FOUR MARKS OF A FALSE PROPHET/FALSE TEACHER

 FOUR MARKS OF A FALSE PROPHET/FALSE TEACHER

The Bible gives four (4) major identifying marks of a false prophet. This list refers specifically to Pseudo-Christian cults and to false preachers among the churches of Christendom:

(1.) - They make false predictions and preach false doctrines in the name of God and Jesus Christ. That is to say, they attempt to predict various future events in God's name, but such events never come to pass, or they teach doctrines that are false, and yet claim their doctrines are truly biblical and of God (Deuteronomy 18:20-22; Ezekiel 22:28). This is perhaps the most unambiguous mark of a false prophet given in the Bible.

(2.) - They preach doctrines that appeal to the fallen, carnal, and sinful nature of man instead of the righteousness and holiness of God and Jesus Christ. For example, they preach doctrines that make people feel more comfortable with their sin without genuine repentance. They preach doctrines that make people feel more comfortable with their pride, their selfish goals, their unrestrained carnal impulses, and their connections with this sinful world. They teach people a man-centered and humanistic gospel that moves people to love religion more than God, to esteem themselves far more than necessary, and to reject the Bible's command to "be holy as God is holy." (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 Peter 1:13-16; Jude 1:16-19)

(3.) - They may claim to be Jesus Christ himself, or claim to be His special representative, teaching doctrines they claim to have received through sources outside the Bible, doctrines that no one else has. Such extrabiblical sources often include dreams or near-death experiences about being in Heaven, visits from angels, supernatural signs and wonders, and philosophies or ideologies of human invention made to appear as if they came from God. They feel that the Bible can't be fully understood without such things. The false prophet claims to be a special channel of communication between God and humanity, and that everyone much listen to them to receive up-to-date revelations from God. (Colossians 2:8, 18; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 Timothy 6:20-21)

(4.) - Many false prophets and false teachers among the churches are lovers of money just like the Pharisees of Jesus' time on earth (Luke 16:14), and they go to great lengths to deceive and manipulate their followers to contribute large amounts of money to them; they receive it as filthy lucre or dishonest gain (Titus 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Their followers are deceived into donating money out of faith in return for salvation and/or greater material prosperity. This is called "Seed Faith" in some churches. John MacArthur once said "The treasury is at the heart of false Christianity."

We must obey Jesus' command to remain on guard against all false prophets and hypocrites whenever God reveals their true fruits and true colors to us. (Matthew 7:16-20). We must know all the marks and signs of false prophets and false teachers and avoid them at all costs for the love God our Redeemer, because God is testing us through the presence of false prophets to see whether or not we will love Him with all of our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).