O. Palmer Robertson (affectionately called OPR by our good friend, Bishop NT Batzig) provides a helpful set of criteria for distinguishing between true and false prophets in his book The Christ of the Prophets. First, the true prophet always comes in the name of the Lord. If he does not prophesy in the name of YHWH, the one true God, he is to be considered a false prophet (Deut 13:1-3a).
We can nuance this a bit given our understanding of redemptive-history. We would certainly say that a true prophet now comes in the name of Jesus Christ. But we would also say that Jesus Christ is the true prophet and God does not reveal himself through human prophets as he did in the Old Testament. We don’t encounter prophetism now under the new covenant as God’s people did during the Mosaic economy.
That being said, another criterion, and perhaps the first criterion most people would consider is that what the prophet speaks actually comes to pass. If the prophet predicts an event and it doesn’t happen, that man is immediately to be considered a false prophet. I am amazed at how many false prophets in our day this does not seem to apply to. Benny Hinn, for instance, predicted that all homosexuals would be destroyed by fire no later than 1995. To my recollection that didn’t happen. Certainly the faithful consider him a false prophet, but many people still are held under his sway.
Although these two criteria are certainly helpful, we need to include a third in order to be comprehensive. The prophet should only be regarded as true if what he speaks conforms with God’s previous revelations. Even if a prophet satisfies criteria one and two, but does not conform to God’s previous revelations, he is to be considered a false prophet. We can consider a scenario where a false prophet might come in the name of the Lord and by chance predict a future event. But if his teaching contradicts God’s previous revelation, he is still a false prophet. Robertson’s three-fold test is a good measure for these teachers. Now go watch TBN and put it to use.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve. (Romans 16:17-18)