How do you know?

Question

How can you tell if someone who says that Jesus Christ is Lord is not a false prophet?

For in the last days Jesus Christ said that there will be many false prophets who will say that Jesus Christ is the Lord and perform signs and miracles in His Name but we shouldn't be deceived by them for they are ravenous wolves dressed in sheep clothing.

Here are some things I thought up of how we could discern between a false prophet and a true prophet, though they might not all be correct or useful:
By the quality of their sermon?
By signs and miracles?
By how they treat their wife?
By the way they deal with finances?
By the number of "converted" people?
By the size of the gathering?
By how popular they are?

For those interested here is a link you might like to listen to:
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=7660

The list was there to make one think, it was not a set criteria.

Someone that teaches the Word of God to utmost perfection, might merely be a parrot, ever thought of that?

If someone doesn't have a life that reflects the teaching there is a big contradiction,

Answer 1

Matthew 7:15-20 (HCSB)
15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

Answer 2

The quality of their sermon is entirely subjective, and is essentially based on whether or not they're a false prophet. So it isn't a way of telling whether a prophet is false.

How do you explain people of other religions who experience signs and miracles? Surely you accept that these things can be imagined.

What if the person preaches that every man should treat their wife as he does his? Then what standard do you use to determine whether his claim if false?

Finances don't seem relevant. Is it the rich guy or the poor guy who's telling the truth?

The last three are all argumentum ad populum, which is a logical fallacy.

Why don't you try using your criteria on your own prophet, Jesus? If you judge by the material in the Old Testament, Jesus' sermons were of poor quality since they deviated dramatically from scripture. He didn't have a wife (according to the bible) which was extremely strange in those times. He converted very few people in his lifetime, and Christianity wasn't considered a religion until centuries later. As for how popular he was, he was just popular enough to get himself crucified.

Answer 3

Counterfeit Christianity is probably the best description I can give for a cult. Counterfeit Christianity is an imitation of real Christianity. Bible terms like "Jesus Christ, Resurrection, Salvation, and Atonement" are used by the Cult, but the various cult groups have assigned entirely different meanings to these terms.
Like counterfeit money which is sometimes difficult to detect, so it is difficult to detect counterfeit Christianity, since it looks like the real thing. Experts examining counterfeit money often hold it up to a strong light and look for identifying marks. Counterfeit Christianity also has identifying marks, which can be seen when, held up to an even stronger light, the light of God's word, the bible.
We are at an advantage if we know what to expect from a cult. Cultists are very well trained to appear "Christian", and indeed believe they are the true churches, and you need the deliverance! Therefore, be bold and ask the question, "do you believe the group you represent is the only true church on the face of the earth?"
If they reply that they are, or if they are evasive, making remarks like "Well, every church has a measure of truth but...", you have made an early detection of a Cultist.
Every true Christian, if asked the same question, regardless of his denomination, would reply that the true church is comprised of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and HE (not some organization) is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, (John 14:6). No legitimate denomination would claim that they alone and their members have salvation exclusively, but the cults (the counterfeits) do.

Answer 4

But you probably missed on of the most important points. The Lord Jesus said, that you would know the false prophet by the fruit that he bares. Or he would know him by his life and how he lives. When he or she is not a church, are they chasing men and women, or both. Are they adulterers? Are they mean and evil, violent? Do they practice what they preach? The false prophet points to the fact that this is someone who is not in correct relationship with God, so the power of God is not working in his life to bring about holiness, so he or she will still be living a sinful life style.

Answer 5

Hu? False prophets will say "I am Jesus Christ". You WILL know the difference IF you are in tune with God. IF you do not know God then your mind may accept anything that comes along claiming to be Jesus. Pops

Answer 6

People can do miracles but you must know if the power come from God (holy spirit) or come from the devil. To know if the spirit is holy or not is first by praying. Another way to detect that is to observe ifI the the preacher really preach the true teachings of Christ.

Answer 7

I don't agree with your list. Most could just be a person who walks in error, but not necessarily a false prophet.

-Claims teachings that are new.
-Claims revelations that are contrary or additional to scripture.
-Teaches things either contrary to or out of context with scripture.
-Claims that he/she is the only one who has the answers or should be listened to.

There is a difference between a gifted man who gets too big for his britches or mismanages his household versus someone who misrepresents the written word of God.

Answer 8

By raising from the dead.
By fullfilling the Old Testiment Prophases.
By saving my life.

Answer 9

Jesus kept it to the KISS Principle: By their Fruits will you know them.

Answer 10

Nobody knows, that's why it's a faith or religion, not a science.