False Prophets: How to Recognize Them

False Prophets are prophesied to appear in this age. Jesus warned about them who appear to be Prophets of God, but devour souls of people.

Who is the True God whom the True Prophets must Testify?

In the present time, there are numerous churches, religions and beliefs around the world, all of which claim to lead people to God, whoever God they believe in. Within the religion Christianity, there are also thousands of churches all over the world claiming to preach the gospel of Christ. Because of this, many people are confused as to where they should go to receive God’s salvation. In the end, they come to accept everyone’s beliefs and come to a conclusion that God is one, though they call God in different names. For them, the important thing is that they believe in a divine being and that they should love their neighbors as themselves.

The true God is the one who created the heavens and the earth, He who is the First and the Last, who has no beginning or end of life. Apart from Him, there is no Savior; before Him, no god was formed nor will there be one after Him. He who proclaims the things to come, who foretells what is to come. His words are absolute, it will surely be done.

A true prophet proclaims true God and make known to people the name of God. A true prophet delivers God’s words and teaches the people God’s laws and decrees so that they may receive God’s blessings. However, there are also false prophets who lead people astray, and the one who follows them will be destroyed together with them.

Unmasking the False Prophets through the Sabbath

Sabbath is the 4th commandment among the ten commandments.

Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is sabbath to the Lord your God.”

The Sabbath is an important law of God that whoever desecrates it must be put to death (Ex.31:13-15, Num.15:32-36). God gave the law of Sabbath to bless His people and to make them holy. Sabbath is also a sign between God and His people, through which God acknowledges people as His, and they, too, will know Him who makes them holy (Ex.31:14).

However, false prophets do not keep the Sabbath.

Ezekiel 22:26 “Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things..they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

Through the sabbath alone, one can distinguish who the false prophets are. They are those who shut their eyes to the keeping of the Sabbath. Among the churches in this world, are there any churches who keep the Sabbath? All but one keep Sunday worship. It means that religious leaders of this world are all false prophets.

False Prophets who belong to the Devil

True prophets always guide people to follow God’s law and teach them the blessings they will receive through them. But there are those who teach people to turn away from God’s laws – they are false prophets who belong to Satan and lead people to eternal destruction.

Ezekiel 22:23-26 Again the word of the Lord came to me: “…’You are a land that had no rain or showers in the day of wrath.’ There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people… Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things, they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.”

Characteristics of False Prophets

• False prophets who do not keep and do not teach God’s laws are likened to roaring lions who devour the souls of people. Rain or showers refer to the words of God (Amos 8:11). A land with no rain or showers means a land with no words of God. The priests do violence to God’s laws and profane God’s holy things. It means that they are False prophets who do not have God’s words and do not teach God’s laws. They are likened to a roaring lion tearing its prey. In 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is said to prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. It means that false prophets belong to the devil, and kill the souls of people.

“…You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry our your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies… you do not belong to God.” John 8:44-47

• They profane God by shutting their eyes to the keeping of the Sabbath. True prophets teach the holy Sabbath day and those who keep it will become clean; while false prophets teach Sunday worship, in which there is no promise of salvation. Those who desecrate the Sabbath will remain unclean. However, false prophets do not distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.
• They are likened to wolves tearing their prey (Eze. 22:27). God sends prophets to lead His people to salvation. But there are also False Prophets in sheep’s clothing and devour souls of people. Jesus warned about them so that people will not be deceived. They hide their identity and seem like true prophets outwardly, but in inwardly, they are ferocious wolves. Wolves kill sheep; and God’s people are likened to sheep. So false prophets kill God’s people.
• They whitewash their deeds. To whitewash means to paint white to cover up their wrongdoings by false visions and lying divination. They say, this is what the Sovereign Lord says – when the Lord has not spoken. False prophets teach lies. In 1 John 2:4, it is written, ‘the man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’

Teachings of False Prophets

2000 years ago, Jesus called the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees ‘Hypocrites!'(Mt. 23:13). What hypocrisy do the religious leaders at that time do or keep?

Matthew 15:6-9 “You hypocrites! These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”

False prophets do not teach God’s laws but man-made rules. Today, too, false prophets teach Sunday service, Christmas, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Cross-reverence, which are not in the Bible.

Ezekiel 20:11-25 “I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord make them holy… because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parent’s idols. So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live.”

Because they did not keep God’s laws and desecrated the Sabbath, so God made them keep other laws – human rules – through which they could not live.

The End of False Prophets

God will surely destroy the false prophets who lead people astray.

Ezekiel 22:31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger..

Revelations 20:10 And the devil who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

And what of those who follow them?

False prophets will never enter heaven, so are those who follow them.

Isaiah 9:16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are.led astray.

Matthew 23:13 “.. You hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter nor will you let enter those who are trying to.”

Since false prophets will never enter heaven, they hinder people, too, from entering heaven by teaching them lies to kill their souls.

True Prophets in Zion

To save His people, God sent His prophets again and again, to warn them about disobedience and to lead them to the way of life.

Jeremiah 3:14-15 “Return faithless people,” declares the Lord… I will choose you.. and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.”

Only the prophets in Zion can lead people to true knowledge of God and understanding of God’s words. It is because they stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb and follow the Lamb wherever he goes (Revelations 14:1-5). It means that they know God’s will and follow God’s words absolutely. No lie was found in their mouths means that they only teach the Truth of God.

Truth Preached by True Prophets

Zion is the city of our festivals (Isaiah 33:20). Only in Zion the people of God keep the appointed feasts of God (Leviticus 23:1-34):

• Sabbath – 7th day of the week Passover – 14th day of the first month at twilight.
• Feast of Unleavened Bread – 15th day of the first month.
• Day of Firstfruit (Resurrection Day) – the day after the Sabbath (Sunday) following the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) – the day after the 7th Sabbath after the Day of Firstfruit (Sunday: 50th day from Resurrection day).
• Feast of Trumpets – 1st day of the seventh month.
• Day of Atonement – 10th day of the seventh month.
• Feast of Tabernacles – 15th day of the seventh month and lasts for seven days

Since the True Prophets keep the laws of God, they know and understand the blessings promised through them (i.e. By keeping the Sabbath, God will make people holy and bless them to enter eternal rest in the kingdom of heaven. By keeping the Passover, sinners receive the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life). By teaching God’s laws, people will realize God’s love and will turn their hearts towards God. This is the reason why God calls the prophets in Zion, “shepherds after my own heart”.

Last Age Prophets in the Spiritual Zion

Acts 20:28 Be shepherds of the Church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

The Church which God redeemed through his blood is the Church that keeps the Passover of the New Covenant. Only the Church that has the blood of the new covenant can be the true Church of God. God entrusted those who keep the New Covenant to be shepherds of the Church of God. In these last days, only the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) keeps the feasts of the New Covenant which Jesus taught 2000 years ago. The spiritual Zion in these last days is the World Mission Society Church of God. Therefore the Last Age Prophets are those who lead people to God and to salvation by preaching the New Covenant.