Jerusalem today. Seen from Hashimi, Muslim Quarter, Old City. On the background the Dome of the Rock.
“‘Here I am against the prophets,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘the ones who are stealing away my words, each one from his companion.’” —Jeremiah 23:30
JEREMIAH served as God’s prophet in Jerusalem at a time when the city was rife with idolatry, immorality, corruption, and the shedding of innocent blood. (Jeremiah 7:8-11)
He was not the only prophet active at that time, but most of the others were self-serving and corrupt.
They didn't keep on the watch, and don't keep ready. In what way? Jehovah declares: “From the prophet even to the priest, each one is acting falsely. And they try to heal the breakdown of my people lightly, saying, ‘There is peace! There is peace!’ when there is no peace.”—Jeremiah 6:13, 14.
The false prophets tried to make it appear that despite all the corruption in the land, things were fine, and the populace was at peace with God; but that was not so. God’s judgment awaited them, as Jeremiah fearlessly proclaimed.
The true prophet Jeremiah, not the false prophets, was vindicated when Jerusalem was razed by Babylonian soldiers in 607 B.C.E., the temple destroyed, and the populace either killed or dragged away captive to distant Babylon. The pitiful few that were left in the land fled into Egypt.—Jeremiah 39:6-9; 43:4-7.
What had the false prophets done? “‘Here I am against the prophets,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘the ones who are stealing away my words, each one from his companion.’” (Jeremiah 23:30)
The false prophets stole the force and effect of God’s words by encouraging the people to listen to lies rather than to the true warning from God. They were telling, not “the magnificent things of God,” but their own ideas, things that the people wanted to hear. Jeremiah’s message was truly from God, and if the Israelites had acted on his words, they would have survived.
The false prophets ‘stole God’s words’ and led the people to disaster.
It was just as Jesus said about unfaithful religious leaders of his day: “Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”—Acts 2:11; Matthew 15:14.
As in Jeremiah’s day, there exist today false prophets claiming to represent the God of the Bible; but they too steal God’s words by preaching things that distract people from what God, through the Bible, really says. In what way? Let us answer that question by using, as a touchstone, the fundamental Bible teaching of the Kingdom.
The Truth About the Kingdom
God’s Kingdom was the major theme of Christ’s teaching, and it is mentioned more than a hundred times in the Gospels. Early in his ministry, Jesus said: “I must declare the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this I was sent forth.” He taught his followers to pray: “Let your kingdom come.”—Luke 4:43; 11:2.
What, then, is the Kingdom? According to The New Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon, the Greek word translated “kingdom” in the Bible means first, “royal power, kingship, dominion, rule” and second, “the territory subject to the rule of a king.” From this we would logically conclude that God’s Kingdom is a literal government administered by a King. Is this the case?
Yes, it is, and the King is none other than Jesus Christ. Before Jesus’ birth the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father.” (Luke 1:32)
Jesus’ receiving a throne proves that he is a King, a governmental Ruler. Also proving that the Kingdom is a literal government is the prophecy of Isaiah: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder . . . Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”—Isaiah 9:6, 7, King James Version.
As we keep on the watch, what can we expect?
The book of Revelation outlines progressive steps in the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Acting on what it says is vital if we are to prove ourselves ready. The prophecy vividly describes events that would occur in “the Lord’s day,” which began when Christ was enthroned in heaven in 1914. (Revelation 1:10)
Revelation alerts us to an angel who has been entrusted with “everlasting good news to declare.” He proclaims in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived.” (Revelation 14:6, 7)
That “hour” of judgment is a brief period; it includes both the pronouncement and the execution of the judgments that are depicted in that prophecy. We are now living in that period.
*** w92 2/1 pp. 4-5 False Prophets Today ***
Photo Credit: emeryjl
