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Ezekiel Chapter 13 - False Prophets

What are some characteristics of a false prophet?

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In this section of Ezekiel (chapters 4 to 24), among the many judgements of God against Judah, one of them is directed at false prophets, as seen in this chapter. 

Perhaps right now we may not relate to being a false prophet who speaks blatant lies about God or misleads others into grave sins like idolatry. Still, as members of the True Jesus Church, we need to consider: how faithful am I when it comes to speaking God’s truth to others? Do my words truly lead others towards God and His truth of salvation? Or are there elements of falsehood and misdirection? 

With that being said: What are some characteristics of a false prophet? 

1) Self-directedness. Instead of speaking from God’s words, false prophets speak from the dictates of their own hearts (v1). Instead of following God’s lead, they follow their own spirit (v3).     

2) Untruthfulness. Not only do false prophets lie about God’s will by declaring their own will as God’s, but they also even expect God to fulfill their lies (v6)! For example, declaring peace to the people when God pronounces punishment for their sins (v10) – the equivalent of whitewashing a dangerously broken wall that is about to crumble and crush its inhabitants.   

3) Harmer of souls. Failing in their duty as a prophet to strengthen the people’s faith is already unacceptable (v5). What’s more, these false prophets actively harm the people’s souls (v18)! By disheartening the righteous and encouraging the wicked with their lies, they mislead both groups of people towards spiritual destruction (v22). And for what cost? “Handfuls of barley and pieces of bread” (v19) – in other words, their own physical benefits. People’s eternity, for their short-term wants.   

What will happen to false prophets? God says these individuals will be cut off from His salvation – no longer enrolled in the register of Israel but barred from entering the land of His inheritance (v9). As they perish, God will expose their lies (v13-14). Moreover, God will rescue the souls trapped by these false prophets (v20), so long as their hearts are not hardened to His truth.        

It is extremely dangerous if we ourselves are false prophets without our realising. How then can we ensure that we are true prophets approved by God? By filling ourselves with His words – listening, believing, and living it out – so that we can clearly discern truth from error (Ezekiel 2:8 to 3:3, 10); and by resolutely holding fast to the truth, without compromise, even in the face of opposition (Ezekiel 3:8-9).  

As members of the True Jesus Church, may we strive to purge all falsehood from our hearts and be completely led by God in whatever we do, especially in declaring the word of God to all nations. Amen.      



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以西结书 第四十五章（英文）

以西结书 第四十五章（英文）

From chapter 40 until the end of Ezekiel, God foretells of a glorious future for His people: when, after thoroughly measuring the temple (chapters 40 to 42), God’s glory re-enters and re-fills the temple (43:4-5). Thereafter, God promises that He will dwell amid the children of Israel forever (43:7). However, there is one condition: there cannot be anymore defilement of God’s temple, including uncircumcised foreigners (44:9) and in terms of the priests’ lifestyles and conduct (44:17-27). Ezekiel 45 continues from chapter 44 with God’s requirements for His people, including the princes (i.e., leaders) and the whole nation, when He dwells among them. The chapter starts with God’s instructions for dividing the land of Israel. He instructs a bigger area to be allocated for Himself compared to the area for the prince and people. The area for the prince and people is 25,000 cubits long and 5,000 cubits wide (45:6); whereas God’s area, albeit the same length, is double in width (45:1). Reflecting on this: today, how much ‘space’ does God occupy in our hearts? Does He have a bigger space than our personal wants, worries and aspirations? The amount of ‘heart space’ we give to God shows in how submissive we are towards God in our lives – the more God fills and controls our thoughts, the more we will align our speech, conduct, and decisions with His will in the Bible. Ultimately, with continual spiritual nurture, God should not just occupy ‘a big enough space’ in our hearts, but all of it, filling us all in all (Ephesians 1:23b) and having complete control over our hearts. There is no limit to the infilling of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34b). Meaning, as long as we live, the pursuit of being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit is a never-ending one. So, let the ‘district’ of God in our hearts be an ever-growing one until He fills all in all. Leaders who are just and righteous, instead of oppressive towards the people (Ezekiel 45:9); leaders who use honest measures (verse 10-12); and leaders who will help make atonement for the people’s sins by preparing the various offerings to God such as the burnt, grain, drink and sin offerings (verse 13-17, 22-25). In short, these leaders, together with the priests and Ezekiel (verse 18-20), were to actively bridge the people to God. Today, as long as we are in the True Jesus Church, we are also supposed to actively bridge people to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). How active and faithful have we been in our daily ministry of reconciliation? Reflecting on the three requirements of God for His leaders mentioned earlier: By shunning sin, including sins against others; by carefully following all of God’s moral standards in the Bible; and by faithfully praying for the salvation of others, God will zealously work through us to reconcile the whole world to Himself. Then, we will be approved by Him as good and faithful servants worthy of entering His joyous kingdom (Matthew 25:23). Not because of their great numbers or any other physical merits, but simply because of His great love and because He is a God who keeps covenants (Deuteronomy 7:7-9). In return, as His people, God wants our complete love in the form of complete obedience to His commandments. This means letting His Spirit fill and control us ceaselessly and living a life of zealously bridging our world to God. Amen.

以西结书 第二十一章（英文）

以西结书 第二十一章（英文）

This chapter talks about the sword of God against His people and the Ammonites, with the word “sword” being mentioned 15 times! This sword (i.e. Babylon, v19-20) is a sword of judgement that God would use to punish these two groups of people for their sins. Here are 3 things that will happen when this sword is drawn: Why both the righteous and wicked – is God being unfair? We know from the consistent message of the Bible that this is not so. God is just, and He does not indiscriminately slay the righteous with the wicked. Even for a city as depraved as Sodom and Gomorrah, God delivered Lot and his family, the only few righteous people remaining (fewer than 5!), before destroying the city (Genesis 18:23-26). Moreover, by cutting off the righteous from the land, God not only delivers them from further physical suffering including forced labour by the Babylonians, He also delivers them from further spiritual corruption by their wicked kinsmen who were steeped in idolatry. God’s promise of delivering the righteous from their troubles is a promise we must cling to (Psalm 34:19). We must also recognise that ultimately, God wants to deliver us in a spiritual sense – from the temptations of the evil one (Matthew 6:13), the corruption of the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4), and the corruption in hell (Psalm 16:10). Therefore, let us trust in the righteousness of God, knowing His will for us is not to perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). The original meaning of Israel is “prince with God”. However, now that their scepter is despised, Israel is no longer prince with God, no longer son of the King of kings. Israel is dethroned, because of the people’s wickedness. Yet, God foretells the coming of One whom God will crown because He is the rightful Ruler (v27b) – this One is none other than our Lord Jesus, whose reign and kingdom is everlasting (Luke 1:33). Just like how Esau lost his God-given birthright because of his choice to gratify a moment’s hunger, Israel lost their precious status as prince with God, children of God, because of their choice to persist in their unfaithfulness towards Him (Ezekiel 14:13). How about us: do we make personal choices that jeopardise our precious relationship with God? What does God remember? Their sins. As a result, what will God forget? His relationship with them – in other words, an utter disowning of His people. But… did God permanently forget His people? Again, we know from the consistent message of the Bible, as well as history, that this was not so. Rather, God disowns them with the purpose of cleansing them from their sins so that He can re-own them as His people – a people with a new spirit and heart of flesh that submits to God’s laws (Ezekiel 11:19-20), who will no longer stray from God (Ezekiel 14:11). As the psalmist says: “His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for life.” (Psalm 30:5) God promises that if we repent and return to Him wholeheartedly – fearing Him, meditating on His name, and serving Him (Malachi 3:16-18) – God will remember us and bless us with His favour for the rest of our life, in this age and the age to come. By always using the sword of His word to prune away sin from our hearts (Hebrews 4:12-13). Let us daily examine our thoughts and intents to see if they align with the Bible’s standards. Remember that we are naked and open to Him, secret sins and all, and one day we must give an account to God who will judge all our thoughts, words and deeds. Amen.

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