Return to Index.

What Does The Bible Say About Prophets?
March 5, 2022

What does the Bible say about prophets? We’re talking about people not making money in a business deal. In the Old Testament, it was the prophets who brought the message of God to the people, bypassing the priesthood. The priesthood taught what was written in the Old Testament, but when it came to bringing the message of God to the people it was the prophets. The message they often brought was a message of God’s displeasure with the people and pivoted to look forward to a future time of peace, what we think of as the Kingdom of God. Sometimes that message of God focused on the sin of the people and at other times it focused on the oppression of people by the priesthood and others in power.

In the modern era, we tend not to think of prophets, and yet they are a part of the ministry as given by Paul. Prophets are listed along with apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Each of these positions are needed within the church, and within the Church of God, there aren’t that many prophets. It’s almost as if the Church believes it doesn’t need to hear a message from God, and that is a real head-scratcher. These offices of ministry including prophets all work together for the benefit of those who are called until there is unity of the faith that brings us collectively into a very Christ-like frame of mind. Since we are not yet at that point, there is a need for prophets even within the Church of God.

Ephesians 4:11-13
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Imagine how a modern conversation would go with a prophet of God at a bank. The loan officer would say something like, “What is your profession?” The prophet would answer, “I’m a prophet of God.” The loan officer might reply with “Really? Are you approved or denied for the loan?” Others might ask for five numbers and a bonus number matched to a specific date and point spreads on sporting events. Whether the prophet is demeaned by society, and my guess is to some degree the prophet would be, prophets have a very high responsibility before God with a unique punishment ascribed to them. First and foremost, a prophet will never seek to separate a person from God or to introduce people to teachings of other religions. In the Old Testament, prophets who tried to influence people to leave God were to be put to death. Today, we wouldn’t take any type of physical or emotional action against such a person, but we would separate ourselves from that person.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee

In addition not trying to influence people to leave God, prophets were to relay the message of God, not their own message. Prophets who tried to relay their own message even if it did not sway people to leave God, in the Old Testament were to be put to death. Again, today we would not bring any physical or emotional harm to such a person and would separate ourselves from this person. Here’s the kicker, God tells us that if a prophet says something and it does not come to pass, the prophet was not relaying the words of God, and merely reflected the personal preferences of the prophet. Even in this situation, in the Old Testament that prophet was to die, and again today we do not bring any physical or emotional harm to another person, we would separate ourselves from that person.

Deuteronomy 18:15-22
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

And the verses we have just read are probably why we don’t have very many prophets in God’s Church today. Instead, we have speculators. Unfortunately, speculator is not an office of the ministry as listed in Ephesians four verse eleven. When speculation is given as if it is prophecy, I believe it is only people with an adolescent mind who believes they are immune from what is written in these verses from Deuteronomy because of a technical use of language. Hiding behind a shield of technical use of language with verses such as Matthew 24:36 which reads, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only,” allows these people to believe they can know the month and year.

God does not want to bring a surprise to his people. In relationships, some surprises can be very overwhelming. I recall a movie decades ago where a man traveled to another continent to have his wife sign a divorce settlement. His wife was living among indigenous people and unknown to him, she had given birth to his son who was raised as a tribal member of the rain forest indigenous people with whom they lived. The man unknowingly made a commitment to bring his son with him back to the city where he lived, and because of the custom of the people, he could not argue his way out of what he had promised. In returning to his city, he phoned his girlfriend, the reason for the trip to get the divorce settlement signed, and told her he was bringing her a surprise, and in his mind he meant his son, who was only accustomed to living in a rain forest as an indigenous person. She was thinking something else. Imagine her surprise.

God does not want his people to be surprised. God promises that when he does something, it will be done only after first after having this revealed to the prophets, if you can find the prophets.

Amos 3:3-9
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

Jeremiah shows a cycle of oppression that occurs because of false prophets and how priests will use their false message to control people. And then Jeremiah shows that people love false messages until they get to the end result.

Jeremiah 5:26-31
For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

People who love the message of false prophets may like unwarranted verbal abuse about how evil they are when in fact they might not be evil in the eyes of God. It’s likely that many people who love the message of a false prophet are hearing a message that in some way minimizes wickedness or uses deceit to gloss over the actual needs of people while they themselves live a comfortable lifestyle.

When listening to any message purported to be from God, we need to check to see if the message is indeed from God or a self-serving message. God will not impart a blessing to those who despise Him, and yet false prophets can be very good in bridging this chasm by explaining and teaching people to do whatever they want without any regard to what God would expect while also teaching that God will not bring harm to them. It’s sort of like saying to go ahead and rebel against God and God will approve of your rebellion. There will be no blessing to these people. God does not need a prophet to bring a blessing to you. If a blessing is warranted for a person, God is quite able to directly bring that blessing to the person. For many who are deceived by false prophets, they often don’t know they have been deceived until it is too late.

Jeremiah 23:11-21
For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Ezekiel’s message was in part a message to foolish prophets who did not speak for God and instead spoke their own mind, being very creative in what they interpreted as the message of God, even if their creativity was a lie with intent to deceive, including lies of peace when there was not peace and desires to build a strong wall that would be proven to be full of holes. The message of Ezekiel to Jerusalem was when other prophets spoke of peace, God wanted Jerusalem to know there would be no peace.

Ezekiel 13:1-16
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar: Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.

In his first letter, John tells us to prove the spirits, because there are many false prophets in the world. There were many false prophets in the world when Christianity was a much smaller religion. If there were many false prophets then, it would correlate that there are many more false prophets today who look at Jesus as a man not the son of God who came in the flesh for the forgiveness of our sins.

1 John 4:1-6
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

In his second letter, Peter writes about false prophets and false teachers who secretly bring in heresies. These are the people who speak from a hidden agenda who sound like an angel of light who may even have a hard time accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and God as the Father. In time, these are the people who through their actions, the truth will be reviled. It is not the truth that these people speak that cause evil to be spoken of the truth. It is their false teachings, their false prophecies, their over reliance on speculation as a substitute for prophecy that causes the truth to be spoken evil of. In recent years, some in God’s Church have claimed Biblical prophecy as the reason for a particular President’s election, or that another person would be the last person elected as President, or that Jesus Christ would return by a certain year. Speaking about future events as if it were prophecy or speculation and being wrong is all it takes to have truth spoken of as evil. The false predictions are not the truth that is spoken evil of. Everything else that may be truth is what gets dragged into that pile. People think if the prophecies are wrong, so must be the teachings. Peter also warns that there are false prophets and teachers who are into the numbers game. They use numbers as a sign that they are doing the work of God. When numbers are increasing, to them it is a sign that there is a great and mighty work to be done and when numbers decrease, it is a sign that the end must be rapidly approaching. God compares these false prophets and false teachers to the demons, all who lost their life in Noah’s flood, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. If God saved Lot from the evil of his day, and saved Noah from the evil of his day, God can save each of us from the evil of our day. False prophets and false teachers are not needed.

2 Peter 2:1-9
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds; The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Even though a prophet is part of the ministerial offices outlined by Paul in Ephesians four verse eleven, and even though God’s message came through the prophets in the Old Testament, God’s message today comes to us through Jesus Christ. When it comes to messages from God If all we understand is the message of Jesus Christ and there is no other prophetic word that our ears hear, that message of Jesus Christ coupled with everything else that is written in the Bible, including any and all actions we must take will be sufficient for salvation.

Hebrews 1:1-2
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

There is no secret message that we need to hear for salvation. The message from Jesus Christ coupled with everything else in the Bible including any and all actions we must take will be sufficient for salvation. Just like there is no secret message, no secret prophecy, no hidden prophecy, Jesus Christ is not hidden nor will He be hidden at His return. There will be false Christs and false prophets who will deceive many through what looks like a miracle, and these actions which will really look like a miracle will be so convincing that it could fool even the very elect. This is a prophecy Jesus Christ gives us, that he will not appear from out of the wilderness after a secret return to earth or rebirth on earth. When Jesus Christ returns it will be obvious to all like the rising of the sun, or knowing that a dead animal is below circling scavenger birds.

Matthew 24:23-28
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

False prophets are often well entrenched in society to the point where they are not only accepted, they are held in a special place of honor, all while people do not understand the falsehood of their message.

Luke 6:24-26
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul wrote of false apostles who are deceitful workers. These false apostles who are deceitful workers seek an occasion to further their message masquerading as an angel of light. The occasion that false prophets use is anything commonly known that can in some way be linked to prophecy. As I was preparing this sermon it could be said there were wars and rumors of war. False prophets who twist current events for their advantage will also provide excuses when what they said did not happen. When a person consistently provides a false narrative regarding prophecy, their error will eventually become manifest to all who hear their message.

2 Corinthians 11:7-15
Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

There is much to have been said about the mark of the beast. From Revelation we are told that the beast will cause all regardless of income status to get a mark in their right hand or forehead, and that verse has caused wild speculation which is effectively treated as prophecy. From Revelation all we know is there will be this mark of the beast either in the forehead or right hand, but we do not know what it will be.

Revelation 13:11-18
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The very next verse in Revelation fourteen verse one gives us a contrast to consider.

Revelation 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

The 144,000 have the name of God the Father written on their forehead meaning they are marked with the name of God in their forehead compared to the vast majority of people who are marked with the mark of the beast in their forehead or right hand. Will we be owned by God or by the beast? Listening to a false prophet will probably lead us in the wrong direction. False prophets outwardly appear calm and gentle and in reality are looking for an easy score, much like an animal of prey hunts for the weakest animal. If you are not sure if a person is good or evil, look to the result of what they do. Do their actions result in good, or do their actions result in evil?

Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Timothy was warned to preach the word in season and out of season to prove the word of God, to rebuke others of their errors, and to encourage people to endure to the end. Paul also warned Timothy that people will leave the truth because they have itching ears, meaning they want to hear something new, and will depart from the faith preferring to follow made up stories instead of what is in the Bible. Paul warned Timothy to exercise caution and to be ready to endure hardship.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

If by their fruits we will know them, then we must know that the fruits Jesus was speaking of is the fruit of the Spirit, broadly explained as goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Ephesians 5:6-9
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;

In Galatians we are given a more focused view of the fruit of the spirit and this is contrasted by the lust of the flesh. As a person grows the fruit of the spirit, the lust of the flesh has less of a draw. A person who is entrenched in the works of the flesh is not a spiritually minded person, just as a person who is entrenched in the fruit of the spirit is not entrenched in the works of the flesh. As we become more spiritually minded, the works of the flesh subside. It is by the fruit of the Spirit that we are to be known. When Jesus said to evaluate a person by their fruit, are they within the works of the flesh or are they within the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:16-26
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

What does the Bible say about Prophets? Avoid the false prophets and prove all by their works. Be cautious with those who are living a life within the works of the flesh and look for those who are living a life within the fruit of the Spirit. Look to their words. If what they say doesn’t happen, it is because they are not relaying a message from God, they are relaying a message that originated with them. By their fruit, you will know them.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information