Jeremiah 28:1-4 KJV  And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,  (2)  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.  (3)  Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:  (4)  And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Hananiah's message was popular. It was just what they wanted to hear. He was a false prophet.

Jeremiah 28:5-6 KJV  Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,  (6)  Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD'S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.

Jeremiah basically says I would love to see that. We don't know the inflection of Jeremiah's voice, but it almost seems a little sarcastic.

Jeremiah 28:7-9 KJV  Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;  (8)  The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.  (9)  The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.

What a prophet says doesn't come to pass, then he is a false prophet. The time frame here was 2 years, and if the captives don't return and the vessels not brought back, then Hananiah is a false prophet, there is no in between.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 KJV  (20)  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.  (21)  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?  (22)  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Prophecies from the Lord will be 100% accurate. If not 100% accurate then the person is not a prophet of the Lord. Back then false prophets were put to death.

Can you imagine what would happen if people would hold people who claim to be prophets up to the same standard today.... There would be a lot less prophets.

God's standard for prophets has not changed. If anyone claims to be a prophet of God and they are not 100% accurate ALL THE TIME then they are a false prophet. STOP LISTENING TO THEM IF THEY ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE ALL THE TIME!!!

Matthew 7:15-16 KJV  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Now what are the fruits of a false prophet? FALSE PROPHECIES! Yes we are not to judge a persons heart, but we are to examine the fruit.

Matthew 24:11-13 KJV  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  (12)  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  (13)  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:23-26 KJV  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  (24)  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  (25)  Behold, I have told you before.  (26)  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Jeremiah 28:10-11 KJV  Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it.  (11)  And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Remember, that as Jeremiah and Hananiah are speaking, there is a large crowd of people around them. And to drive home his point, since Hananiah didn't have an object lesson like Jeremiah did, he took the yoke off of Jeremiah's neck and broke it. And that was to symbolize that the bondage of Babylon was going to be broken.

Jeremiah could have been offended by Hananiah getting in his face, opposing his prophecies, and breaking the yoke.  But instead Jeremiah just walks away. He spoke the message, now it was up to the people to accept or reject it. He wasn't going to fight over it. So he moved on

Jeremiah 28:12-13 KJV  Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,  (13)  Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

Hananiah was telling the people what they wanted to hear. He is leading them to continue in their sin.

How many of you have heard people saying, "IF we are good or do good things we will go to heaven." Dead wrong. It is telling people what they may want to hear but the truth of the matter is that the only way to heaven is through the blood atonement of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 28:14-15 KJV  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.  (15)  Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

God didn't send Hananiah. The tragedy of following after false prophets, of not being fruit inspectors, you will believe a lie!

Jeremiah 28:16 KJV  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.

He will die because he is leading the people in rebellion.

False prophets are a problem even today. Beware of false prophets! Put them to the test. What are the fruits of a false prophet? FALSE PROPHECIES!

God's standard for prophets has not changed. If anyone claims to be a prophet of God and they are not 100% accurate ALL THE TIME then they are a false prophet. STOP LISTENING TO THEM IF THEY ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE ALL THE TIME!!!

Jeremiah 28:17 KJV  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

He died within two months of this deceleration.

God is very serious when it comes to prophecy.

Revelation 22:18-19 KJV  (18)  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:  (19)  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Romans 10:17 KJV  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God bless you as you follow Him. And remember before you follow those prophets out there that claim to be speaking from God test their fruit. Are they 100% accurate? If not they are not from God.

Jeremiah 27:1-6 KJV  In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  (2)  Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,  (3)  And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;  (4)  And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;  (5)  I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.  (6)  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.



Yokes were symbols of submission, bondage. The Babylonians were coming, the people were going into captivity, and they would have to submit to the authority of Babylon, that is the will of God. Now as you can imagine, that was not a very popular message. They didn't want to submit to anyone!

God made the earth. Since He made the earth you need to follow His rules. People believe in evolution because they don't want to follow His rules.

Jeremiah 27:7-15 KJV  And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.  (8)  And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.  (9)  Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:  (10)  For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.  (11)  But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.  (12)  I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.  (13)  Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?  (14)  Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  (15)  For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

The message that Jeremiah was speaking was a hard one to swallow. But it was from God. They were to surrender to Babylon or they would be destroyed. Now the false prophets were giving the people what they wanted to hear, a positive message, but it was not of God.

We need to be sure we are grounded in God's Word. How can I know what to believe?  Believe God's Word.  Keep your nose in the book.

Jeremiah 27:16-22 KJV  Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  (17)  Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?  (18)  But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.  (19)  For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,  (20)  Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;  (21)  Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;  (22)  They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

The false prophets were saying that within 2 years all the vessels will be returned from Babylon. But, God is telling them that they are wrong. Not only will the vessels not be returned in 2 years, but the remaining vessels will be taken away to Babylon and they will not return until the Lord is done with His judgment. The captivity was to last 70 years!