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THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH
Article XXIX - The Marks of the True Church, and Wherein it Differs from the False Church -
We believe that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the Church. But we speak not here of hypocrites, who are mixed in the Church with the good, yet are not of the Church, though externally in it; but we say that the body and communion of the true Church must be distinguished from all sects that call themselves the Church.
The marks by which the true Church is known are these: If the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if it maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in chastening of sin; in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself.
With respect to those who are members of the Church, they may be known by the marks of Christians; namely, by faith, and when, having received Jesus Christ the only Savior, they avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God and their neighbor, neither turn aside to the right or left, and crucify the flesh with the works thereof. But this is not to be understood as if there did not remain in them great infirmities; but they fight against them through the Spirit all the days of their life, continually taking their refuge in the blood, death, passion, and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom they have remission of sins, through faith in Him.
As for the false Church, it ascribes more power and authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit itself to the yoke of Christ. Neither does it administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in His Word, but adds to and takes from them, as it thinks proper; it relies more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those who live holily according to the Word of God and rebuke it for its errors, covetousness, and idolatry.
These two Churches are easily known and distinguished from each other
Why Does God Permit False Prophets? -
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 "If there arises among you a
prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
(2) "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to
you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'; which you have not known;
'and let us serve them,' (3) "you shall not listen to the words of that
prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
(4) "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His
commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast
to Him. (5) "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to
death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you
from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD
your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from
your midst.
1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
2 Timothy 4:3-5 For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own
desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for
themselves teachers; (4) and they will turn their ears away from the
truth, and be turned aside to fables. (5) But you be watchful in all
things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.
Deuteronomy 4:1-2 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules[a] that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2) And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (3) By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
1 Timothy 1: 3-7 "...remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,
nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which
promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by
faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure
heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by
swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring
to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are
saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."
[Paul's charge to expose unaided
speculation and error in the church is done with the motive of love.
While we must always teach with gentleness and respect, yet this
passage affirms that the purpose of exposing bad doctrine is loving, in
fact, the most loving thing a person can do for you.]
1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, (3) and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (5) They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. (6) We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
2 John 1:7-11 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (8) Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. (9) Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. (10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; (11) for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
Romans 16:17-18 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. (18) For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Titus 1:9-14 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. (10) For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, (11) who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. (12) One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." (13) This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, (14) not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
2 Corinthians 11:3-15 But I fear, lest
somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds
may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (4) For if he
who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you
receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different
gospel which you have not accepted you may well put up with it!
(5) For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent
apostles. (6) Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in
knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all
things.
(7) Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted,
because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? (8) I
robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. (9)
And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one,
for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in
everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will
keep myself. (10) As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me
from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. (11) Why? Because I do not
love you? God knows!
(12) But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the
opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as
we are in the things of which they boast. (13) For such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of
Christ. (14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into
an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end
will be according to their works.
Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:16-19 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, (17) which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (18) Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (19) and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (9) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, (10) and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, (12) that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, (4) he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, (5) useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
Deuteronomy 13:1-18 "If there arises among
you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a
wonder, (2) "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he
spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ which you have not
known‘and let us serve them,’ (3) "you shall not listen to the words of
that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is
testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul. (4) "You shall walk after the LORD your
God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you
shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. (5) "But that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order
to turn [you] away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you
from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you
shall put away the evil from your midst.
(6) "If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your
daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own
soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’
which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, (7) "of the
gods of the people which [are] all around you, near to you or far off
from you, from [one] end of the earth to the [other] end of the earth,
(8) "you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye
pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; (9) "but you shall
surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to
death, and afterward the hand of all the people. (10) "And you shall
stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you
away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage. (11) "So all Israel shall hear and fear, and
not again do such wickedness as this among you.
(12) "If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your
God gives you to dwell in, saying, (13) ‘Corrupt men have gone out from
among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go
and serve other gods"‘ which you have not known (14) "then you shall
inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And [if it is] indeed true
[and] certain [that] such an abomination was committed among you, (15)
"you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of
the sword utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock,
with the edge of the sword. (16) "And you shall gather all its plunder
into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city
and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever;
it shall not be built again. (17) "So none of the accursed things shall
remain in your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His
anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just
as He swore to your fathers, (18) "because you have listened to the
voice of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I
command you today, to do [what is] right in the eyes of the LORD your
God.
Ezekiel 34:1-10 And the word of the LORD
came to me, saying, (2) "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of
Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the
shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should
not the shepherds feed the flocks? (3) "You eat the fat and clothe
yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, [but] you do not
feed the flock. (4) "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you
healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back
what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and
cruelty you have ruled them. (5) "So they were scattered because [there
was] no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field
when they were scattered. (6) "My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the
whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching [for
them]."
(7) ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: (8) "[as] I
live," says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and
My flock became food for every beast of the field, because [there was]
no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the
shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock" (9) ‘therefore, O
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! (10) ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Behold, I [am] against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at
their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the
shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock
from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."
Jeremiah 7:1-34 The word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, (2) "Stand in the gate of the LORD’S
house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the
LORD, all [you of] Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the
LORD!’" (3) Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your
ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. (4)
"Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD,
the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD [are] these.’
(5) "For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you
thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, (6) "[if]
you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do
not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your
hurt, (7) "then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land
that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
(8) "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. (9) "Will you
steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal,
and walk after other gods whom you do not know, (10) "and [then] come
and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say,
‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? (11) "Has this house,
which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes?
Behold, I, even I, have seen [it]," says the LORD.
(12) "But go now to My place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set My name
at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My
people Israel. (13) "And now, because you have done all these works,"
says the LORD, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but
you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, (14)
"therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which
you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I
have done to Shiloh. (15) "And I will cast you out of My sight, as I
have cast out all your brethren the whole posterity of Ephraim.
(16) "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or
prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.
(17) "Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the
streets of Jerusalem? (18) "The children gather wood, the fathers
kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen
of heaven; and [they] pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they
may provoke Me to anger. (19) "Do they provoke Me to anger?" says the
LORD. "[Do they] not [provoke] themselves, to the shame of their own
faces?" (20) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My anger and My
fury will be poured out on this place on man and on beast, on the trees
of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not
be quenched."
(21) Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt
offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. (22) "For I did not speak to
your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the
land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. (23) "But this
is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your
God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have
commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ (24) "Yet they did not
obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels [and] the dictates
of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. (25) "Since
the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day,
I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up
early and sending [them]. (26) "Yet they did not obey Me or incline
their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
(27) "Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will
not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer
you. (28) "So you shall say to them, ‘This [is] a nation that does not
obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has
perished and has been cut off from their mouth.
(29) ‘Cut off your hair and cast [it] away, and take up a lamentation
on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the
generation of His wrath.’ (30) "For the children of Judah have done
evil in My sight," says the LORD. "They have set their abominations in
the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. (31) "And they
have built the high places of Tophet, which [is] in the Valley of the
Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire,
which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.
(32) "Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when it
will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but
the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no
room. (33) "The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of
the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten
[them away]. (34) "Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah
and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of
gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For
the land shall be desolate.
Jeremiah 8:7-12 "Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the LORD. (8) "How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. (9) The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have? (10) Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. (11) For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. (12) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down," says the LORD.
Teach the whole counsel - Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Acts 20:29-31 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. (30) "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. (31) "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
Job 42:7-10 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me [what is] right, as My servant Job [has]. (8) "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you [according to your] folly; because you have not spoken of Me [what is] right, as My servant Job [has]." (9) So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite [and] Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. (10) And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Jeremiah 23:9-40 My 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 has overcome, Because of the LORD, And
because of His holy words. (10) For the land is full of adulterers; For
because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the
wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, And their might
[is] not right. (11) "For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in
My house I have found their wickedness," says the LORD. (12) "Therefore
their way shall be to them Like slippery [ways]; In the darkness they
shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them,
The year of their punishment," says the LORD. (13) "And I have seen
folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My
people Israel to err. (14) Also I have seen a horrible thing in the
prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also
strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his
wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like
Gomorrah.
(15) "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water
of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out
into all the land.’"
(16) Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the
prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a
vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. (17) They
continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, "You shall
have peace"‘; And [to] everyone who walks according to the dictates of
his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’" (18) For who
has stood in the counsel of the LORD, And has perceived and heard His
word? Who has marked His word and heard [it]? (19) Behold, a whirlwind
of the LORD has gone forth in fury A violent whirlwind! It will fall
violently on the head of the wicked. (20) The anger of the LORD will
not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His
heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. (21) "I
have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them,
yet they prophesied. (22) But if they had stood in My counsel, And had
caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them
from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. (23) "[Am] I a
God near at hand," says the LORD, "And not a God afar off? (24) Can
anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the
LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.
(25) "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My
name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ (26) "How long will
[this] be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed [they
are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart, (27) "who try to make
My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his
neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.
(28) "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has
My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What [is] the chaff to the
wheat?" says the LORD. (29) "[Is] not My word like a fire?" says the
LORD, "And like a hammer [that] breaks the rock in pieces?
(30) "Therefore behold, I [am] against the prophets," says the LORD,
"who steal My words every one from his neighbor. (31) "Behold, I [am]
against the prophets," says the LORD, "who use their tongues and say,
‘He says.’ (32) "Behold, I [am] against those who prophesy false
dreams," says the LORD, "and tell them, and cause My people to err by
their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or
command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all," says
the LORD.
(33) "So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you,
saying, ‘What is the oracle of the LORD?’ you shall then say to them,
‘What oracle?’ I will even forsake you," says the LORD. (34) "And [as
for] the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ‘The oracle of
the LORD!’ I will even punish that man and his house. (35) "Thus every
one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother,
‘What has the LORD answered?’ and, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ (36)
"And the oracle of the LORD you shall mention no more. For every man’s
word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living
God, the LORD of hosts, our God. (37) "Thus you shall say to the
prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and, ‘What has the LORD
spoken?’ (38) "But since you say, ‘The oracle of the LORD!’ therefore
thus says the LORD: ‘Because you say this word, "The oracle of the
LORD!" and I have sent to you, saying, "Do not say, ‘The oracle of the
LORD!’" (39) ‘therefore behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and
forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and [will
cast you] out of My presence. (40) ‘And I will bring an everlasting
reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be
forgotten.’"
Ezekiel 13:1-23 And the word of the LORD
came to me, saying, (2) "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of
Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own
heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’"
(3) Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow
their own spirit and have seen nothing! (4) "O Israel, your prophets
are like foxes in the deserts. (5) "You have not gone up into the gaps
to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day
of the LORD. (6) "They have envisioned futility and false divination,
saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they
hope that the word may be confirmed. (7) "Have you not seen a futile
vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD
says,’ but I have not spoken."
(8) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have spoken nonsense
and envisioned lies, therefore I [am] indeed against you," says the
Lord GOD. (9) "My hand will be against the prophets who envision
futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My
people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall
they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I [am] the
Lord GOD.
(10) "Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying,
‘Peace!’ when [there is] no peace and one builds a wall, and they
plaster it with untempered [mortar] (11) "say to those who plaster [it]
with untempered [mortar], that it will fall. There will be flooding
rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall
tear [it] down. (12) "Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be
said to you, ‘Where [is] the mortar with which you plastered [it]?’"
(13) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "I will cause a stormy wind to
break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger,
and great hailstones in fury to consume [it]. (14) "So I will break
down the wall you have plastered with untempered [mortar], and bring it
down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will
fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know
that I [am] the LORD.
(15) "Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have
plastered it with untempered [mortar]; and I will say to you, ‘The wall
[is] no [more], nor those who plastered it, (16) ‘[that is], the
prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see
visions of peace for her when [there is] no peace,’" says the Lord GOD.
(17) "Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your
people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them,
(18) "and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the [women] who sew
[magic] charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people
of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people,
and keep yourselves alive? (19) "And will you profane Me among My
people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people
who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by
your lying to My people who listen to lies?"
(20) ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I [am] against your
[magic] charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear
them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like
birds. (21) "I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out
of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then
you shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(22) "Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad,
whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the
wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.
(23) "Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice
divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you
shall know that I [am] the LORD."‘"
Matthew 7:17-18 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor [can] a bad tree bear good fruit.
Matthew 24:11, 23-26 (11) "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
(23) "Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here [is] the Christ!’ or
‘There!’ do not believe [it]. (24) "For false christs and false
prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect. (25) "See, I have told you beforehand. (26)
"Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go
out; [or] ‘Look, [He is] in the inner rooms!’ do not believe [it].
Jude 1:4-19 For certain men have crept in
unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly
men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord
God and our Lord Jesus Christ. (5) But I want to remind you, though you
once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land
of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (6) And the
angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode,
He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment
of the great day; (7) as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them
in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual
immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
(8) Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority,
and speak evil of dignitaries. (9) Yet Michael the archangel, in
contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses,
dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord
rebuke you!" (10) But these speak evil of whatever they do not know;
and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things
they corrupt themselves. (11) Woe to them! For they have gone in the
way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and
perished in the rebellion of Korah. (12) These are spots in your love
feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving [only]
themselves. [They are] clouds without water, carried about by the
winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the
roots; (13) raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame;
wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
(14) Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also,
saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
(15) "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly
way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken
against Him." (16) These are grumblers, complainers, walking according
to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling [words], flattering
people to gain advantage. (17) But you, beloved, remember the words
which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: (18)
how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who
would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. (19) These are sensual
persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
Colossians 3:1-4 If then you were raised
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
(3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When
Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in
glory.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ,
{False teachers & doctrines will emphasize physical manifestations(tongues, healings, etc.) & blessings, rather than the gospel & spiritual blessings.}