Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ because narrow [is] the gate and constricted [is] the road that leads to life, and there are few who find it! ¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, [do they]?

Beware of False Prophets

False Prophets

Outward Appearance

Take Heed

1 John 4:1

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits [to determine] if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Colossians 2:8

Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

"If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams and he gives to you a sign or wonder,

Matthew 24:11

and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many,

2 Peter 2:1-3

But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you also, who will bring in {destructive heresies}, even denying the Master who bought them, [thus] bringing on themselves swift destruction.

Luke 6:26

Woe whenever all people speak well of you, for their fathers used to do the same [things] to the false prophets.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.

Isaiah 9:15-16

Elders and {the respectable} [are] the head, and prophets who teach lies [are] the tail.

Jeremiah 14:14-16

And Yahweh said to me, "The prophets [are] prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, and I have not spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, and a divination, worthless, and the deceitfulness of their {minds}."

Jeremiah 23:13-16

"Now in the prophets of Samaria I saw a disgusting thing. They prophesied by Baal and they caused my people Israel to err.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, "Please listen, Hananiah, Yahweh has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.

Jeremiah 29:21

Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name a lie, 'Look, I [am] going to give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes.

Jeremiah 29:32

{therefore} thus says Yahweh, "Look, I [am] going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will not be for him a man who lives in the midst of this people, and he will not see the good that I [am] going to do to my people," {declares} Yahweh, "For he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh." '"

Ezekiel 13:16

[that is], the prophets of Israel, the ones prophesying concerning Jerusalem and the ones seeing visions of peace, and there is not peace!'" " {declares} the Lord Yahweh.

Ezekiel 13:22

Because [you] disheartened [the] heart of [the] righteous [by] deception, and I have not caused him pain, and strengthened [the] hands of [the] wicked [so that he did] not turn from his wicked way to save his life.

Ezekiel 22:25

The conspiracy of its prophets in the midst of her [is] like a roaring lion [that] is tearing prey. They devour people, and they take wealth and treasure; they make its widows numerous in the midst of her.

Ezekiel 22:27

Its officials [are] like wolves tearing prey in its midst, to pour out blood, to destroy people, to make dishonest gain.

Micah 3:5-7

Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who are leading my people astray, who are biting with their teeth and proclaim, "Peace," but whoever puts nothing into their mouths they declare war against.

Micah 3:11

Its rulers judge for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money. But they lean on Yahweh, saying, "[Is] not Yahweh in our midst? Disaster will not come upon us."

Zephaniah 3:3-4

Her officials in her midst [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they leave nothing until the morning.

Zechariah 13:4

{And then} on that day, each of the prophets will be ashamed because of his vision when he was prophesying, and they will not put on a cloak of hair in order to deceive,

Matthew 10:17

But beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues.

Matthew 16:6

And Jesus said to them, "Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

Matthew 16:11

How do you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

Matthew 24:4-5

And Jesus answered [and] said to them, "Watch out that no one deceives you!

Matthew 24:24-25

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Mark 12:38-40

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces

Mark 13:22-23

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce signs and wonders in order to mislead, if possible, the elect.

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, "Watch out and guard yourselves from all greediness, because not [even] when someone has an abundance {does} his life [consist] of his possessions."

John 10:12

The hired hand, who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf approaching and abandons the sheep and runs away--and the wolf seizes them and scatters [them]--

Acts 13:40

Watch out, therefore, lest what is stated by the prophets come upon [you]:

Acts 20:29-31

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Romans 16:17-18

Now I exhort you, brothers, to look out for those who cause dissensions and temptations contrary to the teaching which you learned, and stay away from them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such people [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

Galatians 2:4

Now [this was] because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order that they might enslave us,

Ephesians 4:14

so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit.

Ephesians 5:6

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these [things] the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Philippians 3:2

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

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

2 Timothy 3:5-9

maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these [people].

2 Timothy 3:13

But evil people and imposters will progress to the worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 4:3

For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound teaching, but in accordance with their own desires, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, {because they have an insatiable curiosity},

2 Peter 2:18-19

{For by speaking high-sounding but empty words}, they entice with desires of the flesh [and] with licentiousness those who are scarcely escaping from those who live in error,

2 Peter 3:17

Therefore, dear friends, [because you] know [this] beforehand, guard yourselves so that you do not lose your own safe position [because you] have been led away by the error of lawless persons.

Jude 1:4

For certain men have slipped in stealthily, who were designated long ago for this condemnation, ungodly ones, who change the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:11-17

And I saw another beast coming up from the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking like a dragon.

Revelation 16:13

And I saw coming 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 like frogs.

Revelation 17:6

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. And {I was greatly astonished when I saw her}.

Isaiah 56:10-11

His watchmen [are] blind, none of them know. They [are] all dumb dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber.

Acts 13:6

And [when they] had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name [was] Bar-Jesus,