How To Know A False Prophet

ecently the leader of a well known ministry for weight loss has been teaching that “Jesus and God are two separate beings!” “The head of Christ is God” and “God was, then the Son (firstborn).” This teacher denies the trinity and advocates that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are separate beings. This teacher clearly states the Father is God and the Spirit is God’s spirit. When asked if Jesus was created, the response given is “Jesus is from God, begotten by God, from God, sent from God, firstborn . . .” This teacher goes on to say, “ . . my credentials are If I were a bad tree, you would not be hearing from the thousands who have given themselves over to total Lordship of God Almighty through Jesus Christ and proven it by turning away from any stronghold . . . The continual defining summaries I hear . . . are: I have been in church all my life, but I have never heard this before, or in this light, . . . this is a revolutionary teaching and it has changed my entire life . . . Many have reported that their churches have had revival as a result . . . We have truckloads of testimonies that are still coming in daily.” Would Jesus condemn this teaching? Listen to Jesus,

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (NASB) Matthew 7:15

The False Prophet. Jesus does not sound very accepting of other points of view. Many will agree with Jesus’ principle but few want to apply this principle because “that would be unloving” or “judgmental.” In recent times a nationally known ministry has said that Christians need to minimize doctrine and emphasize love for one another. This has the appearance of godly wisdom, but the principle does not agree with Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus has no problem contradicting the false teaching of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. The picture Jesus paints of these false teachers is one of false appearances. They appear great. They are usually dynamic speakers and consequently able to influence opinion. They talk about the Lord in godly terms. Their character is charismatic. They may even be physically attractive and may appear very knowledgeable about the scriptures. If they could not quote scripture and did not sound like they knew what they were talking about, no one would believe them. That is Jesus’ point. They look good - like sheep. But they are not sheep; they are wolves. No, they are ravenous wolves.

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. (NASB) Matthew 7:6-20

So what kind of fruit should we look for from a false prophet? The answer can be found in a few major passages that talk about false teachers and false prophets. These passages are as follows: Acts 20:28-30; 2 Cor. 11:13; Gal. 1:7; 2:4; 1 Tim. 4:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:10-11; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 4:1-2; 2 John 7; Jude 4-16. A false prophet and false teacher are not easily discovered because they sound great, look great, and “know” their Bible. They do not want to be subject to anyone in the church - they want to be in control of the church. They are not interested in people. They are interested in themselves. They seek their own pleasure.

This is not new. The Old Testament priests were condemned for the same things by God. He accused them of “prophesying falsely and ruling on their own authority” (Jer. 5:30-31), committing adultery (Jer. 23:14), serving for money (Micah 3:11), and being partial in their instruction (Mal. 2:7-8).