Featured Are False Prophets Saved? And a Consideration that Charismatic Gifts are Counterfeit

This will depend on how you define a false prophet, and what they are prophesying about. We also need to bear in mind that it is God who judges such things, not us. I make a point of never using the H word on this forum or elsewhere. God, not you nor I, will decide what is heresy and what isn't. However, we should all bear in mind James 3:1 which should be a sobering word for all of us on this forum.

However, have a browse through 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. There is no foundation other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore any prophecy or preaching that denies His words (all the Bible, not just the red letters!), His deity, propitiatory death upon the cross, His resurrection, ascension and His future physical return in glory, is very serious. What we want to do is to build upon that foundation of Christ with good teaching, (gold, silver, precious stones) and not with error (wood, hay, straw). I doubt that any of us have all our theological ducks in a row, so some of our work will be 'burned up' but that does not mean that we are all lost if our foundation is Christ.

If someone is a Believer (ie. born again, saved), then the evil one cannot touch him (1 John 5:18), though certainly Satan is able to put wrong thoughts into our minds and tempt us to do foolish things (1 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11) . However, I think it is pride which more often causes believers to get involved with false teaching. They want to gain respect, and have people think they're clever. I remember as a very young Christian, believing that I should speak in the church and I bullied the leadership into letting me do so. I made a fool of myself, harmed the cause of Christ, and the memory of it makes me wince to this day. I can't blame this on the devil; it was my own foolish pride that led me into error. There's a line from a Bob Dylan song that may be helpful: "I'll know my song well before I start singing" (cf. 1 Timothy 3:6).

I think rather that 'tongues' is something that can be learned, or maybe it is an emotional response, and that false prophecy, as given by believers is something that pops into their heads. I don't think a believer can receive a counterfeit set of gifts from Satan.

Steven, my advice to you is to find yourself a good, non-Charismatic, Bible-believing church and settle down for a while under its ministry. Then, after a while, think if God is leading you to some form of service. It may be that He has a work for you with folk suffering from mental illness or charismatic delusions. But that is for the future. Get the word in your mind and in your heart first.

 

Martin Luther believed in prophecy and even had prophetic dream(s).

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud have made remarkable progress in making dream interpretation a science. The former was a Christian, came from a family of Christian ministers, and was the son of a pastor. The latter was Jewish.

 

False prophets having salvation? Hmm. A difficult topic indeed.

A study into Balaam would be a good one.

 

Also interesting to note, about the "antichrist", is Cain. Cain was firstborn, and the duty of priesthood was thus specially designated to him (Numbers 3:12-13; etc.).

"Before the appointment of Levi’s descendants, 'the first-born of every family, the fathers, the princes, and the kings, were priests. Thus Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Melchisedec, Job, Isaac, Jacob, offered themselves their own sacrifices' (article 'Priests,' Encylopedia R. Knowledge)" - George Peters, The Theocratic Kingdom, Prop. 156, Obs. 5.

Jude claims that Cain was initially saved (Jude 11). Yea, Cain's mother thought that Cain might be the redeemer, as God had promised to them (Gen. 4:1).

 

False prophets would be those who did not belong to the Lord, as evidenced by them not able to fully speak for God in all things, and to always have perfect prediction factor at work.
The Holy Spirit would not be giving a true prophet false doctrines or vague guesses!
Greater is the Spirit in a saved person than spirit of antichrist, so no, Satan can not do that to someone really saved.
NT Prophets spoke forth under the inspiration of the Spirit, so they would not have fale gifts Think important to realize that the Apostles were the NT status of OT prophets, so when they proclaimed by word or book :thus saiyth the Lord", while NT prophets were in Acts to give guidance to the Church, and to confirm the truth of the NT, but that is not needed for today, as have the inspired word of God!

 

Deuteronomy states that when a prophet prophesies and it doesn't come true, that prophet is not from the LORD.

The law of Moses also states that God reveals himself to prophets by means of dreams (Numbers 12:6). Cessationism isn't scriptural. 1 Corinthians states that when that which is perfect is come, that which in part shall be done away. Those who claim that the "perfect" is the completion of the canon of scripture, inadvertently also state (falsely) that "we now see more clearly than Paul did" (The Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, p. 1743).

Carl Jung has made remarkable progress on dream interpretation. You should read some of his works.

Just because a saint sins doesn't mean the gift is false. We all sin. Hebrews 12:8--But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons (KJV).

As for Satan having foreknowledge of the future, numerous theories have been proposed: Shakespeare believed that demons use trickery in their language when they give prophecies and so deceive men. For example, "cool" used to mean, in the english language, that a person was angry. In Shakespeare's play "Macbeth", Macbeth is led to believe a prophecy falsely.

"After Macbeth derives much of his motivation from the Witches’ perceived promise of invincibility — that no man born of woman can kill him — he interprets the prophecy to mean he is untainted by femininity, as if femininity were the source of vulnerability.[6] Macbeth believes in his own invulnerability, claiming, "I bear a charmed life, which must not yield / To one of woman born" (Act V, scene 8). However, Macduff, born via caesarian section, exposes this fantasy as a fallacy." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macduff_(Macbeth)

Michael Psellus, "[who] became an influential political advisor to emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (reigned 1042–1055). During the same time, [who also] became the leading professor at the University of Constantinople, bearing the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers" (ὕπατος τῶν φιλοσόφων)" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Psellos), said,

"Yes [the daemons are gifted with foreknowledge], but not a causal or intelligent, nor experimental foreknowledge, but merely conjectural, for which reason it most generally fails, so that they scarcely ever utter a particle of truth" (On the Operation of Demons).

 

I have an answer to my question too. Steven Yeadon is led astray. Who's right?

...And I'm sure they doubt the sincerity of your belief too

You should check out dispensational theology. Lewis Chafer, George Peters, Dwight Pentecost. Who knows, maybe YOU're led astray? You didn't really give a good rebuttal at all to my Ryrie Study Bible comment.

Have a good one mister "led astray. "

 

Here is some Church history for you, which is not found in the word of God:

"Sola scriptura" is a late 16th century doctrine. Are you saying that no Christian was saved before Luther?
Luther didn't even believe 100% in Sola Scriptura. He quotes several times from the apocrypha as authoritative and, as I've said before, believes prophecy to be active and divinely sanctioned. He even grabs support from Cicero:

To speak deliberately and slowly best becomes a preacher; for thereby
he may the more effectually and impressively deliver his sermon. Seneca
writes of Cicero, that he spake deliberately from the heart (Table Talks, Of Preachers and Preaching, CCCCV).​

The "ancient" "biblical evidence" also claims, that the bible itself quotes numerous times from non-biblical sources. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-canonical_books_referenced_in_the_Bible

Men of the Church, not apostles, wrote "bible canons" for the church, and these have changed through the ages: so which council is correct? Also, the Church Fathers quoted a number of works that we do not.

"[The Shephard of Hermas] had a great vogue in orthodox circles and was even included in some copies of the New Testament (it is found in the Sinaitic Codex)" - A. D. Howell-Smith, Jesus Not a Myth, pp. 120-121.

Iranaeus quotes it as Scripture:

Truly, then, the Scripture declared, which says, “First of all believe that there is one God, who has established all things, and completed them, and having caused that from what had no being, all things should come into existence: [this quote is taken from the Shephard of Hermas]” (Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter XX, 2)​

Nowhere in the scriptures do we find the canon or instructions on how to form the canon.

Scriptures once considered divine are now lost. Paul wrote some epistles that we do not have today, and Peter claims that ALL of Paul's epistles were considered divine (2 Pet. 3:15-16).

 

Mt. 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

This is stated in a context of salvation (Mt. 7:13-14; 21-23). Jesus categorically states that "false prophets" INWARDLY THEY ARE bad. Then he illustrates it metaphorically again categorically denying that anything inwardly bad can bring forth good fruit.

False prophets teach a false gospel (Mt. 7:13) and make a false profession (Mt. 7:21-23). They proclaim faith in Christ PLUS "have we not done" kind of gospel. Their gospel is a MIXTURE of faith and works (sand) and not the solid rock.

John categorically states we are to believe not "every spirit" and in particular the kind of spirits that characterize a "false prophet" (1 Jn. 4:1) and contrasts those spirits IN THEM versus the Holy Spirit in true believers ("greater is he that is IN YOU than he that is IN the world").

Benny Hinn, and the rest of the charismatic false prophets have demonic spirits IN them and their FRUITS of false prophecies manifest that and their gospel of faith plus works manifest that.