Is Yeshua a False Prophet?

Discernment is a trait of one who is wise. Wisdom comes from above (meaning from HaShem Who is in Heaven). We are given the handbook for finding wisdom in the form of the Word of HaShem, the Holy Scriptures. With wisdom we can discern much about a person by looking at their actions and hearing their words. We are told by our Master to pay attention to the fruit of the lives of others, those who would be our leaders in particular, because it is by their fruit that we will know whether or not they are truly grafted to the Vine.

What is a prophet? In todays western world we equate a prophet with someone who can foretell the future, or someone who speaks mysterious messages that they say are from G-d.   However, Scripture calls a person who does such things detestable and calls the practices witchcraft.  What were the prophets of old like and how is it that they came to be known as prophets?

The Hebrew word most commonly translated “prophet” is the word “nevi” which means “proclaimer” from the root “navi”. The Scriptural definition for a prophet is accepted as being found in Deuteronomy 18:18-22

I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. If you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the L-RD has not spoken?’ when a prophet speaks in the name of the L-RD, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which the L-RD has not spoken: the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him.

“…I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.” This then means that a prophet is one who proclaims the words of the HaShem as He has commanded. A prophet will not speak his own words but only the words of the Father.

The prophets of old spent their days calling the people back to a worship of the True G-d, calling to people to repent – to do teshuvah. These prophets were persecuted for their messages, yet they kept bringing them to the people. They spoke of judgment for their disobedience and lack of zeal for righteousness. It always hurts when someone announces our weak spots or shines the spotlight on our sin – it’s never fun but it is always necessary. The great prophets of blessed memory, whom we persecuted and even killed, have been proven to be true prophets because their testimony and their messages have been tested found to be true.

Scripture records for us false prophets too. There have always been those who tickle the ears of the hearers and tell them what they want to hear, a message of peace and comfort and no guilt. There were prophets who told the people that nothing bad would ever happen to Jerusalem and the Temple because HaShem had protected them before and He would hold true to form and do it again. He surely would not allow His chosen people, the priests among the nations, to become the booty of pagans! Who wouldn’t want to hear a message like that “in the name of the L-RD”? But these prophets were not speaking the true words of HaShem, He had not spoken to them. We also read that the people asked the true prophets to be quiet so that they could continue to listen to the false prophets. These false prophets either died in the siege or went into exile along with their brothers. They were wrong and their message was quickly proven false.

We are told not to listen to false prophets and even to stone them. Deuteronomy 13 and Deuteronomy 18 tells us what to do with a false prophet. Even if what this prophet or dreamer of dreams says comes true, if he encourages the people to follow other gods or their ways he is a false prophet. This kind of a prophet is sent to test us, to see if we will hold true to our Father or if we will forsake Him. This false prophet is to be put to death, no matter who he is.

But who actually would follow a man encouraging the worship of another god? What if they teach that this new god is HaShem, but that now He has changed and we can approach Him any way we want to, we can worship and serve Him any way we choose, we can worship Him like those other people worship their gods, the old way is done away with because He changed? Would that be the same as worshiping a different god? I think so. In the Tanakh, the children of Israel often asked, “How have we forsaken You?” They did not realize that they had exchanged the truth for a lie, that they had done away with the practices of HaShem and replaced them with the practices of the world around them and in that, HaShem was displeased.  Somehow and somewhere false prophets hadn’t been dealt with properly and their messages had made their way into the hearts and lives of the people.  How cunning, how deceptive the ways of the enemy are.  Nobody started out allowing their children to pass through the fire, nobody actually started out calling on the name of another god, nobody actually sought out diviners or sorcerers or magicians.  All they did was incorporate something new here and there, change this thing a little, do this instead of that.  Syncretism.

There have been many people who have led well meaning people astray from the One True G-d, not because they encouraged them to worship a god of another name but they have encouraged them to incorporate the worship of other gods into their daily lives.  Syncretism.  In this, I believe that the Creator of the Universe is not honored or pleased. I believe that one who leads others into these things would be a false prophet because he would be teaching things that are not of G-d, words that did not originate from the mouth of HaShem.  He would be teaching things that are contrary to the commands of the Creator of the Universe, even though they seemed so harmless.

False prophets are sent to test us, to test our steadfastness. Things that are easy, fun, new and exciting are not always things of HaShem. He is good and what He does is good, we are to learn His decrees. There is not one thing in His commands that are burdensome. But there are new things, exciting things, bright and shiny things that come up and try to woo us away from our First Love. If we can be succesully wooed, we have failed the test. If we follow a leader who leads us away from HaShem then we were not truly devoted to serving Him. We need to be strong in our devotion to Him and fully committed to Him, even if it means we don’t have all the bright and shiny practices of those around us. This doesn’t mean that we can’t sing new songs and use electric instruments or incorporate dramatic skits into our corporate study times, not all things new are evil.

Now, here is the major point of what I’m getting at.

Why is Yeshua (Jesus) regarded as a false prophet? There are those that claim that it was right that He die because He was a false prophet. There are those who are well pleased that they have not fallen away to the teachings of this ‘false prophet’. Do you know why? Because we believers have represented Him wrongly! Over the years we have said that He changed the Torah, that the laws of G-d no longer apply because now we have grace. This, then, would mean that Yeshua did away with what HaShem said He intended to last forever. Yeshua Himself said that “I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fill it full. Till heaven and earth pass away, not one stroke of the pen will be wiped from the law.” He did NOT change anything or do away with anything. NOTHING G-D SAID WAS DONE AWAY WITH AT THE CROSS!! If it were, then Yeshua is indeed a false prophet, by the standards as set out by HaShem. And if He were a false prophet we should not follow Him because He was sent to test us.  If He were a false prophet then He couldn’t be the spotless lamb offered up in our place and there would be no atoning sacrifice brought to the heavenly altar.

How do we know that He was not a false prophet? Yeshua is the very Word of HaShem, the Word made flesh. In His day the multitudes, who knew Torah, called Him a prophet. Yochannan the Immerser was considered a prophet and yet Yochannan considered Yeshua to be greater than he was. When Yeshua taught in the synagogues it was noted that He taught with authority (see also Matthew 7:29, Mark 1 ).  He did not teach in the name of another man, though He validated many teaching of other men with His teachings.  He said He only spoke what the Father gave Him to say.  Yeshua said that He only did what He saw the Father do. The words He spoke about Himself – His death and resurrection and the destruction of the Temple and other things have been proven to be true. Specifically He knew that Peter would deny Him and that Judas would betray Him. He spoke of Peter’s death. There are many specific things Yeshua taught that have come to pass just as He said they would. Along with that, He never taught contrary to the Torah or the Prophets. What He spoke came true and He did not lead people away from HaShem, but always pointed others to the Father calling them to live righteous and holy lives – He called people to do teshuvah. But He is more than a prophet. He is Messiah the son of Joseph, the suffering servant. He is Messiah the son of David, the conquering King. But that’s another topic…

So – either Yeshua is a false prophet and therefore He is not the Messiah, or we misunderstood something over the years (inherited lies) and He is indeed the Messiah of HaShem. We cannot have a Messiah who did away with the Word of G-d and still be the True Messiah. These are the instructions of the Most High Himself. We need to carefully inspect what we have placed our trust in and make sure that we have not been misled.  We are to test all things against the Word of HaShem.  Remember at judgment we are told by our Master that many who call on His Name will find themselves in shock that they are not recognized by Him. They will cry out their justifications for being written in the Book of Life yet His reply is “Depart from me I never knew you, workers of lawlessness ” We need to be like the Bereans who tested EVERYTHING against Scripture. There we will find the true Messiah, the true Yeshua/Jesus.