@everydaygodswill

Matthew 7:15-16 NLT “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Some believers are quick to call a person a false prophet. There are some false prophets out there, but most of the time, these people call ministers false prophets who don’t meet the biblical definition of a false prophet.

They usually call ministers false prophets when they don’t agree with their interpretation of scripture or some of their decisions. Some ministers are being labeled false prophets because they have a lot of money, they go to secular concerts and movies, or because they’ve sinned publicly. Jesus and Paul give us biblical criteria of a false prophet.

When a person interprets scripture out of context with the intent to deceive for their own interests, that person is a false prophet (see Matthew 24:11; Romans 16:17-18; Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 3:16). This is a big one. Most of us don’t know the intent of the minister interpreting scripture. They could be attempting to deceive, or they’re unintentionally teaching in error. We shouldn’t be so quick to call them a false prophet because of their interpretation of scripture. Let the Holy Spirit reveal if a person is a false prophet or not.

We can see in Matthew 7:15-16 that if a person’s actions consistently contradict God’s word, they’re a false prophet. We also see in Matthew 7:21-23, where Jesus says if a person’s heart is far from God, even though they perform miracles, they’re a false prophet.

1 John 4:1-3 advises that a false prophet is a person who doesn’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in a real body.

In Acts 13:6-8, Bar-Jesus is a false prophet. What made him a false prophet? He was trying to stop the governor from believing in Jesus (v.8).

In Mark 13:21-22, Jesus lets us know a person is a false prophet if they claim another is the Messiah.

1 John 4:3 says, “But if someone claims to be a prophet and doesn’t acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”

The scriptures above and other scriptures like this are what make a person a false prophet. It’s not because they have a large congregation, a lot of money, a few questionable interpretations of scriptures, or a public sin. Some people think they’re trying to help, but quickly calling people false prophets without biblical grounds is causing division in the body of Christ. 

#falseprophets