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A tree is known by its fruits. - Prophets' mission. - False prophets. - Do not believe in all spirits. Instructions from the spirits: Identifying fake prophets. - False prophets of the spiritual world. - False prophets according to Jeremiah.

A tree is known by its fruits

1. No good tree produces bad fruits. No bad tree yields good fruits. A tree is known by its fruits. We neither gather figs from thornbushes nor grapes from briers. Good people produce good things out of the virtue stored in their heart. Evil people generate evil things from the badness of their heart. Because mouth speaks from heart's plenty. (Luke 6:43-45.)

2. Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in lamb clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruits you will identify them. Does anyone pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from briers? Likewise, every good tree provides good fruits, and bad trees give bad fruits. A good tree cannot yield bad fruits, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruits. The tree that denies good fruits is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20.)

3. Watch out so that nobody deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming: 'I am the Christ', and they will deceive a lot of people. Many false prophets will appear and they will deceive crowds. Because of wickedness abundance, charity of many will grow colder, but those who endure to the end will be saved. Then, distrust those who say “Look, the Christ is here, or there!” because false christs and false prophets will appear, and they will show great deeds so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:4-5,11-13,23-24. Also found in Mark 13:5-6,21-22.)

Prophets' mission

4. The gift of revealing the future is generally associated to the prophets. So, the words prophecy and prediction have become synonyms. However, in the evangelical sense, the word prophet has a different meaning. This denomination is attributed to those whom God entrusts the mission of morally guiding humankind. Therefore a person may be a prophet without having made any prediction.

False prophets

5. In a wide meaning, all leaders who delude people and conduct them into error are fake prophets. They actuate in several activities besides religion, including politics, arts and science. By using lie, truth distortion and deceptive concepts, they, eager for power and riches, manipulate people like puppets. However, truth always appears. Sooner or later, evidences unmask them, deny their theories and show their real intentions. Then, together with their partners, they fall into the ditch because God prevents misleaders from abusing public credulity for long.

Due to their moral immaturity, it is often hard for earthly humans to distinguish good from evil. This difficulty helps the arising of many lambskin wolves, who sell charity, justice, noble feelings and sometimes miracles but deliver illusion. This is why Jesus teaches us to identify each tree in accordance to its fruits instead of its look. True prophets can be recognized by the virtue they preach and practice. In the same manner that Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy reveal natural laws which govern material world, Spiritism reveals the natural laws that rule the relationship between physical and spiritual worlds. Give up asking Spiritism to make prodigies or miracles, since it formally declares it does not perform them. On the contrary, by explaining unknown natural phenomena, Spiritism helps unmasking the fake prophets who exploit them for personal gain.

Claiming to be divine representatives, many fake prophets combat Spiritism because they prefer darkness that helps them to dominate their followers, rather than light that makes their flock free.

Do not believe in all spirits

6. Dear friends, do not believe in every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1.)

7. There are many dangerous false christs and false prophets among the discarnate beings. John recommends distrusting them. Lots of deceiving, hypocritical, prideful and falsely-wise spirits are everywhere. They take possesion of respected names and use them as masks to boost acceptance of their deceptive theories. They pretend being ancient prophets, saints, Christ himself or even God in person. How can we distinguish the good spirits out from the misleaders? Jesus answers this question by teaching that a tree is known by its fruits. So, spirits are also to be judged by the quality of their works, just as a tree must be evaluated by the quality of its fruits. True prophets reveal themselves by their good deeds and by their sane moral influence.¹

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SPIRITS

Identifying fake prophets

8. Be wary whenever someone shouts “Christ is here!” because there will be a lot of fake prophets. Jesus teaches us to identify each tree according to its fruits. So, if the fruits are noxious the tree must be evil, and if the fruits are healthy the tree must be good. This is the best criterion. Examine leaders according to their works rather than based on their speech or look. The true missionaries of God act with love, charity, tolerance, selflessness, humility. They possess the divine goodness which conciliates all hearts. Remember that nothing that is pure comes from something evil.

Mistrust seductive words. Distrust the hypocritical scribes and pharisees who allege to possess virtue exclusivity and truth monopoly. Beware! Love is very far from them. The messengers that God sends to preach the truth follow Christ's example: they are gentle, humble and make-peace. These are the actual heroes who are entrusted to guide humankind. Run away from preachers who show even an atom of selfishness, pride or intolerance. Flee from them just like you would flee from a disease that rots everybody it approaches. Remember that each person reveals by their very actions the stamp of their spiritual elevation or meanness.

My beloved children: keep going ahead along the blessed route you have accepted. Go without fear! Disregard everything that might distract you from the march towards spiritual evolution.

Earth travellers! If you open up your hearts to this philosophy, which stresses the love law that governs the Universe, it will satisfy your soul. Then your atonement pain will be shorter. Now the long-wished reencounter replaces the ghost of eternal separation; the trust in divine justice removes fear; and hope substitutes despair! Keep unceasingly going ahead! Let moral and intellectual advancement be your motto. Face your challenges courageously until God calls you back to the spiritual homeland, where those who love you and departed before you will be waiting for you. - Louis. (Bordeaux, 1861.)

9. Mistrust the false prophets! This warning is always useful, specially during humanity transition epochs like the present one, when many greedy sowers of discord self-entitle reformers and messiahs. We should be on guard against such impostors, and all honest people should contribute to unmask them. But how can we identify them?

Be sure God is much wiser than humans. The Almighty entrusts moralizing missions only to those who are capable to fulfill them, seeing that the great missions are heavy burdens that crush weak shoulders. In all subjects the teacher must know more than the disciple. To lead humanity to advance, people with superior attributes are required. This is why God chooses for these missions only advanced spirits, that have already been successful in former existences. If they were inferior to their work, their results would be despicable.

The true missionaries of God proceed with virtue, self-denial and magnanimity. Their actions produce beneficial results and sound influence. So, if the self-proclaimed “reformers” or “saviors” show, by their very moral littleness, to be smaller than the flag they wave, then they are just illusion merchants.

In addition, the most of true prophets ignore their importance. They fulfill their mission, without premeditation, thanks to their spiritual strength, combined with the aid of invisible forces who inspire and guide them, sometimes even despite their own will. True divine messengers reveal themselves by their actions. They are discovered, whereas the fake prophets self-declare “divine missionaries.” The first are humble. The second are arrogant and fear disrepute.

Some impostors introduce themselves as the apostles. Others as Jesus himself. For humankind's shame, they get followers. However, a simple reasoning is enough to open the eyes of even the blindest one. The question is: do they, who purport to have high souls, have high virtues? Watch them, scrutinize their actions and you will recognize that they lack the prophets' distinctive qualities, which are charity and humility, and show vices which are incompatible with evolved spirits, such as greed, selfishness and pride. At this very moment in various places there are many supposed Christs, as well as many Elijahs, Saint Johns or Saint Peters. It is clearly impossible all of them to be true. They are only creatures who exploit credulity, living at expense of others.

So then, mistrust the fake prophets, especially during a time of renewal such as the present period, because there will be many puppeteers all around, claiming they are the solution. They will lead many people into error, but a terrible pain awaits them. This is sure. - Erastus, disciple of Saint Paul. (Paris, 1862.)

False prophets of the spiritual world

10. False prophets are also found in the other world, mainly among the prideful spirits, who, although pretending to be all love and peace, sow lie and disunion. They try hindering the humankind's moral advancement by spreading deceptive doctrines. Aiming to increase acceptance of their theories, they usually flatter their victims and unabashedly take possession of names that humanity utters only with great respect.

Subtly, such spirits scatter discord among relatives and friends and impell groups to isolate themselves and suspect each other. These indicators alone are enough to unmask them, because, by sowing disunity, they clearly contradict the superior qualities they allege they have.

But there are other ways by which they can be recognized. Spirits of advanced category, that they claim they are, have to be both good and wise. Well then, pass their concepts through the reason sieve and analyze what is left. A spirit that indicates utopias, impractical ideas, violent doctrines or ridiculous projects as the solution for humanity's problems, or that advocates a dogma which science contradicts, is a liar or an ignorant being. In general, we should mistrust communications which have a mystical and singular character, or which prescribe extravagant acts and cerimonies.

Whenever a new truth has to be revealed, God allows its simultaneous disclosure in many places, so that light may be widespread. So, the new guidance is communicated to many serious groups, that have at their disposal several serious mediums, and never to just one group or person with exclusion of all others. Thus, repel the spirits who self-introduce as exclusive guides or “the chosen ones”. They are often manipulative beings, who, eager for power, want controlling credulous people. They are generally former despots, who, even after their physical death, still look for preys to tyrannize.

No one can be a good medium if they become obsessed. Thus, we should mistrust mediums or groups who believe they themselves are privileged due to the exclusive contact they supposedly obtain, or who adopt practices which border on superstition. Above all, we should mistrust groups that are subject to an only dominating spirit which uses a well-known respectable name, because they could be obsessed.

Remember to evaluate each tree according to its fruits. By using the Christ's criterion you will be able to separate truth from the trickery planted by malicious spirits. - Erastus. (Paris, 1862.)^{2 3}

False prophets according to Jeremiah

11. Mistrust the fake prophets that deceive you. They fill you with false hopes and describe visions from their own heart, not from God. They say to those who blaspheme: “God says that you will have peace.” To the corrupt they say: “No evil shall come upon you.” But which of such prophets has stood in the divine council to see or hear God? Who has listened the divine word? God did not send they, but they run with their own messages. The Almighty has not spoken to them, but they prophesy lies in God's name. They say: “I had a dream! I had a dream!” How long will this continue in the hearts of such lying prophets, who prophesy delusions of their own minds? Therefore, if such people, or a prophet, or a priest ask you: “What is the God's burden?” Answer them: “You yourselves are the burden. Therefore God will forsake you.” (Jeremiah 23:16-18, 21, 25, 26 and 33.)

Jeremiah clarifies that the false prophets present ideas from their own hearts. His warning shows that already in the ancient time many charlatans abused the simple and almost blind faith of the people by predicting, for money, good and agreeable things. This kind of fraud was frequent within the Jewish people. The victims, in their naivety, were duped by many pseudo-prophets, misguiders and fanaticals. The following words are clear: “God did not send they, but they run with their own messages. The Almighty has not spoken to them, but they prophesy lies in God's behalf. They say: 'I had a dream! I had a dream!” This is one of the methods they use to present the messages they are supposedly given. The masses, being credulous, accepted their guesswork, which were thought quite natural, because people frequently invited the fake guides to speak.

Besides listening to the prophet Jeremiah's words, we should also follow the guidance from the apostle John, who wisely recommends us to test the spirits, in order to verify wheter they come from God before believing in them. This is because there are many invisible beings that appreciate deceiving others. Unwary mediums are their first preys. A fake prophet might deceive many people, especially Spiritism beginners, who will be able to identify them provided they use prudence and prayer. Therefore, learn how to distinguish good guides from the bad ones in order to prevent that you yourself become a false prophet. - Luoz, a protective spirit. (Karlsruhe, 1861.)

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Do to others what you want that others do to you. (Matthew 7:12)
You'll know the truth and the truth will make you free. (John 8:32)
 
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