Who to listen to

Jeremiah 27:¹⁴ Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. ¹⁵I have not sent them, declares the LORD, but they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you."

1 John 2:¹⁸Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. ²⁰But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. ²¹I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. ²²Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is the promise that he made to us— eternal life.

In Jeremiah, the people were placing their hope in the false prophets that were saying things that the people wanted to hear. The false prophets were saying that they would not remain in captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar. However, Jeremiah says that their captivity and exile is part of God's righteous judgment on them and so if they remain under Babylon's rule, then they will prosper and He will bring them back to their land. The false prophets claim that they have heard from God, but they are lying and it is the listener's responsibility to choose whom they should listen to wisely. Those who choose to listen to the false prophets will only suffer complete separation from God's promises. Likewise, in 1 John, Christ's followers are told that there are those who separated themselves and that shows that they truly were not with Christ to begin with. Once we have given our lives over to Christ, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we must remain with Christ. God's will must be accomplished. So, we must be wise in who we take as a credible source even among people who claim to be Christians. If they are truly Christians, then they will remain faithful to Christ Jesus, but if they deny Jesus and His ministry, then they truly never knew the truth to begin with and are not credible sources for truth.

I live in an age of super-fast information bombardment. From every corner and angle there are those proclaiming that they have the solution to the world's problems. There are many "new" theologies and philosophies that are floating around and people are grabbing them from the air like a money grab machine. Whatever they grab a hold to, that is their truth. That is the reality they are comfortable with. However, this is a dangerous lie from the enemy. If we have no standard to measure by, destruction is the default. The Bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, so of course his main tactic is to keep us from knowing the truth. The serpent keeps using the same old trick from Genesis, "Did God actually say?"(Gen. 3:1) There are many false prophets and teachers today saying things like Jesus and Buddha are the same or that Jesus had children, or that there are books missing from the Bible, or that God just wants us to think positively and then He'll bless us. I cannot simply sit back and say, "Well, I'll accept that...after all, who really knows...it could be true." I cannot think that it'll be the other person's fault if I end up apart from the Heavenly Father for eternity. For me to stand at the time of judgment and say, "Well, I was just listening to what he said," is not going to pardon my sin. Sin is sin, and if I do not accept God's forgiveness through His son, Jesus, I receive no pardon for my sin and so the wages of sin fall upon me. Also, it says it plainly here in Jeremiah 27:15 that I shall perish along with the false prophets. Therefore, I need to read the Bible for myself and then use wisdom to discern whether other authors and speakers are speaking truthfully. If it doesn't match up to what God has said, then it is a lie and from the spirit of the antichrist. After all, those who know the Father, will not deny the Son.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your word and for making Your word known to us, not only through the Bible but through the living, walking example of the word in flesh, Jesus Christ, your Son. Lord, forgive me for being so eager to listen to false testimony. I admit that I have listened to false prophets in the past and I have even, in the past, been one of those falsely teaching others. So, please forgive me by the blood of Jesus and redeem my mistakes and weaknesses to give You all the glory. Lord, I pray for everyone who is under the slavery of false prophesy. I ask that You would send Your Holy Spirit to open the eyes of their hearts so that they may see the truth, repent and live. I ask that You speak directly to those who are falsely prophesying and teaching and convict them of what they are saying. I pray that they also would seek the truth, repent and live. Lord, may Christians today take responsibility for what they feed themselves outside of the Bible. I pray that we all are careful in what we accept as truth and what we teach others as the truth. May our hearts, faith and actions be pleasing to You, Father. Jesus, I pray that I continue to seek Your example and follow You closely every moment. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior I pray, Amen.