Under Gods command

 Under Gods Command

Jeremiah 23 9-14 Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble.  I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and his holy words.  The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies arched and the pastures in the desert are withered.  The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.   “Both prophet and priest are godless, even in my temple I find their wickedness,” declares the LORD.   “Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall.  I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,” declares the LORD.  “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.  And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible:  They commit adultery and live a lie.  They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness.  They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

 How did the nation become so corrupt? A major factor was false prophecy.  The false prophets had a large, enthusiastic audience and were very popular because they made the people believe that all was well.  By contrast, Jeremiah’s message from God was unpopular because it showed the people how bad they were. 

      There are four warning signs of false prophets-characteristics we need to watch for even today. 

1. They may appear to speak God’s message, but they do not live according to his principles. 
2. They water down God’s message in order to make it more palatable.
3. They encourage their listeners, often delicately, to disobey God
4. They tend to be arrogant and self-serving appealing to the desires of their audience instead of being true to God’s Word.