Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ because narrow is the gate, and confined is the way which leads unto life, and there are few that find it. ¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Beware of False Prophets

False Prophets

Outward Appearance

Take Heed

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Colossians 2:8

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not after Christ.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

When there arises among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives thee a sign or a wonder,

Matthew 24:11

And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.

2 Peter 2:1-3

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who covertly shall bring in destructive sects and shall deny the Lord that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Luke 6:26

Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers treat the false prophets.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken and with it the false prophet that wrought miracles in its presence, with which he had deceived those that had taken the mark of the beast and had worshipped its image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Isaiah 9:15-16

The ancient and venerable to look upon is the head; the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.

Jeremiah 14:14-16

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I did not send them, neither have I commanded them, neither did I speak unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision, divination, vanity, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 23:13-16

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

Jeremiah 28:15-17

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD has not sent thee; and thou hast made this people to trust in a lie.

Jeremiah 29:21

Thus hath the LORD of the hosts the God of Israel said regarding Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and regarding Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely unto you in my name; Behold, I deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

Jeremiah 29:32

therefore thus hath the LORD said; Behold, I visit upon Shemaiah the Nehelamite and upon his generation: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold that good which I do unto my people, said the LORD, because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.

Ezekiel 13:16

to wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, said the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:22

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and ye strengthen the hands of the wicked that he should not leave his wicked way, encouraging him:

Ezekiel 22:25

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken treasures and honour; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Ezekiel 22:27

Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to follow their own greed.

Micah 3:5-7

Thus hath the LORD said concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that does not give them something to eat, they even prepare war against him.

Micah 3:11

the heads thereof judge for bribes, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they come near unto the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? No evil can come upon us.

Zephaniah 3:3-4

Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they do not leave a bone for tomorrow.

Zechariah 13:4

And it shall come to pass in that time, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he has prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

Matthew 10:17

But keep yourselves from men, for they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Matthew 16:6

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and keep yourselves from the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Matthew 16:11

How is it that ye do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread that ye should keep yourselves from the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Matthew 24:4-5

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no one deceive you.

Matthew 24:24-25

For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders in such a manner that they shall deceive, if possible, the very elect.

Mark 12:38-40

And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, who love to go in long clothing and love the salutations in the marketplaces

Mark 13:22-23

for false Christs and false prophets shall rise and shall show signs and wonders to seduce, if possible, even the elect.

Luke 12:15

And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.

John 10:12

But the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep.

Acts 13:40

Beware, therefore, lest what is spoken of in the prophets come upon you:

Acts 20:29-31

For I know this, that after my departing, grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Romans 16:17-18

And I beseech you, brethren, mark those who cause dissensions and offences outside of the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

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

Galatians 2:4

And that in spite of the false brethren, who entered secretly to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage;

Ephesians 4:14

That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive,

Ephesians 5:6

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

Philippians 3:2

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, listening to spirits of error and doctrines of demons;

2 Timothy 3:5-9

having the appearance of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:13

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, they shall heap up unto themselves teachers who shall speak to them according to their own lusts,

2 Peter 2:18-19

For speaking arrogant words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from those who converse in error,

2 Peter 3:17

Ye, therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things in advance, be on guard lest by the error of the wicked ye be deceived with the others and fall from your own steadfastness.

Jude 1:4

For there are certain men crept in unawares without fear or reverence of God, who from beforehand have been ordained unto this condemnation, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying God who alone has dominion, and our Lord Jesus, the Christ.

Revelation 13:11-17

Then I beheld another beast coming up out of the land; and he had two horns like the Lamb, but he spoke as the dragon.

Revelation 16:13

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Revelation 17:6

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I marvelled with great surprise.

Isaiah 56:10-11

His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs; they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, they love to slumber.

Acts 13:6

And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain wise man, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus,