"If a prophet, or one who foretells by
dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and
if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us
follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you
must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is
testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all
your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.
Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or
dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord
your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery;
he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to
follow. You must purge the evil from among you" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuteronomy" target="" rel="">Deuteronomy</a>&nbsp;13:1–5&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_International_Version" target="" rel="">NIV</a>).

 Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some people is
simultaneously considered a "false prophet" by others, even within
the same ‘religion’ as the "prophet" in question.&nbsp;

 1. False Authority&nbsp; False
prophets always claim to have access to information you can't otherwise access
without them. If God had a message for you, don't you think it could be
conveyed by a mean other than through a guy with perfect hair, capped teeth and
a $5,000 suit or robe WHOM YOU CANT REACH DIRECTLY?

&nbsp;

 2. False Hope Along with
this authority, there is some sort of reassurance or certainty offered. But
it's always transactional or conditional in nature. Buy tickets to my show,
purchase my book, come see me on tour or put your check in the offering plate
and I'm make sure you get the hope you're looking for. But that's another thing
about this brand of hope: it's always hope for something. But God isn't a
vending machine. God doesn't sit back and wait for us to pray hard enough or
earnestly enough before giving up the goods. True hope is independent of
conditions or circumstances, just like real love doesn't require anything in
return. Both simply exist for the sake of themselves. Conditional, contingent
hope is really just a wish.

&nbsp;

 3. False Perfection All of the
folks who take on these personas (yes, they're playing characters) put on an
air of flawlessness that seems kind of grotesque and cartoonish from
arms-length. But this is a very necessary part of the formula, because they
represent the absence of every problem that you or I seek to escape. They have
unique or weird clothing and they are never, ever sad not prone to much
smiling. If they just seemed like a regular person, why would we want to
emulate their lives?

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 4. False Gospel Your life
could be so much better, more meaningful, more complete, if only (fill in the
blank). This kind of good news hucksterism, which is hardly the sole purview of
Christian preachers, always suggests that all of the imperfections, problems,
senses of lack, want, etc, can all go away if you get the formula right.
Ultimately all of these schemes are about chasing a fleeting feeling or some
nonexistent sense of total fulfillment which simply isn't real. And to suggest
that Jesus' primary message was that it's all about you, and that your
happiness is what matters most, is a gross distortion of the Gospel.

&nbsp;

 5. False Healing Along these lines, there's a temporary sense of fulfillment that
comes from throwing yourself completely into the illusion that this person can
give you everything you want or need. There's a rush, not unlike doing drugs,
or skydiving or having sex. But just like those things, the good feelings fade
and you're still you in the end, with all the same longings, scars and
imperfections. Only now, you still have the lingering realization that the
thing you tried to heal yourself from all of these woes didn't work. So you're
left with trying to chase after the next thing that promises the same kind of
healing, or with the knowledge that you've been suckered. And by then, the
false prophet has already moved on to the next mark.

&nbsp;

 A true prophet is a truth-teller, one who sees
and names things for what they really are, not for what we want them to be.
They're often unpopular for their claims, because they challenge the false
constructs of a culture that it tries to use to distract itself from dealing
with its real issues. But even if the truths such prophets claim aren't
necessary pleasant, they do present an opportunity for liberation: from the
illusion that suffering or pain is your fault; from the misconception that the
goal of life is personal satisfaction; from the wasted time, energy and money
expended on trying to achieve such nonexistent aspirations.

<h3><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A1-6&amp;version=ESV" target="" rel="">1 John 4:1-6</a>&nbsp;</h3>

Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false
prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world
already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who
is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore
they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

<h3><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A1&amp;version=ESV" target="" rel="">1 John 4:1</a>&nbsp;</h3>

Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false
prophets have gone out into the world.

<h3><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+2%3A1&amp;version=ESV" target="" rel="">2 Peter 2:1</a>&nbsp;</h3>

But false prophets also arose
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will
secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

<h3><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A15&amp;version=ESV" target="" rel="" title="Link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A15&amp;version=ESV">Matthew 7:15</a>&nbsp;</h3>

“Beware of false prophets, who
come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

<h3><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+24%3A24&amp;version=ESV" target="" rel="">Matthew 24:24</a>&nbsp;</h3>

For false christs and false
prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray,
if possible, even the elect.

5 Traits of a False Prophet

Useful links

Company

Information

Content Writers

Freelancers

Freelance Jobs

Online Jobs

Designers

Developers

Translations