The first step in preparing yourself and your family for what is coming is to disassociate yourself and your family from the false prophets of our day. Captivity is always preceded and accompanied by false prophets having the ear of the people, and therefore holding them in blindness and deceit. False prophets must be identified if you are to separate from them and not allow their influence upon your life or your family. There were people in Israel who listened to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the others, and who recognized the false prophets as imposters and refused to allow them to influence them or their family. But these people were practically invisible because they were scattered and separated from one another - not gathered together all over the country in great congregations in metal buildings with big parking lots. The Bible gives us plenty of information about the false prophets of those days, so please do not skip over these Scriptures, but read them carefully and think about how relevant they are to our present situation.
(Isa 9:16) For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
(Isa 3:12) As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
(Isa 56:10-12) His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
(Jer 5:31) The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
(Jer 14:13-16) Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
(Lam 2:14) Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
(2 Pet 2:1) But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
(1 John 4:1) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
False prophets are self centered and often immoral. Many times they are lazy and indulgent. They are cowards, but often they act like spiritual bullies, also. They shrink from standing against true evil and those who promote it, but they are fierce against anyone whom they perceive to be a challenge to their position or authority. They may be knowledgeable of worldly things like sports and making money, but they are ignorant and confused about spiritual things and therefore contradict themselves in their teachings and doctrines.
False prophets do not walk with God and therefore do not get their messages from God, they get them from the deceit of their own heart. They get their messages from their imagination and they get them from each other (outline books, outline subscriptions, etc.) King Saul did not walk with God – he got his messages second-handed. As long as that situation continued he could be the king and rule, but when Samuel was gone and he had no direct link with God himself he was in big trouble.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! (Ezek 13:3)
Some other things that identify false prophets are that they deal in lightness with the weighty things of God: judgment, mercy, faith, righteousness, and especially sin. They are guided much more by their feelings and imagination in dealing with these matters than by the written Word of God. They use the Bible not as the authority, but by wresting the Scriptures, and omitting some, they use it as a support for their imagined ideas based upon their feelings and desires. They also major on vain things that are of no real or lasting importance, such as how to be successful in earthly things or how to maintain happiness with psychological babble instead of by knowing and obeying the Word of God and walking with a holy God. Their minds are more focused on carnal and contemporary things instead of eternal things, and therefore they tend to bring sex into their message often, and usually with very little discretion concerning the children and young people who are listening to them. This kind of preaching and teaching turns the church into a den of iniquity and it does not take long to do it.
(Jer 23:32) Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
These kinds of men are imposters and phonies, they are the blind leading the blind – and they will lead you and your children no where but into deeper oppression and captivity. Run from them! The true men of God are indeed very few in these last days, but God does indeed have his men in their places, even in this evil day. If you are serious enough about it you can find one. He may be located far from where you are, but it will be a blessing to you and your family just to know that there are still people who are living for God. With all the means available to us for communicating with one another we are without excuse if we just keep following one of Satan's false prophets while judgment is about come to the full in our land. If you know of a spring somewhere where thirsty souls can find refreshment tell others about it and point them in that direction.
And above all, keep looking up because Jesus is coming soon for his bride that He is even now preparing for himself. He is working out all the spots, wrinkles, and blemishes in her so that he can present her to himself pure and holy and without any of these things. That is what captivity does for us and that is what is going on in your life now if you are truly one of his.
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