"The most popular prophets are the false prophets" ~ Leonard Ravenhill
Consider this passage of scripture:
1 Kings 22:6-8 "Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth–gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. 7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? 8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so."
Isn’t it such a sweet thing for king Ahab to know that he shall go up against Ramoth-gilead to battle, and the Lord shall deliver it into his hands? Of course, from hindsight, we know that this prophecy did not come to pass because Ahab died from his wounds after a random arrow from a certain man smote him between the joints of the harness (1 Kings 22:34).
Jeremiah 17:9 "¶ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
One of the characteristics of false prophets is that they will always prophesy the things that tickle the ear, things that a wicked and deceitful heart wants to believe. No doubt these makes up the bulk of the "Christianity" that we are seeing today. Notice there were about 400 false prophets with king Ahab, as opposed to only one true prophet (Micaiah, son of Imlah) whom Ahab hated.
Why did king Ahab hate Micaiah? The Bible tells us in verse 8 "... but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Likewise, genuine born again believers are hated because they speak the truth, as opposed to fake Christians who loved the things that tickle the ear.
One of the greatest false prophets of all times is Charles G. Finney who invented the doctrine of "decisionism." Decisionism teaches that a person is saved based on the outward gestures he demonstrates rather than the inward conversion of his heart. Well, isn't it such a wonderful thing that people can be saved by simply praying a sinner's prayer asking Jesus into the heart (without faith in every word of God)? Doesn't that tickle the ear?
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Paul tells us that the time will come when Christianity as a whole will no longer endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, heap themselves to false teachers, having itching ears. These fake Christians shall turn away their ears from the truth - every word of God in the 66 books of the Holy Bible - and shall be turned unto fables e.g. trusting in the sinner's prayer as their ticket to heaven. No doubt they shall be disappointed.