Thursday: False Prophets in the New Testament
Daily Lesson for Thursday 22nd of October 2026
Read Matthew 24:23-24. What does Jesus warn us about here? Why should we take this warning so seriously?
Jesus Himself couldn’t have been clearer: “ ‘For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect’ ” (Matthew 24:24, NKJV).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
The deceptions that He warns about must be quite persuasive, if, indeed, “great signs and wonders” will be part of it. Supernatural events, in and of themselves, are not evidence of God’s working, however persuasive they can appear. We have supernatural enemies. As Paul has warned us: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV). And these powers work through false prophets.
In fact, false prophets are nothing new. The New Testament refers to the false prophets in Old Testament times (Luke 6:26). In the New Testament, false prophets are likened to “ ‘ravenous wolves’ ” who are “ ‘in sheep’s clothing’ ” (Matthew 7:15, NKJV), and we are told that we will “ ‘know them by their fruits’ ” (Matthew 7:16, NKJV).
Their main work is deception (Matthew 7:17-20). Jesus Himself declared that “ ‘many false prophets will rise up and deceive many’ ” (Matthew 24:11, NKJV), and “ ‘if possible, even the elect’ ” (Matthew 24:24, NKJV; see also Mark 13:22, 1 John 4:1).
According to Ephesians 6:10-18, how can we shield ourselves from any kind of deception?
Living by faith, putting on the “breastplate of righteousness,” being girded in the “truth,” along with surrendering to the Holy Spirit through prayer, and being grounded in His Word—these are the ways we can be protected from all that would otherwise lead us spiritually and theologically astray.
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What can you do to arm yourself better against all the deceptions sweeping our world? |
I am rather surprised that the lesson authors did not include this verse in today’s lesson:
Last year, I wrote a post on Artificial Intelligence, specifically the Large Language Model (LLM) for Sabbath School Net in which I used an example of asking Gemini about the use of the terms “Type” and “Antitype” by Christians. From its previous interaction with me it knew I was a Seventh-day Adventist, and it gave me a very “Adventist” answer. LLMs remember previous conversations and try their best to please you, so that you keep on coming back for more.
Many of the algorithms driving social media and other online activities are based on the idea of pleasing the client. Try it out on Youtube. Earlier this year I was in the situation where I needed to buy a new birding lens. The old one seized up and was unrepairable. I started looking at YouTube reviews of the replacement lens. It got rave reviews. I wanted that lens and the YouTube algorithm reinforced the idea it was a good lens. I had to adjust my search criteria to ensure II was getting the unfavourable reviews as well. It is basic human psychology, and Social Media moguls know and exploit it.
The same applies in our spiritual lives. We follow what we like rather than what is good for us. And that is how false prophets get you hooked. An extreme example of this is the cult phenomenon. But we can also get caught up in other less extreme false prophets for the same reason – they tell us what we want to or have conditioned ourselves to hear. There are plenty of “Seventh-day Adventist” YouTube channels that tickle your ears with the flavour of Adventism that you like to hear. And once you watch one you will get more suggestions of the same persuasion.
I could offer the catechistic answer about reading the Bible and following the Holy Spirit but so many of the modern social media “prophets” already claim that. I guess that in my own viewing, I tend to be a tad cynical about what I view. And another thing that is important is to have good friends in our faith community with whom you disagree.
In our interaction with one another, the Holy Spirit can act on both of us. In the right spirit, discussion can unify.
The teacher/prophet of favorable false teachings was very rampant soon before Israel was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. This was so much so that the life of a true prophet/teacher was imperfect, if not a martyr. Thank-you for giving us 1 Timothy 4:3 Maurice.
The author did not mention Matthew 7:15- 20. Christ warning us of false prophets and how to identify them.
Ya, AI or SI, as our President renamed it, can be misleading if we don’t use references from hardcover and reliable sources. I thought it of value to point out that people can put false info in an article that of literature suposable reputation, then AI picked it up not knowing right from wrong and the public picked it up as AI has the truth always.
Don’t take off to long missed you Friday and no Sabbath post yet. God bless you 🙏
The Bible speaks extensively about false prophets. However, one of the greatest and most dangerous false prophets may be oneself. Human beings have a tendency to deceive themselves, offering themselves false hope and comfort, much like the false prophets who assured the people that all was well when, in reality, it was not. In the same way, we often prophesy falsehoods to ourselves, telling ourselves what we want to hear rather than confronting the truth, even when we know deep down that things are not well. We deceive ourselves with comforting illusions and unfounded hopes rather than face reality. We become our own false prophet by telling the heart what it wants to hear rather than what God says. The Bible repeatedly warns against the danger of self-deception.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).
How many times do people comfort themselves with the following words;
– “God will understand” when, in the true sense, we do not want to change.
– “I can deal with this sin later.” False prophesying.
– “I am not doing anything seriously wrong.” Simply justifying oneself.
– “I am a good person; God knows my heart” Simply self-justification.
Some of the above statements may have some elements of truth in them; however, normally they are said when one wants to avoid obeying a certain truth. This is the real self-deception. Using false comfort to conceal an uncomfortable truth is an effort to deceive God. Human beings are good at concealing the cracks instead of repairing them. We cannot whitewash the truth with falsehood. We cannot wish a wrong relationship to be right no matter how much we conceal it. We can hide from humans, but we cannot hide from God. False prophets deceive themselves into thinking they are smarter than God.
“Let no man deceive himself.” (1 Corinthians 3:18,KJV)
Self-assessment can easily become self-deception. We need to invite an impartial judge to examine our hearts and motives. David understood the danger of self-assessment.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24, KJV)
Brother Omwenga thanks for sharing this edification message unto us,it truly reviews how we give false prophecy to our inner hearts. We are required to overcome ourselves from such a deception if we focus on Christ.
Jesus warned of false prophets who appeared harmless and sincere, coming in “sheep’s clothing,” while inwardly being “ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The greatest danger lies in how they disguise error with spiritual language of love, peace, and truth while distorting their meaning to suit their own message. Christ’s message therefore called believers to exercise discernment and test every teaching against God’s Word. “Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). As much as a message might sound godly, the true character is revealed by whether it remains faithful to Christ and His truth.
The bible says that false prophets will increase and deceive many, saying, “Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). This warning remains relevant today, as the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world alongside teachings that distort its message. Paul cautions that some will depart from the truth, while others will teach what people desire to hear rather than what is spiritually sound (2 Timothy 4:3–4). Therefore, believers must remain watchful, rooted in Scripture, and committed to the truth of Christ. As Paul reminds us, we must “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), ensuring that we are not led away from the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14).
I‘d like to put together what Maurice and Omwenga mentioned:
We follow what we like rather than what is good for us. And that is how false prophets get us hooked.
We become our own false prophets by telling the heart what it wants to hear rather than what God says. The Bible repeatedly warns against self deception.“
Against the subtlety of self deception, the only remedy is: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.“ Ephesians 6
It‘s so true that we at times fail to put on this armor. We get busy with our own pursuits and many times we try to fight in our own strength.
I like what one author wrote: “Putting on God‘s armor isn‘t like dressing with clothes from your closet. There‘s no mixing and matching, so switching out for whatever the season may require. It is applied by faith daily.“
Are we taking it seriously that all the enemy wants is to destroy our faith and drag us to hell?
May the Lord help us understand that we are tempted and unarmed and let Him always be our warrior God.
Hello..I would like to ask some questions concerned this week Sabbath school lesson.
1. We have seen GOD uses also women in ministry. We have seen prophetess like Deborah, etc
The question is, why there is no church leaders who are women?! Why can’t women baptize people, Why aren’t women ordained through the laying on of hands?”
2. Why Paul said that women should remain quite in church?!
Help me with those questions please.
You can find online discussions for and against this, but you need to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth to what scripture really says and means regarding this subject.
Sabbath School Net is probably not the place to ask such questions, but there are a couple of points of clarification:
Female “commissioned” ministers currently baptize just like male ordained ministers. The only difference is that female ministers cannot be conference presidents or “higher.”
A significant percentage of female leaders also served in the General Conference administration early in our church’s history.
Jesus said,
That should be food for thought on the subject of “higher” or “lower” positions in the church.
If any of our readers are interested in the meaning of “ordination” as it appears to be currently practiced, the video “The History of Ordination” by Dr. Darius Jankiewicz is very helpful. Is it possible to reconcile this kind of “ordination” with Jesus’ words? (Warning: The video is over 2 1/2 hours long! You will probably want to bookmark it and watch it in several sessions. Because there is so much information, you may want to watch it again.)
My take: When the Seventh-day Adventist Church adopted “ordination” to designate authorized pastors, I believe they meant it more like we use “commissioned” today. From my study of the biblical usage of “ordained” in the New Testament, it also appears to be used in the sense of “commissioned.”
How do you see it? (On this blog, we are opting not to discuss women’s ordination, as such, because it generates a lot of controversy. But we should be able to discuss Bible truths and historical facts in a spirit of love.)
I believe it is one of Satan’s strategies to seduce us into depending on human reasoning without the aid of the Holy Spirit. This is what Adam and Eve did in the garden. And now it is our modus operandi.
How is it there are over 20,000 denominations of Christianity all claiming the same book as their authority for what is truth? Our human reasoning is corrupted by sin and leads us to wrong conclusions unaided by the Holy Spirit. This has been my experience.
Satan even uses Scripture as he tried to do with Jesus. It shows us our total dependence on The Lord to save us.
May our constant prayer be, “Dear Lord Jesus, please save us from ourselves, the world, and the devil. “
The existence of prophetic claims is not itself evidence that a person is genuinely sent by God. Every such claim must be tested by Scripture.
This is particularly relevant to Seventh-day Adventists. We believe that God raised up Ellen G. White with the prophetic gift in connection with the Advent movement. Her first vision came in December 1844, and her ministry subsequently accompanied the development of the Advent movement and its distinctive understanding of such biblical truths as the heavenly sanctuary, Christ’s continuing ministry, the Sabbath, and the three angels’ messages.
Interestingly, the nineteenth century also saw the emergence of other movements making claims to special revelation or prophetic authority. Joseph Smith’s Latter-day Saint movement began in 1830, while Charles Taze Russell’s Bible-study movement emerged in the 1870s, eventually developing into the movement associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses. From an Adventist perspective, these movements contain teachings that conflict with important biblical truths restored or emphasized by the Advent movement. On that basis, it is reasonable for Adventists to regard their claimed revelations as false rather than divinely inspired.
The presence of counterfeit prophetic claims should not cause us to reject the possibility of genuine prophecy. Rather, it should cause us to test every prophetic claim carefully by the Word of God.
This also means that Adventists should not defend Ellen White merely by saying, “We believe she was a prophet.” Her prophetic ministry should likewise be examined according to the biblical tests for a prophet. Our confidence in her ministry should rest not simply on denominational tradition, but on whether her life, teachings, and prophetic ministry withstand the biblical standard.
There is an important lesson here for the church today: the existence of false prophets does not prove that there are no true prophets. It proves that God’s people must know the genuine well enough to recognize the counterfeit.
Thank you for listing the other “prophets” at the beginning of Ellen White’s ministry. I believe it is precisely because of them that Ellen preferred not to be called a “prophet.” The designation had been tainted by these other “prophets.”
Because false prophets are inspired and used by Satan’s unholy spirit our only protection is the armor of God in Ephesians 6. This needs to be done daily. We must also have the Holy Spirit to discern the truth from error. Truth isn’t always popular and what is popular isn’t always true.
Keep your ears clean so that they don’t start itching and you go searching for something pleasing the flesh to scratch them.
More than ever we need to be Bereans and compare everything we hear with the scripture. That is the measuring stick of spiritual truth, not our emotions and feelings. If we aren’t doing our own thinking then someone else will do it for us and the result could be destruction.
God’s Truth is unambiguous – our Creator God revealing Himself as the Great I AM. Once this fact has settled in the heart and mind, they will stop ‘arguing’ with Him and rest. Great comfort comes by daily reminding myself: “In repentance and rest is my Salvation, in quietness and trust is my strength.” Isaiah 30:15
False prophets find their ‘opening for deception’ when hearts and minds are still ‘unsettled’. Do we ignore or dismiss that our Creator God has offered us His Rest? To rest in Him, He gave us His Son Jesus Christ – His ‘Living Word of Truth’! Unless we still struggle with unfinished business – doubt and unrepentance -, resting in Him is not difficult.
God’s Truth reveals itself when resting in Jesus Christ. Talking with Inge, I wanted to point out that I believe our understanding of the ‘hight, depth, and breadth of God’s Truth’ is given by the Holy Spirit when our heart and mind is at rest. Wanting to establish a foothold in our heart and mind, spiritual error and falsehood rely on our mind wanting to discover God’s Truth by our own efforts.
It is the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth – which guides us into all truth – John 18:13-15; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-15. It is He which only speaks what He hears from the Father. Our safe harbor is to rest in the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ – His Truth – love and forgiveness. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and mind and LOVE His Truth, do not lean on your own understanding, and He will give you spiritual rest. Protection from error is only found when resting in Him – Prov.3:5; Matt.11:28.
Don’t trust in humans, only in God!