In this article I will share some scripture passages from Moses, Micah, Jesus, and Paul for the purposes of recognizing false prophets and teachers in the Church today. My hope is that once you finish reading this article you will have more knowledge of how to spot them, and also an understanding as to why they exist and why there are so many of them today.
Moses
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.” Deuteronomy 13:1-5
Micah
“Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and twist everything that is straight, who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with malice. Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD not in our midst? Catastrophe will not come upon us.” Therefore on account of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.” Micah 3:9-12
Jesus
See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
“Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:4-14
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance.” Matthew 24:24-25
Paul Writes to Timothy
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them”. Galatians 1:12
The Message and Intention
When we read what Moses said about false prophets and dreamers or dreams we see that he first identifies them based on their message. If their message is to lead you away from God and His Word or Law we are instructed to not listen to them. In fact Moses prescribed the death penalty to such people so that false prophecy’s and dreams would not become common place as they have become today.
When we read what God declared through the prophet Micah we see “priest teach for pay and prophets divine for money”. He also lumped them up with corrupt judges who made rulings based on financial gain as well. How is this any different from what we see today?
We see preachers dressed in fine linen, living materialistic lifestyles, flying around in private jets, living in large gated homes, and so much more. Prophets are also running around doing the same things. They write books, make videos, and tour churches making money along the way. But look at what God declares will happen to Israel because of their ways. He said, “Therefore on account of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.” Clearly, God does not want His people to profit financially from His Word. For He wants us to learn from it, and grow in it.
When read what Jesus told His disciples about the time leading up to the tribulation, and during the tribulation, we see Him warning us about “many false prophets”. Notice He did not say “false prophets” or “some false prophets” He said MANY. It definitely seems that way when we get online or watch Christian television stations. We also need to be aware of just how deceptive their message is. For Jesus points out in verse 24 that “if possible to mislead the elect”. That says something in itself. We must know and understand the scriptures and pray that the Holy Spirit directs and counsels us always.
Then when we read what Paul wrote to Timothy we see that there are so many false teachers / impostors, so we need to be sure whom we are learning from. Paul says to Timothy that he can have confidence because of the source of the teaching. The one who taught Timothy was Paul, and Paul could clearly show that he had received his doctrine from the Lord.
Why Are False Prophets and Teachers Allowed Today?
This question can actually be answered with scripture. Many times Jesus said, “in order for the scriptures to fulfilled (1)”. If He said it will happen a certain way, then you can be assured it will happen that way. He said “many false prophets” and He meant it. In Matthew 24:25 He said, “Behold, I have told you in advance.”
Will False Prophets and Teachers Continue To Get Away With This?
Yes, but only until all the scriptures are fulfilled. However, afterwards they will reap the full judgement that comes with leading His people away from Him. For Jesus said in Matthew 18:6-7, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!” We must be very careful not to cause one another to stumble. That do not mean only to sin, but also to cause someone to doubt the Lord and walk away from Him.
Question All Things
In order to protect ourselves from false teachers and false prophets we must ask some serious questions.
1. What are they focused on or where is their heart at? Is it on earthly things or heavenly things?
2. Who are they pointing to? Is it God, themselves, or their ministry?
3. Are they followers of Gods Word the Bible or do they support the scientific narrative or agnosticism?
4. Do you find them asking for money a lot?
5. Are they humble servants or loud and proud?
6. Do they stand on the word of God and call sin wrong, or dismiss the written word of God in support of fame and glory? If they are asked the obvious questions, “is homosexuality a sin?” or “is abortion wrong?” and skate around those questions or give anything but a “Yes, of course those things are wrong”, then they are the ones we were warned about long ago and should not give ear to their voices. For many out there with a large fan base (congregations) can’t seem to give a biblical answer to those two questions. How much more will they dismiss the law (Ten Commandments) all together?
7. Do they preach repentance and salvation through Christ alone, or preach from their imagination saying that God wouldn’t send good people to hell?
8. Do they preach a gathering of the elect (aka The Rapture) that is in conflict with scriptures found in Matthew 24:29-31?
If you find someone in a ministry position whether online or in a church setting that fails in any of these eight questions, then it’s time to move on. For we are to close to the return of our King to be caught supporting false teachers and false prophets. Now is the time to prepare ourselves with the renewing of our minds with the word of God. That does not mean read your favorite scriptures and move on! That means read it or listen to it like a book. Take your time with it, and absorb it as much as you can. Do not let others mislead you because you lack in knowledge of the word of God. Do not worry about the translation. For it is more important to understand what you hear or read, than to read or hear something that you do not understand.
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Matthew 7:15
Feeding the Flock 