False Teachers


As you could see below, there are enough warnings in the Bible about false prophets and false teachers to warn us about searching for Jesus seriously.

One way of finding out about false teachers is to compare what they teach to the beliefs of the Early Christians (1st, 2nd, 3rd ... centuries), those who died for what they believed.

Matthew 5:19 : He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.


Matthew 7:15 : Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.


Matthew 15:9 : And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.


Matthew 24:4-6 : 4 And Jesus answering, said to them: Take heed that no man seduce you. 5 For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ. And they will seduce many. 6 And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass: but the end is not yet.


Matthew 24:11 : And many false prophets shall rise and shall seduce many.


Matthew 24:23-26 : 23 Then if any man shall say to you, Lo here is Christ, or there: do not believe him. 24 For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. 25 Behold I have told it to you, beforehand. 26 If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Behold he is in the closets: believe it not.


Mark 9:42 : And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me: it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea.


Mark 13:6 : For many shall come in my name saying, I am he: and they shall deceive many.


Mark 13:21-23 : 21 And then if any man shall say to you: Lo, here is Christ. Lo, he is here: do not believe. 22 For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets: and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect. 23 Take you heed therefore: behold, I have foretold you all things.


Romans 16:17-18: Now I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who make dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. For they that are such serve not Christ our Lord but their own belly: and by pleasing speeches and good words seduce the hearts of the innocent.


Luke 17:1-2 : 1 And he said to his disciples: It is impossible that scandals should not come. But woe to him through whom they come! 2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one of these little ones.


Luke 21:8 : Who said: Take heed you be not seduced: for many will come in my name, saying: I am he and the time is at hand. Go ye not therefore after them.


Galatians 1:8-12 : But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 For I give you to understand, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For neither did I receive it of man: nor did I learn it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.


2 Thessalonians 3:6 : And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition which they have received of us.


2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 : 14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not esteem him as an enemy but admonish him as a brother.


1 Timothy 6:3-4 : If any man teach otherwise and consent not to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to that doctrine which is according to godliness, He is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and strifes of words; from which arise envies, contentions, blasphemies, evil suspicions,


2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.


Titus 3:10-11 : 10 A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid: 11 Knowing that he that is such an one is subverted and sinneth, being condemned by his own judgment.


Hebrews 13:7-9 : Remember your prelates who have spoken the word of God to you: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, 8 Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever. 9 Be not led away with various and strange doctrines. For it is best that the heart be established with grace, not with meats: which have not profited those that walk in them.


2 Peter 2:1-3 : But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in sects of perdition and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their riotousness, through whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not: and their perdition slumbereth not.


2 Peter 3:17 : You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before, take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your own steadfastness.


1 John 2:18-19: 18 Little children, it is the last hour: and as you have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now there are become many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us: but that they may be manifest, that they are not all of us.
Christ sent out the twelve apostles. The apostles in turn sent out their own disciples, and so on. However, not all of those who were sent would be faithful to the teaching of Christ through the apostles. It's a good to compare our beliefs against the beliefs of the Early Christians of the first few centuries.

1 John 2:26 : These things have I written to you concerning them that seduce you.


1 John 4:1 : Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.


2 John 1:7-11: 7 For many seducers are gone out into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a seducer and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have wrought: but that you may receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever revolteth and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine, the same hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him: God speed you. 11 For he that saith unto him: God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works.


1 Jude 1:3-4 : Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. For certain men are secretly entered in (who were written of long ago unto this judgment), ungodly men, turning the grace of our Lord God into riotousness and denying the only sovereign Ruler and our Lord Jesus Christ.




Consequences for false teachers

Ezekiel 3:16-21 : 16 And at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me. 18 If, when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die: thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted from his wicked way, and live: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. 19 But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20 Moreover if the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity: I will lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning: he shall die in his sin, and his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: but I will require his blood at thy hand. 21 But if thou warn the just man, that the just may not sin, and he doth not sin: living he shall live, because thou hast warned him, and thou hast delivered thy soul.


Matthew 18:5-7 : And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. 6 But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.


Luke 6:26 : Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.


James 3:1 : Be ye not many masters, my brethren, knowing that you receive the greater judgment.
The Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition, translates this verse as follows : "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness."

The above list of quotes of the Sacred Scripture is by no means exhaustive. I have selected only the texts that I believe are so obvious.
Unless otherwise indicated, all biblical texts are quoted from the Douay-Rheims Bible.
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