Hananniah and The Marks of a False Prophet

I want to introduce you to a prophet.  You might not know his name.  But if you heard him speak, you would be impressed.  He would warm your heart by his charm, captivate your mind by his charisma, and inspire your will by stories of hope.  You would walk away knowing things were about to get better, that things are going to turn around completely.  You would be confident in his message because he speaks with authority; he even declares “Thus says the LORD”.  After hearing him speak, you would know that your Best Life Now was right around the corner.

His name is not Joel or any other preacher who may sit in the golden chairs with Paul and Jan on TBN.  Although, if he were alive today, he’d definitely be invited to sit with them.  His name?  Hananniah, the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon.  We read about him in Jeremiah 28. 

To understand Hananniah and his message, we must first understand the context of the passage.  It takes place as Zedekiah began to reign in Judah.  Zedekiah was the final king to reign over the nation of Judah before they were taken into Babylonian captivity.  At the beginning of his reign, he apparently met with some ambassadors from other nations.  The topic of discussion: Babylon.  Jeremiah was sent by God to address King Zedekiah and the ambassadors.  The message: Submit to Nebuchadnezzar and you will be allowed to stay in the land or refuse to submit and be taken into captivity.  To illustrate his message, Jeremiah made and wore a yoke that symbolized the captivity Judah would experience if they didn’t listen to God. 

Jeremiah also warned Zedekiah about the prophets in Judah.  “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.” (Jeremiah 27:14)  Again, in verses 16 and 17, Jeremiah warns the King with the words, “Do not listen” to them!

Can you hear the people?  Can you hear what they’re saying about Jeremiah?  “He’s too depressing; I can’t listen to him.”  “He focuses too much on the negative.”  “I don’t feel lifted up after I hear him preach.”  “He needs to lighten up a bit, don’t you think?”

Then, in chapter 28, along comes Hananniah, a post-child for false prophets.  His message and mannerism shows how false prophets operate.  There are 6 characteristics of false prophets that are seen in Hananniah.

(1) They Sound Like True Prophets

His message begins eerily similar to Jeremiah’s.  He says, “Thus says the LORD” (28:2), nearly identical to the declarations of Jeremiah in chapter 27.

(2) They Sound Confident

Just like Hananniah, false prophets normally have a surplus of confidence.  When he speaks of what will happen, he uses a prophetic perfect when he declares that God has “broken the yoke of the king of Babylon” (28:2).  Who would question that?  He is speaking with absolute certainty.  I can hear someone say, “He really knows what he’s talking about, just listen to how confident he is!”

(3) They Contradict God’s Word

His message is in stark contrast to Jeremiah’s message in chapter 27.  Both of them can’t be right; one of them is lying.  The idea that Jeremiah sees it one way and Hananniah sees it another way and we should just leave them alone and let each one do their thing is absurd.  Both are saying, “Thus says the LORD”; their declarations are complete opposites.  Both of them can’t be correct.  Hananniah is twisting and contradicting God’s true Word (something false prophets are notoriously famous for).

(4) They Appear Credible

Hananniah adds some specifics to his declaration, saying that in two years God would bring back the vessels of the LORD’S house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon previously.  Can you hear someone say, “He’s so specific!  He has to be right!”  That’s about the equivalent of a faith-healer standing before a crowd of 10,000 saying, “There is someone here who has lost your job and you are struggling because you have cancer.  God is going to restore your finances and heal your cancer.”  (Of course there is a caveat to being restored and healed; it usually requires a financial contribution.)

(5) They Erupt (Emotionally) When Confronted With The Truth

When Jeremiah confronts him about his message, what does Hananniah do?  Does he appeal to God?  No.  Does he discuss the differences in their message?  No.  He erupts with anger and emotions.  He takes yoke off of Jeremiah and breaks it.  He then declares, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.”  What does he do?  He reacts emotionally; he doubles down.  Like Hananniah, false prophets love to speak about authority, but they hate answering serious questions.

(6) They Make People Trust In A Lie

This is the most heartbreaking characteristic of a false prophet: They make people trust in a lie (Jeremiah 28:15).  They though deliverance was coming; but captivity was their future.  They thought joy was coming; but mourning was their future.  They thought prosperity was coming; but famine was their future.  

Is Calling Out A False Preacher A Bad Thing?

“You shouldn't do that!”  “They aren't hurting anyone.”  “They inspire people.”  “They are even using the Bible.”  “Who are you to judge?” “Their doctrine doesn't matter, just as long as people listen to them.”  “They must be doing something right, look at the crowds they draw.”  “If they are so wrong, why do I feel so good after I hear them preach?”  “Why can’t you be more like Jesus and just love people?”  “Quit being a know-it-all."  "Your're so judgmental."

These are just a few of the questions and statements you often hear when you call out someone – most of the time a well-known televangelist – for preaching or teaching heresy.  It is seen as prideful, arrogant, mean-spirited, hateful, un-Christlike, divisive, and just plain wrong.  You are seen as majoring on minors, as building yourself up by tearing someone else down.

But does it matter?  Should we care about what we are listening to and what others are hearing?  Let me ask you this: Would you entrust the life of a loved one – your spouse, your parent, your child – to just any physician?  No, of course not.  We are particular about which doctors we see, as we should be.  But why do we take more precaution concerning the doctor who treats our body than the preacher who feeds our soul?  Could it be that we see the damage inflicted to our body by a quack doctor as more severe than the damage inflicted to our soul by a false prophet?  I think so.

Doctrine matters because souls matter.  (Please do not see this as an endorsement of a state-church or an endorsement to put false prophets on trial in American court rooms because it isn't!)  500 years ago, when false prophets were tried, convicted and punished (by death) the line of reasoning was this: False teaching is spiritual murder because false doctrine kills the soul.  And because it is worse to kill the soul than the body, false prophets were held accountable.

We don’t try false prophets in courtrooms today.  But as shepherds of God’s flock, we are responsible to call out false prophets and false doctrines, heresy that damns souls to Hell.  You see, it is not unloving to call out false prophets; indeed, it is loving.  A person who lovingly calls out false prophets for preaching error is not being a grouch; they are being gracious. 

Here’s the question we must ask and answer (and we will over the course of the upcoming week): What would Jesus say to false prophets?  What would Paul say about it?  What about Peter, John, and Jude?  Does the Bible say how we should respond to false prophets? 

Let us prayerfully heed Jesus’ words: “Pay attention to what you hear” (Mark 4:24).