How can I tell if someone is a false prophet?

Question

These are some good answers. I especially like Caveman, Believer and Sam’s answers.

Answer 1

I had in the past based my entire reasoning on one verse. Jer 28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, [then] shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. It was not until I studied Mathew 7 extensively when my idea of what a false prophet is changed.

This verse is not necessarily saying that if a person makes a bad prophecy that he false prophet, but is rather Jeremiah saying of Hananiah that when his prophecy comes to pass that then will the people know that he is a prophet of The Lord. Jeremiah was testifying that this is not a bad prophecy.

We were taught that if a prophet is from God, then he is going to be right 100% of the time. I am not so sure that this is true any more, however, I believe that experienced prophets will be right more often than inexperienced prophets.

To experience prophetic people is an amazing thing. My wife and I over the past year have been prophesied over many times by people unrelated to each other, and who also do not know us, and they have confirmed each other over and over again, and have confirmed what the Lord told me two and a half years ago, and one even described in detail the motorcoach that I want to build out of a school bus that I had been planning in my head for over 30 years. The word “street ministry” is coming up over and over again, and I don’t think that the gut from Bend, OR is calling the guy from Redding, CA and telling him, “Hay, if you see a hippie looking character, tell him he’s being called to street ministry!”

Now, I have heard many people say that Benny Hinn is a false prophet, because in the late 80s and early 90s he made some bad prophecies. Indeed he did make some bad prophecies, but anyone who is trying to prove this point has to go back at least to 1991 before they can find any evidence at all. I believe that Benny Hinn may have been at that time an inexperienced prophet, or maybe even he was a false prophet at that time, and has repented from it. I do not believe that he is one today.

I honestly doubt that he ever was, because when Jesus told us what to watch for when looking for a false prophet, he never once mentioned bad prophecy.

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

There is a pretty good description right there. They try to look real holy, but when they speak, they tare people up. It is more likely that the person who is quick to call another a false prophet is himself a false prophet that the person who he is calling one, however, this would not always be the case. I would also venture that a person who will say, “You are going to hell if you don’t stop such-n-such sin” which Christ has redeemed you from is also quite possibly a false prophet.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Notice here Jesus saying that they did prophecy in his name. They say that they prophesied in his name, and he did not tell them that they didn’t. He never says that the prophecy was false. He makes no comment at all against the prophecy. It’s a matter of the heart that he is concerned with here, not the prophecy.

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The Greek word for iniquity here is “anomia” which means “lawless.” So here a false prophet may be one who refuses to conform to the law. Now this may be the Ten Commandments, or it may be the law of the land, or it may be that he simply doesn’t have a law within himself, but after looking at I John 4, I tend to believe that it is the law stated in Mat 22:37-40.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Note that this parable also is in the came context as the false prophet. Hearing his word and not doing it would be an example of being lawless.

Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

I have always looked at this verse as concerning the likes of Sun Myung Moon who thought himself to be chosen to complete the job that he says Jesus failed at.

In the same context, verse 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

A false prophet deceives. I would watch for deception not only in his prophecy or theology, but in other areas of his life. I would also watch for intentional deception. I am reluctant to say that all of the deception is intentional, but I would consider that as a possibility. Trying to deceive, or lead astray. Kris Vallotton makes the observation that they are usually drawing attention to himself instead of to Jesus, which would be leading astray.

(Kris is assistant pastor at Bethel, Redding, CA and head administrator of the Redding School of Prophets.)

He notes also that they hate authority. They are also “ultra spiritual.” They will say God told me whenever questioned. They think they know more that those in authority. If they say that God said… That gives them a reason to not do what those in authority say.

Just because a person doesn’t like to submit to authority doesn’t mean that he is a false prophet, but that is the spirit that leads to it. Also, just because a person says “God said” once in a while, doesn’t mean that he is a false prophet either, but if that’s his answer to everything, be careful.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Again “iniquity here is “anomia” or “lawless.” Lawlessness will abound. Could this be due to the deception of the false prophets? Notice the correlation between lawlessness and love waxing cold.

Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

From this verse some will say that anyone who heals the sick is a false prophet. This is done in ignorance of the current validity of Jesus’ command to us to heal the sick. This also adds to the attack on Benny Hinn who also heals the sick. In these “great signs” I would look more for things that have no prophet like bending spoons. In the novel “666” there was a building that disappeared. I’m not saying that these are the exact things that will happen, if a miracle is from God, I will have prophet. If someone is healed, that is prophet.

Note also that this particular section of Scripture it talking about a time period that still may be future, and may not even be a reference to the false prophets that we have today, but I don‘t expect that there would be great differences, with the possible exception of the great signs. I don’t see many great signs from false prophets.

Mar 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.

This also is talking about the same time period

II Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Now here we do point toward theology, but I think that far too many people make an assumption about what these “damnable heresies” are. I think that we need to very careful with this, and watch closely the next two verses. It could be that by making an assumption that instead of kicking out the heretics, we are driving a wedge into the very body of Christ.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

The way of a false prophet is destructive, and brings about a hostility against the way of truth and light. I would like again here to refer back to Mat 22:37-40. I John 4:8 and 16 are interesting too. Their motivation is covetousness. They will formulate their words for their own purposes.

I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Now watch closely here. John is going to tell us how to try the spirits. You see, what most people do is that they will read that verse and stop, and decide for themselves how the spirits should be tried. They go to the carnal mind instead of the Word of God. It is the false prophet spirit that drives them that way. Remember II Pet 2:2 ...by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

At the time they were having trouble with a group of people called the Gnostics. These were people who said that Jesus was a spirit being and did not have a physical body. What John is saying here is that anyone who says that Jesus was not a man is a false prophet.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

A false prophet will not take to heart anything that you have to say. They will not even consider it.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Watch the heart very closely.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

If a person is walking by the spirit of God, he will be dwelling in love. What does that look like?

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

If a person is dwelling in love, he will not be making people fearful. If a prophet is making people fearful, the chances are pretty good that he is a false prophet.

19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

So, there you have it. It’s a matter of the heart, not the prophecy. A true prophet of God will demonstrate love. Does the guy who is prophesying love the people of the church? The bad is not in the gift, but in the fruit.

This is not to say that anyone who does not act this way is a false prophet, but is rather a warning. The heart of a false prophet (which is the carnal mind) is in each of us, because we all desire attention, so be careful, not so much because of the false prophets, but be careful that you don’t become one.

It is probable that a false prophet is reacting to pain. Most negative actions are a reaction to pain. Because they have been dealt a blow to their ego some time in the past which has caused a wound that has never healed, they produce negative action as a form of medication for that pain, even though that they may not even be cognizant that the pain is even there.

I believe that being a false prophet is something that can be repented from, but it is going to take healing the pain.

Answer 2

A false prophets words can come true so don't use that as an indicator. Try the spirit with what the Bible says and ask yourself this question, who is glorified. If the "prophet" is the one that will get the credit, then they are most likely false. No one will glory in the presence of God. Be very careful because there are MANY false prophets out there and the Bible warns about this.

Answer 3

You already have some great answerer's here and I can contribute little. But, I would like to make a statement and an observation.

You shall know them by the Spirit of truth. (1 John 4:5-7) You will also know them by the fruit they produce. (Matt 7:15-23)

Many have said a false prophet would not claim to be one. But, Paul was borderline proud. He knew he had gifts of God and was not shy about telling anyone within earshot. Now it is true that he did so to proclaim the greatness of God, but on a superficial level it seems tantamount to bragging.

Answer 4

The Bible warns that toward the end of the present age false prophets will arise and try to lure people away from faith in Christ. Jesus said, "Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people" (Matthew 24:11). The Apostle Paul warned that "impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).

One of the characteristics of leaders like this is that they claim they, and they alone, have the truth about God. But one way to spot them is to ask what they think of Jesus Christ. They will never agree with what the Bible teaches: He was God's only Son, who came down from heaven and saved us by His death on the cross. Nor will they agree that He was God's final and complete revelation of Himself, and that "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9).

Don't be deceived by those who reject the Bible or twist its clear meaning, or claim the Bible needs the "wisdom" of some later prophet to make it complete. Instead, put your trust and faith in Christ, for He alone is able to save us, and He alone gives us hope of eternal life. Ask Him to come into your life right now.

Then ask God to help you find a church where Christ is central and the Bible is taught, so you can be "rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith" (Colossians 2:7).

Answer 5

For instance, the Jehovah's Witnesses.... They teach from a magazine called the Watchtower... Which claims to be of God and prophesies stuff that never happens.

Proverbs 28:11
A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

Use your discernment.....Also if you are spirit filled...the Holy Spirit will let you know if they are giving a true Word from God or if they are trying to get attention.

Pray about it.
BE BLESSED AND REJOICE IN THE LORD!

Answer 6

They will be talking out of their butts.

Jesus told us that no one will comes as a messanger (prophet) after Him. If they claim to be God's messenger, they ar false prophets. Hence, Muhammed. He was a self-proclaimed prophet and a false one.

Answer 7

If the prohpet does not proclaim Jesus Christ as being the only begotten son of God, then he or she is false.

If the prophet stops walking the Jericho road in order to march the campaign trail then he or she is false.

If the prophet advises you to do something you know, in your heart, is wrong then he or she is false.

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Answer 8

They keep predicting things that never happened, and after it doesn't happen like they said it would they cover it over like it was your fault or misinterpretation of whatever they predicted. They say: while some may have hoped, but it never happened. Total falseness. And I can think of a specific example.

Answer 9

It is simple.

Anyone who claims to be a prophet is a false prophet.

Anyone who is claimed by others to be a prophet is also a false prophet.

Answer 10

If there are words and no miracles, then they are a false prophet. If there are miracles, you should ask God about that person.

Answer 11

Play it safe. Why don't you follow your own life and listen your heart...instead of falling for this prophet scam.