“Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of [Israel’s false] prophets in the midst of her, like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives… – Ezekiel 22:24-25”
What is he talking about here? Israel’s false prophets. Do you know that there are false prophets? They were not only in operation in the days of Ezekiel. They were not just in the Old Testament. They were not just in the New Testament. There are false prophets today. There are false ministers today. Well meaning people no doubt. But they are preaching a false message.
They just didn’t start in our day. Here they are in Ezekiel’s day. This is a prophetic word to the Jewish people – the children of Israel. He’s not talking to people that don’t know God. He’s talking to people that are supposed to know God; they’re supposed to be worshiping God. But here is Ezekiel, under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, Ezekiel calls these people false prophets.
Why are they false prophets? I am glad you asked that question. The Bible answers it. The Bible gives a clear definition of what a false prophet is. A false prophet is one who is preaching the wrong gospel.
Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of [Israel’s false] prophets in the midst of her, like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken [in their greed] treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things. – Ezekiel 22:24-26
Like it or not, God is a holy God. And he expects us to come before Him reverently, humbly, and be holy through the blood of Jesus. I’m not talking about works. But there is a truth that when you come before God you don’t come before Him haphazardly. God is not your sidekick. God is not your buddy. God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And He expects you to come before His presence that way.
Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things.
How do you profane holy things? One way you do it is by disrespecting them. You do it by not valuing them, not esteeming them. When you fail to esteem God, and the holiness of God, and the purity of God, you make a mockery of God.
Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things. They have made no distinction between the sacred and the secular, neither have they taught people the difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. -Ezekiel 22:26
There is an epidemic of this going on today. People don’t know the difference between the sacred things of God and the secular things of the world. Many people have invited the world and the things of the world into the church to worship God with, and they forgot how sacred it is and how holy it is to come before God.
There are certain things that Christians should not do. Yet that hasn’t been taught in some areas, in some churches. There hasn’t been made a distinction between the clean and the unclean. There hasn’t been made a distinction between the sacred and the secular. People get upset because you tell them the truth. Well, there is a difference between the sacred and the secular. There is a difference between the clean and unclean. There is a difference between the holy and the unholy, and there are things Christians should not do.
But there are false prophets; remember what we are talking about; false prophets that say it’s okay to do these things. There are false prophets that say it’s okay to bring the world into the church. There are false prophets that proclaim the sacred and the secular can be the same thing, that the clean and unclean can be the same thing.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are false prophets today, just like there was in the times of Ezekiel, just like in the times of Paul. They’re not standing around with bright neon signs that say “false prophet.” They look just like every other biblical preacher except they aren’t preaching the Bible. They’re preaching another gospel. That is why you personally have to know the written Word of God and the Holy Ghost.
I know you do and that you will not be devoured, but you will stand tall on the Word of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is with us!
