Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will no longer be a delay, (Revelation 10:5-6)

When the same prophecies are repeated over a long period of time, people think the prophecies are nothing to do with them.

But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:48-51)

In Ezekiel 12, God made Ezekiel demonstrate the people in Jerusalem to show the exiles that the fall of Jerusalem was imminent. But people did not believe.

“Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,”’” declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 12:27-28)

The reason why God hates false teachers, prophets, and leaders is because they mislead others by telling them lies. The Book of Jeremiah is helpful in understanding what happened in Jerusalem when Ezekiel was in Babylon. Jeremiah 28 shows that the false prophet Hananiah misled people in Jerusalem.

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord. (Jeremiah 28:15-16)

As I mentioned before, the devil hates all men, especially the chosen people of God. The reprobate trust the devil, not God, because they are blind. They bear either no fruit or bad fruit. They follow idols. They follow false images of God. They distort truths of God. And some of these people take leadership in churches.

The distinct feature of a false minister, theologian, or leader is that they have crooked understanding of God’s words. They do not encourage people to read the Bible and meditate on God’s words day and night. They fear that people may understand God’s words by the Holy Spirit and turn against them. They do not have the Holy Spirit in them and make others rely on false hopes and promises like Hananiah.

We are living in a very prosperous age. Not many people in the developed countries die of hunger. But such prosperity has blinded many people. They now deny the existence of God and serve idols (more precisely themselves). And churches are full of people who think they will continue to live in prosperity because they are chosen. Yet, they are not interested in reading God’s words. They serve idols that give them a false sense of security. The Bible tells us that there is no peace for the idolaters. Any minister who does not emphasize on the importance of reading the Bible at the pulpit every Sunday is false. Anyone who does not love God’s words is false.

Even if the fig tree does not blossom,

And there is no fruit on the vines,

If the yield of the olive fails,

And the fields produce no food,

Even if the flock disappears from the fold,

And there are no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will triumph in the LORD,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)