Some time ago, I was given a suggestion to check out a certain minister with a large social media audience who regularly posts prophetic messages online.
The person ardently following this (self-proclaimed) prophet considers him a major source of spiritual input for personal growth.
I clicked on a couple of links and quickly decided not to trust this “prophet” for any kind of spiritual guidance.
These days, anyone with a bit of Bible knowledge and familiarity with prophetic terminology can build a platform and attract followers.
It’s pretty simple to convince lots of folks you are a prophet, because, unfortunately, God’s people are not always discerning.
To be clear, I believe the Holy Spirit still distributes spiritual gifts, including prophecy and other supernatural gifts, according to his will (see 1 Cor. 12:7-11 and Rom. 12:6-8).
Yet Scripture also offers warnings concerning false prophets.
- We are to be on guard against false prophets because they’re wolves, not sheep (Mt. 7:15).
- Many of them will rise up and deceive many people (Mt. 24:11).
- They’ll perform great signs and wonders in order to deceive (Mt. 24:24; Mk. 13:22).
- Many people will speak well of them (Luke 6:26).
- They bring destructive heresies into the church (2 Pet. 2:1).
- They don’t operate in the Holy Spirit, but in the antichrist spirit (1 John 4:1-6).
You’d think we could spot a false prophet easily, right?
Nope. Anything that’s counterfeit succeeds in fooling people because it seems exactly like the real thing.
Jesus said to be wise as serpents (Mt. 10:16) so we don’t fall for the ancient serpent’s tricks (Gen.3:1ff).
False prophets sound spiritual. They may use the name of Jesus. They may even do miracles. The heresies they spread can sound quite pleasing to the ears.
But they don’t have our best interests in mind, because Jesus is not their Lord (see 1 John 4:1-6).
The other problem regarding false prophets (and teachers) is on the receiving end.
Paul warns Timothy,
“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.” –2 Timothy 4:3
We’d like to think that passage couldn’t possibly apply to us, right?
But what if it does?
What if, out of naivete or poor discernment, we could fall prey to false prophets who tell us what we want to hear?
What if our pride keeps us from realizing we could be deceived?
Here are some practical guidelines for avoiding that trap:
- Heed Scripture’s warnings and don’t presume Jesus will automatically prevent your deception. We have a responsibility to discern.
- Don’t measure the validity of a prophet’s ministry by how many people follow them or by how intently you get the “feels” when you hear their words. Their character must pass the test.
- Keep in mind false prophets can sometimes give accurate words, and true prophets can miss it (Deut. 13:1-5, 1 Thess. 5:19-22). An accurate word is not proof positive the messenger is the real deal, nor does a mistaken prophecy prove the messenger is a false prophet.
- Using spiritual language and doing miraculous works also does not guarantee the genuineness of a prophet.
Jesus said,
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’” –Matt. 7:22-23.
So how can we know if a prophet is genuine?
We’ll continue this topic in another post.
In the meantime, let’s sit with this important truth: we are not immune to deception.
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For a solid foundation on understanding prophetic ministry, grab my upcoming book, Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church.
Photo by Pravin Bagde on Unsplash
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