"Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD" (JEREMIAH 28:16).
Hananiah was not a true prophet of God, yet he had prophecy for the people. While God through Jeremiah at different occasions had told the people that the captivity would last for seventy years, this man told them that within two full years, the captivity would end. But God never allows such blatant falsehood subsist. In the passage, God sent a message of rebuke and judgment to him through His prophet, Jeremiah.
The Lord would always disappoint the confidence and vain words of false prophets. We are living in the days of many impostors and false prophets, who are "spots in our feasts of charity... twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jude 12). The fact that the judgment of such men had long been decided should make faithful pilgrims to avoid them like deadly plagues. Of course, Hananiah met his waterloo in that mischief. His impunity was considered an affront to God and His faithful prophet, indeed a serious iniquity which attracted a capital punishment to him.
We must realise that God is not a man and none of us, His children and servants, should be presumptuous about His work and service to His people. We must be circumspect in all things knowing what the will of God is like in every matter. Hananiah missed it and suffered grave punishment for his errors.
Sailing through the ocean of life is possible for us all through the grace of God in humility. Daily watchfulness and steadfast supplication to God will help us sail. Knowing God or being His servants must never be a license to take Him for granted.