Six Tests for Prophets

There are at least six tests for prophets that I know of:

1. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then tries to lead others into idolatry, polytheism, and / or into the abandonment of the commandments in the biblical revelation, even if he / she can perform miraculous signs or predict the future accurately, that person is a false prophet (Deu 13:1-5; See also 1Cor 14:37).

2. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then predicts a time-specified thing that does not occur in time-and-space, that person is a false prophet (Deu 18:21,22; See also Jer 28:9).

3. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then lives an unrighteous lifestyle, or a seemingly righteous lifestyle that nevertheless results in him / her deriving significant material benefit from God's people, or if he / she affirms people in their sins, that person is a false prophet (Mat 7:15-20, See also Jer 23:9-40; Eze 13:1-16).

4. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then says via "the Spirit" something akin to "May Jesus be cursed," that person is a false prophet (1Cor 12:3).

5. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then cannot say via "the Spirit" something akin to "Jesus is Lord," that person is a false prophet (1Cor 12:3; Mat 22:43; Rom 10:9,10).

6. If a prophet claims to speak for God / Jesus, then cannot say or affirm directly, and that via "the Spirit," when asked if Jesus Christ came and is returning in the flesh, that person is a false prophet (1Joh 4:1,2; Cf. 2Joh 1:7).

-Michael Millier