“How can I discern rightly when most false prophets use the name of our Lord Jesus to deceive?”
June 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine
QUESTION: There are many false prophets, and we, according to 1 John 4:1, are to test the spirits. How can I discern rightly when most false prophets seem to use the name of our Lord Jesus to deceive?
ANSWER: The question put forward is an excellent and important one indeed, as false prophets and apostasy – the turning away from the truth – are rampant today and abounding. God obviously knew that there would be false prophets, and therefore He gave instructions as to how to recognize them.
In The Past
False prophets are nothing new, and God forewarned that they would be in the midst of God’s people. The Lord, as recorded in Deuteronomy 18:18-22 (NKJV), told Moses, “‘I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ – when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
This is what the prophet Micaiah, who spoke for the LORD, was thinking about when he declared to the king in the presence of others, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me” (1 Ki. 22:28). Please read the account in 1 Kings 22 to see the full story. What we find is that the fulfillment of the word spoken was proof that the prophecy was from the Lord, and the fulfillment was proof that the man was not a false prophet.
In The Present
The apostle Paul warned the elders in Ephesus that false people would enter and teach wrong things to deceive them. He wrote: “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:27-32).
In addition to the warning in this passage, Paul gave one of the remedies to protect from or correct the false teachers: “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace” (v.32). The Lord had said to His disciples, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you in all truth” (Jn. 16:13). We, as believers, have the Holy Spirit living in us, and it is He who declares the things of Christ to us (1 Cor. 6:19; Jn. 16:14).
Many believers have testified that they heard a message given and afterward were not at peace in their hearts as they heard things that disquieted their soul. Then, reading a passage elsewhere in Scripture they saw a verse which corrected the wrong teaching. This is the work of the Holy Spirit leading into all truth through the Word of God. “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things … But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (1 Jn. 2:20,27).
First John 4:1-3 declares very emphatically that anyone who comes with a false teaching about the person of the Lord Jesus is a false prophet. This is one of the most important and yet simple ways to recognize one who is false. It is if they bring that which is contrary to the person of the Lord Jesus. John mentioned the test that the Lord Jesus came in the flesh – that the Man Jesus Christ is God. Second John 7 repeats this warning: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.”
The Lord spoke of deceivers who would come. He said, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Mt. 7:15-16; please read to v.20).
Not only does the content of their teaching reveal false teachers, but they may also be recognized by their character and behavior. First John 2:4-6 tells us, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Keeping the Word is absolutely necessary.
We are warned that false teachers would multiply, and in order for us to recognize them God has informed us about their character. Second Timothy 3:1-7 says, “Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Then in 2 Timothy 3:9–4:4 the Holy Spirit has provided the standard to assess and judge: the Scriptures, the Word of God. This is an important passage, showing us that the Word of God is that which judges the character and actions and teachings of all. It exposes that which is false, both as to doctrine and to the purity of one’s life.
Jude wrote with a desire to speak about encouraging things – the common salvation. Yet, the Spirit led him to write about ungodly men who were false, men who turned the grace of God to licentiousness – the disregarding of what is morally right – and denied the only Lord God. Such men had crept into their company. He then gave descriptions of what type of men they were: “given … over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh … defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries … whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves … have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit … serving only themselves … grumblers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage … mockers … who walk according to their own ungodly lusts … sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (vv.7-8,10-12,16,18-19). From the writings of Jude we see the behavior and manner of walk of those who are false.
This was reiterated by Peter: “There were … false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words” (2 Pet. 2:1-3). He identified the false teachers as being selfish, sensual, covetous and devious, and as blasphemers – first secretly but becoming bolder as they fool many.
Truly, we need to test every spirit to see if it is of God!
The first test is the Word of God. Teaching must be in agreement with the whole Word of God. We see it is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into all truth and give us peace if we are in harmony with Him.
The second test is that there is a correct manner of life: The life and behavior of those who teach must be in harmony with the Word of God. Is the life, instead, characterized by ungodly behavior and arguments?
These are the measuring sticks for correctly judging every spirit. But, for us to judge correctly, we need to be in harmony with the Lord ourselves, applying His Word to our lives and thoughts. We must be fervent in prayer and dependent on Him in all things. Then, we also have His promise: “the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Th. 3:3).
—Answered by Albert Blok