Ajay Kumar at 19:54, 28 September 2023

2023-09-28T19:54:07Z

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{{short description|Person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration}}
{{Distinguish|Fake Prophet}}
[[File:Signorelli-Antichrist and the devil.jpg|thumb|upright|250px|The [[Devil in Christianity|Devil]] whispers to the [[Antichrist]]; detail from ''Sermons and Deeds of the Antichrist'', [[Luca Signorelli]], 1501, [[Orvieto Cathedral]].]]

In [[religion]], a '''false prophet''' is a person who falsely claims the gift of [[prophecy]] or [[Revelation|divine inspiration]], or to speak for [[God]], or who makes such claims for [[evil]] ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true [[prophet]]" by some people is simultaneously considered a "false prophet" by others, even within the same religion as the "prophet" in question. In a wider sense, it is anyone who, without having it, claims a special connection to the [[deity]] and sets him or herself up as a source of spirituality, as an authority, preacher, or teacher. Analogously, the term is sometimes applied outside religion to describe someone who fervently promotes a theory that the speaker thinks is false.

==Christianity==
{{Main|Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation}}
{{See also|Christian eschatology|Prophets of Christianity|List of people claimed to be Jesus}}
{{Christian Eschatology}}
[[File:B Facundus 220v.jpg|250px|thumb|''Fate of The False Prophet'', [[Events of Revelation#Chapter 16|Revelation 16]], Beatus de Facundus, 1047]]

[[Christian eschatology]] originated with the [[Ministry of Jesus|public life and preaching of Jesus]].<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Rowland |author-first=Christopher |year=2010 |origyear=2007 |chapter=Part I: Historical Eschatology – The Eschatology of the New Testament Church |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=voEVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 |editor-last=Walls |editor-first=Jerry L. |title=The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology |location=[[Oxford]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=56–73 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195170498.013.0004 |doi-broken-date=1 August 2023 |isbn=9780195170498 |lccn=2006032576 |s2cid=171574084}}</ref> Throughout the [[New Testament]] and some of the [[New Testament apocrypha|early Christian apocryphal writings]], [[Jesus]] warns his [[Disciples of Jesus|disciples]] and [[Apostles of Jesus|apostles]] multiple times of both false prophets and [[false Messiah]]s, and believers are frequently adjured to beware of them and stay vigilant.<ref name="Aune 1983">{{cite book |last=Aune |first=David E. |author-link=David Edward Aune |year=1983 |chapter=The Prophecies of Jesus: Unmasking False Prophets |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cY3kedl8NMC&pg=PA222 |title=Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=222–229 |isbn=978-0-8028-0635-2 |oclc=9555379}}</ref><ref name="Chae 2006">{{cite book |last=Chae |first=Young S. |year=2006 |chapter=Matthew 7:15: False Prophets in Sheep's Clothing |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tliVZ-_MAOoC&pg=PA234 |title=Jesus as the Eschatological Davidic Shepherd: Studies in the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and in the Gospel of Matthew |location=[[Tübingen]] |publisher=[[Mohr Siebeck]] |series=Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe |volume=216 |pages=234–236 |isbn=978-3-16-148876-4 |issn=0340-9570}}</ref><ref name="France 2007">{{cite book |last=France |first=Richard T. |author-link=R. T. France |year=2007 |chapter=Scene 2: False Prophets |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ruP6J_XPCEC&pg=PA289 |title=The Gospel of Matthew |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] and [[Cambridge|Cambridge, U.K.]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=289–291 |isbn=978-0-8028-2501-8 |lccn=2007013488}}</ref>

===Gospels===
In the [[Sermon on the Mount]] ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|7:15-20|RSV}}), Jesus warns his followers of false prophets:<ref name="Aune 1983"/><ref name="Chae 2006"/><ref name="France 2007"/>

:"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits."

The [[canonical gospels]] address the same point of a false prophet predicting correctly, and Jesus predicted the future appearance of [[false Christ]]s and false prophets, affirming that they can perform great signs and miracles, for example, in the [[Olivet Discourse]] given on the [[Mount of Olives]]:

:"And Jesus began to say to them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ''I am he!'' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. [...] And then if any one says to you, ''Look, here is the Christ!'' or ''Look, there he is!'' do not believe it. False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; I have told you all things beforehand”." ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Mark|13:5-7|RSV}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Mark|13:21-23|RSV}})
:"Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ''I am the Christ'', and they will lead many astray. [...] And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. [...] Then if any one says to you, ''Lo, here is the Christ!'' or ''There he is!'', do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Lo, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ''Lo, he is in the wilderness'', do not go out; if they say, ''Lo, he is in the inner rooms'', do not believe it." ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|24:4-5|RSV}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|24:11|RSV}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|24:23-26|RSV}})

In the [[Gospel of Luke]], Jesus brought out an ethical application for his disciples using the analogy of false prophets in the Old Testament:

:"Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Luke|6:26|RSV}})

===Acts and Epistles===
In the [[Acts of the Apostles|Book of Acts]], the apostles [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] and [[Barnabas]] encountered a false prophet named [[Elymas|Elymas Bar-Jesus]] on the [[island of Cyprus]]:

: "When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord." ([[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Acts|13:6-12|RSV}})

This particular story likewise best matches the model found in [[Deuteronomy]]. The claim here is that Elymas is trying to turn [[Sergius Paulus]] from the true faith, just like the false prophet described in the preceding verses. In these verses, we do not see Elymas prophesying as the term is popularly understood, so the model seems to fit this scenario best.

The [[Second Epistle of Peter]] makes a comparison between false teachers and false prophets and how the former will bring in false teachings, just like the false prophets of old:

: "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them, the way of truth will be reviled. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep." ([[2 Peter]] {{Bibleverse-nb||2 Peter|2:1-3|RSV}})

The [[First Epistle of John]] warns those of the Christian faith to test every spirit because of these false prophets:<ref name="Aune 1983"/>

: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already." ([[1 John]] {{Bibleverse-nb||1 John|4:1-3|RSV}})

===The false prophet of ''Revelation''===
The most well-known New Testament false prophet is the one mentioned in the [[Book of Revelation]]. The [[The Beast (Revelation)#Beast from the Earth|False Prophet]] is ultimately cast into the [[Lake of Fire#Christianity|fiery lake with burning sulphur]]:
{{blockquote|And the Beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the [[Number of the beast|mark of the Beast]] and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.|[[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Revelation|19:20|RSV}}}}
{{blockquote|And [[Devil in Christianity|the Devil]] who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the Beast and the false prophet were, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.|[[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] {{Bibleverse-nb||Revelation|20:10|RSV}}}}

Another mention of a false prophet in the New Testament is the "[[Antichrist|antichrist spirit]] which denies the Son".<ref name="Kelly 2006">{{cite book |last=Kelly |first=Henry A. |year=2006 |chapter=Apocalypse: Devil in John's Epistles |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPIpQg0lRbMC&pg=PA161 |title=Satan: A Biography |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=161–164 |isbn=9780521843393 |oclc=263458091}}</ref> In the New Testament, the word ''antichrist'' (Greek: ''antikhristos'') appears mainly in the [[Johannine epistles]] and in the plural, denoting those who deny and/or don't believe in the [[Messiah|messianship]] of Jesus.<ref name="Kelly 2006"/> The similar word ''pseudochrist'' (Greek: ''pseudokhristos'', meaning "false messiah") is used by Jesus in the Gospels. These terms seem to refer to a category of people rather than a single individual.<ref name="Kelly 2006"/><ref>{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Yarbrough|title=1-3 John|publisher=[[Baker Publishing Group|Baker Academic]]|location=Ada, Michigan|isbn=9780801026874|page=344|date=2008|quote=The articles in front of "deceiver" (ὁ πλάνος, ''ho planos'') and "antichrist" (ὁ ἀντίχριστος, ''ho antikhristos'') should be seen as marking out a certain category of persons (Wallace 1996: 227–30). This is a common Johannine usage (1 John 2:23)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=William|last=Horbury|author-link=William Horbury|title=Messianism Among Jews and Christians: Biblical and Historical Studies|publisher=[[A&C Black]]|location=London, England|date=2003|isbn=978-0567088086|page=333|quote=Against this background it can be seen that the technical Greek term ''antichristos'', although it is known only from Christian … ''Antichristos'' first occurs in the Johannine epistles, and it is not used by other Greek Jewish or early Christian writings ...}}</ref>

==Islam==
{{Main|Islamic eschatology}}
{{See also|List of Mahdi claimants|Prophets of Islam}}

The [[Quran]] states that [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] is the "[[Khatam an-Nabiyyin|Seal of the Prophets]]" and Last and Final of the Prophets,<ref>{{qref|33|40|b=y}}</ref> which is understood by mainstream [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shīʿa]] [[Muslims]] to mean that anyone who claims to be a new prophet after him is a false prophet.<ref>{{qref|9|128-129|b=y}}</ref> All mainstream [[Ulama|Muslim scholars]]' perspectives from both Sunni and Shīʿa denominations don't consider the [[Second Coming of Christ#Islam|Second Coming]] of [[Jesus in Islam|ʿĪsā]] (Jesus) as the coming of a new prophet, since the Islamic Messiah had already been an existing prophet and will rule by the Quran and ''[[sunnah]]'' of Muhammad, bringing no new revelation or prophecy.

Thawban ibn Kaidad narrated that Muhammad said:
{{Blockquote|"There will be 30 dajjals among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me."|Related by [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] as a sound hâdith.}}

[[Abu Hurairah]] narrated that Muhammad said:
{{blockquote|"The Hour will not be established (1) till two big groups fight each other whereupon there will be a great number of casualties on both sides and they will be following one and the same religious doctrine, (2) till about thirty Dajjals (liars) appear, and each one of them will claim that he is Allah's Messenger..."|{{Href|bukhari|7121|b=yl}}}}

Muhammad also stated that the last of these dajjals would be the Antichrist, [[Al-Masih ad-Dajjal]] ({{Lang-ar|دجّال|Al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl|Deceitful Messiah}}).<ref name="Farhang 2017">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Farhang |author-first=Mehrvash |year=2017 |title=Dajjāl |translator-last=Negahban |translator-first=Farzin |editor1-last=Madelung |editor1-first=Wilferd |editor2-last=Daftary |editor2-first=Farhad |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Islamica |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |doi=10.1163/1875-9831_isla_COM_035982 |issn=1875-9823}}</ref> The Dajjal is never mentioned in the Quran but he's mentioned and described in the [[Hadith|''ḥadīth'' literature]].<ref name="Farhang 2017"/> Like in Christianity, the Dajjal is said to emerge out in the east, although the specific location varies among the various sources.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |last=Cook |first=David |author-link=David Cook (historian) |year=2021 |origyear=2002 |title=Studies in Muslim Apocalyptic |location=[[Berlin]] and [[London]] |publisher=Gerlach Press |pages=93–104 |isbn=9783959941211 |oclc=238821310}}</ref> The Dajjal will imitate the miracles performed by [[Jesus in Islam|ʿĪsā]] (Jesus), such as healing the sick and raising the dead, the latter done with the aid of demons (''[[Shaitan|Shayāṭīn]]''). He will deceive many people, such as weavers, magicians, half-castes, and children of prostitutes, but the majority of his followers will be [[Jews]].<ref name="ReferenceA" /> According to the [[Islamic eschatology|Islamic eschatological narrative]], the events related to the final battle before the [[Day of Judgment]] will proceed in the following order:
{{Blockquote|11 ''Hadith'' also report on the “[[Islamic eschatology#Greater signs|Greater Signs]]” of the end, which include the appearance of the [[Al-Masih ad-Dajjal|Antichrist (Dajjal)]] and the reappearance of the prophet [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] to join in battle with him at [[Dabiq, Syria|Dabbiq]] in [[Syria (region)|Syria]], as well as the arrival of the [[Mahdi|Mahdī]], the “guided one.” As another ''hadith'' attributed to [[Ali|Alī ibn Abī Talib]] puts it, “Most of the Dajjal’s followers are [[Jews]] and [[Fornication in Islam|children of fornication]]; the Dajjal will be killed in Syria, at a pass called the Pass of Afiq, after three hours are gone from the day, at the hand of Jesus".<ref name="Gallagher 2020">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Gallagher |author-first=Eugene |author-link=Eugene V. Gallagher |date=28 February 2020 |title=Millennialism |url=https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-125 |url-access=subscription |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |location=[[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.125 |isbn=9780199340378 |access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref>}}

[[Samra ibn Jundab]] reported that once Muhammad, while delivering a ceremonial speech at an occasion of a [[solar eclipse]], said:
{{Blockquote|"Verily by Allah, the Last Hour will not come until 30 dajjals will appear and the final one will be the One-eyed False Messiah."|Related by [[Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal|Imam Ahmed]] and [[Al-Tabarani|Imam Tabarani]] as a sound hâdith.}}

[[Anas ibn Malik]] narrated that Muhammad said:
{{blockquote|There is never a prophet who has not warned the Ummah of that one-eyed liar; behold he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead are the letters k f. r. (Kafir).|{{Href|muslim|2933a|b=yl}}}}
{{blockquote|Dajjal is blind of one eye and there is written between his eyes the word" Kafir". He then spelled the word as k. f. r., which every Muslim would be able to read.|{{Href|muslim|2933c|b=yl}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?id=1704 |title=The Signs Before the Day of Judgment by Ibn Kathîr |publisher=Qa.sunnipath.com |date=2005-07-03 |access-date=2012-05-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315191536/http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?id=1704 |archive-date=2012-03-15 }}</ref>}}

[[Mahdi|Imam Mahdi]] ({{lang-ar|ٱلْمَهْدِيّ|al-Mahdī}}, meaning "the rightly guided one") is the redeemer according to Islam.<ref name="EI2">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Madelung |author-first=Wilferd |author-link=Wilferd Madelung |year=1986 |title=al-Mahdī |editor1-last=Bosworth |editor1-first=C. E. |editor1-link=Clifford Edmund Bosworth |editor2-last=van Donzel |editor2-first=E. J. |editor2-link=Emeri Johannes van Donzel |editor3-last=Heinrichs |editor3-first=W. P. |editor3-link=Wolfhart Heinrichs |editor4-last=Lewis |editor4-first=B. |editor5-last=Pellat |editor5-first=Ch. |editor5-link=Charles Pellat |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam#2nd edition, EI2|Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition]] |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |volume=5 |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0618 |isbn=978-90-04-16121-4}}</ref> Just like the Dajjal,<ref name="Farhang 2017"/> the Mahdi is never mentioned in the Quran but his description can be found in the ''ḥadīth'' literature;<ref name="EI2"/> according to the Islamic eschatological narrative, he will appear on Earth before the [[Day of Judgment]] and before the coming of the prophet ʿĪsā.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sahih al-Bukhari 3449 - Prophets - كتاب أحاديث الأنبياء - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) |url=https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3449 |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=sunnah.com}}</ref><ref name="Farhang 2017"/><ref name="Gallagher 2020"/><ref name="Muslim World 2004 p.421">Martin 2004: 421</ref><ref name="Glasse">Glasse 2001: 280</ref> At the time of the [[Second Coming of Christ#Islam|Second Coming of Christ]],<ref>{{qref|3|55|b=y}}</ref> the prophet ʿĪsā shall return to defeat and kill al-Masih ad-Dajjal.<ref name="Farhang 2017"/><ref name="Gallagher 2020"/><ref>{{Href|muslim|2940a|b=yl}}</ref> Muslims believe that both ʿĪsā and the Mahdi will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice, and tyranny, ensuring peace and tranquility.<ref name="Momen">Momen 1985: 166-8</ref> Eventually, the Dajjal will be killed by the Mahdi and ʿĪsā at the gate of [[Lod|Lud]], who upon seeing Dajjal will cause him to slowly dissolve (like salt in water).<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==Judaism==
{{See also|Prophets in Judaism|Nevi'im|Jewish Messiah claimants}}
Jesus is rejected in every branch of [[Judaism]] as a failed [[Jewish Messiah claimants|Jewish Messiah claimant]] and a false prophet.<ref name="BergerDWyschogrodM">{{cite book|last=Berger|first=David|title=Jews and "Jewish Christianity"|year=1978|publisher=KTAV Publ. House|location=[New York]|isbn=0-87068-675-5|author2=Wyschogrod, Michael }}</ref><ref name="SingerT">{{cite book|last=Singer|first=Tovia|title=Let's Get Biblical|year=2010|publisher=RNBN Publishers; 2nd edition (2010)|isbn=978-0615348391}}</ref><ref name="KaplanA">{{cite book|last=Kaplan|first=Aryeh|title=The real Messiah? a Jewish response to missionaries|year=1985|publisher=National Conference of Synagogue Youth|location=New York|isbn=978-1879016118|edition=New}} [http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/the_real_messiah.pdf The real Messiah (pdf)]</ref>

:"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you" ([[Deuteronomy]] {{bibleverse-nb|Deuteronomy|13:1–5|HE}}).

The [[Books of Kings]] records a story where, under duress from [[Ahab]], the prophet [[Micaiah]] depicts God as requesting information from his heavenly counsel as to what he should do with a court of false prophets. This depiction is recorded in [[1 Kings]] {{bibleverse-nb|1 Kings|22:19–23|HE}}:
: "Micaiah continued, 'Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.' And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'"
: "One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.'"
: "'By what means?' the Lord asked."
: "'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said."
: "'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the Lord. 'Go and do it.'"
: "So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you".

It is possible that Micaiah meant to depict the false prophets as a test from YHWH. It is also possible that it was meant as a slur on Ahab's prophets, such as Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah.<ref>Mordechai Cogan, 1 Kings: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible Commentaries, Yale 2001</ref>

The penalty for false prophecy, including speaking in the name of a god other than YHWH or speaking presumptuously in YHWH's name, [[List of capital crimes in the bible|is death]] ({{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|18:20|HE}}). Likewise, if a prophet makes a prophecy in the name of YHWH that does not come to pass, that is another sign that he is not commissioned of YHWH and that the people need not fear the false prophet ({{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|18:22|HE}}).

The [[Jewish Koine Greek]] term ''pseudoprophetes'' occurs in the [[Septuagint]] ([[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=44&page=6 6:13], [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=44&page=33 33:8-11], [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=44&page=34 34:9], [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=44&page=36 36:1-8], [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=41&page=13 13:2]); [[Flavius Josephus]] (''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'' 8-13-1, 10-7-3, ''[[The Jewish War]]'' 6-5-2); and [[Philo|Philo of Alexandria]] (''Specific Laws'' 3:8). [[Greco-Roman antiquity|Classical Pagan writers]] used the term ''pseudomantis''.

==Use outside of religions==
The term ''false prophet'' is sometimes applied outside religious usage, to describe promoters of scientific, medical, or political theories which the author of the phrase thinks are false. [[Paul Offit]]'s 2008 book ''[[Autism's False Prophets]]'' applied the phrase to promoters of unproven theories and therapies such as the unsupported relationship between [[thiomersal and vaccines]] and [[chelation therapy]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Offit |first=Paul A. |author-link=Paul Offit |year=2008 |title=[[Autism's False Prophets|Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-14636-4}}</ref> [[Ronald Bailey]]'s 1993 book ''Ecoscam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse'' applied the phrase to promoters of the [[global warming]] hypothesis; however, by 2005 Bailey had changed his mind, writing "Anyone still holding onto the idea that there is no global warming ought to hang it up."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bailey |first=Ronald |author-link=Ronald Bailey |date=11 August 2005 |url=https://reason.com/2005/08/11/were-all-global-warmers-now/ |url-status=live |title=We're All Global Warmers Now |magazine=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |publisher=[[Reason Foundation]] |oclc=818916200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930074714/https://reason.com/2005/08/11/were-all-global-warmers-now/ |archive-date=30 September 2022 |access-date=22 November 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Apocalypticism]]
* [[Cult]]
* [[Deception]]
* [[False god]]
* [[Idolatry]]
* [[Jerusalem syndrome]]
* [[List of messiah claimants]]
* [[List of people claimed to be Jesus]]
* [[Messiah complex]]
* [[Messianic Age]]
* [[Millennialism]]
* [[Prophets of Christianity]]
* [[Religious delusion]]
* [[True-believer syndrome]]
* [[Unfulfilled Christian religious predictions]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite encyclopedia |year=2020 |orig-date=2017 |title=Antichrist |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/antichrist |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |publisher=American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) |access-date=27 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210113010/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/antichrist |archive-date=10 February 2017 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Arena |author-first=Francesco |date=September 2020 |title=False Prophets in the Book of Jeremiah: Did They All Prophesy and Speak Falsehood? |editor-last=Lemche |editor-first=Niels Peter |editor-link=Niels Peter Lemche |journal=[[Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament]] |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=187–200 |doi=10.1080/09018328.2020.1807104 |issn=1502-7244 |s2cid=221866227}}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Burnight |author-first=John |date=September 2021 |title=Is Eliphaz a false prophet? The vision in Job 4.12-21 |editor1-last=Shepherd |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Tiemeyer |editor2-first=Lena-Sofia |journal=[[Journal for the Study of the Old Testament]] |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=96–116 |doi=10.1177/03090892211001404 |issn=1476-6728 |s2cid=238412522}}
* {{cite journal |last=Dawson |first=Lorne L. |date=October 1999 |title=When Prophecy Fails and Faith Persists: A Theoretical Overview |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/nr/article-pdf/3/1/60/302991/nr_1999_3_1_60.pdf |journal=[[Nova Religio|Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions]] |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |location=[[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=60–82 |doi=10.1525/nr.1999.3.1.60 |doi-access=free |issn=1092-6690 |lccn=98656716 |s2cid=144984626 |access-date=20 September 2021}}
* {{cite book |last=Dewick |first=E. C. |year=2011 |orig-date=1912 |title=Primitive Christian Eschatology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaEg1JYJ3esC |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-23325-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Fekkes |first=Jan |year=1994 |title=Isaiah and Prophetic Traditions in the Book of Revelation: Visionary Antecedents and their Development |chapter=John as a Jewish-Christian Prophet |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7dvUAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |location=[[Sheffield]] |publisher=[[Sheffield Academic Press]] |series=The Library of New Testament Studies |volume=93 |pages=22–58 |isbn=9781850754565}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |author-first=Bert Jan |year=2013 |chapter=How Antichrist Defeated Death: The Development of Christian Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Early Church |editor1-last=Krans |editor1-first=Jan |editor2-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |editor2-first=L. J. |editor3-last=Smit |editor3-first=Peter-Ben |editor4-last=Zwiep |editor4-first=Arie W. |title=Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=[[Novum Testamentum|Novum Testamentum: Supplements]] |volume=149 |pages=238–255 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoKxIeOTkqYC&pg=PA238 |doi=10.1163/9789004250369_016 |isbn=978-90-04-25026-0 |issn=0167-9732 |s2cid=191738355}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |author-first=L. J. |year=1999 |chapter=Antichrist (ἀντίχριστος) |editor1-last=Van der Toorn |editor1-first=Karel |editor1-link=Karel van der Toorn |editor2-last=Becking |editor2-first=Bob |editor3-last=Van der Horst |editor3-first=Pieter W. |editor3-link=Pieter Willem van der Horst |title=[[Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible]] |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |pages=62–64 |edition=2nd |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA62 |doi=10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Antichrist |isbn=90-04-11119-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Lietaert Peerbolte |first=L. J. |year=1996 |title=The Antecedents of Antichrist: A Traditio-Historical Study of the Earliest Christian Views on Eschatological Opponents |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEHY6a0NokQC |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism |volume=49 |isbn=978-90-04-10455-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Schwarz |first=Hans |author-link=Hans Schwarz (theologian) |year=2000 |title=Eschatology |chapter=The Signs of the End |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEu218TxvsoC&pg=PA381 |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=381–387 |isbn=0-8028-4733-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Sim |first=David C. |year=1996 |title=Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Gospel of Matthew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GQjwnsoYfQC |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |series=[[Society for New Testament Studies|Society for New Testament Studies: Monograph Series]] |volume=88 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511555084 |isbn=978-0-521-55365-0}}

{{Sermon on the Mount|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Biblical phrases]]
[[Category:Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:Christian eschatology]]
[[Category:Eschatology in the Bible]]
[[Category:Negative Mitzvoth]]
[[Category:Prophecy]]
[[Category:Religious belief and doctrine]]
[[Category:Sermon on the Mount]]

False prophet - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 19:54, 28 September 2023