Any one teaching you to hate other people would be making false prophecy.
False Prophets
- Thread starter GaryAnderson
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Okay, very good. Glad you posted this.
The peculiar thing that Jesus said about recognizing a false prophet is it is his fruit that shows him to be a false prophet, not his doctrine. I've always found this very interesting, but I still find myself automatically thinking doctrine is was distinguishes the false prophet from the true. No, it's his fruit, according to Jesus.
The point of all this is that bona-fide, real teachers in the church can be wrong. That doesn't necessarily make them a false prophet. It makes them wrong, not necessarily fake. It's when they're living in sin, that's when you can write them off as a false prophet. They show by how they live that they do not have the Holy Spirit in them and have not been sent from God. That is the very point Jesus makes in the next few sentences: "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [...] ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23
Last edited:
Thank you Cassandra and Curtis for your responses.
In Orthodox Christianity, we do not worship the Virgin Mary, but instead venerate her and seek her intercessions before God. We honor her for delivering the Word of God into the world. And we see her as an example for all of us to follow, not as the exception to the rule. Worship belongs to God alone.
Many people disagree with the Orthodox practice of venerating the Virgin Mary because the Bible does not tell us to do so. However, several passages from the New Testament do establish the foundation of this practice.
When Gabriel greeted Mary, he said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:28). We repeat the very words of Gabriel when we sing hymns in praise of the Virgin Mary during services. Could we be wrong in repeating the words of the very messenger of God?
Additionally, Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, considered it an honor to receive a visit from her. “But why is this granted to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). Elizabeth also cried out: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:41). In the course of her visit with Elizabeth, the Blessed Virgin herself prophesied her place in the Faith when she said, “from henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1: 48).
Lastly, when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple John standing by the cross, He entrusted him with her care. He also established a new spiritual relationship between them in saying to the disciple: “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27). In making this statement, Christ makes Mary the mother of His Disciples. In other words, the mother of Christians. And as we mentioned earlier, what better way to show a mother you love her than to honor her for the role she played in your salvation?
@TLHKAJ i don’t have any problems with you at all. I just find your stories interesting and wanted to invite you in this discussion.
So based on what I mentioned above, East Orthodox believers do not worship Mary but from what you’re saying here is that we shouldn’t even honor her or build a shrine for her.
What about Saints and God’s angels? Should we honor and respect them? Are they satanic or false when they perform miracles or appear to people with messages?
I’m curious as to why you all hold this position towards Mary.
Thank you.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Because we understand that Mary and all the servants of God, great and small, down through the ages are just like us. Real Christians just don't accept that kind of exaltation for what they've done. They know all praise and honor go to Jesus and the Father. Exaltation and praise and rewards will be rightly received in the next life.
Is this why Christianity has so many divisions? Because everybody is trying to be ‘real’?
One weekend many years ago I had 4 specific questions that I was asking God about. Later during the week I went to visit the TACF for a renewal meeting. As was my custom, I afterwards stood on the prayer tape to receive whatever the Lord had for me.
A member of the ministry team, a young man that I'd never seen before, came and stood before me. He waited on the Lord for a little while and then he started speaking by saying something like, "The Lord says."
Bang-o! He hit the nail on the head! I had my precise answer to the first question I'd been asking the Lord. This was repeated 3 times and of the 4 statements he made, each one was 100% accurate.
By the time He'd finished, we were both full of the Spirit, laughing with joy! It was unexpected and encouraging! Then he stood back. Another guy took his place. He proceeded to reveal how my heart had been deeply wounded by someone I loved dearly.
We both wept together. I think the Lord sovereignly did some healing in my heart that night.
To me, this was the functioning NT gift of the prophet, through 2 nobodies. I was blessed.
A member of the ministry team, a young man that I'd never seen before, came and stood before me. He waited on the Lord for a little while and then he started speaking by saying something like, "The Lord says."
Bang-o! He hit the nail on the head! I had my precise answer to the first question I'd been asking the Lord. This was repeated 3 times and of the 4 statements he made, each one was 100% accurate.
By the time He'd finished, we were both full of the Spirit, laughing with joy! It was unexpected and encouraging! Then he stood back. Another guy took his place. He proceeded to reveal how my heart had been deeply wounded by someone I loved dearly.
We both wept together. I think the Lord sovereignly did some healing in my heart that night.
To me, this was the functioning NT gift of the prophet, through 2 nobodies. I was blessed.
Last edited:
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Yes.
When we recognize wrong doctrine, we move on in our quest for truth (being authentic is the goal for so many of us Protestant believers).
Catholics have to stay right where they are, whether the priesthood is right or wrong, or corrupt or not. They told you that you have to stay under them. Thankfully, we Protestants know we do not have to remain under bad leadership. That's how it was under the old covenant. We have been liberated from that kind of system in this New Covenant.
Last edited:
Thank you for sharing that Truman. The only thing I’d like to share for my encounters with the spiritual world is that in one church I saw white orbs and what looked like a spirit to me (with human shape), who passed really fast from my right side to the left. What do you all think about this? Were these orbs and spirit Satanic and false or were they from God?
Thank you. May you be blessed in your journey.
What about politics? Do you link one president or party with God? Also do you pray for the president in your daily prayers? Current president happens to be Biden. Do you pray for him?
It could've been either. Where one finds the genuine, one should expect to also find the counterfeit. Discernment is required.
Right, for me these were from God but just wanted to ask you guys because you all seem very sure about your own personal experiences but not the experiences of others.
Of course we should see Mary (the true Mary of the Bible) as blessed and honored. But Catholics have added to Scripture in making her out to be sinless, that she was a perpetual virgin and never had other children (which is not true according to Scripture), that she was translated like Jesus was, that she never saw death and has become a mediator (another false doctrine), and all sorts of other craziness.
No, we are not to build a shrine to an image and bow down and pray to it. A shrine to her or anyone indicates worship. The same goes for all the false elevation of Peter or any other human being.
Leviticus 26:1
[1]Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 4:15-16
[15]Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
[16]Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Deuteronomy 4:23-24
[23]Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
[24]For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Usually, no.
IMO, it's impossible that a genuine, devout Christian can rise to a powerful position in government in the United States because the people of the United States are very wicked and would not have that. He would have to be imposed over us. Not holding my breath on that one, lol. It would do no good anyway. The mob of US citizens would hate him more than they hated Trump.
Last edited:
GaryAnderson, can you clarify your post because I think it has been taken to say ‘ This thread is open to any ‘ but ‘ TLHKAJ ……( implying you don’t want her to take part ) ..but from a later post actually think you are saying, this topic is open to anyone, but TLHKAJ can I get your thoughts……meaning you actually want to hear her thoughts.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
I have, but I do not make it a practice.
My view is, we got what we deserve and this is the way it's going to be until there is nationwide, genuine revival. Not holding my breath on that one either, honestly. My view is more that this is a sinking ship and we need to get as many people off the ship, spiritually speaking, that we can.
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
Ferris Bueller
Well-Known Member
That was my first impression.
I saw the Holy Spirit once, and only once. (Now don't go making a statue of me, lol). He came down on the congregation like clear shimmering waves of heat at the end of a long road on a hot summer afternoon. I've always heard of orbs in relation to demonic activity, not God's activity.
The whole reason God didn't allow them to see a similitude in the fire is so the people would not make an image and bow down to it. Now why do you think God would change His mind about making images and bowing down to them when all through the Bible, He says not to make images or have any other gods before Him??
Which is, I think, how it should be. A wise man should learn from another's mistakes, not make another's mistakes. IMO
Similar threads
