The Problems with False Prophets

[Van]

It would be difficult to make a list before we define who and what are false prophets?

Are we talking about people who profess to be inspirited, whose sayings, history, and proclamations could be put in a book and added to scripture as the 67 book? Nope! These whack-jobs present little or no thread to the lost.

So how does scripture actually describe "false prophets?"

Consider 2 Peter 1:20, 21 and 2 Peter 2:1! This passage teaches false prophets are not inspirited and are presenting their own interpretations. and there is no difference between them and false teachers of the word.

So we are NOT talking about the end times entity, described in Revelation 16:13, 19:20 and 20:10.

Our scripture verses to study are Matthew 7:15, 24:11, and 24:24: Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26 and 1 John 4:1

 

[Van]

The Greek word translated in all 11 of the cases listed as false prophet or false prophets is "pseudoprophetes" G5578. The word indicates the person is "acting the part" of someone accurately presenting divinely inspired doctrine. Thus a level of deceit, if not outright lying is indicated. They secretly introduce as truth what they know or should know is their interpretation.

So when someone adds to the scope or a statement, such as "the things" means "all the things" or God declares the end from the beginning means God knows the end from the beginning, the picture fits the frame. A truth teller would say it might mean this, but it could mean something less.

 

[Van]

What are some of the destructive heresies that have been introduced by reading into the text what is not said?

1) God is outside of time, thus He accomplishes His actions not as perceived by humans trapped in time. This makes the sequence given by scripture to no effect. For example, some claim the OT Saints were made perfect and entered heaven before Christ died, because He was slain from the foundation of the world, Rev. 13:8 NKJV. Nevermind, many modern translations go with written in the book from the foundation of the world.

2) God knows everything exhaustively, thus everything is predestined and therefore nothing happens by chance or the autonomous choice of humans. Again, they point to the mistranslation saying God's knowledge is infinite, when modern translations say unfathomable or immeasurable or beyond our understanding.

3) The KJV, at least one of them, is inspired and inerrant.

4) Enabling Grace is necessary for the lost because the Fall causes all humans to suffer from "total spiritual inability. They turn unable to understand the things of the Spirit into unable to understand all things unless enabled. Fiddlesticks

 

[Deacon]

You only used NT sources.

I've been slowly making my way through the book of Jeremiah.
Plenty of passages about false prophets in the OT.

The Old Testament defines what a false prophet is and sets a standard.
Deuteronomy 18:20–22 -- Prophets who speak unauthorized words in God’s name or whose predictions fail to materialize
Deuteronomy 13:1–5 -- prophets whose signs may come to pass but encourage the worship of other gods

Here are two key passages in Jeremiah that describe false prophets:
Jeremiah 28:9 "As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

Jeremiah 23:16 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Plenty of others as well...

Jeremiah 2:8 — Identifies prophets who “prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit”
Jeremiah 5:30–31 — Describes the appalling practice of false prophecy, with priests operating under prophetic direction
Jeremiah 6:13–15 — Characterizes prophets as greedy and deceptive, offering false assurances, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”
Jeremiah 8:10–12 — accusations of greed and false peace-proclamations among prophets
Jeremiah 14:13–16 — false prophets offer false assurances of peace, prophesying worthless lies
Jeremiah 23:9–40 — A long, comprehensive passage addressing false prophets, describing their ungodliness, their worship of Baal, their adultery, and their deceptive practices
Jeremiah 27:9–10 — Warns against listening to prophets, diviners, and fortune-tellers
Jeremiah 27:14–15 — prophets falsely claiming that God didn’t send them to prophesy against Babylon
Jeremiah 28:1–17 — A confrontation between Jeremiah and Hananiah, a false prophet
Jeremiah 29:8–9 — Cautions exiles against being deceived by prophets and diviners who claim to speak in God’s name
Jeremiah 29:21–23 — Names specific false prophets (Ahab and Zedekiah) who committed adultery and spoke lies in God’s name

Rob

 

[Van]

You only used NT sources.

I've been slowly making my way through the book of Jeremiah.
Plenty of passages about false prophets in the OT.

The Old Testament defines what a false prophet is and sets a standard.
Deuteronomy 18:20–22 -- Prophets who speak unauthorized words in God’s name or whose predictions fail to materialize
Deuteronomy 13:1–5 -- prophets whose signs may come to pass but encourage the worship of other gods

Here are two key passages in Jeremiah that describe false prophets:
Jeremiah 28:9 "As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

Jeremiah 23:16 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Plenty of others as well...

Jeremiah 2:8 — Identifies prophets who “prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit”
Jeremiah 5:30–31 — Describes the appalling practice of false prophecy, with priests operating under prophetic direction
Jeremiah 6:13–15 — Characterizes prophets as greedy and deceptive, offering false assurances, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”
Jeremiah 8:10–12 — accusations of greed and false peace-proclamations among prophets
Jeremiah 14:13–16 — false prophets offer false assurances of peace, prophesying worthless lies
Jeremiah 23:9–40 — A long, comprehensive passage addressing false prophets, describing their ungodliness, their worship of Baal, their adultery, and their deceptive practices
Jeremiah 27:9–10 — Warns against listening to prophets, diviners, and fortune-tellers
Jeremiah 27:14–15 — prophets falsely claiming that God didn’t send them to prophesy against Babylon
Jeremiah 28:1–17 — A confrontation between Jeremiah and Hananiah, a false prophet
Jeremiah 29:8–9 — Cautions exiles against being deceived by prophets and diviners who claim to speak in God’s name
Jeremiah 29:21–23 — Names specific false prophets (Ahab and Zedekiah) who committed adultery and spoke lies in God’s name

Rob

Thanks, useful information. I did not address the OT false prophets because I was trying to focus on those poisoning the minds of the lost today.

From the internet:
2. false prophets of Israel || חזה Micah 3:6 (? קֶסֶם; || חזון) Micah 3:7; Isaiah 3:2 (+ נביא; compare Isaiah 3:3), || נביאים Jeremiah 27:9; Jeremiah 29:8, בְּכֶסֶף Micah 3:11, || חזה שׁקר Zechariah 10:2; || ׃חזה שׁוא ק׳ קֶסֶם Ezekiel 13:23 (but see קֶסֶם), כָּזָב ק׳ Ezekiel 13:9; Ezekiel 22:28,+ Ezekiel 13:6

But, as you noted, these folks offer falsehoods as truth, sometimes motivated by pride, greed, or arrogance. All of which we see today in abundance.

 

[Kai]

Deuteronomy 18:20-22
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

I've always understood "false prophet" as someone who claims to receive direct, supernatural messages from God—whether through dreams, visions, or hearing God's voice—about what's going to happen in the future, but don't actually come true. The likes of Joseph Smith would fall into this category. Then there are people like Harold Camping, who don't necessarily say God spoke to them directly, but still make predictions about future events and purposefully create a twisted view Scripture to mislead others. So I suppose there's a distinction between false prophecy and false prediction—both equally abominable.

 

[Van]

I've always understood "false prophet" as someone who claims to receive direct, supernatural messages from God—whether through dreams, visions, or hearing God's voice—about what's going to happen in the future, but don't actually come true. The likes of Joseph Smith would fall into this category. Then there are people like Harold Camping, who don't necessarily say God spoke to them directly, but still make predictions about future events and purposefully create a twisted view Scripture to mislead others. So I suppose there's a distinction between false prophecy and false prediction—both equally abominable.

Yes, that view of the meaning of false prophet is held by many, but scripture indicates no difference between false prophets and false teachers who introduce false doctrines based on mischaracterizations of scripture. See 2 Peter 1:20,21 and 2 Peter 2:1.