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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)
Let us look at what the Word of God says. In this passage, Jesus Himself issues a solemn warning. He does not speak to the world. He speaks to His disciples, to those who claim to follow Him. He warns that not everyone who looks like a shepherd is a true shepherd. Not every voice that uses His name represents His heart. There are false prophets. They are dangerous. They are deceptive. And He gives us one central test: fruit.
The lyrics you have given are built directly upon this teaching of Jesus. The repeated line, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” is not a suggestion, but a spiritual law revealed by the Lord. A true prophet, a true servant of God, is not recognized by outward appearance, by eloquence, by apparent success, or even by miracles. He is recognized by his fruit.
This message is critical in our time. We live in an age of increasing deception. The church is flooded with voices, prophecies, dreams, and “words.” The Scripture does not tell us to accept them all, nor does it tell us to reject them all. It tells us to test them. The test is the fruit.
Matthew 7 is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus is speaking primarily to His disciples, with the crowds listening. He has just taught about the narrow gate and the difficult way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14). Then, immediately, He warns:
> “Beware of false prophets…” (Matthew 7:15)
Why at that point? Because the narrow way demands obedience, submission to God’s will, and a transformed life. False prophets come precisely to bypass that narrow way. They offer a broader, easier, more comfortable path, but still claim it leads to life. They are the religious justification for disobedience.
In Israel’s history, this was a recurring problem. The Old Testament is full of confrontations between true and false prophets:
So the disciples lived in a context where prophets were a known category. Jesus is not introducing a new group, but warning about a corrupt form of a known ministry.
Notice also: Jesus places this warning near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, just before speaking about those who say, “Lord, Lord” yet are rejected, and about the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:21–27). The theme is consistent: profession without obedience, religious talk without transformed life, ministry activity without true submission to the Father’s will.
So picture the setting: a large crowd, disciples near Him, religious leaders probably listening. Jesus has described the righteousness of the kingdom, which goes far deeper than external religion (anger, lust, oaths, love for enemies, secret prayer, secret giving, secret fasting). Then He looks these religious people in the eye and says:
> “Beware of false prophets… By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:15–16, paraphrased).
The implication is: there will be religious leaders, teachers, and prophets who outwardly look like sheep, or even shepherds, but inwardly they are wolves.
### 1. “False prophets” — *pseudoprophētēs* (ψευδοπροφήτης)
The Greek word translated “false prophet” is *pseudoprophētēs*:
A *pseudoprophētēs* is not just someone who occasionally makes a mistake. He is a deceptive spokesman, someone whose very ministry is characterized by falsehood. He wears the label of prophet, but the source of his message is not the Holy Spirit. It may be his own imagination, his own ambition, or even demonic inspiration.
In the Old Testament, such men are repeatedly described:
> “They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD.”
> — Jeremiah 23:16
So when Jesus says “Beware of false prophets,” He is warning against those who claim divine authority for what does not come from God.
### 2. “Wolves” — *lykos* (λύκος)
The word “wolves” (*lykos*) pictures not just danger, but predators. Wolves do not feed on grass. They feed on sheep. They exploit, devour, and destroy. Paul uses the same language:
> “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
> — Acts 20:29
False prophets are not spiritually neutral. They are spiritually predatory.
### 3. “Fruit” — *karpos* (καρπός)
“By their fruit you will recognize them.” The word *karpos* means:
In the New Testament, *karpos* often describes the visible outworking of an inner life:
So, to apply Jesus’ teaching: fruit includes:
Jesus is saying: *The inner nature will inevitably express itself outwardly over time.* A wolf can wear sheep’s clothing, but it cannot produce sheep’s fruit.
Let us take the key lines of the lyrics and open them with Scripture.
### “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
The first word is “Beware”. In Greek, *prosechete* — “pay attention to, be on your guard, watch out.” Jesus never uses unnecessary words. If He says “Beware,” there is a real danger. Many believers stumble here. They assume that anyone who uses Christian vocabulary and talks about Jesus must be safe. Jesus says the opposite.
“Sheep’s clothing” means they present themselves as harmless, gentle, part of the flock, or sometimes as shepherds of the flock. Deception is not obvious at first glance. The problem is inward:
> “Inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)
The word “ravenous” suggests greed, hunger for gain, exploitation. Peter describes them:
> “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words…”
> — 2 Peter 2:3
Their motives are not the glory of God, but self-exaltation, financial gain, or other fleshly desires. So a key mark of the false is always motive: Who is being exalted? Who is benefiting?
### “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
Jesus gives a simple, agricultural illustration. Grapes and figs were ordinary, desirable fruits in Israel. Thornbushes and thistles were useless, even harmful.
No one with sense expects to find grapes (symbol of joy, abundance, wine) on a thornbush. You do not get figs (symbol of blessing, provision) from thistles. In other words, nature determines fruit.
The true prophet is rooted in God, in the fear of the Lord, in obedience to His Word. The false prophet is rooted in self, ambition, compromise. The root determines the fruit.
Paul says:
> “For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.”
> — Romans 11:16
Where the root is corrupted, the fruit will be corrupted.
### “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
Jesus introduces two categories:
The word for “bad” (*sapros*) can mean rotten, decayed, worthless. The point is not that a good tree never has a damaged piece of fruit, or that a bad tree never has a temporarily appealing-looking fruit. The point is overall character and consistency over time.
John the Baptist preached something very similar:
> “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 thrown into the fire.”
> — Matthew 3:10
God does not judge merely on profession, title, or temporary appearance. He judges by the overall fruit of a life and ministry.
### “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
Here Jesus states a spiritual impossibility. Over time, the inward nature will express itself. A man may preach correct doctrine outwardly, but if his heart is corrupt, eventually the fruit will show: pride, immorality, manipulation, greed, or rebellion.
Likewise, a true servant of God may not be perfect, may make mistakes, may even sometimes speak inaccurately, but the deep pattern of his life will bear good fruit: repentance when wrong, humility, increasing holiness, love, the fear of God.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, uses similar logic:
> “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
> Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
> — James 3:11–12
Nature determines product. So the Lord is directing us to look beyond temporary excitement and impressive performance, to the nature revealed in fruit.
### “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
This moves from discernment to judgment. God Himself will ultimately deal with every false prophet, every fruitless tree. Fire in Scripture frequently symbolizes judgment (Hebrews 10:27; Revelation 20:15). False ministry is not merely ineffective; it is destined for judgment.
This should sober us in two ways:
1. We must not follow those whom God will judge.
2. We must personally ensure our own lives bear good fruit.
Paul warns of a time when people will accumulate teachers to suit their own desires:
> “For 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
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