Prophet’s Message

Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. (Lamentations 2:14, ESV)

The job of the prophet is not only to foretell, but ‘forth tell’ the Word of God. False prophets say what you want to hear; true prophets speak the whole Word of God. False prophets “see false and deceptive visions which do not expose iniquity to restore your fortunes.” True prophets, wielding the sword of the Word that Jesus gave, cut away the false front of pride so that we might have a chance to humble ourselves and submit to the Lord God Almighty that He might restore our fortunes.

Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. (Ezekiel 13:4–5, ESV)

This explains our avoidance of His Word. We prefer the numbing narcotic of lying visions like modern movies, best-selling books, and favorite TV shows over the sometimes painful but necessary application of the Word of God. Medical treatment is painful too, but if we do not endure the pain we will not be healed. In fact, a lot of times without treatment wounds will fester, bad microbes will infect, and we will die. Better to endure a little light pain losing our pride than to suffer eternal agony with other festering sores. Um, people.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. (Ezekiel 13:8–11, ESV)

May you seek and grab hold of the whole truth of God’s Word, removing iniquity and building up walls that will stand in battle on the day of the Lord. A day which is coming soon.