Thread: Lack of accountability for false prophets

Jer 6:13 "For from the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.

And again :

Jer 8:10 Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.

Originally Posted by Colonel

Here's a verse to consider :

Jer 5:30 "An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.

Maybe that fits many of today's Charismatic pastors and prophets and their followers ? Maybe false prophesies are more fun than a prophet who admits that he hasn't heard anything in particular about something, however interesting or entertaining the question is.

Yep, Jer 5:30 is good as it is something the Bible says is declared by the Lord (Jer 5:18, 20, 22, 29)

Originally Posted by Colonel

Jer 6:13 "For from the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.

And again :

Jer 8:10 Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.

Jer 6:13 continues on from Chap 5 with v12 saying "declares the Lord" and 8:10 is covered by "This is what the Lord says" in v4.

The following though have to be considered more carefully as the genre of Acts is historic not pastoral. Lots of things happen in the Bible that are obviously wrong but not specifically pointed out as such. We have to glean from teaching books and specific statements as per Jer 5 and 6 an 8 what is and isn't valid.

Originally Posted by LionHeart

Acts 11:27 At that time certain Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, . . .

Originally Posted by LionHeart

. . . Acts 21: 10 And we remaining many more days, there came down a certain one from Judea, a prophet, by name Agabus, . . .

Originally Posted by Colonel

Acts 21:8 On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

There's nothing in the text that suggests that there was anything wrong with Acts 21:9. To the contrary, it indicates that they had house church while Paul and his companions visited and Philip's four daughters prophesied over Paul and/or his companions. Philip was a well known evangelist, his ministry is described at length in Acts 8. If he had been in the wrong in Acts 21:9 then someone would have pointed it out just like Paul pointed out that Peter was wrong in the account in Galatians 2. The next thing that happens is that Agabus prophecies over Paul (21:10) and this time we know more about what was said.

Originally Posted by Colonel

Maybe false prophesies are more fun than a prophet who admits that he hasn't heard anything in particular about something, however interesting or entertaining the question is.

I think one big factor here is personal bias. Pretty much every single prophet who claimed God revealed to them that Trump would be reelected, is a conservative/Republican who wanted Trump to win. That's highly suspicious. It's akin to sports fans who are sure their team will win, not because their team actually is better, but because they want their team to win.

If some prophet had said, "I want Candidate A to win, however, Candidate B is the one who actually will win" - that would be different.

Originally Posted by MercyandFaith

I think one big factor here is personal bias. Pretty much every single prophet who claimed God revealed to them that Trump would be reelected, is a conservative/Republican who wanted Trump to win. That's highly suspicious. It's akin to sports fans who are sure their team will win, not because their team actually is better, but because they want their team to win.

If some prophet had said, "I want Candidate A to win, however, Candidate B is the one who actually will win" - that would be different.

Many of the prophets have prophesied a number of things in conjunction with the alleged reelection of Trump. In light of that it may still make sense. But many prophets have also served as prophetic voices through presidential advisors, which may have lead them to tell the President what he wants to hear. And many prophets have probably just been piggybacking the others, claiming that God told them too that Trump will be reelected.

Jer 23:16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you empty;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me,
'The Lord has said, "You shall have peace" ';
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say,
'No evil shall come upon you.' "
***
21 "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.

Originally Posted by Colonel

There's nothing in the text that suggests that there was anything wrong with Acts 21:9. . . .

Of course not.

Problems only come in when people use such happenings as a foundation of their teaching rather than starting at real Biblical teaching and perhaps using it as an example.

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

Of course not.

Problems only come in when people use such happenings as a foundation of their teaching rather than starting at real Biblical teaching and perhaps using it as an example.

It's obvious that prophets were a continued ministry in the New Testament Church, although with a different role. You have to butcher the scriptures not to see that.

Originally Posted by LionHeart

It's obvious that prophets were a continued ministry in the New Testament Church, although with a different role. You have to butcher the scriptures not to see that.

Yep, some have seen their role more akin to preaching then foretelling.

What we DO see from Scripture is why we have prophets (and others) We're told in Eph 4:11-16 that

He gave some as apostles,
some as prophets,
some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,

WHY? (1) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
(and 2) for the building up of the body of Christ;
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Anything outside that does not have the support of Scripture as far as I can see (though there may be more I've missed)

(Personally I don't see how saying that "God said" X will be president fits into 1) or 2) above!)