How you can determine a False Prophet

             

Quite simply a false prophet is a liar. One that claims to speak in the name of the Lord and his word doesn’t come to pass is a false prophet and is worthy of death. This only has to occur once for you to be a false prophet. If God is truly speaking to the individual, that word will surely come to pass 100% of the time for God has breathed his word into the soul of that man/woman and they literally become the mouthpiece of the Lord God Almighty. False prophets primarily do two things:

1.   They speak falsely in the name of the Lord

2.   They lead people into sin because of their lies (Jim Jones, David Koresh, Heaven’s Gate Cult, Islam, etc)

Ø  Proverbs 14:5 declares that: A faithful witness will not lie but an unfaithful witness will utter lies.

Ø  Proverbs 21:28 declares: A false witness will perish

Ø  Jeremiah 23:32: Behold I am against them that prophesy false dreams saith the Lord and do tell them and cause my people to err by their lightness (foolish boasting) yet I sent them not (emphasis added)

One of the most vivid illustrations of a false prophet can be traced back to Balaam in the book of Numbers. Balaam was a “Prophet for hire”.  Who was

Hired by King Balak to curse Israel. The interesting scenario about Balaam was he spoke truly in the name of Lord because the Lord commanded him to regarding Israel but he was the one that led Israel into sin with the Moabites

as they committed fornication with the Moabites and begin to worship their gods (Read Numbers 22 & 25). The end result was that 24,000 Israelites died due to their disobedience. Balaam was a false prophet although he spoke the word of the Lord (cf. Psalm 115:3) Balaam’s sin is mentioned by Jesus in the book of Revelation 2:14.

The Lord Jesus Christ warns us that false Christs and false prophets would arise in the latter days. Listen, for there shall be false christs and false prophets and show great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect, Behold I have told you before (Matthew 24:25, 25).

What is more disturbing about these false prophets is that they will be able to perform miracles which by the way is strictly by the power of Satan to make their claim as a true prophet that more compelling (II Thessalonians 2:9).

II Peter 2:1-3 states: But there were false prophets among the people even as there shall be false prophets among you bringing in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  Any many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (i.e. Jim Jones, David Koresh, David Miller, Charles Russell).

The last false prophet can be found in Revelation 13 and his destruction occurs in Revelation 19:20

In the book of Deuteronomy 13:1-5 we read: If there rise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass whereof he spake unto thee saying, “Let’s us go after other gods which thou hast not known and serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul; vs. 5, and that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has spoken to take you away from the Lord your God…

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, but the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded (emphasis added) him to speak or that shall speak in the name of other gods even that prophet shall die, and if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord if the thing follow not or come to pass that is the thing the Lord has not spoken, but the hath spoken it presumptuously. Thou shalt not be afraid of him

The preceding is the Litmus test for determining a false prophet per the scriptures.

By Delvin R. Arnold

September 25, 2004