False Prophets

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. - 2 Peter 2:1

False prophets and false teachers have existed since the beginning and according to the Apostle Peter, anyone who even claimed to be a "prophet" of God (at the time he wrote this letter or anytime after it) should be considered "false" and therefore rejected. There was no more need and, therefore, no more "prophets" (in the sense of fore-telling) since the Messiah had come.

Peter focused his criticism on those false teachers who had rejected the Master Teacher (Jesus Christ) who had bought and saved them. Interestingly, what marks a false teacher is not their position in Christ, but rather what they teach about Christ. If their teachings do not agree with Scripture, even if they are believers, they are "false."

Listen to Peter, any word spoken that does not align with God's Word is a false word, and any person who speaks a false word is acting as a false prophet.

If you want to be popular, preach happiness. If you want to be unpopular, preach holiness. - Vance Havner