Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.

I Kings 22:6 NKJV

Would you like to find God’s secret cure for COVID-19? There are prophets out there just waiting to sell you the cure. What about a 2020 understanding of end times prophecies? How about learning the effects of a recent setback on your future? So called apostles and prophets are standing by to explain how that “setback is just a setup” for better things.* Whatever you want to hear about, whatever you want to be told, a ‘prophet,’ ‘teacher,’ or ‘apostle’ of the Lord is standing by to give you his message… in exchange for a small donation to the ministry. 

False prophets have a common modus operandi – they tell their followers what they want to hear. Jim Jones’s followers wanted signs and wonders so he made elaborate hoaxes to convince followers those signs were happening. Followers of the World Mission Society Church of God want to hear about a female mother god and so they are given one…in the flesh even as a bonus (just dont ask how god the father could have died). Followers of Harold Camping wanted to hear a date for the return of Christ in their lifetime and they received it. 

Ahab wanted to go up to Ramoth Gilead to fight against the Syrians so his 400 false prophets told him exactly what he wanted to hear: “Go up for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the King” (vs. 6). These prophets  claimed to speak in the name of the Lord Jehovah. They presented their message as if it came from God Himself, and the message was precisely what Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat and himself to hear. But the message was false. These prophets were fake, perhaps the 400 even deceived themselves as they deceived Ahab. 

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Be on guard against those who flatter you by telling you all you want to hear. The Word of the Lord will do many profitable things for us: convict and rebuke us of our sin;  correct us when we err in our thoughts and ways; give to us sound doctrine about our Triune God and what we are to believe concerning Him; instruct us in how we are to live our lives before our Holy God; and set our minds on things above; but it will not flatter us with lies.** 

When the Bereans heard the Word preached from the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:11-12, they searched the Scripture to see if those things were true. When we hear and read teachers let us search the Scriptures to see if such messages are from the Word of God. Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit and know the true and pure gospel of Jesus Christ so well that when you hear a false gospel it may not easily deceive you.

One practical means the Lord has given for the protection of your faith is the local Bible-believing church. Here the means of grace are given: the Word (especially the preaching); prayer; and the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Do not neglect this solemn assembly of the people of God and membership therein. Among other purposes, God has given the church, His own body, for the protection of His people from the wolves seeking to devour with their clever fables.

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*One of Joel Osteen’s regular phrases in recent weeks around COVID-19 is that your “setback is just a setup” for greater things. He uses Joseph’s imprisonment, David on the run from Saul, and other biblical stories to prove this message to you. He does not speak in an ultimate sense of Heaven for those who are in Christ but in a worldly sense, focusing on the present here and now. In the world we will have tribulation, we will suffer a little while, but Joel Osteen ignores all that and promises a great life now and in the near future. People want to hear this, want to believe it, want to experience it, and so they keep on listening to this great flatterer. 

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** “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

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