False prophets are spokesmen, heralds, or messengers who wrongly claim to speak for someone else, often God. These prophets are usually driven by a desire for popularity rather than loyalty to God. This was the key difference between the prophet Jeremiah and his contemporaries. While Jeremiah warned of disaster (Jeremiah 4:19), the false prophets promised peace (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11). The people preferred the comforting lies of the false prophets. They even said, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions” (Isaiah 30:10).
The message of a false prophet often appealed to national pride. They would remind the people that Israel was God's chosen nation. His temple was among them so that everything would be fine (Jeremiah 7:10). But Jeremiah warned them not to be deceived into thinking they were safe just because of the temple (Jeremiah 7:12–15). This conflict between God's true prophet and the national religion is seen in the story of Amos and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. Amaziah accused Amos of plotting against Israel (Amos 7:10–13). But, Amos was right. The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC and exiled the Israelites.
The false prophet's message aimed to please the people. It was driven by self-interest. Even if the false prophet did not mean to lie, his message often became false. It was based on wrong motives. This shows that even a true prophet could become false, and sometimes, a false prophet could be used by God for a good purpose. For example, God gave a vision to Balaam, a non-Israelite. He was caught between pleasing Balak, who hired him, and obeying the God of Israel, who spoke to him (Numbers 22–23). A story in 1 Kings 13 describes two nameless prophets. One is true, the other false. They suddenly switch roles. The false prophet speaks the truth. The true prophet is false due to his disobedience.
In another example, Jeremiah confronts Hananiah, the son of Azzur, in the temple. The two prophets deliver conflicting prophecies. A man from Gibeon, Hananiah, seemed a true prophet. He prophesied what the people wanted to hear: Babylon would soon fall. However, later events proved Hananiah’s prophecy to be wishful thinking. So, we can say that false prophecy is self-centred, misleading, and unrealistic.
The concept of the false prophet continues into the New Testament. Jesus warns of those who seem like harmless sheep. They are, in fact, wolves ready to destroy. He also cautioned his disciples that false messiahs would arise, trying to deceive even God’s chosen people (Matthew 24:24). The early church must have faced many such false prophets because the apostolic letters also warn against them (compare 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1). In these letters, "prophets" and "teachers" are often interchangeable. But, the original text calls them "false prophets." These false teachers pretend to be Christians but spread deceptive teachings. They may even perform miracles, but their power comes from evil spirits, not from the Spirit of Christ (compare Revelation 13:11–15).
False prophets, fraudulent spirits, and wrong teachings are ongoing problems in the church. Believers should always be on guard against those who cleverly distort the truth (compare Ephesians 4:14–16). They should test the spirits of prophets to see if they are from God or the evil one (1 Corinthians 12:10–11). We must not believe everyone who claims to have a message from God. We must "test" the spirits. We need to see if their message comes from the Holy Spirit. It should align with the truth that Jesus is the Son of God in human form (compare 1 John 4:1–3).