At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

Jesus does a few things here: 1) he tells his disciples to be on guard, 2) he tells them to watch out for false prophets, and 3) he tells them what it’s going to look like when he returns.

How can we discover if someone is a false prophet? Peter, Isaiah, and Jesus give us some advice here. “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (‭‭II Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬)

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭17‬)

““This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭24‬-‭26‬)

In short, we must draw close to God, know the Bible extremely well, and do his work. Those who are false prophets will be shown by their pride, lack of spiritual fruit, and a general lack of real concern for those who are needy, widowed, orphaned, or oppressed.

Lord, thank you for your guidance on false prophets. They have presented themselves since you walked this earth and their methods are not new. They lie and deceive like their father, the Devil. May I clearly see them and call them out, in the power and strength of Jesus, for the blind guides they are.