“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15–16, ESV)
Jesus spoke the above words early in His ministry. These words were part of the Sermon on the Mount. Even from the early days of His ministry, Jesus recognized false prophets that had arisen in the synagogues as well as the Temple in Jerusalem. All these false prophets claimed in some way to speak about God and for God. Only true prophets spoke God’s truth, preached a true gospel, or acknowledged God’s commandments. The false prophets replaced God’s laws or God’s way with something secular, evil, or worldly. It may be very difficult to separate out who speaks the truth from those who spew lies. It may take time for God to reveal who is a true prophet and who is not.
Just recently, the world got the chance to hear Dr. Fauci’s testimony to the Congress in the United States. Dr. Fauci was called to defend his work at the Centers for Disease Control. He was supposed to clarify his actions with reference to Covid-19. Instead, he only failed to answer for anything while pleading the Fifth Amendment. Fauci did not want to say what he knew, because he had built his work on COVID-19 on a series of lies and half-truths. He hid the facts of his involvement in the production of the COVID-19 virus. He perpetuated half-truths and lies to cover up responsible parties, the lies of the elite, the failures of his tenure, and the undue influence of government leaders and drug companies. It took seven years for all these lies to be brought to light. It took discovering his diary for his manipulations to unravel. People put their lives in Dr. Fauci’s hands. They believed his truth and struck out against those who spoke God’s truth. Worldly people used Fauci’s ideals to close churches, jail ministers, and persecute those who knew the truth. Lives were wrecked by this man, this false prophet.
Some may say that Dr. Fauci cannot be a false prophet, because he didn’t speak for God. That is a lie. Dr. Fauci had a god who he worshipped, a god of humanism and hedonism, a god of pride and prejudice; a god of lies. Do you not remember that Satan in our Bible is called the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44)? Those who follow evil will spew lies, hide the truth, spin the facts, and attack godliness. Fauci is guilt of all these.
In Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 7:16 above, He mentioned that you can know who the false prophets are “by their fruits”. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul mentioned not only the fruits or gifts of the Spirit, but he also described the fruits or evils of sinfulness. A faithful person can be known by the Spiritual fruits they engender such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). A false prophet can be known by their evils such as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Galatians 5:19–21). Jesus was adamant in the scripture today that given time, a true prophet and false prophet will be made clear. You need to know God to separate the good from the evil.
Now before you get the idea that I believe Dr. Fauci is the only false prophet of our age, you may want to reconsider. Jesus said “beware of false prophets” in the plural. In all ages since the time of Jesus, there have been many false prophets inside and outside the church. Some are notable in their arrogant sinfulness. Others are more subtle, hidden, or scheming. It may be difficult to be certain of those who paint themselves as innocent. Jesus said they “come to you in sheep’s clothing but inside are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). In stating this, Jesus wanted you to understand that sometimes the most evil of false prophets come dressed up as innocents or as wise people or as pastors. It is only through a knowledge of their fruits over time that their evil intentions come to light.
The false prophets in the church like to come across as wise, learned, knowledgeable, loving, religious, or innocent. Only in time can their true sinful intentions be learned. You may never even know for sure who are the false prophets. You may have even followed the advice and wisdom of a false prophet without realizing your error.
As mentioned earlier, false prophets can be found inside and outside the church. False prophets outside the church have the same sinful errors mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5 written three paragraphs above. They promote sexual immoralities, rivalries, divide people, cause envy, fuel anger and not love. They enjoy self-indulgences like drunkenness and sexual sins. They hide all these behind nice words, false facades, and manipulative machinations.
You might be inclined to see a person like Jeffrey Epstein as such a false prophet. No doubt. However, our world is filled with many more false prophets who teach in universities, spin lies through journalism, manipulate opinions through politics, force divisions through evil ideologies, involve themselves in the drug trade, promote sexual sinfulness, and write opinion columns meant to distort the facts. Some advocate the worship of nature. Others write manifestos defending deviant sexual ideologies or violence against the masses. All in all, these false prophets destroy lives, promote their own deities, worship their own ideals, and in doing so, attack God Almighty. They love to play with the truth, ignore facts, force their own opinions on others, and refuse to admit their sin even when obvious to everyone.
As we finish this meditation on Matthew 7, I don’t want you to “go out and hunt down false prophets”. There are those who God calls to reveal the truth and expose the lies, but God is the ultimate Judge. You are not to play Judge over who is true and false. You are to seek God’s wisdom, speak out against the lies, tell the truth in love, and follow the way of Christ. Jesus didn’t stop the false prophets from doing their worst. However, in His holy way, Jesus exposed the truth of the gospel and the Father of Lies for all the world to see.
In the days ahead, seek God’s truth. Be on the watch for false prophets. Trust God’s word to help you separate the truth from the lies, the false prophets from God’s children. It is a daunting task but one you must undertake.
Just recently, the world got the chance to hear Dr. Fauci’s testimony to the Congress in the United States. Dr. Fauci was called to defend his work at the Centers for Disease Control. He was supposed to clarify his actions with reference to Covid-19. Instead, he only failed to answer for anything while pleading the Fifth Amendment. Fauci did not want to say what he knew, because he had built his work on COVID-19 on a series of lies and half-truths. He hid the facts of his involvement in the production of the COVID-19 virus. He perpetuated half-truths and lies to cover up responsible parties, the lies of the elite, the failures of his tenure, and the undue influence of government leaders and drug companies. It took seven years for all these lies to be brought to light. It took discovering his diary for his manipulations to unravel. People put their lives in Dr. Fauci’s hands. They believed his truth and struck out against those who spoke God’s truth. Worldly people used Fauci’s ideals to close churches, jail ministers, and persecute those who knew the truth. Lives were wrecked by this man, this false prophet.
Some may say that Dr. Fauci cannot be a false prophet, because he didn’t speak for God. That is a lie. Dr. Fauci had a god who he worshipped, a god of humanism and hedonism, a god of pride and prejudice; a god of lies. Do you not remember that Satan in our Bible is called the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44)? Those who follow evil will spew lies, hide the truth, spin the facts, and attack godliness. Fauci is guilt of all these.
In Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 7:16 above, He mentioned that you can know who the false prophets are “by their fruits”. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul mentioned not only the fruits or gifts of the Spirit, but he also described the fruits or evils of sinfulness. A faithful person can be known by the Spiritual fruits they engender such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). A false prophet can be known by their evils such as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Galatians 5:19–21). Jesus was adamant in the scripture today that given time, a true prophet and false prophet will be made clear. You need to know God to separate the good from the evil.
Now before you get the idea that I believe Dr. Fauci is the only false prophet of our age, you may want to reconsider. Jesus said “beware of false prophets” in the plural. In all ages since the time of Jesus, there have been many false prophets inside and outside the church. Some are notable in their arrogant sinfulness. Others are more subtle, hidden, or scheming. It may be difficult to be certain of those who paint themselves as innocent. Jesus said they “come to you in sheep’s clothing but inside are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). In stating this, Jesus wanted you to understand that sometimes the most evil of false prophets come dressed up as innocents or as wise people or as pastors. It is only through a knowledge of their fruits over time that their evil intentions come to light.
The false prophets in the church like to come across as wise, learned, knowledgeable, loving, religious, or innocent. Only in time can their true sinful intentions be learned. You may never even know for sure who are the false prophets. You may have even followed the advice and wisdom of a false prophet without realizing your error.
As mentioned earlier, false prophets can be found inside and outside the church. False prophets outside the church have the same sinful errors mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5 written three paragraphs above. They promote sexual immoralities, rivalries, divide people, cause envy, fuel anger and not love. They enjoy self-indulgences like drunkenness and sexual sins. They hide all these behind nice words, false facades, and manipulative machinations.
You might be inclined to see a person like Jeffrey Epstein as such a false prophet. No doubt. However, our world is filled with many more false prophets who teach in universities, spin lies through journalism, manipulate opinions through politics, force divisions through evil ideologies, involve themselves in the drug trade, promote sexual sinfulness, and write opinion columns meant to distort the facts. Some advocate the worship of nature. Others write manifestos defending deviant sexual ideologies or violence against the masses. All in all, these false prophets destroy lives, promote their own deities, worship their own ideals, and in doing so, attack God Almighty. They love to play with the truth, ignore facts, force their own opinions on others, and refuse to admit their sin even when obvious to everyone.
As we finish this meditation on Matthew 7, I don’t want you to “go out and hunt down false prophets”. There are those who God calls to reveal the truth and expose the lies, but God is the ultimate Judge. You are not to play Judge over who is true and false. You are to seek God’s wisdom, speak out against the lies, tell the truth in love, and follow the way of Christ. Jesus didn’t stop the false prophets from doing their worst. However, in His holy way, Jesus exposed the truth of the gospel and the Father of Lies for all the world to see.
In the days ahead, seek God’s truth. Be on the watch for false prophets. Trust God’s word to help you separate the truth from the lies, the false prophets from God’s children. It is a daunting task but one you must undertake.