Ten Marks of a False Prophet

False prophets have been spreading lies for thousands of years. Here’s what the Lord said to Jeremiah,

The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. (14:14)

In Matthew 7 Jesus warns, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them” (vv. 15-16a). John writes, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn 4:1). And before the book of Revelation ends, “the false prophet” is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur along with the beast and the devil (20:10).

So what are the marks of a false prophet?

Ten marks or signs are listed below. All false prophets will not exhibit all ten marks, but each one should be viewed as a cause for concern.

1. Their prophecies have failed.

Modern false prophets have falsely predicted presidential elections, church revivals, and “wealth transfers” with the wealth of the wicked going to the righteous. Moses says,

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deut 18:21-22)

2. They promise worldly blessings like health and wealth.

These promises are often directed to those who give to their ministries. In contrast, the New Testament promises suffering and hardship for those who follow Christ.

• Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn 16:33).

• Paul and Barnabas preached, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

• James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (Jam 1:2-3).

• Peter declares, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Pet 1:6).

This does not mean God wants believers to suffer all the time. Paul also says, God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Tim 6:17). It means suffering is an unavoidable part of the Christian life. And if suffering is a part of following Christ, continual financial prosperity and physical health cannot be promised.

Beyond the scope of the church, Agabus predicted that “a severe famine” would spread throughout the Roman empire (Acts 11:28), and Jesus prophesied, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matt 24:7). Other than the return of Christ and the new heavens and the new earth, New Testament prophecies about future world events are usually negative. Promises of financial and physical prosperity attract crowds, but the good Shepherd says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).

Instead of promising worldly rewards, faithful teachers point to eternal blessings in heaven.

• Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). 

• Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20-21). And “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col 3:1-2).

• Peter declares that believers have been given new birth “into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1:4).

3. They boast in their accomplishments, possessions, and spiritual experiences.

In essence, they are preaching about themselves. Paul said, “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Cor 4:5), “He is the one we proclaim” (Col 1:28) and “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23). He also said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). In 2 Corinthians, he writes, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (11:30). Stop and think: What are they boasting in?

4. They act like they have a special connection to God.

Paul did not think prophesying was for the super-spiritual. He told the believers in Corinth: “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged” (1 Cor 14:31). Listen to how Jesus equalized his followers: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt 23:8-11). So-called prophets exalt themselves over other believers by claiming to deliver special messages from God.

5. They act like they can’t control themselves when they are giving a prophecy.

Paul teaches that prophets are in control of themselves and prophecy should be practiced in an orderly fashion: “if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn . . . ” then he says, “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people” (1 Cor 14:32-33).

6. They take on the role of a fortune-teller by giving life predictions to individual believers or groups of believers.

By “life predictions” I am referring to things like financial, relational, or occupational prospects. Some believers are looking for a direct word from God for everyday life decisions: Where should I live? Where should I work? Who should I marry? In the New Testament no one seeks out such a prophecy and no one gives such a prophecy. New Testament prophecy is focused on edification in the Christian faith. Paul says, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. . . the one who prophesies edifies the church” (1 Cor 14:3-4). New Testament prophecy also directs the advance of the gospel, which will be explained below.

*The book of Acts records two cases of prophetic judgment. Peter predicted that Sapphira would die: “‘The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.’ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died” (5:9-10). And Paul predicted that Elymas would experience temporary blindness: “‘Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand” (13:11). Three points of observation: (1) In both cases, the prophecy was fulfilled immediately (2) these events impressed outsiders so they had an evangelistic element (5:11; 13:12) (3) these cases do not fit the “life predictions” mentioned above. 

7. They give specific political prophecies.

Specific political prophecies in the New Testament are rare. Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (Matt 24), which occurred in AD 70 and Paul talks about the rise and fall of “the man of lawlessness” or the antichrist (2 Thess 2:2-12), which overlaps with Revelation 13 & 16.

Jesus also gave general political prophecies, such as “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matt 24:7), but no one predicts who would be the next emperor or when the current emperor would fall. Today false prophets freely proclaim who will be elected president. Of course, they have a 50% chance of being right, but even then, they have been wrong.

What about the prediction of Babylon’s fall in Revelation 18? As described in Revelation, Babylon is the epicenter of human and demonic corruption, so it represents something more than one human city. The prediction, then, is a general condemnation of the world, which is rooted in deception, greed, and rebellion against God. This general condemnation of the world is repeated throughout the New Testament.

What about Old Testament prophets? Political prophecies were frequently given in the Old Testament, which makes sense because, at the time, God’s people were one nation, threatened by other nations. But now under the New Covenant, God’s people are found in every nation.

On a related note: With the exception of the rise of the antichrist, which is clearly stated in the New Testament, the desire to identify current world events with specific Old Testament prophecies is unhealthy. No New Testament author reads the Old Testament that way. Rather, they read the Old Testament with the goal of finding Christ.

8. They lead people away from the Scriptures.

People become enamored with the so-called prophet’s “words from the Lord,” which are essentially placed on the same level as the Bible. Sadly, their words are often fabrications. Peter says, “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories” (2 Pet 2:3). In the process of giving attention to prophetic messages, people forsake the Scriptures. But Paul told Timothy:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Tim 4:13-14)

Timothy should devote himself to proclaiming the Scriptures because of the gift he received through the prophecy. True prophecy directs our attention to the Scriptures. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul repeats this point with more detail:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. . . In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word. (2 Tim 3:14-4:2)

In this context, “Preach the word” can only mean one thing: “Preach the Scriptures.” Timothy was not charged with declaring his own prophecies. He was charged with expounding the God-breathed Scriptures, which “lead to salvation through faith in Christ.” We must prioritize the Scriptures not prophecy.

9. They distort the Scriptures.

Unstable people have been distorting God’s Word for millennia. Peter says,

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Pet 3:15-16)

And Paul warns the elders in Ephesus:

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30)

Distortion occurs when one part of a picture is magnified, causing another part to shrink. For example, false prophets promise a great revival yet say nothing about a great falling away (see 1 Tim 4:1-2; 2 Thess 2:1-12). They claim that everyone will be healed yet fail to mention ongoing physical problems in the New Testament, such as believers dying, Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7), and Timothy’s stomach ailment (1 Tim 5:23). They talk more about the Spirit than Jesus, which is the opposite of the New Testament emphasis. Likewise, they boast about the gifts of the Spirit instead of boasting only “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14).

10. They frequently use phrases like, “The Lord says” or “says the Lord,” or “the Lord showed me.”

Of course, the use of such phrases does not necessarily mean someone is a false prophet, but cult leaders have used such phrases for centuries so listeners should be on alert. Moreover, when someone uses these phrases for their own words and exhibits other marks listed above, we can be more confident that they are a false prophet. 

While “the Lord says” and variations of that phrase are often used in the Old Testament, even then such phrases were overused and abused. Jeremiah 23 says, “But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God” (v. 36).

In the New Testament, these phrases are almost never used in reference to a contemporary prophecy. And when they are used, they are either quotations from the Old Testament or focused on the advance of the gospel. Here’s the data:

• The phrase “the Lord says” is not found in the New Testament.

• The phrase “the Lord showed me” is not found in the New Testament.

• The phrase “says the Lord” is found nine times in the New Testament. In every case except one, “says the Lord” is simply a quotation from the Old Testament. The exceptional case of Revelation 1:8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” There are two things to note here: (1) this verse draws on concepts from the Old Testament, such as Isaiah 44:6: “I am the first and I am the last.” (2) It is a general statement about God’s sovereignty and eternality.

• “The Lord said” is used 11 times in the New Testament. Seven of the 11 occurrences are quotations from the Old Testament or the words of Jesus during his earthly ministry. The other four are specific words spoken by the Lord to individual believers in the book of Acts: Philip, Ananias, and Saul (2x). In each of the four cases, the focus or intent of the message is to direct the advance the gospel.

• • “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’” (9:15-16).

• • “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do’ (22:10).

• • When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. “Quick!” he said. “Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me”. . . Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:17-21).

• When synonymous phrases or concepts are used in the New Testament the focus remains the advance of the gospel.

• • “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza’” (8:26). This led to the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch.

• • “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:15-18)

• • While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

• • During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:9-10)

• • One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10)

• • Paul says, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me” (Acts 20:23). Paul endured hardships while fulfilling his mission to preach the gospel.

• • After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles” (Acts 21:10-11). Paul endured this hardship while fulfilling his mission to preach the gospel.

• • Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you” (Acts 27:23-24). This fulfills the Lord’s words to Ananias: “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings” (Acts 9:15).

• • Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:8-9). Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and this suffering kept him humble in his mission. This is the only time in Paul’s letters that he claims Christ spoke to him directly. It is one sentence in length and its intent is to encourage Paul to endure suffering.

• • Christ gives a specific message to each of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, either commending them or correcting them. These messages pertain to several things, including their witness for Christ in their particular settings. Moreover, these churches are representative of all churches because the following phrase is found near the end of each message: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Hence, these messages are unique and unrepeatable. If these kinds of messages continued through the centuries, the Bible would be enormous and ever-growing.

• While the phrase “the word of the Lord” is used more than 200 times in the Old Testament, containing a variety of messages, in the New Testament it appears ten times and each time it relates to the gospel—the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. “The word of the Lord” is not a political or materialistic prophecy; it is the gospel.

Conclusion

If you have been seeking out so-called prophets to give you “the word of the Lord,” you have been going in the wrong direction. We already have the word of the Lord—the good news of Jesus.

If you have been trying to receive direct words from God for everyday life decisions, you are also going in the wrong direction. That path leads to darkness and despair. You may even begin living in a false reality because you will lose the ability to distinguish your thoughts from God’s words. After Jesus ascends to heaven, no one in the New Testament receives a special word from God for everyday life decisions. Don’t worry, if God wants to speak to you directly, you won’t have to “try” to hear his voice. It will be as clear as crystal, and most likely, it will pertain to the gospel.

Many have misunderstood the nature of New Testament prophecy and fallen for false prophets. False prophets use prophecy to talk about all kinds of things, but New Testament prophecy is focused on two things: (1) edifying believers in their faith in Christ (2) directing the advance of the gospel.

Avoid self-absorbed fortune-tellers who deliver materialistic and political prophecies. Stick with the gospel and the Scriptures, “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15).