Ezekiel 13
Certainty of Judgment
~ On False Prophets
Open your Bibles to…
1John 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.
Pray
Intro
√ Certainty of Judgment on false prophets
You’ll remember from our last study that beginning with chapter 12 through chapter 19 God begins to communicate a new message to the Jewish captives…
…that is the certainty of His judgment.
First He gave Ezekiel 2 new signs by which He captured the attention of the people…
…the sign of captivity and the sign of shaking.
He began a series of 5 sermons beginning in chapter 12 and running through the end of chapter 14 to reinforce in the minds of the Jewish captives that judgment is…
Certain
Inescapable
Coming soon
Remember, the reason for all of this is that the people did not believe that God would actually destroy His city, His Temple, and His people!
That was because even though they had seen the signs that Ezekiel had done, heard the sermons that he preached…
…yet they still clung to the false hope given by the false prophets that God wasn’t really going to do what Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted He would do.
So, in chapter 13 God turns His attention to the false prophets and prophetesses in this 3rd sermon…
…and the certainty of His judgment upon them for leading His people astray.
The sin of the false prophets (vs. 1-7)
Ezek. 13:1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek. 13:2 “Son of
man, prophesy against the prophets of
Ezek. 13:3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Ezek. 13:4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
Ezek. 13:5 You have
not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of
Ezek. 13:6 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.
Ezek. 13:7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, “The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”
√ The sin of the false prophets
The root of the sin of the false prophet is deceit, spoken a bit more bluntly they are liars! Note their character as described by God…
“who prophesy out of their own heart” ~ vs. 2
“who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!”
vs. 3
Who cry out, “Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them.” ~ vs. 6
Who say, “The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.” vs. 7
In other words, everything they have predicted is an invention of their own mind…
…they’re story-tellers and liars!
√ True prophets
As we’ve already read a true prophet of God is a person who has received direct revelation from God by either vision or spoken word.
There’s no guess work involved, no filling in the gaps, no make believe!
When God really speaks to a man or a woman it’s a supernatural experience!
Ex. Vision is like watching a movie ~ a Word from the Lord is explicit, clear and whether it’s audible or not the prophet hears it as if God spoke it in their ear!
√ The word of the false prophets
The reason that God was so angry with the false prophets is that the word they spoke was both…
False
Dangerous
False ~ in that what they said directly contradicted the true word of God as spoken by His prophets!
They predicted peace and prosperity when in fact war and desolation was coming.
Dangerous ~ in that their message failed to address
the spiritual and moral crisis in
Rather than calling the people to repent of their sin they encouraged their rebellion against God!
The result was that the people of
…and placed their hope in the false prophecies which led to their destruction.
Ap. Beware of false prophets!
The danger of false prophets is greater today than at any other time in history!
Matt. 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
Matt. 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
And…
Matt. 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Ex. Rise of Christian-cults
The vast majority of Christian-cults that are operating today were birthed in the last 150 years, a sign of that we’re living in the Last Days.
Just like in Ezekiel’s day the false prophets are liars, telling people what they want to hear…
…and withholding the Truth that judgment is coming and that the only way of escape is through His Son Jesus Christ.
The danger of their message is that they give a false hope to people who then turn from the Word of Life and take the path that leads to destruction.
Ex. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda
He’s an ex-heroin addict (might explain some things) who believes that he is the new Jesus called the Antichrist…
"Antichrist is the best person in the world," he says.
"Antichrist means don't put your eyes on Jesus because Jesus of
He then goes on to say that there is no longer any sin or hell because the devil was killed 2,000 years ago so it’s okay to indulge yourself!
And people are attracted to that message ~ how shocking (tongue planted firmly in cheek!)
Jose and his followers sport “666” tattoos and are rapidly growing into an international phenomena with thousands of followers in 30 different countries!
Ap. Protect yourself
Just as in Ezekiel’s day the only defense against false prophets is to know the true Word of God!
Those who don’t know the word have a weak spiritual immune system and thereby cannot defend themselves against the poison of bad doctrine and false teaching.
You’ll also find that people who don’t know God’s word will become desperate enough in life that they’ll believe anything ~ even a false hope.
Remember, the largest percentage of converts to cults are Christians who didn’t know God’s Word…
…so beware of false prophets!
The judgment on the false prophets (vs. 8-16)
Ezek. 13:8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD.
Ezek. 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
Ezek. 13:10 “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—
Ezek. 13:11 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.
Ezek. 13:12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, “Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”
Ezek. 13:13 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.
Ezek. 13:14 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.
Ezek. 13:15 “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,
Ezek. 13:16 that is,
the prophets of
√ The judgment of the false prophets
In this section God tells the people that He is going to judge the false prophets for their lies and their nonsense, God says in vs. 9 that they will…
Lose favor with the people ~ no one will listen to them any longer.
Lose their citizenship in the city ~ they’ll not be recorded in the official city registry nor remembered with the honorable.
Die in captivity ~ rather than inheriting the Promised Land that they claimed would be theirs.
In short, everything they predicted would not come to pass would indeed come about in their own lives!
√ Their lies will be exposed
In verses 10-16 God uses the illustration of a wall built with defective material to show how their false prophecies will be exposed.
Ex. “Untempered mortar”
The picture is of a wall that is build shoddily and covered over with pretty plaster…
…but the plaster won’t stand up when the storm hits and will wash away exposing a weak wall that won’t stand up to the rain.
Ex. Guys that come around each year to seal your driveway ~ looks good until the rain comes
His point is that just as a poorly built wall looks good until a storm hits…
…so the bold predictions that Jerusalem would not fall would be exposed as false and without integrity when Nebuchadnezzar broke through the walls of the city!
Ap. The false hope of the cults
On the outside many cults have the appearance of that nicely plastered wall!
They look like model citizens
They seem to have a perfect family
Their “church” seems to take care of their people
But the reality is that when you look closer you find that the foundation is faulty, the wall is unsteady and the plaster is cracked!
Ex. Mormon’s
But in
The pharmaceutical company Eli-Lilly dispenses 62% more Prozac (anti-depressant)
in
The reason? Because the false prophet Joseph Smith and his successors have foisted a powerless false gospel onto the shoulders of their followers.
They demand perfection to reach heaven…
…but the reality is that no one except God is perfect!
The end result is that as people try to live out the Mormon faith the pretty facade washes away when the storms of life hit.
The plaster of their marketing campaign cracks to expose…
…a weak spiritual foundation and a compromised wall of theology that cannot stand against the sin nature.
So, just as God judged the false prophets of
The sin of the false prophetesses (vs. 17-19)
Ezek. 13:17 “Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them,
Ezek. 13:18 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?
Ezek. 13:19 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?”
√ The sin of the false prophetesses
In these verses God turns His attention to the false prophetesses of
Their sin is identical to the false prophets, that is, they’re liars who speak in God’s Name…
…but God never spoke to them.
Rather, what they pass off as “the word of the Lord” is nothing more than an invention of their own imagination.
Ex. Jezebel
Certainly the Jezebel of the Old Testament was a wicked
woman, but the Jezebel I’m thinking of was a gal who infiltrated the
Rev. 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Rev. 2:21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
Rev. 2:22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
While most Bible students agree that “Jezebel” probably wasn’t her real name (rather symbolic)
The point is that this Church, a Christian Church was infiltrated and seduced into sin by a false prophetess who claimed to speak for God…
…but did not.
There were of course many good and godly woman whom God spoke through in the role of prophetess…
Miriam the sister of Moses
Deborah the judge of
Huldah who ministered during king Josiah’s reign
Philip’s daughters
Unfortunately, there weren’t any in
√ Identifying a false prophetesses
It would be beneficial to examine the description that God gives of these false prophetesses because it gives us some clues about how we can identify them in our own day.
Note in vs. 18-19 they…
Sew magic charms on their clothing
Make veils to cover the heads of the people
Hunt for souls!
Magic charms ~ refers to the pagan Babylonian practice of tying special knots and bands onto their clothing, and on their bodies to protect them from spirits (“good luck” charms).
Veils ~ same idea as the charms but worn on the head. The false prophetesses sold both the charms and veils to people with the claim that they possessed powers to protect and prosper people.
Hunt for souls ~ that is, the false prophetesses targeted Gods’ people that they might profit from their fear by selling them their goods and services.
Ex. Can you imagine anyone selling charms, rugs, coins, anointing oil, etc., to profit of God’s people!
Ap. Beware of false prophetesses today
Just as there are more false prophets today than ever before, so there are also more false prophetesses today!
They’re sometimes more subtle than the false prophet like Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda.
One popular false prophetess that fooled many Christians is Betty Eadie the author of “Embraced by the Light”.
Subsequent examination of her claims to have been dead are unfounded.
The “Jesus” that she supposedly met contradicts the teaching of the Jesus revealed in the New Testament (everyone goes to heaven).
Turns out she’s not a Christian, she’s a Mormon.
So, we can identify a false prophetesses today the same way that the people could in Ezekiel’s day…
…their message contradicts God’s Word, it promotes a false hope, and often encourages direct disobedience to revealed will of God.
The judgment of the false prophetesses (vs. 20-23)
Ezek. 13:20 “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.
Ezek. 13:21 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.
Ezek. 13:22 “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.
Ezek. 13:23 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.” ’ ”
√ The judgment of the false prophetesses
God promises to bring the same judgment upon the false prophetesses that He would bring on the false prophets…
…that is, He would expose them for the liars that they were!
He would tear their protective charms off their arms and their veils from their heads.
As a result He would deliver His people from them, that is they would stop doing business with them because they would recognize that they were phonies when the Babylonians conquered the city just as Jeremiah and Ezekiel said they would!
√ God hates their lies
We’ve already looked at a number of reasons why God set Himself against both the false prophet and the false prophetess…
…but one reason that I would not have guessed is noted by Ezekiel in vs. 22.
“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad…”
How’s that?
One of the consequences of the words and the practices of the false prophetesses is that they instilled a false hope into the heart of God’s people.
When that false hope did not come to pass then God’s people suffered a broken heart.
I think there’s two ways we can interpret that thought…
First ~ that the righteous were made sad for the people who trusted in the false prophetesses and suffered because of it.
Second ~ that even some of the righteous believed the false prophetesses and became sad when their experience didn’t work out the way they were told it would.
I’ve seen people suffer on both accounts.
Ex. I’m sad for my friends who trust in false teaching
All those who trusted the false prophets of so-called “Liberation” theology.
Ex. Larry Parker ~ “We let our son die”
Close
√ The certainty of judgment on false prophets
Reminder that Satan is working over time to deceive people and that even Christians can be fooled!
Protect yourself by knowing His Word
Test every Spirit
Test every prophet/prophetesses
If you do these things you’ll protect yourself from a heart of sadness and a wasted life.
Ap. God is watching out for us
But He also expects us to test people who claim to speak for Him so that we will not be lead astray by false prophets.