Connect Micah 3:6 with Matthew 7:15 on recognizing false prophets. Setting the Stage in Micah 3:6 “Therefore the night will come over you—without vision, and darkness will cover you—without divination. The sun will set on the prophets, and the day will turn black over them.” • Micah confronts leaders who claimed to speak for God while peddling lies for personal gain (Micah 3:5). • God’s judgment is poetic and precise: if they misuse light, He removes light. No vision, no revelation, only darkness. • The verse teaches that God Himself can silence a corrupt prophetic voice, exposing its emptiness. Jesus’ Warning in Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” • Unlike Micah’s day, these deceivers still appear to function—words keep flowing—but the content is deadly. • The danger shifts from silenced frauds (Micah 3) to active impostors (Matthew 7). Both passages insist we be discerning. Common Thread: Darkness behind the Disguise • In both texts, false prophets traffic in darkness—either God-imposed darkness (Micah 3:6) or hidden darkness beneath a friendly exterior (Matthew 7:15). • God’s people must recognize that outward religious activity is no guarantee of true light. How to Recognize a False Prophet Today Scripture equips us with practical tests: 1. Alignment with God’s Word – Isaiah 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” – Any message contradicting clear Scripture is counterfeit. 2. Accuracy in Prediction – Deuteronomy 18:20-22 sets the standard: if a prophecy fails, the speaker is false. – God never misses; true prediction Isaiah 100 percent accurate. 3. Fruit in Character – Matthew 7:16-20 continues Jesus’ teaching: “By their fruit you will recognize them.” – Persistent immorality, greed, or pride exposes an ungodly root (cf. 2 Peter 2:1-3). 4. Confession of Christ – 1 John 4:1-3 commands us to “test the spirits.” Any voice denying Jesus’ full deity and incarnation is false. 5. Motivation and Method – Micah’s opponents prophesied “for money” (Micah 3:11). – Watch for ministries driven by profit, manipulation, or self-promotion (Titus 1:11). Guardrails from the Rest of Scripture • Stay anchored in the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). • Cultivate sound doctrine within the local church (Ephesians 4:11-16). • Pray for discernment and walk by the Spirit (Philippians 1:9-10; Galatians 5:16-18). Living in the Light of True Revelation • The same God who judged false prophets in Micah’s day still safeguards His flock. • He has spoken finally and fully in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). • As we submit to Scripture, the Spirit illumines our path (Psalm 119:105), keeping us from the darkness that swallowed the deceivers of Micah 3 and from the wolfish schemes Jesus exposes in Matthew 7. |
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