Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ For narrow the gate and straitened the way that leads to life, and they are few who find it. ¹⁵ But beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but within are ravening wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather a bunch of grapes from thorns, or from thistles figs?

Beware of False Prophets

False Prophets

Outward Appearance

Take Heed

1 John 4:1

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, if they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Colossians 2:8

See that there be no one who shall lead you away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the teaching of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

If there arise among you a prophet, or one that dreameth dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder,

Matthew 24:11

and many false prophets shall arise and shall mislead many;

2 Peter 2:1-3

But there were false prophets also among the people, as there shall be also among you false teachers, who shall bring in by the bye destructive heresies, and deny the master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction;

Luke 6:26

Woe, when all men speak well of you, for after this manner did their fathers to the false prophets.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken, and the false prophet that was with him, who wrought the signs before him by which he deceived them that received the mark of the beast, and those that worship his image. Alive were both cast into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone;

Isaiah 9:15-16

the ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Jeremiah 14:14-16

And Jehovah said unto me, The prophets prophesy falsehood in my name; I have not sent them, neither have I commanded them, nor spoken unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 23:13-16

And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

And the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah, Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; and thou makest this people to trust in falsehood.

Jeremiah 29:21

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsehood unto you in my name: Behold, I will give them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall smite them before your eyes.

Jeremiah 29:32

therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he see the good that I will do for my people, saith Jehovah; because he hath spoken revolt against Jehovah.

Ezekiel 13:16

the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see a vision of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Ezekiel 13:22

Because with falsehood ye have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and have strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, to save his life:

Ezekiel 22:25

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they devour souls; they take away treasure and precious things; they increase her widows in the midst of her;

Ezekiel 22:27

Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

Micah 3:5-7

Thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets that cause my people to err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace! but whoso putteth not into their mouths they prepare war against him:

Micah 3:11

The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet do they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us.

Zephaniah 3:3-4

Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, that leave nothing for the morning.

Zechariah 13:4

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesieth; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive.

Matthew 10:17

But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to sanhedrims, and scourge you in their synagogues;

Matthew 16:6

And Jesus said to them, See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 16:11

How do ye not understand that it was not concerning bread I said to you, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Matthew 24:4-5

And Jesus answering said to them, See that no one mislead you.

Matthew 24:24-25

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall give great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

Mark 12:38-40

And he said to them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and salutations in the marketplaces,

Mark 13:22-23

For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and give signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for it is not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions.

John 10:12

but he who serves for wages, and who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them and scatters the sheep.

Acts 13:40

See therefore that that which is spoken in the prophets do not come upon you,

Acts 20:29-31

For I know this, that there will come in amongst you after my departure grievous wolves, not sparing the flock;

Romans 16:17-18

But I beseech you, brethren, to consider those who create divisions and occasions of falling, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learnt, and turn away from them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

Galatians 2:4

and it was on account of the false brethren brought in surreptitiously, who came in surreptitiously to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage;

Ephesians 4:14

in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematized error;

Ephesians 5:6

Let no one deceive you with vain words, for on account of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Philippians 3:2

See to dogs, see to evil workmen, see to the concision.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

But the Spirit speaks expressly, that in latter times some shall apostatise from the faith, giving their mind to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons

2 Timothy 3:5-9

having a form of piety but denying the power of it: and from these turn away.

2 Timothy 3:13

But wicked men and juggling impostors shall advance in evil, leading and being led astray.

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time shall be when they will not bear sound teaching; but according to their own lusts will heap up to themselves teachers, having an itching ear;

2 Peter 2:18-19

For while speaking great highflown words of vanity, they allure with the lusts of the flesh, by dissoluteness, those who have just fled those who walk in error,

2 Peter 3:17

Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things before, take care lest, being led away along with the error of the wicked, ye should fall from your own stedfastness:

Jude 1:4

For certain men have got in unnoticed, they who of old were marked out beforehand to this sentence, ungodly persons, turning the grace of our God into dissoluteness, and denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:11-17

And I saw another beast rising out of the earth; and it had two horns like to a lamb, and spake as a dragon;

Revelation 16:13

And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as frogs;

Revelation 17:6

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I wondered, seeing her, with great wonder.

Isaiah 56:10-11

His watchmen are all of them blind, they are without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs that cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber:

Acts 13:6

And having passed through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus,