The Literal Commandment
"When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22)
The literal commandment is that we should not be afraid of a false prophet.
Messiah Says
Messiah implicitly affirmed this commandment when He spoke about the Law:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)
Pictures of Messiah
Knowing that Messiah is the prophet like Moses who "was to come" (Deuteronomy 18:18), that He has overcome death (Romans 6:9), and that once we are His nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:38-39), we can have confidence in Him and not fear the false prophet.
How Messiah Fulfilled
Messiah fulfilled this commandment by not fearing the false prophet.
Traditional Observance
There are two interesting aspects of this commandment.
The first is that we should not fear the false prophet. If he prophesies doom and death for us we should not fear him or his prophecy because he has counseled serving false gods.
The second is that we should not fear putting him to death (Deuteronomy 13:5). Through his false prophecy he has brought death on his own head... his blood is on his own hands.
Other Notes
We are able to fulfill this commandment today and we should not fear a false prophet.
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