There's going to be a big problem of people being offended very easily. Are you offended very easily? Wait until your next offence comes… and we'll see! I've found that Christians get very upset, very easily - over little things! Mostly, when you try to give them a bit of feedback, on how they could grow, or how they could change, or how they could do something better. Then they get huffy…
The fourth sign is… many false prophets.
Matthew 24:11 – “Many false prophets will arise and deceive many”.
Three times, in Matthew 24, Jesus warns the disciples about deception. Three times He says: look out, don't be deceived. Here's the thing about being deceived… you don't know you're deceived! You just think - I'm right; they're wrong.
If Jesus tells you something once, it's good to listen to it. Twice, He's really getting your attention. Three times - He's saying this is a big issue. Deception - believing that you're right, when you're wrong.
There will be lots of false prophets; and false prophets essentially draw people to themselves, and not to God. If I just take away the word ‘false prophet’ and instead just use… people that are very spiritual, but draw people to themselves, rather than building them to the kingdom of God, and Jesus - that would be a false prophet, see? They appear very ‘spiritual’, and they have encounters - all kinds of things. But what are they drawing people to?
There are some distinct signs… A false prophet will draw people to themselves, not to God, and His word. The message that they have will lack the essence of the gospel, repentance, and a changed life.
If ‘prophetic’ messages are all about all the great things that will happen, but don't call you to repent, and to transformation, then something is essentially missing, at the core of it. Prophetic messages always have a change - admit you were wrong, and turn to what's right, so God can bless you. That's what repentance means. I was wrong, but I turn around now, because this is what God says - this is right. I'll follow that.
Repentance is called a ‘foundation’ for your faith. It's not something you just do once. You continue to do it, all your life - every time you realise, from the word of God, that you're wrong… “God, I'm wrong. I ask You to forgive me. I turn around and now I embrace Your truth and walk in Your truth”. That's what repentance is - it's a change of heart, a change in your way of thinking.
The false prophet will lack a call to repentance, and to transformation; and often draw people by fancy words, or experiences, or things like that. This is not my opinion - this is exactly what God says in His word, that characterises people, who move in a false prophetic.
Remember, it doesn't mean that they don't talk about God. It just means they draw people to themselves; and they do certain things, it's quite easy to see…
Jeremiah 6:14 – “They dress the wound of my people, as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”
They fail to address the real hurts, and issues of people. They ‘heal My people lightly’, meaning that they talk about external things, but don't address the real need for heart change. This is one thing we've been very passionate about - your need (and our need) for heart transformation.
They fail to call people to repentance and transformation. The message is one of: you will be okay, God loves you, God's going to bless you, everything will be fine! Listen, that's a false hope! What you really need, is change!
It also says (in that same verse), that they prophesy peace, when there is no peace. They flatter people, and tell them what they want to hear, instead of warning them what's about to come.
When did you last hear a message on the fear of God? When did you last hear a message on Eternal Judgements? When did you last hear one on standing before the Judgement seat of Christ, and giving account for your life?
The western world has moved from the essence and core of the gospel, which is transformation, walking with God, repentance and acting in faith - to a message which makes you feel good, by promising you blessing after blessing. It's all on the blessings - what God can give to you, and how you can benefit - which is not requiring you to have a transformed life. That's why we've got churches in the west that are full of people who attend, but during the rest of the week, they're not really doing anything to build the kingdom of God.