Jeremiah and the False Prophets

This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Do not listen to the words of prophets who prophesy and deceive you. They publicize the visions of their hearts and not what they have learned from the mouth of the Lord. They say to those who blaspheme me, “The Lord  says to you: ‘you shall have  peace,’” and to all those who walk in the corruption of their hearts, ‘No evil will touch you.’ But who amongst them has heeded the counsel of God? Who has seen him and listened to what he has said? I have not sent such prophets; they run by themselves; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesy from their own head. I have heard these prophets,  who prophesy  lies in my name, saying,  “I dreamed; I dreamed.” How long will this fantasy be in the hearts of prophets who prophesy lies and whose prophesies are only the deceptions of their own  hearts? Therefore,  if these people or a prophet or a priest asks you and says, “What is the burden  of the Lord?” say, “You yourself are the burden and I shall cast you far from me,” says the Lord. (Jer. 23:16-18, 21, 25-26, 33)

It is this passage from the prophet Jeremiah that I would like to discuss with you, my friends. Speaking through Jeremiah, God says, “It is the vision of their own hearts that makes them speak.” These words clearly indicate that  at that  time charlatans and impassioned persons abused the gift of prophecy and exploited it. Consequently, they abused the simple, nearly blind faith of the people by predicting good and agreeable things in return for money. This type of fraud was very widespread  within the Jewish nation, and it is easy to understand that, in their ignorance, the poor were unable to distinguish good prophets from bad ones, and were more often than not deceived by these so-called prophets, who were nothing more than impostors or fanatics. There is nothing more significant than these words, “I have not sent such prophets; they run by themselves; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesy.” Further on, he says, “I have heard these prophets, who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I dreamed; I dreamed.’” This points out one of the ways they used in order to exploit the trust the people had in them. Always credulous, the multitudes did not even think about contesting the veracity of their dreams or visions; they found it very natural and were always inviting such prophets to speak.

After Jeremiah’s  words, listen to the wise counsels of the apostle John when he said, “Do not believe all spirits, but test the spirits to see if they are from God,” for amongst the invisible there are also those who love to delude when they get the chance. The deluded are obviously mediums who do not take enough precautions. This is unquestionably one of the biggest obstacles upon which many mediums stumble, especially if they are new to Spiritism. It is a trial for them and they can triumph over it only by using great prudence. Therefore, before anything else, learn to distinguish between good and evil spirits, so that you yourselves do not become false prophets.

Luoz, A Protector Spirit (Karlsruhe, 1861)