Article on the phenomenon of false prophets in what so called churches.
The foundational scripture: Matthew 7:15-23.

False prophets are not a new phenomenon of the day; they have been there since the Old Testament. God was concerned about them because they are misleading people from God to worship other gods of this world. In New Testament Jesus was also concerned, and he warned people from them.

The dangers of false prophets not in their existence only but they are difficult to decern especially in Africa where people came from the African Traditional Religion (ATR)background where people are used to consult spirits for any problem is paramount. As a result, when those who claim to be pastors and prophets appear in churches they believe it without any hesitation. Another problem with false prophets is that what they speak and teach look exactly like God’s word and they are God’s messengers; nobody is dared to question or even doubting. They quote scriptures out of context.

It is the role of pastors who are theologically well trained to help their flock through biblical teaching to know who those prophets are and how to decern them. This article is to address this issue staring with definition of the false prophets, why did God warn his children from them, how will you decern them, and finally what did God say about them and what do God value in our relations with him as far as prophesy and dreams are concern.

By definition, according to Greek language, the false prophet is one who claims to be a prophet and is not and thus proclaims what is false. (Ezek. 22:28).
Why did God warn his children from these false prophets? These prophets are not from God but from the laying spirit aiming to mislead God’s people from the right way and follow other gods of this world. (Lamentation: 2:14).

How will you discern the false prophecy?
Jeremiah 28:9. It says from ESV. “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” So, without many exegeses, the scripture is clear that whatever any prophet spoken, it will not come to pass unless God is the one who sent him otherwise if did not happen then he is not sent by God but by either himself or Satan. (Deuteronomy 18:22).

How to discern the false prophet?
It is not easy to just judge any person to be false prophet by using any other measure apart from the word of God. Jesus said you will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7: 16-18). Fruits are the products of any tree, and it identifies the tree from one another, no tree can just change its fruits to the one which is not in its DNA. Unless it is grafted but this also not normal or natural. Therefore, Jesu use this analogy to tell us, that those false prophets are from their origin are not from God but themselves or devil. Their fruits are their actions and behaviors. Most of the false prophets are adulterers, they marry and remarry without any proper reason but just to satisfy themselves, some are fornicators sleeping with ladies who are not married yet, some love money and faking miracles to draw people’s attention and attract many followers which he also manipulates and makes money out of them etc.

Finally, what did God said about his word compared to dreams and prophesy?
(Jeremaih 23:25-28.) God said he have heard what the prophets said who prophesy lies in his name, saying, they have dreamed, they have dreamed. And God said they are prophesying deceit of their own heart. And the purpose of their false prophesy is to make people of God to forget God’s name, by those dreams, and God said that is from Baal the false God. Finally, God compared his word with dreams, he called dreams straw, and the word is the seed of the wheat. Meaning the word of God is what we have to follow not dreams or prophesies.