Jacob and the Endtime Test of False Prophets and Teachers – Chapter 4, Part 5

​This week in our review of Isaiah Decoded we’ll continue with chapter 4 - Jacob/Israel, Believers in a Creator-God.  This week we’ll examine another obstacle that Jacob needs to overcome to be able to ascend to Zion/Jerusalem.  Though not specifically mentioned in chapter 4 by Dr. Gileadi, that obstacle was set out this last week in the Torah portion of Re’eh – to see – Deuteronomy 11-16. What we see at Deuteronomy 13 is Yehovah establishing a test to see if God’s people will remain loyal to Him and His law by allowing a delusion of false prophets - and teachers. Yeshua affirms the presence of false prophets during the Endtimes at Matt 24.

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Yeshua Prophesies of Endtime False Prophets
Here is Yeshua’s prophecy of false prophets during the Endtimes in Matthew 24 – 

"3 And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the taught ones came to Him separately, saying, “Say to us, when shall this be, and what is the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And יהושע answering, said to them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray.
5 “For many shall come in My Name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they shall lead many astray.
11 “And many false prophets shall rise up and lead many astray.
23 “If anyone then says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe.
24 “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones."​

​Jacob and Identifying False Prophets and Teachers
We have seen that a primary obstacle for Jacob to ascend is the idolatry and materialism of Babylon. But this week, we see an additional obstacle for Jacob; and that is to overcome the deceptions of false prophets and teachers.  Fortunately for us, God has given us a key in last week’s Torah portion to identify these false prophets and teachers.  Let’s review that scripture –
 
“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his command[s], and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.” – Deuteronomy 13:1-5
 
Essentially, this scripture is saying that if  a prophet, and also a teacher, tells a truth that is used to lead us away from God and His law - the Torah commands - that we are being tested to see if we will follow Him by living His law.

Going After Other Gods
One of the important concepts we see in these verses in Deuteronomy is the that these false prophets lead believers to other gods - v.2. Let's compare how Israel's god compares with Christianity's god.

Israel's God	Christianity's God
Circumcision	No Circumcision
Seventh Day Sabbath	First Day Sabbath
Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits Shavuot/Pentecost ​Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles	Easter, Christmas
Sacrificial System	No Sacrificial System
Purity Laws	No Purity Laws
An Expressed System of Justice	No Expressed System of Justice

God's Endtime Servant and the Law
One thing that we should recognize with the return of Elijah - God's Endtime Servant - is that he will be affirming the law God gave to Israel along with the signs and wonders he will perform!


False Prophets/Teachers in the Book of Isaiah
Though not mention here in chapter 4, Isaiah nonetheless addresses the topic of Endtime false prophets.

"But the people do not turn back to him who smites them, nor will they inquire of Jehovah of Hosts. Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm top and reed, in a single day; the elders or notables are the head, the prophets who teach falsehoods, the tail." - Isaiah 9:13-15

"These too have indulged in wine and are giddy with strong drink: priests and prophets have gone astray through liquor. They are intoxicated with wine and stagger because of strong drink; they err as seers, they blunder in their decisions." - Isaiah 28:7

"You have supposed, by taking refuge in deception and hiding behind falsehoods, to have covenanted with Death, or reached an understanding with Sheol, that, should a flooding scourge sweep through the earth, it shall not reach you." - Isaiah 28:15


The Book of Mormon as a Deuteronomy 13 Test
​In my previous blog where I demonstrated that the Book of Mormon can be harmonized with the law God gave to Israel and that it should be read in the context and with the foundation of  the Torah, we must consider that the Book of Mormon is a Deuteronomy 13 test especially for those Gentiles who initially received it and who have embraced Christianity's god.

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You might enjoy this expanded teaching on false prophets by Rabbi Berkson.

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Transcript of 119 Ministries: Parashah Points - Re'eh

welcome to another episode of parashah points short thoughts from the weekly Torah portion this week's parashah shop point comes from Re'eh which is Hebrew for "see and it goes from Deuteronomy 11:26 to Deuteronomy 16;17 this Torah portion gives instructions regarding Yahweh's prescribed place of worship a warning against idolatry a warning against false prophets and a reiteration of God's laws regarding clean and unclean animals tithes the sabbatical year and the three pilgrimage festivals there's a lot we can talk about in this Torah portion today we're gonna talk about how to identify a false prophet

when you ask people today about what makes someone a false prophet one of the most common answers is the most obvious answer a false prophet is someone who prophesize falsely of course this is true as we learn later in the book of a Deuteronomy but did you know that someone could still be a false prophet even if they prophesy accurately our Torah portion this week speaks to this exact scenario Deuteronomy thirteen if a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder and this sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass and if he says let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of Dreams for Yahweh your God is testing you to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul

So a prophet could have the ability to perform all kinds of amazing signs and wonders and they could even accurately predict the future but if they attempt to lead you away from the God of Israel by definition they are a false prophet the passage goes on to further define the ways a false prophet might try to lead people astray Deuteronomy 13 verses four through five you shall walk after Yahweh your God and fear Him and keep his Commandments and obey his voice and you shall serve Him and hold fast to him but that prophet or dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has taught rebellion against Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery to make you leave the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk so you shall purge the evil from your midst.

A false prophet by biblical definition leads people away from the commandments of God of Israel that would mean that a true prophet by biblical definition affirms the commandments of the God of Israel so when it comes to determining whether someone is a true prophet a question we should ask is this does there a message affirm God's commandments or negate them this issue has implications for Jewish outreach have you ever wondered why it is that most religious Jews today reject Yeshua while religious Jews have several theological objections to Yeshua and the New Testament which we addressed throughout our Brit Hadashah series one of their objections has to do with this very issue there's an article on a popular Jewish website Iishe called why Jews don't believe in Jesus one of the reasons they give is this the Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance.

The Torah states that all mitzvot remain binding forever and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet throughout the Christian New Testament Jesus contradicts the Torah and states its commandments are no longer applicable of course as we pointed out many times in our teachings this objection is based on a huge misconception and a misunderstanding Yeshua or Jesus did not negate the commandments of the Torah but affirmed their ongoing Authority and the lives of his followers as we clearly see throughout the New Testament particularly in Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 20.

For more information on this topic we would recommend our teachings that do draw me thirteen tests and why do most choose reject Jesus but getting back to the main message in this tour a portion the bottom line is that we should not be led astray by someone claiming to be a prophet even if they perform amazing signs and wonders if their message does not align with the Word of God they are to be rejected as a false prophet thank you for joining us for another parashah point we pray that you been blessed by this teaching and remember continue to test everything Shalom.​

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Teaching Notes: Berkson - Beware of False Prophets

Beware False Prophets
Part 1 — Introduction
Bemidbar 11:14-29

A prophet or one who prophesies is one who speaks forth for someone, in this case Yahweh.
It is different than the word for seer and according to the sages and commentaries, has nothing to
do with predicting the future.
A prophet is one who is given power to instruct and admonish the people with an authority that is
recognized as having its source in Yahweh.
Debarim 18:18-22
Debarim 13:1-11 --
 A warning to Yisrael regarding false prophets


Part 2 — Beware False Prophets
1 Yochanan 4:1-6 --

[1] Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
[2] By this we know the Spirit of Elohim…
[3] …And this is the spirit of the anti-messiah, which…is already in the world.
[4] You are of Elohim, little children…
[5] They are of the world…
[6] …By this we know the Spirit of Truth [Torah-Yeshua] and the spirit of the delusion
 Truth is translated from the Greek “aletheia” (al-ay'-thi-a): which literally means truth
o Yochanan 14:6 — Yeshua is the Way the Truth and the Life
o Yochanan 17:17 — Set them apart in Your Truth [Torah-Yeshua] – Your Word is
Truth [Torah-Yeshua]
o Tehillim 119:160 — the sum or entirety of Your Word is Truth [Torah-Yeshua]
o Yochanan 1:14 — Yeshua is the Word made flesh…
 Delusion is translated from the Greek “plane” (plan'-ay): fraudulence, a straying from
orthodoxy or piety

Mattithyahu 7:15-27 — Beware false prophets
[15] “But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are savage
wolves.
[16] “By their fruits you shall know them…
[23] “…I never knew you, depart from Me you who work lawlessness!”
 The Greek word here being translated “lawlessness” is “anomia” which means the
violation of Torah, anti-Torah or against Torah
 If “lawlessness” is to be against or anti-Torah, and Yeshua is the Torah, then “lawlessness”
is to be against or anti-Yeshua, in other words to be anti-Messiah!!!

Mattithyahu 7:28-29 — Yeshua spoke with authority
[28] …when Yeshua had ended these words, the people were astonished at His teaching
[29] for He was teaching as one possessing authority,…

1 Yochanan 3:4 — sin is lawlessness [anti-Torah/anti-Messiah]
“Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness [anti-Torah/anti-Messiah], and sin is lawlessness
[anti-Torah/anti-Messiah].”

Mattithyahu 24:11-13 — The love of many shall become cold
[11] “And many false prophets shall rise up and lead many astray.”
[12] “ And because of the increase in lawlessness [anti-Torah/anti-Messiah], the love of many
shall become cold
 The word “love” here is the Greek word “agape” which is the Elohim level love.
 Yochanan 14:15 — If you love Me, you shall guard My commands

1 Yochanan 2:3-6 — Don’t be a liar
[4] The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the Truth
[Torah-Yeshua] is not in him.
[5] But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we
know that we are in Him.
[6] The one who says he stays in Him ought himself to walk, even as He walked

2 Kepha 2:1-3 — Heresy, divisions, sects, etc.
[1] But there also came to be false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false
teachers, who shall secretly bring in destructive heresies,…
 Heresy is translated from the Greek “hairesis” (hah'-ee-res-is):, a choice, i.e. (specially) a
party or (abstractly) disunion, a sect.
[2] And many shall follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of Truth [TorahYeshua] shall be evil spoken of,…
[3] and in greed, with fabricated words, they shall use for gain…

Revelation 12:9 — It is Satan who leads the whole world astray

Yochanan 8:43-47 --
[43] …you are unable to hear My word
[44] You are your father the devil…
[45] And because I speak the Truth [Torah-Yeshua], you do not believe Me.
[46] …And if I speak the Truth [Torah-Yeshua], why do you not believe Me?
[47] He who is of Elohim hears the Words of Elohim…

Mattithyahu 24:4-5, 23-25 --
[23] “If anyone then says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe.
[24] “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders,
so as to lead astray, if possible even the chosen ones.
[25] “See, I have forwarded you.”

2 Kepha 3:14-18 --
 Those who are untaught and unstable who twist Sha’ul’s writings can lead you away with the
delusion of the lawless.

Yehezqel 22:23-31 --
 This sure sounds familiar, just like today’s mainstream ministries

Yeshayahu 30:8-10 --
[9]…children who refuse to hear the Torah of Yahweh,
[10] who say…Speak to us what is smooth,…


Part 3 — The Anti-Messiah
2 Thessalonians 2:1-14 — The anti-Messiah is to revealed

[3] Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away has to come first, and the man of
lawlessness [anti-Torah/anti-Messiah] is to be revealed first (Jesus!)
[4] who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim…
[5] Do you not remember that I told you this…
[6] …for him to be revealed in his time
[7] For the secret of lawlessness [anti-Torah/anti-Messiah] is already at work

1 Timothy 2:3-4 --
[4] who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of Truth [Torah-Yeshua]

Ephesians 4:11-24 --
[11] And He himself gave some as emissaries, and some as prophets…
[12] for the perfecting of the set-apart ones,…
[13] until we all come to the unity of the belief and the knowledge…
[14] so that we should no longer be children, tossed to and borne about by every wind of teaching…
[15] but maintaining the Truth [Torah-Yeshua] in love…

2 Timothy 4:3-4 --
[3] For there shall be a time when they shall not bear sound teaching, but according to their own
desires, they shall heap up for themselves teachers tickling the ear,
[4] and they shall indeed turn their ears away from the Truth [Torah-Yeshua], and be turned aside
to myths.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 --
[13] For such are false emissaries…masquerading as emissaries of Messiah
[14] …For Satan himself masquerades as a messenger (angel) of light
[15] It is not surprising, then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness,…

Yeshua is the Light of the World not HaSatan


Part 4 — Conclusion
Yochanan 4:23-24 --

[23] But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
Spirit and Truth [Torah-Yeshua],…
[24] …those who worship Him need to worship Him in Spirit and Truth [Torah-Yeshua].

Yochanan 8:31-32 --
[32] and you shall know the Truth [Torah-Yeshua] and the Truth [Torah-Yeshua] shall make
you free

Yochanan 18:37 — “Everyone that is of the Truth [Torah-Yeshua] hears My voice.”
 
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