Beware False Teachers!
Posted by
Pastor Coon
Labels:
Current Events,
From My Desk
I'm amazed at the hatred people display towards President Bush and the excitement that people display towards Barack Obama. I have heard enough blasphemy from his lips (read my "Obama the Christian?" article) and that of his pastor, Rev. Wright to convince me that he is a scary man with a self-serving attitude and is a 'tickler' of the ears (II Timothy 4:3-4).
Now this video really perplexed me as it was listed on YouTube as a Pro-Obama video and it seems to fill that role as the pastor preaches regarding the 'specialness' of Obama's candidacy and the idea that he is being attacked and hindered in his candidacy because God put him in this position and by implication that anyone against Obama is against God's will. But scarier than this obvious Obama frenzy is the blatant heresy that is being espoused by preachers these days, especially this man.
Let me say that I don't know this man and I think he ministers in the Detroit area. I watched his whole video and want to point out that in his introduction he means Psalm 68 not 38. And of course, he does preach his sermon from Zephaniah 3. In both his introduction and in his message he seriously takes these verses out of context.
Let's look at Psalm 68:31 first, the 'princes that are coming out of Egypt and those from Ethiopia' in Psalm 68 are bringing gifts to the Hebrew King and the Temple of God because they are acknowledging God as the One True God. [editor: He misquotes the verse's ending he says, "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to her God;" but oddly the verse doesn't say "her God"...but simply "unto God." So could they be worshipping their God, Jehovah, or just acknowledging the Hebrew God?] Either way this is a good historical passage for the situation that David and Solomon ruled under...many peoples came to honor them and worship at Solomon's Temple. [Editor: this passage is also a great picture of Christ's Second Coming.] So I don't see that in this context that this is a statement that black people will be raised up to rule and be used by God anymore than any other nation or people that surrenders to God's will. I do believe that God is the One True God and that He of course is the God for all peoples. We understand that God will use anyone of any color, culture, or background as long as they come to Him on His terms and in His way; which is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God is no respecter of persons. He accomplishes His will through the poor and outcast as well as He can use the rich and influential. But to imply that Obama is fulfilling some "prophecy" from Psalm 68 is definitely stretching the context at best or is blatant heresy at worst.
Now this preacher shares a video from one of his sermons out of Zephaniah 3 regarding this ongoing theme of some sort of "prophetic" claim of black people from Africa. He implies that the calling of those from Ethiopia is the spiritual "Chosen of God" but this passage is specifically talking about God calling back His people the Hebrews (the Jews) back to Him after they are to be taken into captivity. A little bit of background here, Zephaniah a prophet in Judah [editor: who's name means "Jehovah has treasured"] was a contemporary of Jeremiah (who was a prophet in Israel) before the nations were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, is often accredited with the mini-revival that Judah underwent during the rule of King Josiah. Sadly, the revival didn't last long and Zephaniah's prophecy that they would be taken into captivity just like Israel had been years earlier became reality. Thankfully God in His goodness allowed Zephaniah to show that God would restore His people back into their land. [Editor: The book of Zephaniah is also a passage that paints a wonderful picture of the messianic kingdom when all nations shall serve the Lord, and restored Israel will finally be "a name and a praise among all people of the earth" (3:20).] So for this pastor to use this verse in 3:10 to claim some special prophecy for Africans or African-Americans is a serious breech of context and shows a lack of understand of this book and the Old Testament's relation of the Hebrews as God's 'Chosen People.' He also takes a leap regarding the nation of Ethiopia in particular as being a blessed people with a gift in their hand from God that contradicts Zephaniah's previous judgment on the Ethiopian nation. Zephaniah 2:12 tells us, "Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword." I don't know how you get from a judgment like this to a special blessing for the Ethiopians being the 'spiritual chosen people of God' as he implies. [Editor: Chapter 2 shows us that other nations were being judged not just the Ethiopians]. Confusing the meaning of Scripture or taking it out of context is indeed dangerous territory as the Lord proclaims judgment on those you add to His Word (Rev 22:18).
I say all of this not as a political tool or to trash any one's culture, heritage, background; but to point to the importance of knowing the Word enough to defend against heresy and to be wary of false teachers.
This is not all of this man's message. I have listened to the other two parts and he continues to take Scripture out of context and insinuates correlations between Barack Obama and the story of Jeremiah the Prophet. Christians you bear a responsibility to be in the Word and to know the Word so that you may be able to counter the lies of false teachers and pastors what a responsibility we have to preach the whole counsel of God.
Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
Now this video really perplexed me as it was listed on YouTube as a Pro-Obama video and it seems to fill that role as the pastor preaches regarding the 'specialness' of Obama's candidacy and the idea that he is being attacked and hindered in his candidacy because God put him in this position and by implication that anyone against Obama is against God's will. But scarier than this obvious Obama frenzy is the blatant heresy that is being espoused by preachers these days, especially this man.
Let me say that I don't know this man and I think he ministers in the Detroit area. I watched his whole video and want to point out that in his introduction he means Psalm 68 not 38. And of course, he does preach his sermon from Zephaniah 3. In both his introduction and in his message he seriously takes these verses out of context.
Let's look at Psalm 68:31 first, the 'princes that are coming out of Egypt and those from Ethiopia' in Psalm 68 are bringing gifts to the Hebrew King and the Temple of God because they are acknowledging God as the One True God. [editor: He misquotes the verse's ending he says, "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to her God;" but oddly the verse doesn't say "her God"...but simply "unto God." So could they be worshipping their God, Jehovah, or just acknowledging the Hebrew God?] Either way this is a good historical passage for the situation that David and Solomon ruled under...many peoples came to honor them and worship at Solomon's Temple. [Editor: this passage is also a great picture of Christ's Second Coming.] So I don't see that in this context that this is a statement that black people will be raised up to rule and be used by God anymore than any other nation or people that surrenders to God's will. I do believe that God is the One True God and that He of course is the God for all peoples. We understand that God will use anyone of any color, culture, or background as long as they come to Him on His terms and in His way; which is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God is no respecter of persons. He accomplishes His will through the poor and outcast as well as He can use the rich and influential. But to imply that Obama is fulfilling some "prophecy" from Psalm 68 is definitely stretching the context at best or is blatant heresy at worst.
Now this preacher shares a video from one of his sermons out of Zephaniah 3 regarding this ongoing theme of some sort of "prophetic" claim of black people from Africa. He implies that the calling of those from Ethiopia is the spiritual "Chosen of God" but this passage is specifically talking about God calling back His people the Hebrews (the Jews) back to Him after they are to be taken into captivity. A little bit of background here, Zephaniah a prophet in Judah [editor: who's name means "Jehovah has treasured"] was a contemporary of Jeremiah (who was a prophet in Israel) before the nations were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, is often accredited with the mini-revival that Judah underwent during the rule of King Josiah. Sadly, the revival didn't last long and Zephaniah's prophecy that they would be taken into captivity just like Israel had been years earlier became reality. Thankfully God in His goodness allowed Zephaniah to show that God would restore His people back into their land. [Editor: The book of Zephaniah is also a passage that paints a wonderful picture of the messianic kingdom when all nations shall serve the Lord, and restored Israel will finally be "a name and a praise among all people of the earth" (3:20).] So for this pastor to use this verse in 3:10 to claim some special prophecy for Africans or African-Americans is a serious breech of context and shows a lack of understand of this book and the Old Testament's relation of the Hebrews as God's 'Chosen People.' He also takes a leap regarding the nation of Ethiopia in particular as being a blessed people with a gift in their hand from God that contradicts Zephaniah's previous judgment on the Ethiopian nation. Zephaniah 2:12 tells us, "Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword." I don't know how you get from a judgment like this to a special blessing for the Ethiopians being the 'spiritual chosen people of God' as he implies. [Editor: Chapter 2 shows us that other nations were being judged not just the Ethiopians]. Confusing the meaning of Scripture or taking it out of context is indeed dangerous territory as the Lord proclaims judgment on those you add to His Word (Rev 22:18).
I say all of this not as a political tool or to trash any one's culture, heritage, background; but to point to the importance of knowing the Word enough to defend against heresy and to be wary of false teachers.
This is not all of this man's message. I have listened to the other two parts and he continues to take Scripture out of context and insinuates correlations between Barack Obama and the story of Jeremiah the Prophet. Christians you bear a responsibility to be in the Word and to know the Word so that you may be able to counter the lies of false teachers and pastors what a responsibility we have to preach the whole counsel of God.
Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
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