Beware of False Prophets
Matthew 7:15-20
In Matthew 7, we are looking at the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus has carefully taught the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven, the way of righteousness. And I think we can all agree that what Jesus requires of His disciples is not easy. His disciples are to be different from the rest of the world. He insists on a true internal righteousness of the heart in contrast to the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. And I think we can all agree that Jesus has presented true righteousness as a narrow way, a difficult road. Yet it is the only way to eternal life.
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus gave the invitation. He told us to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7). We cannot obtain the righteousness of God and His Kingdom apart from God’s grace. So Jesus does not tell us to work for it, He tells us simply to ask for it. God is good and He gives righteousness to those who ask, seek, and knock. His invitation rings with grace and mercy based on God’s goodness. Through Christ, we can be justified before God if we come humbly asking for God’s righteousness, seeking His Kingdom, and knocking for Him to open the door to us. It is a glorious truth; as the scripture says, “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13; Joel 2:32).
So last time, we saw that Jesus called for a decision. He urged us to, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
There is a gate that leads to eternal life; but as our Lord here tells us, it is a narrow gate, and it leads to a difficult way. There is also a gate that leads to destruction, and it is a much more “wide” gate, and the way that leads from it is much more “broad”. Every man and woman must make a choice. They must enter through the narrow gate to life or the wide gate to destruction. Jesus Himself is that narrow gate. We enter by faith in His sacrifice on the cross for us, and we walk the difficult way of discipleship as one of His obedient followers.
With such a gracious offer of eternal life from Jesus, why is it that so few enter the narrow gate? Jesus said, “there are few who find it.” Why is it that many, when given the choice, take the wide gate that leads to destruction? Jesus said “Many who go in by it.” The sad thing is that most who are on the broad way that leads to destruction, don’t even realize that is where they are headed. If you ask most people if they are going to heaven, they will say, “I think so,” or “I hope so,’ or “I’m a good person.” They seem to think that any gate and every way will lead to eternal life as long as they are sincere and try.
Most people are not consciously choosing hell over heaven. Oh, I suppose there are a few that would say that because they really don’t think it will be condemnation and eternal punishment where, “Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48; Isa. 66:24).
How could it be that most people who think they are headed to heaven are not? Jesus gives the answer: because they are deceived. Someone told them that the wide road would take them to heaven, and they believed it. And that is why immediately after telling us about the wide and narrow gates Jesus immediately gives this warning, “Beware of false prophets” (Matt. 7:15).
Jesus warns that there will be some who will come along and proclaim the exact opposite of what He says. They will insist that you don’t have to be so “narrow” as to go through the narrow gate. They will argue that Jesus is A way; but that He is not the ONLY way. They will make a convincing case for choosing the “wide” gate and the “broad” way. Thus they will lead many, without their realizing it, down the path to eternal destruction.
This is why Jesus says, “Beware!” In the original language, that first word calls for continuous action—that is, we are to always be alert, and always on our guard, continually on the lookout for false prophets.
Let’s consider these words carefully. And let’s begin by hearing the implication of Jesus’ words; that . . .
1. False prophets will come (Matt. 7:15).[1]
Look at who Jesus warns us continually to be on guard against: “false prophets”. The word in the original language is pseudoprophêtês. It’s a compound word from two very easily recognizable Greek words.
The first word is pseudēs which means “lying, deceitful, false”. Our English prefix “pseudo-” comes from this. A pseudonym, for example, is a fictitious name used by an author; or to say that something is “pseudo-scientific” means that it only pretends to be scientific. And the second part is the word prophêtês; “a prophet”, which, in the Bible, means someone who speaks forth a message given to him or her by God. And so, a pseudoprophêtês is a “false prophet”, a lying prophet who presents himself or herself as God’s spokesman, and pretends to speak a message from God but who, in fact, is a liar and deceiver.
We’re not talking here about people who are simply in error in what they believe. When someone believes in false doctrine or has doubts about the truths of the faith, we need to have compassion for them (Jude 1:22). The New Testament calls us to gently correct them and set them on the right path by preaching the word—convincing, rebuking, and exhorting with patient teaching (2 Tim. 4:2).
But that’s not the kind of person Jesus is warning about here. False prophets intentionally raise themselves up as “teachers” and as “spokesmen” for God, purporting to speak the truth, but, in fact, they preach false doctrine and lead people astray. The Bible is full of warnings about false prophets and false teachers. Through Moses God warns, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” (Deut. 18:20). Through Jeremiah, the Lord says, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart” (Jer. 14:14).
In Matthew 24, Jesus warned His disciples regarding the last days and told them, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” ((Matt. 24:24-25). The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders,
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20:28-31).
Paul warned Timothy to preach God’s word carefully to the people under his care; because “. . . the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned to fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). It is amazing how quickly some Christians will tolerate a preacher doesn’t teach the truth simply because he is “funny” or “uplifting” or “successful”. Peter also warned, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Pet. 2:1-2).
Almost every New Testament book contains warnings about false prophets and false teachers. God warns us repeatedly to “Beware!” “Take heed!” “Look to yourselves!” Clearly, this is a serious matter, and we need to pay attention to this warning from our Lord.
It is a very foolish and dangerous thing to expose yourself to the teaching of just anybody who appears claims to speak for God or to teach in the name of Christ. I don’t care if they have a huge television or radio ministry, or if they’ve published a library of books, or have a huge following on social media, or hold conferences and seminars, or even if they occupy a church pulpit—if they don’t teach God’s word in truth, don’t listen to them. John tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
This leads us, secondly, to notice something else about these false prophets; that . . .
2. False prophets are dangerous (Matt. 7:15).
Our Lord conveys their danger when He tells us to, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
One of the reasons why these false prophets are so dangerous is that they are not easily spotted. Everyone would agree that it is easy to spot someone who is advocating a non-Christian religion. You can spot the Hare Krishna, the Buddhist, the pagan, the idol worshiper, the Hindu, and the Muslim. But it can be very difficult to identify false prophets when they claim to worship the God we worship, and even use the Bible in their teaching. They do not appear to be enemies of the flock, but rather friends.[2]
They appear like they belong. Jesus says they “come to you in sheep’s clothing “. Some say this means they come looking like a sheep. Imagine a flock of sheep, the most innocent and gentle and naive creatures on earth, peacefully and innocently grazing. But there, in the midst of the grazing sheep is the mortal enemy of the sheep itself: the wolf. Somehow, he snuck into their midst. And they are utterly ignorant of his presence, because he is dressed up in the wool of one of their own. And he’s not just any wolf; he is a ravenous wolf, ready to pounce on any one of them and fill his stomach with their flesh. What a picture of danger this presents!
But “sheep’s clothing” could also refer to the shepherd of the sheep. The word, “clothing” here refers not to an animal skin, but a garment made from some fiber, in this case, that of a sheep – wool. Shepherd’s wore clothing made from sheep’s wool, and a false shepherd would wear similar clothing in order to look like the true shepherd. Paul’s comment in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 gives us some insight into this. “13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” That is why false prophets are so dangerous. False prophets may look like shepherds, but inside they are ravenous wolves. Their goal is not to feed the sheep, but to feed off the sheep. The false prophet dresses up like the shepherd. Why? Because the sheep follow the shepherd.
Either way, this is a picture of the dangerous character of false prophets. They are terribly deceiving, because they appear belong, to be followers of Christ, even to be shepherds of the flock.
They don’t walk around wearing a big sign that says, “Warning: I am a false prophet!” On a superficial level, you can’t tell them from a genuine believer or a good teacher. They fool other believers because they talk just like Christians. They pepper their talk with phrases like “Praise the Lord, brother!” and “Hallelujah!” and “Glory to God!” They quote Bible verses. They use scriptural terms. But very often, if you ask them what they mean, you find that the meaning they give to those things is different from what the Bible clearly teaches. They may speak of “Christ”; but they mean a different Jesus than is found in the Bible. They may speak of His “resurrection”; but they don’t mean what the apostles meant by it. They may talk about “salvation”; but they don’t mean salvation in the biblical sense at all.
The word “ravenous” (ἅρπαγες / h’arpages) here is translated as “extortioner” or “swindler” every other time it appears in the New Testament. Peter said about false prophets in 2 Peter 2:3 that, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words . . .”. They will take advantage of the sheep to get out of them what they want to fulfill their own desires. Their concern is themselves, not that of the sheep. It may be money, it may be a sense of power and control, it may be fame or a combination of all, but the bottom line is their own self-gratification. They may talk about Jesus and the Scriptures and how wonderful it is to be a Christian, but ultimately, it is their own kingdom they are working for, not the kingdom of God.
This is why Jesus warns us to beware of false prophets—because they are so dangerous and deceptive.
How then can we recognize false prophets?
3. False prophets bear bad fruit (Matt. 7:16-20).
Jesus switches from the metaphor of sheep and wolves, to trees and the fruit they produce. You will know these ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’, He says, “by their fruits“. He says it twice: Matthew 7:16, “You will know them by their fruits”; and Matthew 7:20, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
Jesus clarifies what He is teaching by asking, “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matt. 7:16). Apparently, in Jesus’ day, there was a certain thistle called “the buckthorn”; and it bore blackberries that looked very much like grapes. And there was also a certain thistle that had a flower; and that flower, from a distance, looked like a fig. But one bite from this berry would prove that it certainly wasn’t a grape; and a closer look at this flower would prove that it certainly wasn’t a fig.
Because false prophets put on sheep’s clothing, they are hard to detect. However, Christ says their fruit will ultimately manifest. A tree always produces fruit in line with its nature. Only a real grapevine will produce grapes, and only real fig trees will produce figs. The true nature of a tree determines what its fruit will be. Jesus says, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matt. 7:17).
We are going to have to exercise some discernment. Paul writes the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:19-22). Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” We use God’s word, the scriptures, to evaluate the accuracy of their message.
What types of fruit will identify a false prophet?
Jesus doesn’t specify the fruit, but from the rest of scripture, we can test their fruit.[3]
First, in Scripture, fruit often refers to character. This would be implied from the context here in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been teaching all about the righteous character of those in the kingdom, contrasting that with the self-righteousness of the hypocrites who do religious things to be seen and approved by men.
In Galatians 5:21-22, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” False prophets will not produce these fruits. They will produce the works of the flesh, which Paul says are evident: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (Gal 5:19-21). Paul warns Timothy, “For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:6-7). They may be able to disguise it for a time, but eventually their true character will manifest itself.
Second, false prophets will be known by the fruit of their teaching. They will deny essential biblical truth about God, Jesus, sin, and salvation. They will teach things contrary to sound doctrine. They will often undermine the authority of scripture itself. Like Satan in the Garden of Eden, they challenge others with, “Did God really say?” They teach that one can’t believe everything the Bible says. Even before the New Testament was completed the apostles were fighting against heresies that denied the incarnation of Christ, that insisted on salvation by works instead of by faith, that gave license to sin, that denied the second coming, and many others.
Thirdly, false teachers are known by the fruit of their influence. Peter warns:
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (2 Pet. 2:1-2).
The influence of a false teacher’s life and teaching will bear bad fruit in his or her converts.
And so, we examine them all. Is their life consistent with the message of the gospel? Does their message align with the truth of Scripture? Do their followers exhibit holiness and Christ-likeness?
Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matt. 7:18). A false teacher can never produce good fruit. He or she simply cannot! The only fruit, in the end, that he will produce is bad fruit; because that’s the nature of a false prophet. Their fruit proves that Christ is not in them. And such will not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus says, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt. 7:19).
You may remember that these words are the very similar to the words that John the Baptist spoke before Jesus’ public ministry began. He spoke to the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him for a sham baptism; and he rebuked them strongly, saying, “. . . Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and throne into the fire” (Matt. 3:9).
And clearly, such lack of good fruit in someone’s life is meant to prove that they do not have a relationship with Christ by faith, and that He was not dwelling in them; because Jesus – on another occasion – said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:5-6).
One’s true nature determines the kind of fruit they will produce. No one produces fruit contrary to their true nature. And what’s more, everyone who does not produce good fruit is doomed to be removed from the scene. God uses fruit as His criteria for evaluation and judgment. And so, when it comes to false prophets, Jesus tells us, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 5:20).
May God help us to heed Jesus warning. There are many prophets today who will gladly usher you onto the wide road of, sin, comfort, and worldliness. They will tell you the whole time that you are bound for glory. But before you listen to everything they say, you had better examine their fruit. Test what they say by God’s word. Test what they do by God’s word. Test who follows them by God’s word.
Beware!
[1] Greg Allen, Wolves in Sheepskins. https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/052905.htm I adapted Allen’s outline and drew from some of his points in developing this sermon.
[2] Scott Harris, Beware of False Prophets – Matthew 7:15-20. https://www.gracebibleny.org/beware_of_false_prophets_matthew_7_15_20
[3] Gregory Brown, Recognizing False Teachers (Matthew 7:15-20). https://bible.org/seriespage/33-recognizing-false-teachers-matthew-715-20#_ftnref3 Brown discusses these fruits in his sermon.
