Scripture: Jeremiah 14 v 14: "Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."
Deuteronomy 13 v 1 - 3: "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
In the New Testament we are warned against being deceived. We are told to try the spirits whether they be of God, because many are not. We read of the spirit of divination being cast out of a psychic fortune teller. (Acts 16 v 16ff). In Psalms David had to play his harp for King Saul to calm him when demons of murderous rage troubled his mind. Daniel had to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream because the magicians, psychics and sorcerers were unable to do it.
We are also warned by our banks to beware of scams, cloning of bank cards, identity theft and so on. Many have lost large sums of money to fraud, theft and Ponzi schemes. The pandemic has brought people into desperate economic conditions which causes them to rush into anything that promises fast returns.
We are living in perilous times in which we need to be on our guard.
Even in church there are many false prophets or those who bring false visions and "words from God" that He never sent. I have prayed with many who have been severely hurt.
One man was almost suicidal because he was told that God wanted him to live and preach in Outer Mongolia! He was not equipped nor had any motivation for it. One false prophet in the church prophesied his wife would have a son. She had 5 daughters.
This same man prophesied (before sonar imaging) that this lady in the church would have twin girls. They believed him and doubled up on pink stuff. She had a boy. These are small issues in comparison with abandoning Jesus and following a false god, but they still use God's name in vain, which is forbidden by Him.
Tragedy happened when Jim Jones led nearly 1000 people to Guyana to await the rapture. He used this time to have sexual relations with young girls in the congregation. When the authorities came looking he laced orange juice with cyanide and told his gullible, deceived people this was the Rapture. Only his daughter escaped to bring the truth. Over 900 people died. In Hosea.....My people perish for lack of knowledge.
There is an Australian man who believes he is Jesus Christ in the Second Coming! He has been on TV and has many followers. Jesus said many would come pretending to be Him and not to believe these imposters.
There are pastors, prophets, apostles advocating and prophesying about Interfaith being from God, and that all paths lead to God. The deceived are seeing it as a way to stop holy wars or jihadist groups like ISIS. Serious errors that bring churches into the One World Religion under the power of Antichrist followers.
We now have groups like Chrislam that have mingled the two religions to form an Interfaith platform. New Age practices are well advanced as the end of times approaches. The Roman Catholic Church has for centuries mingled its twisted version of Christianity with other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Voodoo and other strange cults. It is doing all it can to regardless Anglicans and other mainline church groups back into its fold. Interfaith is helping this happen.
We are busy with a state commission to uncover State Capture largely by a family from India, who deceived some government ministers into very strange and costly business arrangements. This has stripped our major electricity supply company, our transport enterprise, national airways, defence armaments manufacturers etc of currently R 57 billion, about US$4 billion. This is taxpayers money for the needs of our people, and it is now hidden in bank accounts in Switzerland, Dubai, The Bahamas with some even being used to build a golden temple in memory of their Hindu father.
In this country stark poverty is a reality, and getting worse daily. Our major state owned enterprises are all bankrupt, severe job losses are next. Moody's has downgraded our financial outlook to junk status. Many have been deceived. We are grateful to Lord Peter Hain, a former South African, for very loudly bringing what the Guptas have done before the British House of Lords last week, and demanding that Britain take action against any of their banks that have aided and abetted this wholesale theft of our hard earned money. To honour a false God no less.
Only truth and righteousness will bring about change. As it says in Chronicles, If My people will humble themselves and pray, I will hear from Heaven and heal their land. To do this we must have faith in the One True God, and in Jesus His Son. It's getting harder to evangelize as people have such fixed ideas against Christianity because many have been hurt by false prophets using divination rather than prophecy by true prophets under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Weather out of control, famine, pestilence or pandemics, earthquakes increasing in number and intensity, increase in heart failure, and top of the list, many will be deceived. These were things that would indicate that Jesus is near, even at the door. Another sign would be that it would only occur after Israel was back in her own land, which occurred 70 years ago.
Our God will always protect her, and governments that reject Israel and side with her enemies are in jeopardy. South Africa is one of them and is in dire straits already. No doubt false visions and prophecies from their ancestor demon spirits gave them this advice.
Jesus said as in the days of Noah and Lot, so shall it be before He returns. Those examples speak of God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, and when that didn't work, the whole world was flooded out, leaving alive just 8 righteous people.
Our God means business and He will rescue the righteous born again Christians, and leave those who are deceived and will not listen to truth. We are definitely seeing the glorification of Sodom and Gomorrah all over the world in these latter days.
In Revelation Jesus sends various woes upon the world in an effort to get their attention and encourage them to repent.
Revelation 9 v 18 - 21: "By these three (woes) was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
Let us be sober-minded and serious with our God and consider all these things most carefully to be sure that we have not been deceived nor given heed to false prophets, false visions, wrong doctrines and men's philosophy. Let us heed the words of the Bible and have no fear of what men can do to us. Rather fear the Righteous Judge who will not permit any sin to enter Heaven.
1 Thessalonians 5 v 4 - 6: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
Prayer, Heavenly Father, we repent of spiritual laziness and lack of being watchful. Forgive us for not discerning and dealing with that which is false. Father, we are complacent and passive when we should be uncompromising and passionate about truth and Your Kingdom's values. From today we will change and be humble before You, and pray for the lost to be found. Help us O Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.