Are you easy prey for false prophets? (redux)
The following post was first published on my blog on August 23, 2013. With the rise of men and women calling themselves prophets, many people need to hear its warning more than ever.The Bible is clear: false prophets are wolves that devour unsuspecting sheep.Jesus said:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
And the apostle Paul had this to say about false teachers.
"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30).
Despite these clear warnings from an apostle and even Jesus himself, many people are still naive to the threat. So, my question for you is, "Are you easy prey for false prophets?"
The answer is yes if any of the following statements--drawn from Scripture--describe you.
- You think God won't allow you to be deceived. I've often heard it said, by people in the New Apostolic Reformation movement, that we should not worry about false prophets because God will not allow His people to be deceived. But if you believe you can't be deceived, then you are ignoring numerous warnings in Scripture about the need to guard against false prophets and false teachers (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1).
- You are overly impressed by the miraculous. Many people are so dazzled by miracles they automatically assume the miracle-worker must have been sent from God. If this describes you, then you are in danger of falling victim to false prophets who, according to Scripture, will perform "great signs and wonders" (Matthew 24:24; Revelation 13:11-15).
- You don't know sound principles of biblical interpretation. You may read the Bible and think you know it well. But you have not done the hard work of learning how to read it correctly using the historical-grammatical approach. This means that you rip verses out of context or spiritualize them when they are meant to be taken at face value. Anyone who reads the Bible in these ways is susceptible to being lead astray by false prophets (2 Peter 3:15-17).
- You think you are extra-special to God and deserve to have your desires fulfilled. False prophets will tell people whatever they want to hear--including promising them the fulfillment of their desires for worldly pleasures, such as money and sex (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:18; Jude 1:4). You are a sitting duck for false prophets if you are driven by pride and a pursuit of pleasure rather than truth.
- You put too much trust in people. You think if someone is a church leader and likeable, then he or she must be a godly person. But you are not heeding the warnings in Scripture about false prophets and false teachers who disguise themselves as true believers (Matthew 7:15; Jude 1:12-13).
- You do not value doctrine. You think doctrine is dry and knowledge of doctrine is not essential to having a vibrant faith. You may even believe that doctrine kills faith. If so, you might be among those people who mockingly refer to churches that emphasize doctrine as "dead" and to seminaries that teach doctrine as "cemeteries." But the apostle John is clear that doctrine should be used as a litmus test for evaluating prophets (1 John 4:1-3).
Can you think of other statements that should be added to my list?
Holly Pivec is the co-author of A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement and God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement. She has a master's degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University.