord is pleased with you. The Lord blesses you abundantly” when he knows that some of his congregations live in sin.
These days, the ministers give messages palatable to their congregations who do not live according to the Word of God. The ministers preach on an easy life which does not lead their congregations to a narrow way, but to a broad way. The ministers lead the congregations to idols by making kerchiefs upon the head of every stature. Idols are set before them. Material prosperity, ways to amass wealth by faith, etc., are some of the idols. Such idols are eulogized and worshipped. Every stature is covered with a kerchief.
God saves His people from lying prophets
According to Ezekiel, such lying prophets hunt the souls of His people, and the Lord vows to save His people from their hands. These lying prophets pollute God “among His people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread” (Vs.19). They want their congregations to believe such false prophecies so that they continue to be flattered and praised by their congregations. They expect handfuls of barley and pieces of bread from their congregations. These ministers do not want to lose tithes and offerings from their congregations and want to please them for the sake of handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. Such prophecies which the Lord has not commanded to convey to His people do pollute the holy God.
A servant of God or a prophet who visits such churches should unearth such statures. In some churches, the ministers treat their doctrines as idols. If a prophet or a servant of God goes to that church and points to them about such doctrinal errors, the prophet or the servant of God is not accepted.
The Lord took me to a church in Delhi sometime ago where I found the pastor of the Church prophesy, “Thus saith the Lord thy God”. When my time came to give the message, I told the congregation that we should not prophesy under the Old Covenant. This message was not accepted by the pastor.
“…Ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (Vs.23).
God assures that He will not allow any more vanity, or diving divinations in the House of Israel because He has appointed His apostles and prophets to the Body of Christ to expose such lying prophets in His House. He will deliver His people out of their hands.
Evil spirits using human bodies as medium
We normally find certain occult practices by which the people possessed by evil spirits prophesy in the names of such evil spirits.
The ministers who prophesy, “I am God thy Lord” or “I am Jesus” make the audience believe that God or the Son of God is speaking to them by making use of their bodies. Such statements are tantamount to nothing but blasphemy. Though Jesus as the Son of God was the express image of the Father, during His Earthly ministry, He never called Himself as God.
Prophecy against two kinds of people
God commanded the prophet to prophesy against two kinds of people in this chapter. One of them is the category of prophets who are the ministers of the gospel under the New Covenant. The other is the category of the daughters of the people of Israel who are the members of the Body of Christ who are not the full-time servants of God or who want to call themselves as believers.
Judgment on the lying prophets and the daughters of the people
Against the lying prophets and the daughters of the people of Israel, God pronounces His judgment in the following words:
“….They shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel…” (Vs.9)
Dearly beloved in Christ, if you are in this fallacious doctrine, ignorant of the truth, today, I exhort you to refrain from doing so. I myself was in such a false doctrine earlier. When God brought me to the light of His Word, I corrected myself. If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.
(Job Anbalagan)