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How to Identify False Prophet
Deut 13
:1 “When there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he shall give you a sign or a wonder,
:3 “YHWH your Elohim is trying you to know whether you love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being.
:4 “Walk after YHWH your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve Him and cling to Him.
:5 ” to make you stray from the way in which YHWH your Elohim commanded you to walk.”
:13 ‘Some men, sons of Beliya‛al, have gone out of you midst and led the inhabitants of their city astray
:14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And see if the matter is true
In verse 13 we have the word “sons of Beliya‛al H1100 – bᵊlîyaʿal“, some translations says “worthless people“. This Hebrew name is actually two words, beli H1097 – bᵊlî meaning “without” or corruption, and ya’al H3276 – yāʿal meaning “value” or profit. This name appears 27 times in the old testament, including the wicked sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12) and those who opposed King David (1 Sam 30:22). There are other texts from the Dead sea scrolls which mentions belial as the angel of enmity, whose counsel is wickedness and guilt, his lot of angels of destruction who walk in the laws of destruction. He is also mentioned as the angel of lawlessness and ruler of this world. The occults call themselves the “sons of belial”, and this name is used in many pop culture music platforms as well as books and games.
An overall summary of Deuteronomy 13 on how to identify a false prophet, would include:
- someone who has many and all sorts of dreams
- can do miracles, signs and wonders
- have new revelations
- very convincing with their words, enticing
- if any of the above contradicts the Torah/Law of YHWH, then you must know it is a false prophet
- know that this is a test, so make sure to be wide awake and test diligently (Deut 13:14)
Let us look at what Yeshua said in Matthew 7:15-27
15“But beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are savage wolves.
16“By their fruits you shall know them.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.
22“Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’
23“And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the rock
To summarize what Yeshua said:
- be awake, test those who even look and talk like sheep
- by their fruits – beli (without) ya’al (value – fruit)
- even if they do signs and wonders, in HIS NAME! (talking like sheep)
- depart from Me, workers of lawlesness (beli-ya’al – against the Law)
- Keep the Law (Deut 13:4) – that is wisdom like building your house on the rock
Deut 13:14 “this abomination was done in your midst”
abomination in Hebrew is H8441 – tôʿēḇâ and H8581 – tāʿaḇ : abominable and utterly detestable
Other religion practices
Deuteronomy 14:1-21 lists some basic practices that are followed by other religions, that are even kept to this day.
Like cutting, making marks on your body, or shaving your hair/head a certain way in memory of the dead. Eating certain foods, these foods resembling cleaning up, or eating dead things, even eating something that died by itself. These, and all things that represent the dead.
Deut 14:8 “And the pig is unclean for you, because it has a split hoof, but does not chew the cud. You do not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses.
Verses 4 to 7 mentions all the living creatures and and beasts which are allowed and not allowed, but then verse 8 He specifically mentions the pig/swine. The pig is known to eat anything that is even dead. Even in Isaiah 66 with the prophecies, the swine is highlighted as the one thing that is an abomination (verse 3 and 17)
In Deut 14:21 we read “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” The Jewish Rabbis have taken this to be literal to mean one shouldn’t eat dairy with meat. However, in the context of this chapter with other religions and death, this rather probably refers to the Canaanite rituals of sacrificing a kid (fertility offering) in the mothers’ milk, combining the concept of death and life.
Deut 14:3 “Do not eat whatever is abominable.
YHWH despises it so much, it is called abominable and utterly detestable, H8441 – tôʿēḇâ and H8581 – tāʿaḇ
Enjoy and Share a Tenth
Year by Year – Enjoy your tithe
Deut 14:22-27, and Deut 15:19-23 “You shall tithe without fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth year by year.
It explains then to bring those grains, new wine or oil, any firstlings/firstborns of harvest or animals, to eat in the place YHWH chooses. But verse 24 says if the way is too long, if you are unable to bring those tithes to the place, sell the tithes for silver and buy whatever you desire to enjoy, in the place YHWH chooses. You use these tithes on the pilgrimage feasts that happen 3 times a year (Feast of Unleavened bread, Shavuot/Pentecost, Sukkot/Booths/Tabernacle)
Every third Year – Share your tithe
Deut 14:28 “At the end of every third year you bring out all the tithe of your increase of that year and store it up within your gates.
It explains further in verse 29, “the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that YHWH your Elohim does bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” This tithe every third year, we don’t have to take to a specific place, but we can store it up and share it with everybody in the community who needs it. Isn’t that beautiful?
Jubilee Year
Deut 15:1-18 At the end of every seven years you make a release of debts… there should be no poor among you
Lending is essentially a form of domination and being a borrower is a form of slavery, verse 6 says “And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And you shall rule over many nations, but they do not rule over you.” That is why among Israelites/Hebrews one should release those debts every 7 years.
Deut 15:7,9 “do not harden your heart nor shut your hand.. Be on guard lest there be a thought of Beliya‛al in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is near,’ and your eye is evil against your poor brother and you give him naught. And he shall cry out to YHWH against you, and it shall be a sin in you.
The name belial appears again (as explained above with the False Prophet), will enter your thoughts and heart, and you don’t lend or help to profit yourself. In Numbers 24-25 (click here for more on that post) we showed the meaning of the evil eye, and Yeshua also referring to it in Matthew 6:22-24, “the lamp of the body is the eye.. evil eye serve mammon (money/wealth)”. Having an evil eye is a Hebrew idiom, for being stingy.
Proverbs 28:22 “A man with an evil eye runs after wealth, And does not know that poverty awaits him.”
IMPORTANT SCRIPTURES / PROPHECIES:
| Deut 13:1-18 – False Prophets – How to identify, investigate and handle false prophets – which are an abomination to YHWH. Make sure to walk after YHWH, fear Him and guard His commands and obey His voice, serve Him, cling to Him. False prophets are a test for you (v3). |
| Deut 14:1-21 – Other religion practices – You are not allowed to do the things in remembrance of the dead, or related to the dead : Cutting or markings on skin, hair styles, food |
| Deut 14:22-27, 15:19-23 – Tithe – Tithes yearly for pilgrimage feasts to enjoy yourselves. |
| Deut 14:28-29 – Tithe 3rd year – Gather tithes every 3rd year for the Levites, sojournes, fatherless and widows – for all who need to be satisfied |
| Deut 15:1-18 – Jubilee/Sabbath Year – Release all debts, do not let anyone among you suffer, lend or give to hime with open hands and hearts, not withelding before Jubilee. |
| Deut 15:19-23 – First born – Do not work or shear your first-born flock. Eat your perfect first-born in the place YHWH chooses, but first-born with defects you can enjoy within your own gates, just don’t eat the blood – but pour on the ground like water. |
