July 17, 2013 – Jeremiah 23

This chapter we see the two leaders of God.  The true and one Messianic leader, the good shepherd, and on the other we have the false prophets.  I have been listening to a CD series by Tim Staples where he goes through the different teachings and arguments for many Catholic teachings.  So far I have listened to Sola Scriptura, Papacy, and Eucharist.  Having listened to those and then read this about the false prophets, I can’t help think of all the non Catholic Christian teachings that are leading people astray.  These prophesies might have been given before Christ, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be seen in light of today.  They prophesy Christ as the Good Shepherd, so to talk about the false prophets right after that tends to suggest that this is not about false prophets then, but after Christ and leading those away from Christ.  And I don’t think the false prophets are going to say they are against God or Christ, or else they wouldn’t be called prophets.  They are going to say that their message is from Christ and God, but when you get down to it, it is their own message, “their own deceitful fancies”.  Tim just does such a good job of showing that the arguments he used to make, because he is a former protestant, just don’t make sense when you dig into the Scriptures and meaning and early Church history.  I just think sometimes when we see “false prophets” we might identify new age teachings or atheistic ideas, but I think those that preach Christ without authority fit better into the category of “false prophets”.