False Prophets in the Bible

False prophets are a persistent danger throughout Scripture, and the Bible gives sustained, sober warning about them. A false prophet is one who claims to speak for God but speaks his own imagination, leading people away from the truth. Jesus warned plainly in Matthew 7.15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Their danger lies in their disguise; they appear godly while inwardly bent on destruction. The Old Testament already exposed this menace: in Jeremiah 14.14 the Lord declares, "The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not... they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought." God takes false prophecy with the utmost seriousness. Deuteronomy 18.20 pronounces judgment: "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak... even that prophet shall die." Ezekiel 13.3 likewise pronounces woe "unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing." The root sin of the false prophet is presumption, claiming divine authority for human invention, and in doing so deceiving the people of God. The New Testament warns that false prophets will multiply, especially as the end approaches. Jesus foretold in Matthew 24.11, "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Peter cautioned in 2 Peter 2.1 that "there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies." Against this danger, John commands discernment in 1 John 4.1: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." The believer's safeguard is to test every message against the truth of God's Word, knowing the true Shepherd's voice well enough to recognize the counterfeit.