Over the past few decades, many have wondered whether Herbert W. Armstrong, founder and Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God until his death in 1986, was a false prophet. He made many predictions during his ministry, and many of them have not come to pass. Some were plain wrong, some vague, and some specific. God recognizes that false prophets, through the power of satan, can accomplish signs and wonders. The end-time False Prophet will do similar signs as the Two Witnesses, causing most of the world's population to worship the Beast. Signs, wonders, and miracles are not conclusive proof that a prophet is from God. No matter how impressive or accurate a prophet's miracles or prophecies, his credibility hangs on whether he leads people toward or away from God. Rather than call Herbert Armstrong's predictions prophecies and him a false prophet, his predictions are more correctly speculations, theories based on true but insufficient and unclear evidence. Speculation is not sin, though all speculations involving biblical prophecy, especially regarding the timing of their fulfillments, should be taken with caution. Knowing he was not a false prophet, we can continue to use what he taught as a base for our beliefs because we can verify it from the Word of God. If his unfulfilled predictions pass without vindication, we know that his batting average was no worse than some of the most eminent leaders of the church throughout the centuries.

At the time of the end, during the last few years of satan's dominion over the earth, a religious personality known as the False Prophet will arise and deceive the whole world through miraculous signs. Referred to as another beast and the false prophet in Revelation, this individual will possess supernatural power, calling fire down from heaven and performing signs that, combined with demonic words, will lead people to give allegiance to and worship the Beast. Inspired by the dragon, the False Prophet will wield tremendous religious influence, successfully convincing most of the world to commit idolatry. The Bible does not reveal the False Prophet's name or the number of his name, but recognition will come through his fruits—what he says and does. Despite the ability to perform signs like calling fire from heaven, distinguishing him from true prophets will be challenging, as the end time is prophesied to be full of deceptions. Careful evaluation will be necessary to see through the façade and recognize satan's servants for what they are. A false prophet is defined as one who speaks for another but falsely, either representing the wrong god or claiming to speak for the true God without accurately conveying His words. Even if a prophet demonstrates supernatural power or accurately predicts events, if he leads people away from the true worship of God, he is false. The False Prophet, as described in Revelation, will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for misrepresenting God. False prophets do not hold the moral line God requires, failing to convict people of sin or connect national calamity to sinfulness. They focus on matters other than God's standard of righteousness, often speaking soft, easy things to gain popularity and telling people what they want to hear. Unlike true prophets who point to God and show people their sins, false prophets may point to themselves or another entity for personal benefit, driven by covetousness and a desire for power, influence, or prestige. In Revelation, the False Prophet directs the whole world to worship the Beast, an act contrary to the true prophet's role of pointing to God. Prophets are false when they fail to express God's will accurately, and their words and fruits will reveal the source of their teaching, leading to condemnation if contrary to Scripture and God's law.

In Ezekiel 22, God exposes a conspiracy among the prophets of Israel, identifying them as the most culpable among the failing leadership of priests and princes. He accuses them of devouring the people, enriching themselves, and making widows by sending men into unwarranted battles, thus causing death and loss. Additionally, God charges them with plastering over problems instead of solving them, fabricating visions, and divining lies, presenting falsehoods as divine messages. By framing His declaration against the prophets at the beginning and end of His condemnation, God underscores their primary responsibility as watchmen meant to correct the nation's course, a duty they miserably failed to uphold. Throughout Scripture, warnings against false prophets persist. In II Corinthians 11, they are described as deceitful workers who transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, mirroring satan's guise as an angel of light, with their end determined by their works. II Peter 2 and I John 4 echo this caution, urging vigilance against false teachers who embody the spirit of anti-Christ, requiring believers to discern truth from error. Jesus Christ, in Matthew 24, warns of many false prophets arising in the end times to deceive even the elect, emphasizing the need to endure and remain vigilant. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus Christ provides a clear warning and tools for evaluation, calling believers to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but are inwardly ravenous wolves, predators seeking to destroy. He instructs His followers to recognize them by their fruits, as like produces like, a principle of nature and spirit where true character and teaching will manifest over time. False prophets, driven by boldness, self-will, greed, and a promise of false freedom from law and judgment, ultimately lead to corruption, as detailed in II Peter 2:18-22. Jesus Christ concludes with the unambiguous fate of such deceivers—cut down and thrown into the fire, symbolizing eternal death. Revelation 13:11 portrays the ultimate false prophet as a lamb with horns who speaks like a dragon, a deceptive façade hiding a predatory nature akin to satan himself. This reinforces the consistent biblical portrayal of false prophets as agents of destruction, inwardly evil and deceitful, whose fruits will inevitably reveal their true nature, necessitating constant vigilance and discernment among God's people to guard the truth and protect the flock.

Jesus warned that false christs and false prophets would arise and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect if possible. These deceivers have operated throughout history by covering over moral deficiencies with false assurances of peace while the nation's foundation remained rotten. In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel the religious teachers and political leaders proclaimed peace when destruction was imminent and plastered walls of appearances with untempered mortar that hid cracks instead of exposing them. God declared that His hand would be against such prophets who envision futility and divine lies; they would be excluded from His people and consumed when the stormy wind of His wrath tore down their flimsy structures. The same pattern appears today when media figures, talk-show hosts, newscasters, and prominent women leaders give favorable predictions for gain, call good evil and evil good, and thereby kill those who should not die while promoting the livelihood of the wicked. This ongoing deception prepares the world to accept a false messiah who will claim descent from Jesus through a human lineage, thereby acquiring supposed authority to rule over mainstream Christians. By denying the resurrection and reducing Jesus to the level of other prophets, the campaign removes the unique foundation of Christian faith and readies people to believe the lawless one whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders. Self-deception enables these false prophets and their followers to lie sincerely, preserving an outward image of righteousness while fleeing any awareness of their own evil. The broader message of the material is that only those called by God discern the truth amid such universal deception, while the wicked remain blind and the church must reject every form of falsehood to stand firm until the true Christ returns.

Counterfeit currency provides a vivid picture of spiritual deception: just as experts learn to detect fakes by studying the genuine article, believers discern error by knowing God's truth. In I John 2:18-23, the apostle John shifts the focus from speculation about a single future antichrist to the reality that many antichrists were already active, seeking to lead believers away from Christ through false teaching. His warning fits within the broader theme of preserving fellowship with God by guarding against both internal weaknesses and external deception. John emphasizes three essential truths: recognizing the reality of the spiritual conflict, discerning deception through the Holy Spirit's anointing, and remaining steadfast in the truth to avoid being led astray. Because the "last hour" encompasses the entire church age until Christ's return, this message remains especially urgent in an era flooded with persuasive but misleading voices.