Our Characters Bear Fruit

“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: 15-19, NKJV.

Dear God, we have studied many of these lessons before; but now we ask You to reveal new truths according to our need. This is our prayer, in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

During our second or third devotional based on this chapter, we discussed fruit and  false prophets, among other things. Today we are going to begin to dig a little deeper into the guise of false prophets, how they can be identified, and what is their final destination.

A person who creates counterfeit money is very careful to make it look as similar to the real thing, as possible. Because they are so similar to the real thing, it is usually very difficult to distinguish between the true and the false, and as a result, the persons in charge of disseminating these bills, are usually able to get quite a few passed around before someone discovers them.

Jesus had this to say about false prophets, “they come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” If a wolf came to you as a wolf, the minute you spotted it, it is quite likely, you would run as fast as you could, in the opposite direction. So in order to get close enough to you, the false prophet will come in the form of a lamb. It is interesting that while the figure of a lamb is usually used to show the contrast between the fierceness of a wolf, or any other aggressive animal or reptile (serpent), and the docility of a lamb, in a religious context, the lamb is representative of Jesus. 

In 2 Timothy, chapter 3, speaking about the signs of the last days, the apostle said, some would be “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away” (5)! In other words, run in the opposite direction, just as you would if you saw a wolf! These “look” godly, but they have not allowed godliness to take possession of them! They are like the false prophets who are described as “wolves in sheep clothing!” Dressed up like the Lamb, but acting like the Adversary. Carrying the name of the Lamb, but possessing the spirit of the Adversary. In the fold of the Lamb, but led by the Adversary. This is very dangerous! It is easier to protect yourself from an obvious, evident, enemy, than it is from one who is disguised.

” ‘ “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out” ‘ ” (Numbers 32: 23). Many will remember that these words were spoken to the people of the tribe of Gad and Ruben, when the children of Israel were about to enter the land of Canaan to take possession, and these two tribes decided to stay on the other side of the River Jordan (read the entire chapter). These words are still in effect today. We can do whatever we want to do, but one thing is sure, “whatever is in the dark will come to light!” It is the same way with false prophets:  By and by, their true fruits will bud and blossom. A dog barks, a cat purrs, and a horse neighs. Sooner or later, our true nature comes to light, and people discover who we really are.

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” That is the truth – because –  “You will know them by their fruits.”

We will continue.