Ye shall know them by their fruits

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.


False prophets in sheep's clothing.
False prophets looking as if they are REAL prophets.

We've talked before quite a bit about the deception of Satan and his counterfeiting. We've expressed the opinion that only something that looks almost exactly like the real can be a good counterfeit. Satan has his prophets and they appear as if they are God's. Don't make a mistake here- the false prophets are covered in sheep's clothing, the false prophets appear as if they are sheep and we all know that our Savior loves His sheep, our Savior's sheep hear His voice and follow Him. So if we are among our Savior's sheep and there is a wolf in sheep's clothing among us we can't recognize that wolf, right?

Wrong.

Our Savior tells us to look at the fruit of the sheep. The trouble is, we don't feel as if we can judge others and each person has a walk they are called to make and they are answerable to our Savior, not us. Yet, a prophet…

G4396
προφήτης
prophētēs
prof-ay'-tace
From a compound of G4253 and G5346; a foreteller (“prophet”); by analogy an inspired speaker; by extension a poet: - prophet.


…a foreteller, an inspired speaker, anyone that claims to be a foreteller, or claims to speak inspired by our God, has to have their life completely laid open before us in all they do and while we cannot expect perfection from ANY human being, we have to see a life devoted to God above all.


The fruits we are to know the prophets by cannot be filled with corruption. The fruits we are to know the prophets by must be filled with contrition, repentance, LOVE, goodness, mercy, truth, humbleness, I could go on and on, but we all know the good things of our Savior need to be present in His prophets. Yes, they will still have their humanity, there is nothing else for them, but our God will be present within that humanity in a very real way.


Too many false prophets exist in our world, it's heartbreaking. Too many claim to be inspired by God but in reality they are only inspired by themselves with Satan cheering them on. Self the opposite of the selflessness that God is. A false prophet in sheep's clothing by definition is one hiding, one living under pretense. A false prophet's fruit will be that of one seemingly a sheep yet their lives are corrupt. The corruption doesn't necessarily mean they'll be blatantly noticeable as the wolves they are, they aren't stripping off their sheep's clothing to reveal their true selves. That sheep's clothing stays on so that we can't pick them out as wolves at all and if we are LOOKING for wolves we won't find them. We will find sheep. What we have to look at is the sheep, and look closely enough to discern by the grace of God, that their fruit is NOT that of God's. We don't have to discover an adulterous prophet- though they seem plentiful. We don't have to find out prophet embezzled, yet they're quite common as well. We don't have to see the exposed wolves as their sheep costume falls away- in fact there will be sheep that stay convincingly as sheep yet if we examine their lives as our Savior would have us do- we will notice they are filled with self-righteousness, they are filled with the inner evils that don't reveal their long teeth and their sharp claws. The self-righteousness, the pride, the cleverly disguised hatred, the prejudice, all those evils and many more like them won't present themselves as a big fluffy wolves tail, or large point ears. The fluffy, sweet lamb covered in its thick wool, will still be what we see- but we will KNOW the wolf in sheep's clothing because their fruits- all that makes up their lives will- be seen. These wolves will speak lies that sound like truths, but the Bible will reveal their falsehoods to us. When we are allowed to see the corruption beneath the thick wool we can no longer continue to follow that sheep, we can't listen to that sheep, we can't trust that sheep. Many might not see what has been revealed to us and will continue to loving stroke the sheep's wool, eager to follow that sheep as being a sheep of Christ's, when in truth they are Satan's.


Remember… MANY will believe they are Christ's. Many will be deceived. In the end the wolves will have their false clothing, their sheep's clothing ripped off and people will know all along they've been following a wolf. They loved hearing good things- they had itching ears.


2Ti 4:3 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;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.


May we seek to look at the fruit and keep our eyes wide open to only truth found in Christ our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Let us examine the fruit of any we would follow and follow none blindly!


By the grace and mercy of our Savior now and forever!


Amen.