Are You an Easy Prey for False Prophets?

False prophets abound. Jesus warned us

Holly Pivec writes in the Spirit of Error blog:

Are You Easy Prey for False Prophets?

The Bible is clear: false prophets are wolves that devour unsuspecting sheep.

Jesus said:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

And the apostle Paul had this to say about false teachers.

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30).

Despite these clear warnings from an apostle and even Jesus himself, many people are still naive to the threat. So, my question for you is, "Are you easy prey for false prophets?"

The answer is yes if any of the following statements–drawn from Scripture–describe you.

You think God won't...

More about false prophets.

1. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it? (Jeremiah 5:31, HCSB)
   
2. For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. (Jeremiah 6:13, HCSB)
   
3. But the LORD said to me, "These prophets are prophesying a lie in My name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds. (Jeremiah 14:14, HCSB)
   
4. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (Matthew 24:11, HCSB)
   
5. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets. (Luke 6:26, HCSB)
   
6. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. (2 Peter 2:1, HCSB)
   

Knowing who is a false prophet is serious. False prophets by the Bible standard fail in morality, truth, false predictions, covetousness, and leading to false teaching about God (e. g. denying the Trinity).

1. "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'–which you have not known–'and let us serve them,' "you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. "If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, (Deuteronomy 13:1-6, NKJV)
   
2. 'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'– "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22, NKJV)
   
3. They know Christian terms and language. "But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15, EMTV)
   
4. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NKJV)
   

A little skepticism, a lot of prayer, Bible study, and knowing doctrine will go a long ways to protect us from all these wolves.