Be Warned: Some Prophets Lie With “Thus says THE LORD…”

THE HOLY SPIRIT expressly says that in these latter times, many will be “speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” (1 Timothy 4:2).

There is such an avalanche of deception crushing over The Church in these final hours of the last days. And we must watch and pray more earnestly not to fall into temptation.

Apart from wolves in sheep’s clothing, there are some true shepherds acting like wolves, destroying the gullible with lies packaged in “Thus says THE LORD…”, when THE LORD had not said anything.

Our LORD JESUS repeatedly warns us to “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:4). “No one” includes the prophets of GOD.

While we should avoid and expose false prophets, we must also take heed to assess by THE WORD and THE SPIRIT whatever even the true prophets (one of whom I am) are saying.

For, some of them sometimes say things that are not by THE HOLY SPIRIT. And we must discern what is from GOD and what is not from Him yet branded with “Thus says THE LORD…”

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as The Oracles of GOD. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with The Ability which GOD supplies, that in all things GOD may be glorified through JESUS CHRIST, to Whom belong The Glory and The Dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11.

Prophets of GOD can lie and say ‘THE LORD says…’

Prophets can be used by the devil, “a murderer and a liar” (John 8:44) to deceive and destroy.

There is a sobering story in 1 Kings 13 which is so shocking and saddening: that a person could be so negligent to allow himself to be deceived to disobey GOD to his destruction.

A man of GOD was sent by THE LORD from Judah to Bethel to prophesy against Jeroboam, the king of Israel’s prevalent idolatry in the land.

Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense when the man of GOD arrived.

He cried out against the altar by The Word of THE LORD, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says THE LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which THE LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”

When King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of GOD, he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of GOD had given by The Word of THE LORD. Then the king answered and said to the man of GOD, “Please entreat the favor of THE LORD your GOD, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of GOD entreated THE LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. Then the king said to the man of GOD, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” But the man of GOD said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by The Word of THE LORD, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ” So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.” 1 Kings 13:1-10.

Well done!

The man of GOD resolutely refused to be tempted to disobey GOD.

But, you know, when Satan fails one way, he always tries another way, often more convincing to get one to yield and be ensnared.

“Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of GOD had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of GOD went who came from Judah. Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of GOD, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of GOD who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by The Word of THE LORD, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ” He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by The Word of THE LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ (He was lying to him.) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that The Word of THE LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried out to the man of GOD who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says THE LORD: ‘Because you have disobeyed The Word of THE LORD, and have not kept The Commandment which THE LORD your GOD Commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which THE LORD said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ” So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of GOD who was disobedient to The Word of THE LORD. Therefore THE LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to The Word of THE LORD Which He spoke to him.”1 Kings 13:11-26 .

Every child of GOD has a responsibility to himself not to be deceived, by exclusively depending on and going by only what THE SPIRIT says.

GOD cannot tell you one thing, and then subsequently tell you to disobey it.

Whatever any prophet, indeed, anyone is saying, must be weighed by THE WORD and THE SPIRIT.

We must be like the believers in Berea who heard Paul.

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received The Word with all readiness, and searched The Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11.

I have been in various situations in which THE LORD told me something, then subsequently, other vessels of GOD gave counsel to do something else because of harrowing circumstances and fleshly considerations.

But I gently put my foot down and said no, for that’s not what GOD told me to do.

We are only answerable to GOD, not any man or woman of GOD. And so, we must only do His Will in all things.

Those idolising prophets and prophecies instead of adoring “JESUS, The Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11) and His Word are sure to be deceived and destroyed.

And do not spend too much time listening to prophets and prophecies instead of studying THE WORD and hearing THE HOLY SPIRIT for yourself.

Yes, do not despise prophecies from GOD, but NEVER idolise them, and even pay for them.

You’ll be deceived and accursed if you do.

Take heed that you are not deceived, redeeming the time, for the days are evil.

 

“The LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:22.
“Farewell” Acts 15:29.
~ Jacob Addison Awagah

---

Jacob, an apostle of JESUS CHRIST by The Will of GOD, according to The Promise of Life which is in CHRIST JESUS, (2 Timothy 1:1).
Like John, I like to put my head to The Heart of JESUS so as to know and do His Will always. What’s in His Heart is what matters now and FOREVER. His Heart’s Desire is my only desire.
As John was, I am the disciple whom JESUS loves, (John 13:23;19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20)
And like Paul, Jacob is “the prisoner of CHRIST JESUS” (Ephesians 3:1) for His Purpose forever: to obey Him always.
NB. Surely, “the disciple whom JESUS loves” and “the prisoner of CHRIST JESUS”, like ALL The Promises of GOD, are available to every believer to obtain, just as John and Paul did.
“And having been perfected, He became The Author of Eternal Salvation to all who obey Him,” Hebrews 5:9.

Back to Top