Wouldn't it be great if false prophets walked around wearing all black clothes, pentagrams and saying, "I hate Jesus"?

Then we'd know who they were. That would make it really easy to keep from being led astray by them during the last-days deception the Bible says will precede Christ's return.

But, unfortunately, most false prophets aren't so easily identifiable. In fact, Jesus said they'd blend right in -- saying and doing things, even amazing miracles, that seemingly only true Christians would say and do (Matthew 24:11, 24; Revelation 13:11-14; Revelation 16:13-14).

So, what's a discerning Christian to do? How can we spot the false prophets we know will multiply in days ahead?

Here's one way. Look at their teachings and see if the prophets-in-question long for the Lord's return.

We know from the Bible that God's true prophets and apostles eagerly testified to Christ's comings -- His First Coming, with His salvation of souls, and His Second Coming, with His restoration of our bodies and all things. Speaking of Christ's Second Coming, the apostle Paul said a crown of righteousness will be awarded "to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). God's people long for Christ's return (Hebrews 9:28; 2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 22:17, 20).

Yet not all who call themselves prophets long for it.

Case in point. Kim Clement is one of the most prominent "prophets" in the apostolic-prophetic movement -- a movement that's taken many charismatic churches by storm. Clement's Web site is ranked No. 3 in the "prophecy" category by Alexa (see his ranking here), and his prophecies are put out regularly by the Elijah List. In fact, today's e-newsletter is selling one of Clement's three-CD teaching sets.

But here's what's really enlightening. In his statement of beliefs, Clement gives a lot of space to his views on Christ's Second Coming. After giving lip service to the Second Coming, he says that it isn't his focus; something else is. He says:

"Personally, I am more interested in 'His appearances' than His Second Coming."

Clement goes so far as to say that the Second Coming is "irrelevant" to the people of the world who simply need salvation and restoration. He then describes what he means by Christ's "appearances." He defines them as divine visitations of Christ that happen in every age, to every generation -- but in changing forms. You'll have to read the entire statement to get the full context of what he's saying.

I could write a lot of posts unpacking Clement's statement of beliefs. But, for now, I'm going to zero in on his teachings about Christ's "appearances."

Note how Clement subtly shifts the focus away from Christ's highly awaited second appearance (singular) to His "appearances" (plural). According to the Bible, this singular event will occur when Jesus comes on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. It will be like lightning that flashes from east to west (Matthew 24:27-30). Everyone on earth will see Him (Revelation 1:7).

But the "appearances" Clement speaks of aren't so visible. In fact, according to him, many people won't even recognize Christ when they occur. Yet, he offers the "secrets" to help people recognize them -- a word he is particularly fond of, evidenced by the titles of his two latest books.

Clement isn't the only "prophet" offering people exclusive appearances of Christ. Todd Bentley, for example, offers to take people to "the secret place" through his teachings. These mystical appearances sound an awful lot like the ones Jesus warned that false prophets would promote:

"So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:25-27).

Yet, from all appearances -- pun intended -- Clement loves Christ. After all, he talks a lot about Him. No doubt, his followers believe he can really help them encounter Christ in a meaningful way. And, certainly, the Bible does teach us to seek a personal and abiding relationship with Christ -- here and now, not just in the hereafter (John 15).

But, the Bible never teaches us to seek His "appearances" -- i.e., the mystical experiences Clement speaks of. Instead, we are admonished to eagerly await Christ's physical and very visible appearing when He will take us to be with Him forever. In the meantime, we enjoy his presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

And, contrary to Clement's teaching, Christ's Second Coming is far from irrelevant to the people of the world. For what do people need to be saved from but from God's coming judgment? Upon this event hinges their entire destiny.

So, while Clement seems to be focused on Christ's appearing, he is actually directing people's attention away from it and toward something else.

Would that he wore all black.