Why should you not be comforted by false words? Just shortly before the judgment of God comes upon a person, a nation, or the whole world, Satan often raises up a large wave of false prophets. Their main task is to weaken the seriousness of the coming judgment. Satan knows very well that if people deeply reflect on the coming judgment, they will repent—and that means he will lose them. But his goal is that no one escapes hell with him. That is his great mission. Let us look at one example in the Bible that will shed light on this issue. We use this example because every word to be considered true must be compared with the Scriptures. Any message that contradicts or cannot be found in the Bible is a lie. Therefore, we use the Bible to confirm everything. Example from the Bible – The Fall of Judah When we read in 2 Kings, we find a time when the sins of the Israelites had reached a very high level. God warned them through many of His servants (the prophets) to repent, but they refused. 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 (ESV): “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans…” So why didn’t they repent, and why did they end up destroyed? Because they listened to false prophets instead of the true messengers of God. At that time, there were true prophets like Isaiah, who warned them of the coming destruction and exile if they did not repent—but they despised him. Then God sent Jeremiah, who plainly told them they would go into captivity no matter what, and that they should surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. But instead, they saw him as unpatriotic and labeled him a false prophet, even imprisoning him. They chose to listen to false prophets who gave them sweet messages of peace and prosperity—that they would not die, that they would continue to prosper in the promised land, and that nothing bad would happen. These prophets never addressed the people’s sins, such as idolatry, sexual immorality, drunkenness, theft, homosexuality, or hatred. They only preached comfort and peace. The False Prophet Hananiah One of the prominent false prophets of Jeremiah’s time was Hananiah, who proclaimed peace and lied that the Babylonian yoke would soon be broken. Jeremiah 28:1-4 (ESV): “In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord…Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house… and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah…” Jeremiah responded to Hananiah: Jeremiah 28:6-9 (ESV): “Amen! May the Lord do so… Nevertheless, hear now this word… The prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine, and pestilence.As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” Then Hananiah broke the wooden yoke off Jeremiah’s neck as a sign. But shortly after: Jeremiah 28:15-17 (ESV): “And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’ In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.” The Same Lies Are Repeating Today What happened then is happening again right now. The devil knows the end is near, and people are becoming aware of the coming judgment and eternal fire. So to deceive them, he raises a huge team of false prophets, whose mission is to make people trust in lies—saying: “There is no judgment.” “The world is not ending soon.” “God is love. He wouldn’t send anyone to hell.” “Don’t think too much about eternity; just live your best life.” These preachers only talk about: Financial prosperity, Business breakthroughs, Earthly success. But they never preach about sin, repentance, or holiness. They can “see” that you’ll marry soon or become rich, but they don’t see that if you continue in your sin—your adultery, your drunkenness, your unforgiveness, your homosexual acts, or your illegal dealings—you’re heading to eternal damnation. Many today have deep questions about life after death, yet when they seek answers, all they hear about is who they’ll marry or how their business will flourish. Even if someone becomes the richest person on earth, what will that help if they die in sin? A Stern Warning 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (ESV): “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” There’s Still Hope for You If you have not yet been forgiven for your sins, know that many have been forgiven worse sins than yours, freely by the Lord Jesus—and He is still forgiving today. So don’t miss this opportunity before the door of mercy is closed. There will come a time when people will try to repent, but they will no longer be heard. What should you do? Find a quiet place, and truly repent. Confess all your sins to God and determine not to return to them. Take real steps to change. If you haven’t yet been baptized, seek true baptism by full immersion (John 3:23) and in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38). After that, the Holy Spirit will empower you to overcome sin and give you deeper understanding of the Scriptures. God bless you. If you’d like to connect with our community, join our WhatsApp channel here >> WHATSAPP