Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.(Jeremiah 23:9)
One of the evils of the last days is the fact that at a time when people desperately need a clear Word from the living God, false prophets abound, misleading them unto damnation. This broke Jeremiah’s heart and it breaks my heart as well.
I wrote a book about this phenomenon in 1998, called BEWARE THE NEW PROPHETS, in which I gave the scriptural tests to determine true and false prophets. The problem of false prophecy in the church is basically twofold, 1) The False prophets themselves, who prey on the flock, and 2) The faithlessness of the confessing people of God.
In other words, if there wasn’t already a Benny Hinn or a Joel Osteen, someone would have to invent one, because there is a ready-made constituency for their false ministries. The false prophets reveal the faithlessness and superficiality of the false congregations, and of the false shepherds. Jeremiah says the same,
A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?(Jeremiah 5:30-31)
The people love it, therefore it shall be ! They love the “supernatural” even if it is unscriptural, they love the idea of a “Great man of God” like Simon Magus. They love the idea of a humanistic God as presented by Joel Osteen, or Rob Bell. Such a non-judgmental God is a perfect idol for the times, suited for the psychologised, postmodern generation.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.(Jeremiah 23:16)
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