"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15-20).
Tradition, fairy tales, and coffee-cup-theology has taught us that the wolves in sheep’s clothing represents wolves appearing as sheep. But according to Ezekiel 34 the "sheep’s clothing" isn’t referring to wolves trying to look like sheep. It describes the false prophets leading God’s flock as pretentious shepherds.
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel… Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds…You… clothe yourselves with the wool…" (Ezekiel 34:2,3).
The shepherds were always clothed with the sheep’s wool because it was one of the benefits of shepherding. All leaders within the Church, whether they are true or false, are called shepherds. With that in mind, we need to understand that Jesus is giving us a teaching which helps us discern and expose the false ones.
"Beware of false prophets… inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
Ravenous Leaders
Ravenous wolves characterizes leaders who are hungry for flesh. I, as a Charismatic preacher, was one of those carnivorous leaders; therefore, I know how this concept can easily be applied to leaders. I know what motivates them. I know what it means to (metaphorically) devour flesh.
The flesh is the opposite of true spiritual understanding. It is the biblical picture of thriving on error. Mind you, I was not aware that my fleshly appetite was wrong, because error had successfully displaced truth in my life and was therefore treated as truth.
The flesh is an attitude in the soul which eventually manifests or ends up being a captivating realm of false concepts. False prophets use false concepts to entice the sheep out of true spiritual safety, which automatically exposes them to the wild beasts of the field. Of course, the irony of this intensifies as we realize that the wild beasts of the field are the carnivorous leaders of God’s people — the very leaders who were supposed to protect them.
These wolf-like leaders love to get the Church out of the spirit (protection) and into false experiences and new doctrines (vulnerability). They may even do it by confessing just the opposite, "You must let go, get out of the flesh, and into the Spirit."
Wolves are Natural Carnivores
The wolves do this by instinct and are not even aware that what they are doing could be wrong. After all, they are carnivores. Devouring flesh comes naturally to them.
Wolves cannot be satisfied with a good spiritual meal from the Word of God by itself — they are compelled to feast on an admixture of flesh.
Limiting their ministry to the revelation of Christ really does not satisfy them. There are many leaders in the Body of Christ who fit this description and Jesus gives us the means to discern them. Christ’s teaching is the fortified wall that is made available for our protection against their false doctrines.
The Fruit Of Emptiness
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 7:15-20).
There is a very interesting question embedded within these verses. Jesus asked his disciples, "Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" I asked myself the same question. "What kind of fruit grows on a thorn bush?" I asked the same question about the fruit which comes from thistles. "What kind of fruit grows there?" The answer to both questions is: "NOTHING." We can expand the idea of nothing to include what I learned in my study of "false" as useless fruit and emptiness.
Therefore, based on two main points found here and the fact that Jesus went on into the subject of the fruit of the lips in Matthew chapter twelve, we can see what Jesus was teaching us about wolves in sheep’s clothing. The revealing fruit of the false prophet isn’t signs and wonders, miracles, or crowds of people. The fruit to look for is the emptiness in their preaching, the fruit of their lips, and the common characteristic of wolves — their carnal appetite.
Some people see the signs and wonders in the false prophet’s active ministries of today and say, "Look at the fruit." But if signs and wonders, soulish experiences, and crowds of people were the fruit of true leaders then Jesus wouldn’t have said, "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:22,23).
Jesus was showing us the key to discerning false teachers. We are to notice the empty fruit of their lips. In other words, we are to notice the content of their words. Their empty words will expose their lack of fruit.
"For a tree is known by its fruit… How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:33,34).
An Abundance Of Inner Emptiness
The fruit of the false prophet isn’t blatant, evil, black lies. The empty fruit of their lips is merely a lack of truth in what they teach. It seems to me that we’ve been looking for the wrong fruit in order to identify false leaders. Before I saw what this Scripture was saying, I thought I was to discern a false prophet by their visible, ugly fruit. The fact is it’s very easy to discern outright lies about God. It’s not the blatant or the conspicuous which indicates the fruit of the false prophets within the Church. Why would we need discernment for something obvious? Discernment is needed for something more subtle — to pierce through and expose the abundance of words which sound spiritual but are void of the Gospel of Christ. We need to discern preaching in which the truth is mysteriously missing.
These wolf-like leaders sound like preachers, look like preachers, but the true Gospel message is not a vital part of their main teaching.
When considering the fruit of the false prophet and his false signs and wonders, we must understand what we are looking for. Jesus said we could test their fruit. Yet there seems to be many ideas of what that test should be. The testing of the spirits according to 1 John chapter four, seems to be the least understood.
Test 1
But Look At The Changed Lives
I’ve heard of many tests which are used by Christians. In defending some strange manifestations, well meaning Christians have pointed to the fact that many people claim their lives are "changed." But claiming transformed lives isn’t true fruit. New-Age cults and self-improvement groups all testify of changed lives. Many people involved in religion claim their lives are dramatically altered for the better. There is an abundance of false experiences and emotional affirmations available to them. They will confess they are happier, are more fulfilled, and are set free in many areas of their lives. So, the fruit of "changed lives" still leaves room for more testing.
Test 2
But, They Love Jesus
I’ve heard people claim that after they experienced a strange manifestation, they became more in "love with Jesus" than ever before. This isn’t true fruit either because there are many concepts of Jesus out there. Not all who name the name of Christ are actually following a biblical image of Him.
Paul warned us to be careful not to follow a different Jesus, a different spirit, or a different Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Even Jesus Himself said that there would be many false Christs.
Test 3
But Look At The Crowds
We often approve of ministries because of their apparent success and popular acceptance. But crowds of people, success, and popularity are not true Christ-like fruit either. Even if leaders endorse and approve of each other’s ministries for the benefit of wary believers, we need to be aware that there is still room for testing.
The Best Test
True, godly, Christ-like fruit is revealed when the words of leaders, the spiritual results, and manifestations of their ministries completely agree with what Jesus said and did in the flesh. The only way we are going to discern the false is by studying and understanding everything that Jesus represented in the flesh.
False Prophets Among You
Some results which are often mistaken for good fruit are supernatural visions and dreams. People assume that if something supernatural happens to them, God is moving in their lives. I know by experience that people naturally followed my "flakey" prophecies more than they followed my good basic Bible teachings. Giving them a "mixture" of holy and unholy was the worst thing I could do as a pastor. Many of my visions and dreams lacked agreement with Scripture; but we followed them anyway.
Jesus is the Test
If you wanted to make a list of all true, godly manifestations and miracles and wanted to know where they were listed, they could all be found in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Furthermore, all of the manifestations in Jesus’ ministry can also be found in the Old Testament. Not one miracle performed by Jesus was invented on the spot. Therefore, if we witness a spiritual manifestation not found in Jesus’ earthly ministry, you can be very sure that it is extra-biblical and you would be right to test it. This is why, in the ministry of discernment, the knowledge of the Word is so important. Only ignorance will keep us from discerning the false. The truth about any subject can be found in the Bible. All Bible subjects and parables are made alive in Jesus’ life. We have not been left without the true source of discernment that we so desperately need.
Laziness in the Church has become the real enemy of discernment. People get involved in false manifestations because they want a shortcut to freedom without taking the time to steadfastly continue in the Word of God.
Jesus said, "continue in my Word and you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." But our microwave society mindset cannot grasp that true freedom in the kingdom of God is progressive. Why should we continue in the Word when we think we can just flock to a wild meeting and get all the freedom we want instantly and effortlessly?
Instant Gratification
We are being seduced into instant gratification of the flesh. We’re no longer living in a long-term covenant relationship with Christ.
Our marriage to Him is no longer a two-way relationship but a one-way, selfish convenience. We have been led away from the essence of the new covenant.
Our understanding of faith in God is being twisted into a "candyman" mentality. The sweet sensation of healing has become our goal instead of seeking to know the Healer. When we keep going in this direction, we open up to false signs and wonders because we remain caught in the sense realm instead of developing the faith of the inner man by feeding on the Word.
We’ve become lovers of self instead of lovers of God; therefore, we follow anyone who will fluff us up. But, if any preacher challenges us for more commitment, we scream "condemnation."
Our discernment needs to be developed beyond the realm of our feelings. True discernment comes through the knowledge of God and His Word. It does not come through soulish sensations. If we think discernment is based on our feelings, we will remain trapped in the flesh.
My Soulish Sensations
The Devil is the master of the carnal soul. The carnal soul, in my estimation, is a soul governed by the flesh and not by the spirit. The Devil loves to play with the feelings of the soul and trick people into thinking they’re walking in the spirit.
In my own life, my sensations in the flesh become synonymous, in my mind, with being led by the Spirit. The trap was set and my fleshly ideas began to displace the true inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The reason this worked was because truth was either belittled or long forgotten. The sense realm took precedence over the knowledge of the truth and sensations, experiences, and feelings were exalted as spiritual.
This strategy has worked in the Church because the knowledge of the Word has been portrayed as boring and dry by preachers who use disrespectful innuendoes like "Word hard" and "theology." Some preachers have made those who study the Word look like they’re "heady" and not open to the Spirit. As a result, the Church has become embittered with biblical knowledge. The Word of God is placed on the shelf and wild meetings become more important than quiet evenings in the Word.
Many Will Say I am Christ
"For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many…" (Matthew 24:5).
We need to understand what Jesus is saying here. We can make these few words mean two different things. It all hinges on where we place the quotations marks or how we read it.
If we interpret this to mean we are to watch out for those who would say of themselves, "I am Christ," then this verse will apply to only a few people. We will then place this warning far from the reach of our own hearts.
But if we read it without the quotation marks, it takes on a whole new meaning. We are to be aware that even though a person can declare or confess with their lips that Jesus is the Christ, it also means that same person can deceive us.
If you think about this verse in this way, then it applies to all Christians, and in particular, to Christian leaders. We all come in His name, we all declare that He is the Christ; but it also means that if we do not heed the warning, we can either be deceived or deceive others. You see, the problem is more subtle and harder to discern than we first thought.
This is the unpleasant part of my testimony. I was a dangerous leader to follow because I came in Jesus’ name, I zealously preached that Jesus was the Christ, but I also led many people into confusion and deception.
Pseudo-Christ
"False prophets will rise…" (Matthew 24:24).
The word for "false" comes from the Greek word "pseudo." The meaning of this word portrays the idea of something which isn’t real, something counterfeit, a falsehood, a lie, or a deception. We use pseudo in our everyday language to convey the concepts of false, bogus, and phony.
From this brief overview and with a little biblical study of false prophets, we can easily conclude that a false prophet is a pseudo prophet who speaks a counterfeit spiritual message and portrays a pseudo-image of Christ.
They may not be genuine godly leaders within the body of Christ, nonetheless, they are recognized as leaders within the setting of the Christian Church.
Leaders under the influence of antichrist spirits lead people into wrong doctrines and wrong attitudes. Some false leaders may be aware of this while others may not. But the result of following their teachings will still be the same.
The Bible shows us this through simple parabolic language — false shepherds lead a flock of sheep astray through false teachings. Through these words, "deception, seduction, and lead astray," the Bible paints a picture of sheep who are led astray and scattered on the mountains without proper leaders. When they are alone on the mountains or in the wilderness, they are left to themselves and eat anything they find. They are exposed to the wild, carnivorous beasts of the field. This is symbolic of the dangers of little ones who follow false teachings.
When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the last days, the first thing He mentioned was deception. He told them to "take heed." This means "to watch out, beware, keep your eyes peeled, and don’t be so naïve." Why? False christs are going to make their way into leadership and high places of honor among God’s people. And they are not coming to aid the Church into a deeper understanding of Jesus. They are coming into the fold to deceive the elect and lead them into false concepts of Christ.
We must understand that the Devil wants to be seen as more like Christ than he wants to be seen unlike Him. He doesn’t want to be exposed as the destroyer. He wants to be known as the god of amazing signs and wonders.
"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24).
"And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you’." (Matthew 24:4).
Watch Out!
If the Word of God tells us to take heed and to beware in the last days then why don’t we do it? Why do we go on as if this Scripture doesn’t apply to us? We seem to think that the leaders will do it for us. But the leaders, in many cases, lack discernment. In fact, in some cases, the leaders are the ones who approve of false teachings.
Why don’t we test our doctrines and beliefs? Why are these Scriptures in the Bible? Are we to ignore them and assume that we, of all people, cannot be deceived?
No, it’s time to sharpen up the Sword of the Spirit — the revelation of Jesus Christ — and be on guard. It would be better for us to be on guard than to remain ignorant of God’s Living Word.
"See, I have told you beforehand" (Matthew 24:25).
Jesus didn’t say there would be just a few deceivers in the last days. He said there would be many. "For many shall come… and shall deceive many." This indicates that deception in the latter times is going to be common. There won’t be just a few isolated cases. It will be all around us.
"Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’!" (Matthew 7:22-23).
"And many will follow (false teachers and) their destructive ways…" (2 Peter 2:2).
"Even now many antichrists have come" (1 John 2:18).
"Because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (2 John 1:7).