In the last part part of our series, we saw that false preachers and teachers are “deceivers.” They purposely deceive other people. They are not nice people. They are not good people. They are deceiving people.

Once we know how deceivers behave and what they say, we can pull the cover off their deception and show them for who they really are – liars, deceivers, and cheaters. Once you’ve pulled off the cover, then look out because identifying them makes them even more dangerous. They will come for you, just like they came for Jesus.

Identifying The Deceivers

We are not left to wonder who the false preachers and teachers were in the New Testament. God wants us to know them. He wants us to identify them and point them out to others. Let’s begin with the Jewish deceivers.

Israel has a long history of deception. Read the Old Testament and you’ll see it everywhere. You’ll also see it when you read Israel’s history between the Old and New Testaments. Malachi was the last prophet in the Old Testament prophet. He prophesied during the latter part of the 5th century BC. John the Baptist began prophesying in the early part of the 1st century AD. How do we know what happened during that period of 400 years?

Hebrews 1:1 reads, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets.” The prophet Amos wrote, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7). Over and over again in the Old Testament we read that God spoke through His prophets. Moses taught Israel how to determine whether someone was a true prophet or a lying, deceiving prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). Moses told Israel not to fear false prophets and that they would die.

So, what about the 400 years after Malachi? There were no prophets in the land between Malachi and John the Baptist (e.g. 1 Maccabees 9:27). However, there were many Jews who wrote during that time. Some of their writings were historical; some were fictional. Reading both types give people today an important insight to what Israel had become by the time Jesus appeared on the scene.

We know from ancient historical writings that Israel experienced much violence during those years. 1 Maccabees recorded that it was a time of “great distress.” Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BC and the king allowed Jews to return to their homeland. Persia was still a large empire in 400 BC. We know from what we read in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi that the Jews living in Israel had some support from the Persian government during the early years following their Babylonian exile. Judea continued to be a Persian territory under the authority the governors of Syria. Israel had some internal civil authority under the leadership of the high priest.

However, things began to change for Israel when the Persian Empire ended about 531 BC. Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, but died less than ten years later. Four of Alexander’s generals divided the new empire into four sections:

  1. Thrace and much of Asia Minor
  2. Macedonia and Greece
  3. Egypt, Palestine, Cilicia, Petra, and Cypress
  4. Persia, Mesopotamia, the Levant, part of India

Israel was caught in the middle between the Seleucid Empire to the north and the Ptolemic Empire to the south. After many years of fighting, the Seleucid (Syrian) Empire finally took control of Palestine from the Ptolemic (Egyptian) Empire. Daniel prophesied about it in the 11th chapter of his writings. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid King, placed an idol of Zeus on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem and sacrificed pigs on it. He also made it illegal for Jews to read the Law of God. Anyone who would not sacrifice to idols in Judea were to be executed. That quickly led to a Jewish revolt against Antiochus.

The man who started the Jewish revolt was a Jewish priest named Mattathias. He died about a year later and his son, Judas Maccabeus, took his father’s place. That revolt, often called the Maccabean Revolt, began about 167 BC and ushered in the Hasmonean (Maccabean) Period. Maccabeus purified the Temple and became governor of Judea. However, he died about four years later. Jonathan Maccabeus eventually became the high priest and governor of Judea.

The Jews made an alliance with the Roman Republic in the middle of the 2nd century BC, which helped establish an independent Hasmonean kingdom. That lasted for several decades until the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem. Judea became a client state that was eventually ruled by Herod the Great. That brings us to the birth of Jesus.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:1-3

What happened next was Herod’s deception.

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. Matthew 2:7-8

King Herod’s real plan was to kill Jesus, but the wise men were warned of Herod’s plan in a dream that they should not return to Herod, so they departed for their own country another way. Also, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt and wait for further instructions (Matthew 2:13).

King Herod died soon after, which led to the next step in God’s plan.

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.’ Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. Matthew 2:20-21

Historians believe Herod the Great died between 5 and 1 BC. Most seem to lean toward a 4 BC date. That would mean Jesus was born in about 5 BC, fled to Egypt, then returned to Judea in 4 BC (give or take a year or two either way).

A History of Jewish Deception

I’m going to spend a little time with the history of the Jewish ruling class because that’s who opposed Jesus 2,000 years ago. They were the false preachers and teachers of the 1st century AD who deceived God’s people. What we learn about that ancient ruling class will shine light on the false preachers and teachers who are deceiving God’s people today.

The word ‘Sanhedrin’ in Greek is sunedrion and means “council, tribunal, a sitting together, a convening together.” The Sanhedrin was the ruling council in Israel during the 1st century AD when Jesus was on earth. It was composed of 71 members that included Sadducees (members of priestly families), Pharisees (teachers of the Law), and lay Elders. It was sometimes referred to as the “Great” Sanhedrin since lower courts with 23 members were also called sunedrion (Lesser Sanhedrin). The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that in 57 BC, Roman statesman and general Aulus Gabinius divided Judea into five sunedria (Encyclopedia of Judaism).

We do not find the Greek word sunedrion in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) or the Hebrew word gĕdhōlāh in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). However, we do find leadership of the Jewish people throughout the Old Testament. It began with family leaders (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), then tribal leaders (Jacob’s sons). God added to tribal leadership by giving His Law to Moses. God added even more to tribal leadership through the Hebrew Judges, Kings, and Prophets.

Assyria’s removal of the Northern Tribes of Israel and Babylon’s removal of the Southern Tribes and ultimate destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple dealt a powerful blow to the what God had instituted for His people. However, it’s important to remember that God warned the Jewish people that He would judge them using foreign nations. God also promised He would bring them back into the land.

We study the Hebrew writings of Ezra and Nehemiah to see how Jewish leaders would rule their people after the Persian king allowed Jews to return to Judah from captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah acted as governor, while Ezra was a scribe and priest. Both men were given support by Persia to lead the Jews who had returned from captivity and rebuild what the Babylonians had destroyed. While we find scribes, priests, and Levites mentioned in leadership roles, we are not given an exact number in the Book of Ezra-Nehemiah (it was originally one writing, but later divided into two). There are scores of names of men who helped Nehemiah and Ezra during that difficult time in Judah’s history.

If you’re interested in looking deeper into the beginning of the Second Temple Period and its leadership, be sure to read Nehemiah 13. Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, returned to Babylon to see King Artaxerxes for a period of time. Some biblical scholars believe that Malachi prophesied in Judah during the time that Nehemiah was visiting the king. Nehemiah eventually obtained leave from the king and returned to Jerusalem only to find that the leaders he had left in charge had acted deceptively (see Nehemiah 13:4-28). Nehemiah set things in order and wrote this at the end of his Book:

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times. Nehemiah 13:29-31

Notice that Governor Nehemiah emphasized two primary groups of leaders in Judah: priests and Levites. According to the Mosaic Law, all priests were to be Levites but not all Levites were to be priests. Levi was one of Jacob’s sons and God assigned some of his descendants to be the priests of Israel. Those Levites who became priests had to meet age and physical qualifications and had to remain ceremonially clean before God. They performed animal sacrifices on behalf of the people of Israel and acted as mediators between God and the people. Only the Levitical priests could enter the holy places in the Tabernacle and Temple.

Only the “high priest” could enter into the Holy of Holies once a year with blood to atone for his sins, the sins of his family, and the sins of the people of Israel (Day of Atonement). Moses’s brother Aaron was the first high priest. Aaron’s sons and their sons would continue the high priesthood.You can read more about the Levitical priesthood in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

There is some Jewish tradition that Nehemiah and Ezra established a council of 120 ruling leaders that eventually developed into the Sanhedrin. The term Anshe Knesset HeGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly) is the one used for the leaders who convened during the early part of the Second Temple Period. That, of course, is tradition. Ezra and Nehemiah do not introduce a Council of 120, though they do mention a large number of men who assisted them in governing and teaching the people of Judah.

Ezra 7:7 mentions some of the Jewish people who came with Ezra from Babylon to Jerusalem:

Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 

This gives us some insight into the structure of governance at the beginning of the Second Temple Period. We have Nehemiah, the governor, and Ezra, the priest and scribe. We also have the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim. Gatekeepers were men who acted as guards at gates around the city. Those gates included gates to the city, gates to the palace, and gates to the Temple. They had to be strong, alert, and ready to defend. The Nethinim were temple servants who assisted the Levites in their service.

Next Time

Ezra and Nehemiah eventually died, as did the other Jewish leaders of their time. Malachi also died, bringing the prophetic age to a close. What happened during those four centuries to Jewish leadership that would cause them to oppose the Messiah God sent to Israel?

We’ll look for answers in the next part of our special series, A Layman’s Guide to False Preachers and Teachers.

Previous Articles

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 1

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 2

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 3

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 4

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 5

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 6

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 7

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 8

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 9

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 10

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 11

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 12

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 13

A Layman’s Guide To False Preachers and Teachers Part 14

Resources

We have been publishing articles and eBooks about false preachers and teachers for many years. Here are some you may find helpful:

A Prophet’s Perspective About Prophets

The Prophet’s Voice

A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists – Part 1

A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists – Part 2

A Reading Plan For Christian Apologists – Part 3

Evangelistic Apologetics: The Church Under Attack – Part 2

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part One

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part Two

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part Three

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part Four

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part Five

Thinking About Christian Unity – Part Six

Thinking About Christianity Unity – Part Seven

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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