False Prophets

False prophets, leaders, and teachers are more prevalent today than ever before. We live in a culture that wants an easy religion – a society without consequence or sacrifice. We want the benefits of God without the effort of righteous living. 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 says, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” There are many false teachers and “prophets” conveying a word that’s easy to the ears; those quick to preach prosperity, yet not condemnation.

So, what is a false prophet? It’s a person who spreads false teachings or messages while claiming to speak the Word of God. We see a clear depiction of this in the book of Jeremiah. “Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them.”

Jesus taught about false prophets in his Sermon on the Mount. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:15–18). Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27).

So, what’s the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet? A true prophet gets his or her information from God. False prophets originate information in their own hearts and minds (Jeremiah 23:16; Jeremiah 14:14). Not only is the source of their information different, but their motivation is, too. Many times, false prophets are motivated by deception and greed. “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’” (Micah 3:11).

This is no different today. We see people who claim to be psychics and prophets and claim to get their information or “gift” from God, but then they ask you for money once they’ve given you the message. That’s an example of bad fruit. A true prophet will give you a message not out of financial gain or greed, but out of obedience to God.

The Apostle Paul also gives a warning against such false teachers in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15, “And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

True prophets do not always preach prosperity and good news. We see this in the book of 1 Kings, when King Jehoshaphat suspected that the prophets were just providing information to please him. Sure enough, that proved to be the case. They had no real concern for speaking the word of God, just for collecting a profit. When Ahab called for the prophet Micaiah to give a second opinion, he said he hated the prophet because he always prophesied bad things about him. King Ahab was killed in battle, just as Micaiah had predicted.

A true prophet’s words will be fulfilled, (Deuteronomy 18:21–22; Jeremiah 28:8–9) and his or her teachings will be consistent with Scripture (2 Peter 1:20–21; Revelation 22:18–19). He or she will encourage righteous behavior and walk in obedience to God.

The scriptures teach us to be diligent and devoted to Christ’s teachings, so we can spot false prophets and teachers. (2 Peter 1:10; 1:19—2:1; 1 John 4:1). To be able to spot what’s false, we must know what’s true, and that comes from studying God’s word for ourselves.