Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 3
David said, “I couldn’t believe Jesus… would tell us, beware of false prophets, and then use a false prophet to restore his church”; what does that claim imply about God’s way of preserving the church across history, and how would early Christians—who assumed continuity from the apostles—likely hear that argument?
Another way to ask: David couldn’t believe Jesus would warn about false prophets and then use one to restore the church. What does that say about how God keeps his church faithful through history, and how would early Christians—who believed the church continued from the apostles—respond to that idea?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
David’s claim implies God preserves His people in a continuous, trustworthy way—not by rebuilding the church through proven false prophets. Early Christians, as David encountered them, would likely resonate with continuity and see “restoration through a false prophet” as incompatible with Jesus’ warning.
- He calls Russell “a false prophet” and ties that to Jesus’ command: “beware of false prophets.”
- His key inference: Jesus would not warn against false prophets and then “use a false prophet to restore his church.”
- Later, when answering a question, he rejects the idea the church vanished: many groups claim “the church went astray as soon as the apostles died,” but he points to Jesus’ promise, “Lo, I am with you all the days until the end,” and “I will build my church.”
- He says Paul predicted “wolves,” but “he didn’t say the church would disappear.”
- He interprets early church history as faithful resistance: “it was obvious who the wolves were… the Gnostics… and the church remained faithful against them.”