Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ But narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to life, and few are they that find it. ¹⁵  "Look out for false prophets, who come to you under the guise of sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. ¹⁶ You must recognize them by their fruits. People do not pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they?

Beware of False Prophets

False Prophets

Outward Appearance

Take Heed

1 John 4:1

Dearly beloved, stop believing every so-called spiritual utterance, but keep testing them to see whether they come from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Colossians 2:8

Take care that nobody captures you by the idle fancies of his so-called philosophy, following human tradition and the world's crude notions instead of Christ.

Matthew 24:11

Many false prophets will appear and mislead many people;

2 Peter 2:1-3

Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you too, who will insidiously introduce destructive heresies and deny the Master who has bought them, thus bringing on themselves swift destruction.

Luke 6:26

A curse on you when everyone speaks well of you, for this is the way their forefathers used to treat the false prophets.

Revelation 19:20

Then the wild beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed wonders in his presence, by which he led astray those who let the mark of the wild beast be put on them and worshiped his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns with brimstone.

Matthew 10:17

Be on your guard against men, for they will turn you over to the courts and will flog you in their synagogues,

Matthew 16:6

And Jesus said to them, "Look out, and keep on guarding yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees!"

Matthew 16:11

How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread, when I said, keep on guarding yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?"

Matthew 24:4-5

Jesus answered, "Look out that no one misleads you about it,

Matthew 24:24-25

for false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, God's chosen people.

Mark 12:38-40

And in His teaching He continued to say: "Beware of the scribes who like to go about in long robes, to be saluted with honor in public places,

Mark 13:22-23

For false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will do signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, even God's chosen people.

Luke 12:15

And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant."

John 10:12

The hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf carries off some of the sheep and scatters the flock.

Acts 13:40

So take care that what is said in the prophets does not come upon you:

Acts 20:29-31

Because I know that after I have gone violent wolves will break in among you and will not spare the flock.

Romans 16:17-18

But I beg you, brothers, to keep on the lookout for those who stir up divisions and put hindrances in your way, in opposition to the instruction that you had, and always avoid them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such men are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

Galatians 2:4

they did not try it even for the sake of the false brothers who had been smuggled in, who stole in to spy out the freedom we enjoy in Christ Jesus, so as to make us slaves again.

Ephesians 4:14

so that we may not be babies any longer, or like sailors tossed about and driven around by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men through their cunning in inventing new methods of error.

Ephesians 5:6

Stop letting anyone deceive you with groundless arguments about these things, for it is because of these very sins that God's anger comes down upon the disobedient.

Philippians 3:2

Look out for those dogs, those mischief-makers, those self-mutilators!

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit distinctly declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, because they continuously give their attention to deceiving spirits and the things that demons teach

2 Timothy 3:5-9

keeping up the forms of religion but not giving expression to its power. Avoid such people.

2 Timothy 3:13

But bad men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, misleading others and misled themselves.

2 Timothy 4:3

For a time will come when they will not listen to wholesome teaching, but to gratify their own evil desires will surround themselves with teachers who teach to gratify their own evil desires, because their ears are itching so to be tickled,

2 Peter 2:18-19

For by uttering arrogant nonsense, through base desires of the lower nature, they entice into immorality men who are just escaping from those who live in error,

2 Peter 3:17

So, dearly beloved, since you have been forewarned, you must always be on your guard against being led astray by the errors of lawless men, and so against falling away from your present firmness;

Jude 1:4

For certain persons have sneaked in -- their doom was written down long ago -- godless persons, who turn the favor of our God into an excuse for licentiousness, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:11-17

Then I saw another wild beast coming up out of the land. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

Revelation 16:13

Then I saw three foul spirits leap like frogs from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the wild beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.

Revelation 17:6

I saw the woman drinking herself drunk with the blood of God's people and the blood of the martyred witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was utterly astonished,

Acts 13:6

Then they went through the whole island as far as Paphos, and there they found a Jewish magician and false prophet whose name was Barjesus.