In Matthew 24, Jesus was asked about the end times:

And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

    "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:4-14

Note in particular the phrase “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”

We believe we may have found a couple of true “false prophets” in Rev. Joseph Lowery and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

See the below article from WND, with text from Rev. Lowery’s benediction.

Instead of taking an opportunity to glorify God, Rev. Lowery glorified his bigotry and his hatred toward others.  There is no place for hate in the Gospel.

Like Rev. Wright, Rev. Lowery perverts the Gospel.  Like heretics or blasphemers, they twist it to support their bitterness and hate, and their decidedly limited world view.  No dignity or reverence emanate from their pulpits - instead, cursing, lies and innuendo issue forth.  They feel that their “clever” words are as important as the Word of God in their messages.

We are no authorities on Rev. Wright’s Black Liberation Theology, but no Christian faith should intermingle hatred with the Creator’s words.  These men are false prophets, and are leading many astray.

Good news, Revs Lowery and Wright – there is still time for repentance.

As for President Obama, did he not notice that Rev. Lowery’s words were akin to those of Rev. Wright, who he renounced?  What was his reaction?  He smiled and offered Rev. Lowery a hug afterward.  Disavowing bigotry is apparently not as important after an election is won.

Make no mistake, Mr. Obama knew what he was hearing at Trinity for 20 years.  The trouble is that he condones it, and may agree with it.

2/20/09  CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Inaugural prayer slam prompts Obama smile

Rush Limbaugh: Lowery 'just insulted this country'

By Chelsea Schilling, WorldNetDaily

Outrage is erupting over the inauguration benediction by Rev. Joseph Lowery, an 87-year-old civil rights pioneer, for asking God to help mankind work for a day when "white would embrace what is right."

Lowery, known for co-founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr., opened with a quote from the "Black National Anthem." He then asked God to encourage America to make "choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side of inclusion not exclusion, tolerance not intolerance" after President Barack Obama took the presidential oath.

Then he ended his prayer with, "Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around – when yellow will be mellow – when the red man can get ahead, man – and when white will embrace what is right."

Obama reacted to the benediction with a smile (and a subsequent hug)

The crowd cheered and boomed with a loud "Amen."

However, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Lowery's prayer "offended" and was "far more memorable than the inaugural address by President Obama."

Referring to Lowery's "When black will not be asked to get in back" comment, Limbaugh responded, "When does that happen today? Did we not just inaugurate a black man as president of the United States?"

Limbaugh went through each statement about color, attempting to decipher Lowery's intended message.

"I know it's a left over from the '60s thing," he said. "It's not relevant today! Everybody here is living in the past, and they don't want anybody to think we've made any progress at all despite inaugurating Barack Obama as president today."

Repeating Lowery's "When white will embrace what is right" statement, Limbaugh said, "He just insulted this country, large numbers of which elected Barack Obama president of the United States."