The End of False Prophecies

Jeremiah 28:1-17 

1 And it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 "Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,' says the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'"

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the LORD, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! The LORD do so; the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the LORD's house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent."

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah's neck and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.'" And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 Now the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 "Go and tell Hananiah, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron." 14 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. I have given him the beasts of the field also."'"

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.'"

17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Hananiah's false prophecy brought the judgment of the LORD not only on him, but on all those who listened to the words arrogantly spoke in God’s name when He had not spoken.  He attempted to make a name for himself by giving the people what they wanted to hear, that they would be delivered out of Babylon in two years instead of seventy (Jeremiah 25:11, 29:10).  The ears love to be tickled (2 Timothy 4:3) with what sounds pleasant and without conflict, but we need to hear the straight and sometimes blunt truth from God instead of smooth stories that only lead to larger disappointments and consequences.  Hananiah should have known better, for his father was a prophet and the name Hananiah means “Gift of God.”  He should therefore not have falsely spoken as if his message came from God when the gift of prophecy seemed to be completely absent from his lips as he contradicted Jeremiah’s word from the LORD.  The scriptures do not say that Hananiah was told by God to speak, whereas it is recorded that He did tel Jeremiah what to say each time.  That is what made false prophets, the fact that there is no divine assignment to speak as they spoke out of themselves alone (Deuteronomy 18:20) and not with divine unction.  Today’s preachers and teachers who speak contrary to God’s word and according to their own imaginations or philosophical discourses contrary to scripture would do well to learn from examples of warning such as these.  The rest of a truth speaker who foretold events was to validate verity by the event coming to fruition as they predicted, otherwise they were proven as interloping spokesmen.  When Hananiah spoke of Babylon’s wooden yoke being broken, it led to God telling him that an iron yoke would take its place for denying His divine tool of merciful discipline and correction in the temporary captivity instead of the destruction of His people which they earned.  God’s word was not to be changed or substituted with pleasant sounding lies.  The false messenger had no script from the LORD, and so he made the people trust in his lie and faced the consequences of death.  This is akin to health and wealth prosperity teaching which ignores the whole character and counsel of God according to His word.  We all deserve death for our sin and His wrath on us for it; only the release by grace through faith in Jesus the Christ as God’s word (John 1:1, 12, 14) and work (John 6:29) can deliver us from the bondage by which sin has taken us captive (2 Timothy 2:25-26).  The end of false prophets and teachers is he same death we all face unless they repent and stop leading the sheep astray.  May we learn from the bad examples like Hananiah and from those as the faithful Jeremiah.  The end of self-made false prophecies and teaching is clear.  It is a lesson and warning to teaching or preaching in the name of the Lord but contrary to His word.