In Jeremiah, chapter twenty-eight, verse one, “And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedkiah 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.” Hananiah, who opposed Jeremiah’s message of doom, was a false prophet who predicted the fall of Babylon and the return of the exiles and temple treasures within two years.
Why would a religious leader come out to say something about a message that was given from the Lord through the servant of God? The reason is that messages that do come from God from a servant who lives righteously before the Lord and has a close relationship with God, will shake the atmosphere, and those who are in attendance to hear. The enemy will see that change and influence, and will attempt to work through someone, even a religious leader who may be living unrighteously before God, and use them to disrupt that holy presence with false remarks to the message given to create confusion.
False religious leaders often predict that the blessings of God come unconditionally, without the need for repentance or holy living; such a message always has popular appeal. Why? In Second Timothy four, verse three, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers; having itching ears.” The flesh of every person will try to control the things that attempt to awaken a person’s spirit. This is the mission of God through His servant: To awake the spirit of a person to save them eventually.