What Validates a True Prophet?

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What Validates a True Prophet?

Is it signs and wonders? That’s the question we are exploring. Many believe miraculous signs are proof of divine authority, but Scripture tells a different story.

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1. False Prophets Can Perform Signs and Wonders

Let’s begin with Jeremiah 14:14–15:

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them. They prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send… By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.’”

Here, God makes it clear that false prophets may use His name but are not truly sent by Him. Their messages are rooted in deceit, not divine truth.

In Deuteronomy 13:1–2, Moses warns:

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, and he says, ‘Let us go after other gods...’”

Even if the sign comes to pass, if the message leads people away from the true God, the prophet is false.

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2. Miraculous Signs Alone Do Not Confirm Truth

God warns that signs and wonders can be used as deceptive tools. Just because a person performs miracles doesn’t mean they speak for God. Humans are easily influenced by their five senses—what we see, hear, and feel—which makes us vulnerable to deception.

Deuteronomy 13:3 explains the purpose of this testing:

“For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

False prophets serve as a test. True believers will not be led astray. As Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

If someone persistently follows a false prophet, it may reveal they were never truly rooted in Christ.

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3. How to Discern a True Prophet

In Deuteronomy 18:21–22, the people ask:

“How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?”

The answer:

“When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”

The key word here is “presumptuously”—speaking in God's name without His command. In Scripture, this word always carries a negative connotation. It represents arrogant, self-appointed speech not backed by divine authority.

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4. True Prophecy Must Align with the Great Prophet—Jesus Christ

Today, no prophet has authority apart from Christ, the final and ultimate Prophet. Anyone claiming prophetic authority that contradicts Christ is false.

To speak "in the name of the Lord" means more than just saying “Thus says the Lord.” It means representing God in both message and authority—like a sheriff acts in the name of the town they serve. Speaking “in the name of God” is about divine commission, not formulaic language.

Even if someone uses Scripture or spiritual-sounding language, if they do not live under the authority of Christ, they are a false prophet.

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5. Case Study: Jeremiah vs. Hananiah

In Jeremiah 28:9, the true test is given:

“As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

Contrast this with Jeremiah 28:10, where Hananiah—a false prophet—takes the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and breaks it, symbolically rejecting God’s message of coming judgment. Hananiah proclaims peace when God had declared bondage. His prophecy was false, though it sounded appealing.

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6. Final Warning (Deuteronomy 18:20)

“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak... that prophet shall die.”

There is a sharp distinction between:

• A prophet who speaks under God’s authority, with truth that comes to pass, and

• A false prophet who speaks presumptuously, misleading others.

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Conclusion

True prophets speak what God has commanded, and what they say will come to pass. False prophets may show signs, perform wonders, and even speak convincingly, but they do not represent God if their message:

• Leads away from God,

• Contradicts Christ,

• Or fails to come true.

God allows false prophets to test His people. But those who know His voice will not be deceived.

“By their fruits you will know them.” —Matthew 7:20

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