Men or women who falsely claim to speak on God's behalf. They are denounced in the OT and NT for leading people astray. Scripture provides criteria by which true prophets may be recognised and distinguished from false prophets, who often speak from base motives.
Criteria for recognising true prophets
A true prophet's word will be fulfilled
Deuteronomy 18:21–22 See also Jeremiah 28:8–9
You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
A true prophet's teaching commends righteous behaviour
Deuteronomy 13:1–4 See also Ezekiel 13:17–23, Ezekiel 14:4–8; Lamentations 2:14
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.
A true prophet's godly life will reflect his calling
Matthew 7:15–20 See also Isaiah 28:7; Jeremiah 23:10–11, Jeremiah 23:14; Zephaniah 3:4
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
A true prophet will acknowledge Jesus Christ as divine
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
The motivations of false prophets
Their messages originate with themselves
Jeremiah 23:16 See also Jeremiah 14:13–14, Jeremiah 23:25–32, Jeremiah 23:36; Ezekiel 13:1–7
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
Their messages may be occasioned by popular demand
Jeremiah 29:8–9 Numbers 22:35, Numbers 22:38, Numbers 23:12, Numbers 23:26, Numbers 24:12–13; 1 Kings 22:13–14; Isaiah 30:10–11; Jeremiah 5:30–31; Micah 2:11
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them. For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”
Their messages may be given for financial reward
Nehemiah 6:12–13 See also Jeremiah 6:13–14; Ezekiel 13:19; Micah 3:11; 2 Peter 2:1–3
I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
Their messages may be the result of deception
1 Kings 22:19–23 parallel 2 Chronicles 18:18–22 See also Ezekiel 14:9
Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
Their messages may be inspired by divination
Jeremiah 14:14 See also Ezekiel 13:6–7, Ezekiel 22:28; Acts 13:6
“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.
Examples of false prophets
In the OT
Nehemiah 6:10–13 See also 1 Kings 22:1–28 parallel 2 Chronicles 18:1–27; Jeremiah 27:9–10, Jeremiah 27:14–18
Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you — by night they are coming to kill you!” But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
False prophetesses
Prophets of other gods
Jeremiah 23:13 See also 1 Kings 18:19–40; 2 Kings 10:19; Jeremiah 2:8
“Among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.
In the NT
Matthew 24:24 parallel Mark 13:22 See also Matthew 24:10–11; Acts 13:6–11REV Acts 2:20, Revelation 16:13, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
The punishment of false prophets
Deuteronomy 18:20 See also Deuteronomy 13:5; Zechariah 13:3; Jeremiah 14:15JER Jeremiah 28:15–17, Jeremiah 29:21–23, Jeremiah 29:30–32 Jeremiah 23:34–40; Ezekiel 13:8–16; Micah 3:5–6
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.