With millions of churches all over the world, There are inevitably false prophets among them.
As Christians, we must be careful about where we worship.
And that’s because these fake men and women of god can easily lead us astray.
There are numerous scriptures in the Bible about false teachers.
Especially in the last days, there will be a lot of them trying to deceive humankind into sinning.
And that’s because they are only interested in their selfish desires.
They care less about God and the salvation of the world.
So, how do you identify false prophets in this wicked world? What are the signs of false teachers?
There are many bible verses about false prophets that tell us about their signs.
They are liars, proud, engage in fake miracles, and teach wrong doctrines.
They don’t believe in the true gospel of God, and they explicitly teach about prosperity.
Just last year, as I listened to one of my pastors, I was dumbfounded by the words he said.
He said, “If you are not yet rich, you have not experienced the blessings of God.”
I was shocked at his statement because it contradicts what the Bible teaches.
Of course, the congregation was happy to hear that because we all want financial prosperity.
But that’s not the truth of the scriptures.
God’s blessings are new every morning. He blesses the rich and the poor.
In fact, the scripture teaches that we must be content with whatever we have.
Today, I have put together Bible verses about false prophets in the last days and how to deal with them.
Read and be blessed.
Recommended for you
Bible Verses False prophets in the last days
1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good,
2 Peter 2:1
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
1 Timothy 4:1
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2 John 1:7
I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
1 John 2:18
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
Acts 20:29
I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Luke 21:8
He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
2 Timothy 3:13
while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Matthew 24:4-5
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
Jeremiah 29:8-9
Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
Proverbs 14:15
The simple believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps.
Deuteronomy 13:1-2
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,”
Deuteronomy 13:3-4
3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Deuteronomy 13:5
5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
Recommended for you
More Scriptures About false Teachers
Deuteronomy 18:20
But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 18:21-22
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
Revelation 2:2
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false
Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Romans 16:19
19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Matthew 24:23-26
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
Matthew 7:15-16
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?
Matthew 24:24
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
2 Thessalonians 2:9
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,
2 Thessalonians 2:10-11
and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
Revelation 13:13-14
And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs, it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived
Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur
Signs of false prophets and fake teachers
There are numerous ways to identify fake preachers of the word of God.
The scriptures say, “by their actions and what they teach,” we can know them.
Here are signs of false teachers.
1. They teach about prosperity all the time
In my country, it’s pretty easy to see men of God preaching about financial prosperity.
That’s the message that fills the airwaves each time they preach.
They take advantage of people’s financial struggles and deceive them.
There is nothing wrong with praying for financial blessings. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with teaching that riches and wealth are from the lord.
But these fake prophets are only interested in teaching about wealth.
They quickly make false prophecies to deceive God’s people.
They hardly teach repentance, forgiveness, and salvation.
If you find yourself in a church that preaches mainly prosperity, that is a sign they are not sent by God.
2. They hardly teach repentance, forgiveness, and salvation
It is common in a lot of churches nowadays.
No one wants to say the truth to their congregation for fear of losing their members.
They are only concerned about preaching what the congregations want to hear.
They fear repercussions and therefore continue to spread lies.
False prophets hardly teach the gospel truths.
They only teach healing, financial prosperity and perform lots of fake miracles.
A true prophet is only concerned about the truth of the scriptures. Therefore, he speaks the truth and nothing else.
He is primarily concerned about the salvation of his congregation. He understands that all we have in life is vanity, and we must strive to be saved in the end.
He rebukes sin when he sees it and is never ashamed, to tell the truth.
3. They misinterpret the scriptures to suit their selfish aims
This is one of the most characteristic signs of fake pastors.
They are evil from their heart and don’t care about the repercussions of their actions.
They misinterpret the scripture to deceive the gullible.
And God has promised that they will be judged in the end if they don’t repent.
Just yesterday, I saw a video of a supposed man of God saying, “If someone hits you, hit them back.” He continued, “after all, Jesus said that we would do greater things.”
This so-called prophet has misinterpreted Christ’s message in John 14:12-14.
This is entirely a misinterpretation of the scriptures concerning love. Christ teaches that we love our enemies and do good to those that hate us.
But don’t get me wrong. Most churches have different doctrines, of which some are misleading.
As Christians, we should be watchful and examine the gospel through the word of God.
Does the doctrine fall in line with God’s word?
4. They perform fake signs and wonders
At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, he knew that he needed to differential himself.
So, he performed numerous signs and wonders for people to believe that God had sent him.
He healed the sick and raised the dead.
In the case of Lazarus, he intentionally waited for Lazarus to die to demonstrate the glory of God.
In all, Christ had an aim to manifest the glory of God to humankind.
The reverse is the case for fake pastors. They are concerned about hoodwinking the gullible amongst Christians.
It is an easy way to device the gullible and rid them of their financial possessions.
Content Disclosure:
At The Faithful Christian Blog, I create authentic and inspiring content. Although I am the main author, I occasionally use AI for minor language enhancements. This minimal AI usage ensures high-quality, trustworthy articles without compromising originality or sincerity, ultimately supporting our shared faith journey.
Warmly,
Dr. Akatakpo Dunn
