Beware of the False Prophets

Who is a prophet? What does a prophet do? A prophet of God is a messenger of God who speaks God’s messages to the people. So, to prophesy is to preach, to proclaim the word of God in practical and biblical ways which can be applied to our daily lives. So this isn’t all about future telling, but this is about proclaiming the truths taught us in the Scriptures to the people of the world, and to the church, the body of believers in Christ, for our salvation from sin, our sanctification, and our eternal life with God.

Therefore, what is a false prophet? Well, a false prophet is not a true messenger of God, but a fake who does not speak truth to the people, but lies, and in order to lead them to what is false and to what is not of God, while pretending that what they are saying is of God. They are imposters who make an appearance of being followers of Jesus Christ but whose goal is to deceive the masses into believing their lies. So they specialize in the art of misimpressions, deliberately blending truth and lies together to deceive.

So, false prophets are not always going to be obvious to most people. For they will appear that they are one of us, and that they are followers of Christ, and they will be charming and persuasive and very convincing and believable. Most of them will be smooth talkers who know how to twist the truth in order to teach lies, but to make it look like what they are teaching is the truth. And many people will follow after them, because they will like what they are teaching, for it will appease and appeal to human flesh.

And, if truth be told, many who call themselves “ministers of the gospel” are false prophets who are preaching lies to the people, and people are being drawn to them because what they tell them makes them feel good, and so they think it is good. But just because it feels good it doesn’t mean it is good, and usually it means the opposite of good. For many are teaching that we can just “claim who you are in Christ” and that covers all premeditated, deliberate, and habitual sin. But does it? No! For what did Jesus teach?

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And what did the apostle Paul teach?

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

So, one of the main ways in which we know if someone is teaching the truth or not is by us being serious students of the Scriptures who study them in their correct biblical context and who test what we are hearing against the Scriptures taught in the appropriate biblical context. But this doesn’t mean that everyone who does not teach the truth is a false prophet. Many just learned the gospel wrong, and so they are passing on what they learned. So we must be careful to not misjudge and to not miscategorize people, either.

But in the same respect, we should not be too quick to give people a pass if these are people of notoriety, power, influence, and control who have an enormous influence over the people. We should definitely be testing what they are teaching against the Scriptures (in context), and we should also be listening and watching for indications of what kind of lifestyles they are living, and if that contradicts the Scriptures. And then we should pray much for spiritual discernment and the guidance of the Spirit into all truth.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You


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Beware of the False Prophets
An Original Work / January 19, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

stevevw said:

I think its especially hard in a post modernist world today to be able to tell the truth from a lie. You have to be extra careful and scrutinise the teachings to tell if they are good or bad fruit.

But to do that I think the church has to be living as Christs example. As Paul taught and defended. Defended against the world and false teachings that tried to come into the church.

Many Christians died defending the faith. But they were never accused of any corruption or had any charge against them as being guilty of any wrong.

This is the key I think. That any church who represents Christ cannot be tarred with any controversy or culture war. Not become another identity group fighting on the world stage for what is the truth according to their particular position.

Positions and identities are what cause division and is bad fruit. Any division in bad fruit.

As mentioned the wolves are good at taking Christs truth and mixing it with lies to make it seem good. As humans we have empathy and this can also be used as a weapon of guilting others. Depending on what a church has deemed truth. But any fighting over biblical truth is bad fruit I think.

So sometimes it takes some time for the truth to come out for some to realise. It may look good for some time. But if it is not in Christ it will be exposed sooner or later.

The other deception is that when bad fruiot is exposed its minimised or justified as not bad fruit. Its a tricky world we live in. So I think there needs to a clear destinction for Christ church. That cannot be charged with any wrong or bad reputation and is Christlike.

Only then can we come near to knowing Christs church as a visible example of Christ.

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stevevw, I read your response. I am a little bit confused by some of the things that you stated, though. it sounds like you are saying that the church cannot fight for what is truth, and that taking a particular biblical position on what is truth is what causes division, and is bad fruit. Defending the faith over biblical truth is not a bad thing, but it is what we are instructed to do in the scriptures, to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, and to call out the false teachers and the false teachings. It is what Jesus did and what his NT apostles did. Yes, we should not get into fights with people, but we should expose the lies for what they are and we should proclaim the truth for what it is.

stevevw said:

Sorry I have a little trouble with grammar and explaining things.

OK let me break it down. I am saying a number of things which need further clarification.

I am not saying the church cannot stand up for truth and what is right. But rather how they do it matters a great deal. It is the difference between the church being seen as another identity group out in the culture war. Or Christs church.

If a church engages in the culture war then it becomes part of the culture war under the same secular rules of that culture war. Not being destinguished as anything different. Which Christs church should be, different from the world. Other groups within that culture war will see the church as just another agitator in the culture war.

As we know the culture war is causing division and pitting ideological groups against each other the church is contributing to that division and cultivation of hate. This is the bad fruit. Though the church would claim its fighting against evil (social injustice) in the culture war.

This would actually be the result of the false teachers and prophets in the church pushing the church to engage in the culture war.

I don't think Paul pushed the church to engage in the culture war. Quite the opposite. To stay away and create a seperate community insulated from the culture war.

In this way having a clear and seperate teaching untouched by the culture war and its politics and world ideologies about what is right and good. Which is the Gospel. This is the ultimate right and good for this world. This alone exposes the evil and turns people to God and saves them.

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Okay, this makes sense. Thank you for clarifying.

NBB said:

Now it seems we have to deal with AI false prophets too, entire youtube channels, with fake AI people and fake AI generated prophecies etc, and the worse they get views and money.

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Yes, tis true.