Matthew 7:15

The Sermon On The Mount: Recognizing False Prophets

¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. ¹⁵  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶ You 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, believe not every spirit, but test 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 tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you 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 false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who shall secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Luke 6:26

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

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that worked miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Isaiah 9:15-16

The elder and honorable, he is the head; and 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 sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a worthless thing, 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 you; but you make this people to trust in a lie.

Jeremiah 29:21

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Mahseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

Jeremiah 29:32

Therefore thus says the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his descendants: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, says the LORD; because he has taught rebellion against the LORD.

Ezekiel 13:16

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

Ezekiel 13:22

Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way, to save his life:

Ezekiel 22:25

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in her midst.

Ezekiel 22:27

Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

Micah 3:5-7

Thus says the LORD : Concerning the prophets who make my people stray, who bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that puts nothing into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

Micah 3:11

Her heads judge for reward, and her priests teach for hire, and her prophets divine for money: yet will they lean upon 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 leave not a bone till the morning.

Zechariah 13:4

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

Matthew 10:17

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will 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

How is it that you do not understand that I spoke not to you concerning bread, that you should 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 show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive 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 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 it were possible, even the elect.

Luke 12:15

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

John 10:12

But he that is a hireling, and not the 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 that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;

Acts 20:29-31

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

Romans 16:17-18

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

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

Galatians 2:4

And because of false brethren brought in unawares, who came in secretly to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

Ephesians 4:14

That we from now on be no more 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 man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Philippians 3:2

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

1 Timothy 4:1-3

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

2 Timothy 3:5-9

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:13

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

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they draw to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2 Peter 2:18-19

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that have just escaped from them who live in error.

2 Peter 3:17

You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.

Jude 1:4

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into licentiousness, and denying the only Lord God, 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 spoke as a 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 wondered with great wonder.

Isaiah 56:10-11

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

Acts 13:6

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