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“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.”
— Matthew 7:15–16 (NKJV)
The central issue in this song and in this passage is discernment. The Lord Jesus is not speaking about the world. He is speaking about those who come in His name, who appear as part of His flock, but who are not what they seem. The mark of reality, the test of authenticity, is fruit.
Many today are impressed by gifts: prophecy, miracles, eloquence, large ministries. But in this passage, Jesus does not say, “By their gifts you will know them.” He says, “By their fruits you will know them.” Gifts can be imitated. Fruit cannot.
The lyrics echo Jesus’ warning:
> Beware of false prophets,
> who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
> but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
>
> By their fruit you will recognize them.
So we must ask: What does Scripture mean by “fruit”? How do we recognize it? And how do we guard our hearts so that we become good trees that bear good fruit, not bad trees that are eventually “cut down and thrown into the fire”?
Let us look at what the Word of God says.
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These words are from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus is speaking primarily to His disciples (Matthew 5:1), but the crowds are also listening (Matthew 7:28–29). He is laying out the constitution of the kingdom of heaven—the character, values, and standards of those who truly belong to Him.
In Matthew 7, toward the end of the sermon, He gives three solemn warnings:
1. The Two Ways (Matthew 7:13–14):
A narrow gate and difficult way leading to life, and a wide gate and broad way leading to destruction.
2. The False Prophets (Matthew 7:15–20):
Those who appear harmless but are dangerous. They are recognized by their fruit.
3. The False Professors (Matthew 7:21–23):
Those who say “Lord, Lord” and even exercise powerful supernatural gifts, yet do not do the Father’s will and are ultimately rejected.
Your lyrics bring together these warnings:
> Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,”
> will enter the kingdom of heaven,
> but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
In the immediate context, Jesus is contrasting true righteousness (of the heart) with religious appearance. The scribes and Pharisees appeared righteous outwardly but were corrupt inwardly (see Matthew 5:20; 23:25–28). False prophets and false disciples follow the same pattern: they look right on the surface but lack the inner reality of obedience and holiness.
The picture He uses is vivid and simple:
So Jesus is equipping His people in every generation to discern between what is genuine and what is counterfeit, not by charisma, not by claims, but by fruit.
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### 1) “Beware” – προσέχετε (prosechete)
In Matthew 7:15, Jesus begins with a command: “Beware of false prophets.”
The Greek word is προσέχω (prosechō), here in the imperative plural: *prosechete*. It literally means:
It is not a casual suggestion. It is a standing command: “Keep paying attention; stay on guard.” It implies that if you are not actively watchful, you will be deceived. Deception thrives where there is spiritual laziness.
This deepens the force of the lyrics:
> Watch out for false prophets—
> test them by their fruit…
This is not optional. Jesus requires ongoing, active discernment.
### 2) “Fruit” – καρπός (karpos)
The repeated phrase is:
> “By their fruit you will recognize them.”
The Greek word is καρπός (karpos). It means:
In the New Testament, *karpos* often refers to the visible expression of an invisible life. For example:
So when Jesus says, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” He is saying:
> “By the consistent, observable outcome of their life, teaching, relationships, and conduct, you will know what they really are.”
The lyrics rightly apply this also to the heart:
> for a good heart produces good fruit.
This reflects Jesus’ wider teaching:
> “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good;
> and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
> For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
> — Luke 6:45
The heart is the tree. The fruit is the behavior, the words, the long-term pattern of life.
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### A. “Beware of false prophets… in sheep’s clothing… ravenous wolves”
> Beware of false prophets,
> who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
> but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
A prophet in biblical terms is one who claims to speak for God. A false prophet is not simply someone who occasionally makes a mistake, but one whose nature and direction is wrong. They may use the right phrases—“Lord,” “Bible,” “Holy Spirit”—yet the inner drive of their life is wolf-like.
“Ravenous” (Greek: *harpax*) means:
This is consistent with other New Testament descriptions:
So the mark of a false prophet is not first a wrong label, but a wrong motivation:
They appear as sheep—gentle, harmless, part of the community—but inwardly they are predators.
This is a spiritual warfare issue. The enemy’s primary weapon is deception. He does not come openly as a dragon. He comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his servants as “ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15). Their appearance is religious; their nature is destructive.
### B. “By their fruit you will recognize them… Grapes from thornbushes?”
> By their fruit you will recognize them.
> Do people pick grapes from thornbushes,
> or figs from thistles?
Grapes and figs in Scripture are often symbols of Israel and of covenant blessing (e.g., Hosea 9:10, Micah 4:4). Thornbushes and thistles, by contrast, are symbols of the curse (Genesis 3:18).
Jesus’ question is rhetorical: No one goes to a thornbush expecting grapes. The nature of the plant determines the kind of fruit.
Transposed to the spiritual realm:
False prophets may have gifts, but the fruit reveals the tree.
This is why Scripture interprets Scripture. We must never evaluate ministers or messages purely by:
Jesus explicitly denies that supernatural power is proof of authenticity:
> “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
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