Ha Jesu a ne a bua le barutuoa ba Hae ka mehla ea bofelo le pontšo ea ho tla ha Hae, Jesu o boletse ho Mattheu 24:24, there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders, hoo, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect. But what will these false Christs and false prophets and their deceiving signs and wonders look like? What does the Bible say about false Christs and false prophets?
What does the Bible say about false prophets in the Old Testament?
The Bible says a lot of things about false prophets in the Old Testament. Not only in the New Testament we read about false prophets, but also in the Old Testament. These false prophets pretended that God sent them and spoke His words, while God had not sent them. These false prophets followed their own spirit and saw vanity and lying divination and prophecied lies from their hearts.
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Kahoo, lebitso la Morena Molimo; Ho madimabe baporofeta ba mawatla, ba latelang meea ea bona, mme ha ba eso bone letho!
Iseraele, baporofeta ba hao ba jwaloka diphokojwe mahwatateng. Ha lea nyolohela likheong, + ha baa ka ba etsetsa ntlo ea Iseraele lekhoakhoa hore ba eme ntoeng letsatsing la Jehova.
Ba bone lefeela le bonohe ba leshano, ho bua, Ho rialo Morena: mme Jehova ha a ka a ba roma: mme ba entse hore ba bang ba tshepe hore ba tla tiisa lentswe.
Na ha le eso bone pono ya lefeela na?, mme ha le a ka la bua bonohe ba leshano na?, athe le re, Morena o itsalo; leha ke eso bue?
Ka baka leo, ho itswe ke Morena Jehova; Hobane le buile lefeela, le ho bona mashano, ka hona, bona, ke kgahlano le wena, Ho bolela Morena Jehova. Mme letsoho la ka le tla ba hodima baporofeta ba bonang lefeela, le mashano ao a bomodimo: ba ke ke ba ba phuthehong ya setjhaba sa ka, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, le gone ba ka se tsene mo lefatsheng la Iseraele; mme le tla tseba hore ke nna Morena Jehova (Ezekiele 13:2-9)
The false prophets saw vain and foolish things and spoke lies
Baprofeta ba hao ba u bonetse lintho tsa lefeela le tsa booatla: mme ha ba ka ba senola bokgopo ba hao, ho kgutlisa botlamuwa ba hao; empa ke o bone diphahlo tsa leshano le diketso tsa ho leleka (Lillo Tsa Jeremia 2:14)
Her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, ho bua, Kahoo, lebitso la Morena Molimo, when the Lord hath not spoken (Ezekiele 22:28)
What does the Bible say about false prophets in the New Testament?
In the New Testament of the Bible, Paul, Johanne, Peterose, Juda (le ba bang) warned about false prophets and false teachers. They warned the saints to be cautious and to try the spirits whether they were of God. These false prophets were among the people and spoke lies and brought in damnable heresies.
Empa ho ne ho boetse ho e-na le baprofeta ba bohata har’a batho, jwalokaha ho tla ba le baruti ba bohata le hara lona, Ke mang ea tla tlisetsa botho bo sa fetoheng, esita le ho latola Morena ya ba rekileng, mme ba itlisetse tshenyeho e potlakileng (2 Peterose 2:1)
Moratuwa, le se ke la dumela meya yohle, le mpe le leke meya hore na ke ya Modimo: gonne baporofeti ba le bantsi ba maaka ba tswetse mo lefatsheng (1 Johanne 4:1)
What did Jesus say about false Christs and false prophets?
Jesus said about false Christs and false prophets, Hobane ho tla hlaha bo-Kreste ba bohata, le baporofeta ba bohata, mme ba tla etsa mehlolo e meholo le meeka; hoo, ha ho ka etsahala, ba tla kgelosa le bona bakgethwa. Bonang, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Bonang, he is in the desert; go not forth: bona, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together(Mattheu 24:24-28)
Hlokomela Baporofeta ba Bohata, e tlang ho uena ka liaparo tsa linku, Empa ka hare, ke liphiri tsa leoatle (Mattheu 7:15)
Mme ho tla hlaha baporofeta ba bangata ba bohata, mme ba tla kgelosa ba bangata (Mattheu 24:11)
Jesus warned us of false prophets and told us, how we can recognize false prophets. We can recognize false prophets by the fruit they bear.
False Christs and prophets do great signs and wonders. Therefore we can’t rely upon their teachings, Mehlolo, Matšoao, le limakatso.
Jesu o boletse, that we should look at their lives and what kind of fruit they bear in their lives. Do they walk after the Spirit according to the Word of God and keep His commandments? Do they do works of righteousness and bear the fruit of the Spirit?
Or do they walk after the flesh according to the will, ditakatso, le takatso ya nama? Do they bear the fruit of the flesh (mesebetsi ya nama), just like the world and sin?
What is the difference between a true and false Shepherd?
The difference between a true and false shepherd is that a true shepherd loves God and cares for His flock. Therefore he teaches, guides, keeps, and corrects the sheep. A false shepherd may seem pious and that he cares for the sheep, but his heart is full of iniquity. He only cares for himself and destroys the sheep.
Ka mohlala, a prophet or preacher may seem pious and appear charismatic and speak wonderful encouraging words and even do signs and wonders, while in private, the prophet or preacher lives like the world doing the same works of the flesh.
When someone experience depression, TLHOKOMELISO(s), kapa shebella bootsoa, o feba, go to clubs/bars, or leave his/her spouse and get a tlhalo, and lives in sin and doing things that oppose the Bible, you know that the person is not rooted and seated in Jesus Christ. The person is carnal and walks after the lusts and desires of the flesh instead of the Spirit.
When you look at the fruit of a person, you know whether you’re dealing with a true or false shepherd.
How do you recognize false Christs and false prophets?
You will recognize false Christs and false prophets by looking at their fruits. What fruits do they bear in their lives? They can speak the words in the Bible (many times taken out of context and used for the carnal man) but do they live according to the words in the Bible?
We have accepted too much garbage and false doctrines in the church. And because many Christians don’t examine the Bible themselves and are led by the flesh instead of the Holy Spirit, there is hardly any discernment anymore.
Many Christians follow their pastors, (tummeng) baboleli, baporofeta, and evangelists, without studying the Bible for themselves.
They accept and believe their words, even if their words contradict the Word of God.
Let us be serious and watchful. Sheba fruit of the person. Do they produce the fruit of the Spirit or the flesh?
Jesu o boletse, that this is the only way, that we can recognize and discern true and false prophets and false Christs.
Joale mesebetsi ea nama ea bonahala, Eo ke e; Bofebe, bohlola, ho se hloeke, LaScivillaness, Borapeli ba Litšoantšo, boloi, Lehloeo, phapang, LITLHOKOMELA, khalefo, ntoa, Sekhooa, heres, Menogano, LITLHAKISO, botahoa, TLHOKOMELISO, le joalo ka: eo ke u bolellang eona pele, Joalokaha ke u joetse nako e fetileng, Hore ba ke ke ba rua 'muso oa Molimo.
Empa litholoana tsa moea ke lerato, thabo, kgotso, Longsfuff, bonolo, Molemo, Tumelo, Bonolo, Liiphetoho: khahlanong le joalo ha ho na molao. Mme bao e leng ba Kreste ba thakgisitse nama le dithato le ditakatso (Bagalata 5:21-24)
False Christs and false prophets shall shew great signs and wonders
Jesu o boletse ho Mattheu 24:24 (also in Mark 13:22-23), that these false Christs and false prophets shall shew great signs and wonders. They could even deceive the very elect if it were possible.
Imagine that! These false Christs and false prophets seem like they are sent by God and seem devoted to Him and do many great signs and wonders. All these things looks like they are sent and appointed by God, Empa 'nete ke, that they aren’t and don’t speak His words. Therefore be and stay watchful!
How do you recognize real from counterfeit?
You recognize real from counterfeit by studying the Bible and being led by the Holy Spirit. The more you study the Bible the more you will get to know the real Jesus Christ and the Father and get to know His will. Ha o ntjhafatsa kelello ya hao ka Lentswe la Modimo, the easier you will discern, what is real (genuine) and what is false (a counterfeit). Empa hape… Jesu o boletse, the only way you will discern false Christs and false prophets is by looking at their lives and the fruit they bear.
Jesu a tsoela pele a re, that if these false Christs and false prophets say, that the Son of man is in the desert, you should not go there, or in the secret chambers, you should not believe it. You do not have to search for Jesus in places. You shouldn’t be led by (super)natural manifestations, which can also be counterfeits of the devil.
When Jesus returns, everyone will see Jesus, not just one person, or a few persons. He shall return at an unexpected moment. Jesus gave us the example of lightning to compare to His return. Jesus will return like a thief in the night. Therefore we should stay watchful and be ready to meet Him upon His return.
‘E be letsoai la lefatše’
