“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Mt 7:15)
False prophets are not recognized by their prophecies, their miracles or their power, but by their fruit. Yeshua said: “You will recognize them by their fruits.” (v. 16) Balaam gave powerful prophecies. They make up almost two entire chapters of the Holy Scriptures. They were accurate and they were anointed, prophesying even about the coming of Messiah. And yet, Balaam stands out in the Bible as the very prototype of a false prophet. The Apostles warn us about Balaam three times, using him as the primary example of all false prophets:
“Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.” (2 Pe 2:15)
“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.” (Jud v. 11)
“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” (Rev 2:14)
What is the fruit we are to look for in order to recognize false prophets? Yeshua explains it clearly. We are to detect the false prophets by their lack of obedience to God’s commandments!
“Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (v. 20-23)
The will of the Father is laid out to us in the Scriptures. Check to see if the preacher diligently respects God’s Word and is careful to practice what it says! That is how you can detect a false prophet.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (v. 24-27)
John the Baptist, the greatest of all men born by women and the one who was even more than a prophet (Mt 11:9-11), received the following testimony:
“’John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man [Yeshua] was true.’ And many believed in him [Yeshua] there.” (Jn 10:41-42)
Signs and wonders are not the main criteria for recognizing a true prophet. The main calling of a prophet is obey God’s instructions in His Word and to point the people to the Messiah, in word and in deed.
