Prophecy of Hananiah in Jeremiah 28: A Study among Christians in Abuja, Nigeria

The prophecy of Hananiah in Jeremiah 28, presents a typical example of the phenomenon of misleading prophecies that existed in Judah during the politically unstable period leading to the exile of 586 B.C. A similar situation as the one that existed in the days of Hananiah, exists among Christians in the contemporary society of Abuja, Nigeria. Hence, the study investigates how the text of Jeremiah 28 can help amend the attitude of Christians in Abuja towards prophecy. The author employs the historical critical method of exegesis in the study of the text of Jeremiah 28. Then he uses the social survey method in fieldwork to collate data from Christians in Abuja. The study demonstrates that the phenomenon of misleading prophecy among Christians in Abuja is a deliberate action on the part of some Christian Ministers in Abuja who prey on the susceptibility of some Christians in Abuja due to their materialist-oriented Christianity. Consequently, the study recommends that Christians should shun the attitude of constituting certain Christian Ministers into demigods thereby shackling themselves to every whim of such Christian Ministers and making themselves susceptible to misleading prophecies from such Christian Ministers whenever they occur.

John Abimbola Jimoh is a Catholic Priest of the Abuja Archdiocese, Nigeria. He carried out specialised studies in Biblical Theology and the Biblical Languages, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic at Licenciate and Doctorate levels at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.