“On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive." Zechariah 13:4 NIV

The above passage describes God announcing his punishment of false prophets who fake speaking on his behalf by wearing attention-grabbing clothing. What represents the hairy garments worn by false prophets to deceive nowadays? It could be an iconic style of clothing, the shine around their meeting venues and events, or a peculiar way of speaking, shouting, or acting while delivering the word.

Note that there were also genuine prophets of God who wore hairy garments. Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4) are two examples. Additionally, in Genesis, God gave Adam and Eve animal skin clothing (Genesis 3:21). Therefore, God is not against this style of clothing, albeit unusual in ancient Israel and modern cultures, but rather the deceiving spirit that can hide behind it. Therefore, we should be aware when we see a man or woman of God dressed in a way that we don't like or that is culturally uncommon but remains within the boundaries of morality. They might be authentic envoys of God. Conversely, we must exercise caution when self-proclaimed men or women of God display such characteristics. They may be wolves in sheep's clothing.

We wish there were an easy way to know whether such people are truly from God. Unfortunately, however, God did not provide us with an easy, quick assessment tool for such situations. Instead, He gave us His Word (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). He also gave us His Spirit, who testifies to our spirit (Acts 5:3; 16:18). Additionally, God provided us with the fellowship of the saints to discern truth from falsehood (Acts 15:1-35; 1 Corinthians 14:29). Let us use these necessary gifts and tools from God to protect ourselves and God's people from being led astray or rejecting genuine servants of God because of their clothing.