Wicked v false prophets

Via dolarossa

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I thought they would be one and the same.
Balaam was a wicked prophet, but not a false one.?
Can anyone explain what would be the difference?
I thought lies were of the devil. So does wicked mean it comes from another source, like sin?
Is sin and lies not from the same source?
 
Rev 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

It seems here that Balaam truthfully instructed the enemy of Israel to entice God's people away from true worship and into idolatry.

Wicked? Yes
Truthful? Also yes.
 
I thought they would be one and the same.
Can anyone explain what would be the difference?
I thought lies were of the devil. So does wicked mean it comes from another source, like sin?
Is sin and lies not from the same source?

Good question Via. Balaam was a wicked prophet in the Bible and is noteworthy because, although he was a wicked prophet, he was not a false prophet. That is, Balaam did hear from God, and God did give him some true prophecies to speak. However, Balaam’s heart was not right with God, and eventually he showed his true colors by betraying Israel and leading them astray.

Jesus equates committing adultery with having lust in your heart and committing murder with having hatred in your heart. However, this does not mean the sins are equal. What Jesus was trying to get across to the Pharisees is that sin is still sin even if you only want to do the act, without actually carrying it out. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day taught that it was okay to think about anything you wanted to, as long as you did not act on those desires. Jesus is forcing them to realize that God judges a person’s thoughts as well as his actions. Jesus proclaimed that our actions are the result of what is in our hearts.

So, although Jesus said that lust and adultery are both sins, that does not mean they are equal. It is much worse to actually murder a person than it is to simply hate a person, even though they are both sins in God’s sight. There are degrees to sin. Some sins are worse than others. At the same time, in regard to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same.
 
First we have to realize that the rain falls both on the just and the unjust. Gifts and callings are without repentance.
Balaam had a gift but his use thereof showed his colors.
The difference between a Christian and a good religious person is that the Word lives in a Christian and he/she behaves accordingly. The good religious person will behave according to their understanding and reasoning.
Short answer...
 
Good question.

I think its like...there are some cops, and some are good cops and some are bad cops. Both are cops, but one uses their authority for good, and the other for evil.
A false cop would be someone who isn't a cop at all but acts like a cop.

Make sense??
 
Yes thanks guys...

honestly, I thought this path would be easy lol.
It’s very hard, in fact, it’s harder than living without God, no wonder ppl turned back. My life was easy before...

Now I can see myself in balaam..But lucky for me God has let me know just how the pleasures of wickedness rule over me and just how much I need a saviour.
 
Actually, this demonstrates a couple of interesting truths:

The enemies of God's people wished to weaken Israel. In order to accomplish this, God's people were to be encouraged to abandon the worship of the God of Israel.

This shows that even the enemies of Israel could recognize that the strength of Israel stemmed from the worship of God. This is quite a realization for a seer outside of Israel.

Also, a lesson we can take from this is that the spiritual strength of us as Christians stems from our relationship with God and will wane if we allow ourselves to be enticed away from Christian worship of the Father, Son, and Spirit.
 
Actually, this demonstrates a couple of interesting truths:

The enemies of God's people wished to weaken Israel. In order to accomplish this, God's people were to be encouraged to abandon the worship of the God of Israel.

This shows that even the enemies of Israel could recognize that the strength of Israel stemmed from the worship of God. This is quite a realization for a seer outside of Israel.

Also, a lesson we can take from this is that the spiritual strength of us as Christians stems from our relationship with God and will wane if we allow ourselves to be enticed away from Christian worship of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Well said!!!
 
The magis were outside of Israel and came from the East (doesn't say exactly from where) to worship the new Messiah. So there were God-fearing people outside of Israel. They didn't belong to Israel, but they recognised who God was.

Also Rahab had heard of God parting the Red Sea and was so impressed that she hid the spies. Even though those in Jericho were technically meant to be enemies of Israel.

I think what it shows is don't prejudice a nation by their collective beliefs as there will always be individuals within other nations that seek after God and have some knowledge of Him, they just don't have the special relationship that Israel (or born again christians) have.
 
I thought they would be one and the same.
Balaam was a wicked prophet, but not a false one.?
Can anyone explain what would be the difference?
I thought lies were of the devil. So does wicked mean it comes from another source, like sin?
Is sin and lies not from the same source?
I suppose a wicked prophet is easy to tell. It is someone that has spiritual authority, but has a troubling nature, not entirely towards God, but a false prophet is someone that is not representing the triune God, but has spiritual authority over his people.
 
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