False Prophets Abound
An all-creatures Bible Message

False Prophets Abound
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
1 February 2015
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 18:14-22
1 Corinthians 8:1-13

False prophets abound everywhere in the world around us.
 
There are false prophets in our churches, where they usually use fear tactics to promote their agendas and get donations, and we hear the same things coming from many radio and television “evangelists”.
 
False prophets abound in secular society, too, and they can be found in government; and they exist in many industries, where they make knowingly false claims about their products.
 
These false prophets also try to discredit or undermine the truth, and even hide the truth so that they can further their own agendas; this is particularly true when it comes to the exploitation of animals and the eating of their tortured remains and byproducts.
 
In Deuteronomy 18:14-22, we are cautioned about these false prophets.

14. "For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.

Diviners and those who practice witchcraft are also false prophets, for they claim things that they cannot really do.

15. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.
 
16. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, lest I die.'

Many people are afraid to hear the voice of the Lord, or even the truths that are presented in the Bible, such as the requirement for us to be loving and compassionate caretakers of God’s creation.
 
And this can lead to the problem that it becomes harder and harder to tell a true prophet of God from a false prophet, for we cannot tell if what they say is really the word of God, or if they have twisted it in some way to further their worldly agenda.

17. "And the LORD said to me, 'They have spoken well.
 
18. 'I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

There were human prophets that followed Moses, but the ultimate prophet referred to here is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who ushered in a redeeming new era according to the heavenly will of God, where there is no pain or suffering or death.
 
Unfortunately relatively few people truly followed His teaching; mostly they just gave lip-service, and continued to follow the ways of the world.

19. 'And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.
 
20. 'But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'
 
21. "And you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'
 
22. "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
NASB

There are many false prophets today telling us that it’s okay to eat and wear animal products, and that there is nothing wrong with the atrocities that are being committed upon billions of animals every year, all of which is against the teaching of Jesus.
 
These false prophets also try to make us believe that Jesus ate animal products while He was incarnate upon this earth, for which there is not one Bible verse to back up their words.
 
False prophets abound because our society allows their lies to exist instead of following the heavenly will of God.
 
These lies cause billions of animals to suffer and die every year and millions, if not billions, of human beings to suffer from the chronic diseases they get from eating animal products.
 
It’s time we take a stand against these false prophets and their lies.
 
In 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Paul talks about how false prophets lead people astray into living in the ways of the world.

1. Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
 
2. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
 
3. but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

The false prophets make people believe in idols and the importance in honoring them instead of God.

4. Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.

Mostly, Paul is referring to animals sacrificed to idols.
 
But in reality, people who eat animal products have made an idol of the flesh eating culture of this world, for they follow the ways of this world instead of the heavenly will of God.

5. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
 
6. yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

These are the things that false prophets try to discourage us from listening to and following.

7. However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

Note carefully that Paul describes the people who eat animal products as being weak.

8. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.
 
9. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
 
10. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

False prophets also try to make vegans and vegetarians seem like the weak people that Paul writes about.
 
The people who follow God’s original plant food diet (Genesis 1:29-30) are strong and don’t get caught in this trap, because they don’t eat any animal products.
 
Actually, the weak people are those who go along with the worldly evils of eating and wearing animals, for they don’t have the guts to stand up to the liars of this world, and to live as God originally intended.

11. For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
 
12. And thus, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
 
13. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble.
NASB

Symbolically, Paul says this about himself, but if he had followed the whole plant food diet that God created for us and the animals to eat, he would never have had to make such a remark, for he would have already been a vegetarian/vegan and given the Godly example to others.
 
If Paul had done this, there never would have been any of the stumbling blocks that he is writing about.
 
Each and every one of us needs to set the example of being a child of God, who lives in His heavenly will, and helps bring true peace to this world.
 
We can stand up to the false prophets in the world around us.
 
We can be the peacemaking children of God.
 
Amen.

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