January 12, 2023: Deuteronomy 18:20 - False Prophets Shall Die
“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” - Deuteronomy 18:20
God is very clear on where He stands with false prophets. Those who speak something they claim is from God that He has not commanded them to speak or who speak in the name of other gods, shall die. Below are some other Scriptures about false prophets.
Jeremiah 5:31 An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
Ezekiel 22:28 Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, “Thus says the Lord GOD,” when the LORD had not spoken.
Ezekiel 13:9 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.
Lamentations 2:14 Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.
1 John 4:1 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.
Jeremiah 14:14 And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of the heart.
Jeremiah 23:16 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.”
When Jesus and His disciples were at the Mount of Olives and they asked Him, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Jesus then went on to describe a list of signs to look for but He had first given them a stern warning not to be deceived. (Matthew 24:3-5) Jesus also told them, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, it possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. 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. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass, there the eagles will be gathered together.” (Matthew 24:23-28)
Deception is all around us. There are many false christs and false prophets in our world today. I pray every single day for God to give me discernment to know who is of Him, who is not of Him, and only to listen to who is of Him. As I will discuss further in the next devotional covering Deuteronomy 18:21-22, God provides the test of how to tell a true prophet - one called by God and who speaks His words as given by Him - and that is, if what the prophet prophesied does not come true, then he or she is a false prophet.
Jesus addressed false prophets during His time of ministry on the earth. He told His disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” - Matthew 7:15-20
It’s fitting that in the next passage of Scripture, Jesus then told His disciples: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Jesus went on to tell them, “Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” As Isaiah prophesied long before Jesus was born, “He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.” (Isaiah 8:14-15)
The best way to guard against the lies of false prophets is to know the truth, God’s word, for ourselves. That way, when someone tells a lie disguised as truth, we will recognize it and not listen to the false prophet or false teacher. We must also be very careful because one of Satan’s tactics is to mix lies with the truth. Satan knows the word of God, and he uses that against those who are not discerning. Anyone who denies that Jesus is the resurrected Christ, was sent by God, is equal with God, and is part of the Trinity, anyone who denies any or all of these truths is a liar and a deceiver and should not be listened to. Anyone who denies that belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved from our sins is also a liar and a deceiver. Wolves don’t come in wolves’ clothing; rather, they disguise themselves as sheep, and often the pastors/leaders of churches in our world today are deceiving many. Instead of giving their congregations the truth of God when it comes to sin, many are embracing their sin and saying God would approve of it. These same people, if they do not change their ways and turn to Jesus Christ in repentance, will hear Him say when they depart this earth, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
During the 7-year tribulation period, known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, which I believe we are speeding toward at an increasing pace, there will be an evil trinity comprised of Satan (called the “Dragon” in the book of Revelation), the final antichrist (called the “Beast” or the “Beast from the Sea”), and the final false prophet (also called the “Beast from the Earth”). The apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, wrote in Revelation 13:11, “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast [antichrist], whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” John also goes on to write that it is the false prophet that will cause every single human being on earth alive at that time to worship the antichrist and to “receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Anyone who does not do these things will be killed. Anyone who was not saved by believing in Jesus Christ prior to the start of the tribulation period will have a choice to make: will they do as the false prophet commands them to do or will they die? Anyone who turns to Jesus Christ during the tribulation period will likely need to make this choice and many will be martyred for their faith in Jesus.
Let us return to today’s Scripture verses in Deuteronomy 18:20: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” God is true to His word. While the false prophet of the evil trinity will not die a physical death, he, the antichrist and Satan the dragon will die a spiritual death. Unlike all human beings who reject Jesus’ gift of salvation and who die in their sins, Satan, antichrist and the false prophet will remain alive when they are judged by God. At the end of the tribulation period when Jesus comes from heaven to earth riding a white horse with the armies in heaven to judge a wicked and God-forsaking world, the antichrist and the false prophet will be “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest [all who rejected Jesus] were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him [Jesus] who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” At that time, Satan (the Dragon) will be bound for 1,000 years in the bottomless pit, while Jesus reigns on earth during His millennial reign. At the end of the 1,000 years, “The devil [Satan], who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 19:11-20:10) They will never, ever again be able to deceive anyone.
Until then, get ready by knowing the word of God for yourself. Things are about to get much, much worse. Lies and deception are all around us. If you go to church and/or listen to pastors online, listen to what the pastors are preaching. Does it line up with what the Bible says? Are the pastors being celebrated by the world? If yes, chances are, they are false pastors and are leading many to hell. I pray you won’t be one of them.
Jesus didn’t come to give us our best life now. He didn’t come to make us rich or to heal us from all that ails us. He didn’t promise us a trouble-free life. He didn’t come to make us comfortable in our sins or to celebrate them. He came because each and every single one of us are sinners, and He is the only One who can save us from our sins. Don’t be deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing; turn to Jesus Christ and ask Him to save you. He will. ✝️