Ezekiel 13:3, 6, 18 ESV
Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the Lord,' when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.
and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?
There appear to be two groups of false teachers influencing the people of God in this chapter. God is opposed to them both. The first group are those who claim to speak for God. They have been seeing visions, or at least claim that they have. They have been proclaiming these false visions as the word of the Lord. They believe their own lies, fully expecting God to do what they claim he has said. The other group are women apparently practicing occultism and magic. This is clearly forbidden by the law, yet here they are.
Both groups are dangerous. Both groups are opposed by God. Both groups have embraced certain lies. It is not clear whether there is any collusion between these two groups. Because of the differences between them it is likely that they have no connection. But, therein lies the problem. Just because two liars disagree does not mean that one of them is right. Spiritually it is just as dangerous listening to a false prophet as it is listening to a false religion.
How can we tell if someone is a false prophet? Some lies are more difficult to discern than others. The Old Testament gave several tests for a prophet. Two significant tests were these: Do their prophecies come true? Is what they are teaching consistent with God's previous revelation. That second one is particularly significant. The Apostle Paul commended the Bereans for testing his teaching against the Word of God. That is what we need to be doing.
When a teacher or preacher expounds his teachings the question is not whether he has authority to teach. The question ultimately is whether his teachings are consistent with the Word of God. That is where any teaching authority comes from. Authority does not come from a degree or a positional title. It comes from the Word of God.
Father as I teach, may I always remain true to your Word. As I listen to others, may I not have a critical spirit, yet may I be careful to test everything against your Word. Keep me from the lies that so easily infiltrate, divide and destroy.
By His grace,
Rick weinert
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