Wolves Disguised As Sheep: False Prophets In the House

They have corrupted themselves terribly as in the days of Gibeah; he will remember their wickedness; he will punish their sins.  -Hosea 9:9

Is it possible that we have leaders in the house of God who are deeply corrupt, who are leading people to destruction?  That is what happened in the days of Hosea, with the false prophets.

The Hebrew idea of corruption here is not only a dishonest person, but a depraved, perverted, and destructive person.  The notorious example of Gibeah that Hosea cites, is the story, recorded in Judges 19, where a woman was raped to death, by a band of men, who first demanded sex with her priest husband.  Hosea says that the false prophets were like those men.


Are there today, some ministers and leaders in the church, the false prophets of our day, that have not just let us down, but been deeply corrupted?  Instead of protecting God's people from snares, they have become snares.  These corrupted leaders have become antichrist, leading God's people away from Christ.  How can this be?

A church father wrote that, "no one doth wider injury than one who acteth perversely, while he hath a name or an order of holiness."  "God endureth no greater prejudice from any than from priests, when He seeth those whom He has set for the correction of others, give from themselves examples of perverseness, when "we" sin, who ought to restrain sin. What shall become of the flock, when the pastors become wolves?"

What shall become of the flock, when the pastors become wolves?

Do you think that what happened in the times of Hosea are an aberration, never to happen again, just history; or a warning?  Jesus warned of this happening.  I believe that Jesus knew that false prophets in the church is a part of Satan's playbook against the church and to watch out:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are vicious wolves."  -Matthew 7:15

"The false prophets," is probably best understood generally rather than specifically...  "False prophets" are persons who appear on the surface to be something they are not.  It is of the essence of false prophets that they pretend to have and proclaim the truth while their lives evidence that they themselves do not follow the truth... "in sheeps' clothing", means appearing to be proper members of the people of God.  -Matthew, Donald Hagner

False prophets are destroyers.  They destroy God's people, like wolves destroy sheep.

Hosea writes that, "he (God) will remember their wickedness; he (God) will punish their sins."
 

Watch out!  How can you discern?  Check out the person's, deeds, the fruit in their life.  The fruit of the Spirit in their life.  The fruit of godliness.  Learn Biblical values and the Biblical worldview.  Are they leading in that?   Are they preaching the Christ in the four gospels or is Christ a hood ornament on their ministry?  Are their words under the Word?  Is their preaching and teaching of the Bible interpreted by the Bible?  The test of the truth of a person is to watch what these people do, how they live and behave in life.




Corruptio optimi est pessima-The best things, when corrupted, become the worst.

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