The weak, the mislead and the uninformed, these are who they prey on, these are those that are most easily led down the wrong paths, and to a degree, it is their own fault. I liken them to some of the elderly, who when they receive a phone call from a scammer, will give out personal financial information, and many times end up destitute. In this case those that are doing the preying upon the weak are the false prophets, and their subtleties and devices have not changed since Old Testament times, pretend to have the knowledge of God for their own personal gain in one form or another.
Those who fall prey to them are not only weak willed but are searching for anything that will assist them in getting through the moment, not just the entirety of life, for few if any of them think nowhere near that far into the future. Something has happened to them, either in the past or just recently, and so when the deceiver arrives, through the guise of these false prophets, they are easily led down the path of deceit and death.
The entire Book of Jeremiah is a testimony to these truths, Korah was one in the time of Moses, (Numbers 16) Simon wanted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts 8:18, even in the times when at least some of the apostles still walked this earth, John warned us that, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18) All of these false prophets spread across the planet are nothing new, neither are the ways of deceit and lies, think on the Roman Catholic cult, the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, just to name three of the most well-known ones, they all started with a single man, a false prophet, and then one or two that were weak in their knowledge of the truths of the Scriptures has now become millions of followers, all on the path to hell.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15) If you are not doing this on a daily basis, you, even if you are saved, can quite easily become a prime target, for these deceitful liars are extremely good at what they do, subtlety is their wares, and they are proficient at selling their wares.
Here is the degree to which many have fallen, I have actually known of those who are in the cult of the church of Rome who have scoffed and mocked at those who are in cults, those that were deceived by Jim Jones, those who put on the purple sheets, drank the Kool-Aid, and waited for death to take them to Haley’s comet. The deceived know not the truth, yet will claim, without seeking the truths of the Word of God, that what they believe, what they profess, is the only truth. They are the blind being led by the blind, (Matt. 15:14) and it is their own fault.
With the advent of media technology, one can peruse across the vast universe of the internet and have very little difficulty finding these false prophets and all those who diligently follow them. At times I leave a comment or two on these websites, always one that is attempting to show them the truth, but the majority of the time I am simply mocked, or should I say, that the truths from the Scriptures that I place there are derided. I do an interpretation of Elijah at other times, perhaps to my shame, but, we are to adhere to Jude 1:23, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
Whether it is someone on a YouTube site, your pastor at church, your neighbor or someone you love and hold dear to your heart, every single word that anyone says in relation to the spiritual world must be checked against the inerrant truths of the Word of God, everything. If not, you may be the next one in line for these false prophets, and the last concern you will have will not be the deception that you have fallen into, but the words that the Savior will say to you on your day of accounting, words that will need an answer for why you have blasphemed His Holy name. They are sheep in wolves clothing, (Matt. 7:15) you are to be as wise as a serpent. (Matt. 10:16)
