WHAT A FALSE PROPHET IS, AND HOW NOT TO BECOME ONE
WHAT A FALSE PROPHET IS, AND HOW NOT TO BECOME ONE
In a nutshell:
- There are many Christians who don’t believe in the gifts of the Spirit or the 5-fold ministry for today. Therefore, they believe that when Jesus said, “In the last days false prophets would arise,” they think all the prophets in the last days are false ones.
- But if there are false prophets, there must be real ones!
- There’s a difference between Old Testament prophets and New Testament prophets.
- In the Old Testament we judge prophets.
- In the New Testament we judge prophecy.
- Jesus came to fulfill the prophets. (Matthew 5:17)
- The prophets were proclaimed until John...then the Kingdom was preached. (Luke 16:16)
- What happens when you move an Old Testament prophet to the New Testament?
- The result is the prophet moves from judging nations to reconciling families.
- Getting a word wrong does not make you a false prophet.
- Agabus prophesied that the Jews would bind Paul and hand him over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:10). But what actually happened was that Paul was bound by the Gentiles and handed over to the Jews.
- What makes a person a false prophet?
- A false prophet is not someone who gives a bad prophetic word, but instead is someone who has an evil heart.
- There are two types of false prophets:
- The first type is a person who has invited a spirit of divination into his or her life. (Acts 16:16)
- The second type of false prophet is a person who receives a call on his or her life to be a prophet from birth or sometime after they receive Christ, and then later falls away from God. Because the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable, that person is still able to operate in the gifts, even if they fall away from God.
- The characteristics of a false prophet according to Matthew 7:
- They appear to be good.
- False prophets have their belief system founded on a few pet scriptures (sand), and not the whole counsel of God (the rock).
- False prophets have power.
- 5 Tests of a True Prophet Versus a False Prophet:
- Does the prophet believe in the redemptive work of the Son of God?
- False prophets do not like to listen to anyone - God tells them everything.
- False prophets are not motivated by love, but are motivated by a need to be noticed.
- False prophets commonly use fear to motivate people.
- False prophets are not in covenant relationship with the body of Christ.
I hope this teaching was helpful to understand the difference between prophets and false prophets. What did you think about prophets before watching the video? What do you think about them now? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
If you’re interested in learning more about prophets, I encourage you to check out my book, School of the Prophets. I wrote School of the Prophets to help you discern your calling, hone your spiritual receptors, and understand the complex ways God communicates.
Right now you can get the
School of the Prophets audiobook for FREE when you purchase a copy of Spiritual Intelligence on Amazon (between November 19-30).
I bundled these two books together for my Black Friday deal this year because we are living in one of the noisiest seasons I have ever experienced! To some, it even feels like a war on the spiritual “airwaves,” so to speak. I want to equip you to silence the noise that is being broadcast across the earth by demonic forces, and help you tune into the Light—the voice of God and His thoughts about you and your current season.
