How can we identify false prophets in light of Ezekiel 13:5? The Heart of Ezekiel 13:5 • “They have not gone up into the gaps or built a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.” (Ezekiel 13:5) • False prophets were exposed because they left God’s people spiritually unprotected. They watched the wall crumble yet refused to step into the breach. What a True Prophet Does • Steps into danger on behalf of others (Ezekiel 22:30) • Warns of coming judgment (Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:17) • Calls people to repentance and obedience (Isaiah 58:1) • Aligns every word with the already-revealed Word of God (Deuteronomy 13:1-4) Clues That Expose a False Prophet • Ignores or downplays sin, promising peace when there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:10) • Offers visions “out of their own heart” instead of from the mouth of the LORD (Ezekiel 13:2-3) • Refuses costly intercession—no standing “in the gaps,” no rebuilding of spiritual defenses (Ezekiel 13:5) • Seeks personal profit, prestige, or power (Micah 3:11; 2 Peter 2:3) • Produces bad fruit—immorality, greed, divisiveness (Matthew 7:15-20) • Prophecies fail or prove deceptive (Deuteronomy 18:20-22) Practical Discernment Checklist 1. Examine the Message – Is sin confronted biblically, or excused? – Does the message match the whole counsel of Scripture? (Acts 17:11) 2. Observe the Motive – Do they serve sacrificially, or build personal platforms? (1 Thessalonians 2:5-6) 3. Evaluate the Fruit – Are lives genuinely transformed in holiness? (Galatians 5:22-23) 4. Verify the Prophecy – Has what they foretold come to pass without contradiction? (Jeremiah 28:9) 5. Test by Christ’s Centrality – Do they exalt Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord? (1 John 4:2-3) Why This Matters Today • God still seeks servants who “stand in the gap” by teaching truth, warning of judgment, and pointing to the only secure wall—Jesus Christ our righteousness (Ephesians 2:14). • A church guarded by such discernment will “stand in battle on the day of the LORD,” equipped, united, and unshaken (Ephesians 6:10-18). |
    |