Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ But strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. ¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening 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

Ye beloved, believe not every spirit: but prove the spirits whether they be of God, or not: for many false prophets are gone out in to the world.

Colossians 2:8

Beware lest any man come and spoil you through philosophy and deceitful vanity, through the traditions of men, and ordinances after the world, and not after Christ.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and give thee a sign or a wonder -

Matthew 24:11

And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many.

2 Peter 2:1-3

There were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you: which privily shall bring in damnable sects, even denying the Lord that hath bought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation.

Luke 6:26

Woe be to you when all men praise you: for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken, and with him that false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that received the beast's mark, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast into a pond of fire burning with brimstone:

Isaiah 9:15-16

By the head, is understood the senator and honorable man, and by the tail, the Prophet that preacheth lies.

Jeremiah 14:14-16

And the LORD said unto me, "The prophets preach lies unto them in my name. I have not spoken with them, neither gave I them any charge, neither did I send them. Yet they preach unto you false visions, charming vanity, and deceitfulness of their own heart.

Jeremiah 23:13-16

I have seen folly among the Prophets of Samaria, that they preached for Baal, and deceived my people of Israel.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto the prophet Hananiah, "Hear me, I pray thee, Hananiah: The LORD hath not sent thee, but thou bringest this people into a false belief.

Jeremiah 29:21

Thus hath the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel spoken, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy lies unto you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, that he may slay them before your eyes.

Jeremiah 29:32

therefore thus the LORD doth certify you: Behold, I will visit Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: so that none of his shall remain among this people, and none of them shall see the good, that I will do for this people, sayeth the LORD. For he hath preached falsely of the LORD."

Ezekiel 13:16

These are the prophets of Israel, which prophesy unto the city of Jerusalem, and look out visions of peace for them, whereas no peace is, sayeth the LORD God.'

Ezekiel 13:22

Seeing that with your lies ye discomfort the heart of the righteous, whom I have not discomforted: Again, forsomuch as ye courage the hand of the wicked, so that he may not turn from his wicked way, and live:

Ezekiel 22:25

thy Prophets that are in thee are sworn together to devour souls, like as a roaring Lion that liveth by his prey. They receive riches and good, and make many widows in thee.

Ezekiel 22:27

Thy rulers in thee are like ravishing wolves, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, for their own covetous lucre.

Micah 3:5-7

And as concerning the prophets that deceive my people, thus the LORD sayeth against them: When they have any thing to bite upon, then they preach that all shall be well. But if a man put not some thing in to their mouths, they preach of war against him.

Micah 3:11

O ye judges, ye give sentence for gifts; O ye priests, ye teach for lucre; O ye prophets, ye prophesy for money. Yet will they be taken as those that hold upon God, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? Tush, there can no misfortune happen us."

Zephaniah 3:3-4

Her rulers within her are as roaring lions: her judges are as wolves in the evening, which leave nothing behind them till the morrow.

Zechariah 13:4

And then shall those prophets be confounded, everyone of his vision when he prophesieth: neither shall they wear sackcloth anymore, to deceive men withal.

Matthew 10:17

Beware of men: for they shall deliver you up to the councils, and shall scourge you in their synagogues;

Matthew 16:6

Then Jesus said unto them, "Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees."

Matthew 16:11

Why perceive ye not, then, that I spake not unto you of bread, when I said, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?'"

Matthew 24:4-5

And Jesus answered, and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you;

Matthew 24:24-25

for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets and shall do great miracles and wonders. Insomuch that if it were possible, even the very elect should be deceived.

Mark 12:38-40

And he said unto them in his doctrine, "Beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places,

Mark 13:22-23

For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets; And shall show miracles and wonders, to deceive if it were possible, even the elect.

Luke 12:15

Wherefore he said unto them, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness. For no man's life standeth in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

John 10:12

An hired servant which is not the shepherd, neither the sheep are his own, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flyeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Acts 13:40

Beware therefore lest that fall on you, which is spoken of in the prophets,

Acts 20:29-31

For I am sure of this: that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, which will not spare the flock.

Romans 16:17-18

I beseech you, brethren: mark them which cause division, and give occasions of evil contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For these false apostles are deceitful workers, and fashion themselves like unto the apostles of Christ.

Galatians 2:4

and that because of incomers, being false brethren, which came in among others to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.

Ephesians 4:14

That we henceforth be no more children, wavering and carried with every wind of doctrine, by the wiliness of men and craftiness, whereby they lay a wait for us to deceive us.

Ephesians 5:6

Let no man deceive you with vain words. For through such things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of unbelief.

Philippians 3:2

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers. Beware of dissension:

1 Timothy 4:1-3

The spirit speaketh evidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, and shall give heed unto spirits of error,

2 Timothy 3:5-9

having a similitude of godly living, but have denied the power thereof. Such abhor.

2 Timothy 3:13

But the evil men and deceivers, shall wax worse and worse, while they deceive, and are deceived themselves.

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come, when they will not suffer wholesome doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they whose ears itch get them a heap of teachers,

2 Peter 2:18-19

For when they have spoken the swelling words of vanity, they beguile with wantonness through the lusts of the flesh them that were clean escaped: but now are wrapped in errors.

2 Peter 3:17

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know it beforehand: Beware, lest ye be also plucked away with the error of the wicked, and fall from your own steadfastness;

Jude 1:4

For there are certain craftily crept in, of which it was written aforetime unto such judgement. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our Lord God unto wantonness; And deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:11-17

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as did 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 wife drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with great marvel.

Isaiah 56:10-11

For his watchmen are all blind, they have altogether no understanding. They are all dumb dogs, no being able to bark; they are sleepery, sluggish, and lie snorting.

Acts 13:6

When they had gone throughout the Isle unto the city of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer: a false prophet, which was a Jew,