BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS

by John MacArthur
(Part 1)
Matthew 7:15-20 Tape GC 2253

Introduction

Matthew 7:15-20 is the text we will be studying in this lesson: "Beware of
false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth bad fruit. A good tree cannot bring
forth bad fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them."

A. The Call Pronounced

The climax of the Sermon on the Mount by our Lord presented us with an
ultimate choice. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter in at the narrow
gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be who go in that way; because narrow is the
gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it." The Lord is extending an invitation; He calls for a decision.

1. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

That is not a unique passage, for the Lord calls for a decision elsewhere
in Scripture. The compassionate, loving heart of Christ longs for men to
enter into the right path. He wants men to forsake their sin and self-will,
and come repentantly to the only source of true righteousness. In Matthew
4:17 He cried, "... Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In other
words, "Turn around and go the other way." In Matthew 11:28 Jesus recognized
the burdens that men had from their sinfulness and impossible religious
duties. He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest." In John 7 He said, "... If any man thirst, let him come
unto Me, and drink" (v. 37). In addition, Jesus said, "I am the bread of
life ..." (Jn. 6:35), "I am the good shepherd..." (Jn. 10:11), "I am the
way, the truth, and the life ..." (Jn. 14:6), and "I am the resurrection
..." (Jn. 11:25). Jesus repeatedly offered an invitation for men to come to
Him.

2. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the book of Isaiah we find a foreshadowing of the invitation of
Christ: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the +LORD: though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient ..."
(1:18-19). God has always wanted to wash away the sins of men, but men have
to recognize their need for that before they will seek Him. A person's sins
will never be white as snow or wool until he realizes his sinfulness.

Another invitation appears in Isaiah 55: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come
to the waters, and he that hath no money; come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy
wine and milk without money and without price" (v. 1). In other words, when
you recognize that you need to have your sins cleansed and that you have no
resources to meet that need, then "come, buy wine and milk without money and
without price." You have nothing to offer God; you come to Him strictly on
the merits of His good and gracious gift in Christ.

The invitation appears in both the Old and New Testaments. The end of the
Bible even climaxes in a great, final invitation: "And the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Rev. 22:17). The invitation appears throughout the Bible: Enter the narrow
gate; be converted; come unto Me; if any man thirst, come without money and
buy; if your sins are as scarlet they will be white as snow or wool; the
Spirit and the bride say, "Come." The loving heart of God constantly beats
in compassion toward men, desiring that they be saved (2 Pet. 3:9). In
Jeremiah, we read that God shed tears because men turned their backs on Him
(Jer. 3:21). In Matthew 23:37, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because
the people would not come to Him.

The heart of God compassionately calls out to man. But I must add that the
Lord's compassion has some wrath in it. God is not all love. In fact, if you
don't listen to God's call and come to Him the way He wants you to, then you
are on the road to damnation. God's compassion is mingled with judgment. In
His invitation, the Lord is saying, "Love calls and judgment tarries, but
the time will come when love is set aside and judgment is imminent." So, we
are to come to Him on the narrow way.

B. The Choices Presented

Every man and woman stands at the crossroads. On one side is the narrow
gate and the narrow way that leads to life. On the other side is the broad
way that leads to damnation. Both ways say they point to heaven, but one is
right and the other is wrong. The narrow way is the religion of divine
accomplishment, and the broad way is the religion of human achievement. You
choose one or the other. Remember, it is not easy to get through the narrow
gate. Matthew 7:14 says, "... few there be that find it." Once you've found
it, you must agonize to enter into it.

C. The Caution Proclaimed

One reason it is difficult to enter the narrow gate is that while you
stand at the crossroads before the two gates, there are false prophets doing
everything they can to push you the wrong way. They obscure the narrow gate.
Like spiritual traffic cops, they wave people onto the broad road that leads
to damnation. That's why Jesus follows His invitation in Matthew 7:13-14
with a warning about false prophets: "Beware of false prophets ..." (v. 15).
They stand at the crossroads, obscuring the narrow way and pushing people
onto the broad way. They do that successfully, too! If you don't think so,
verse 22 says that "many" will go along the broad way. Verse 13 says, "...
many there be who go in that way."

The many people that complete the broad way and think they've arrived in
heaven will say, "... Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in
Thy name have cast out demons? And in Thy name done many wonderful works?"
(v. 22). They will say, "We are religious!" But Jesus said, "And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity"
(v. 23).

Many people will go on the wrong road because there are false prophets
pushing them that way. In this passage, Jesus says, "As you strive to enter
that narrow gate, beware of those who try to mislead you."

I am going to outline Jesus' lesson about false prophets with two points:
Warning and Watching. Let's look first at the ...

I. WARNING

In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." The Lord
was very clear; it is obvious He was talking about false prophets.

What does the Bible say about false prophets?

False prophets are frequently spoken of in the Bible. Let's look at
the ...

1. WARNINGS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the Pentateuch, penned by Moses under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, we find God's instruction about false prophets in the earliest times
of redemptive history. The following appears in Deuteronomy 13: "If there
arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or
a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto
thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let
us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams; for the +LORD your God testeth you, to know whether
ye love the +LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ye
shall walk after the +LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His
commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto
Him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death,
because he hath spoken to turn you away from the +LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you ..." (vv. 1-5). In other
words, "If you find a false prophet, kill him. They are very deadly."

In Isaiah 30:9-10, we read, "... this is a rebellious people, lying
children, children who will not hear the law of the +LORD: who say to the
seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things;
speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." Isaiah said that there will
be some who want to prophesy deceits, and others who want to hear false
prophets. There is always a demand for false prophets because people do not
want to hear the truth.

Jeremiah repeatedly warned about false prophets, starting in chapter 5 and
continuing to chapter 23.

There are also ...

2. WARNINGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 24:11 says, "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall
deceive many." Notice the word "many" in that verse: Many false prophets
will deceive many people. Multitudes will say, "Lord, Lord" (Mt. 7:22), but
Jesus will say, "I don't know any of you" (v. 23). The people will say, "But
we have prophesied in your name!" (v. 22). False prophets will come to the
same end that their followers do. They will claim that their deeds were done
in the Lord's name, but their claim will not stand.

Matthew 24:24 says, "For there shall arise false Christs [Gk.
psuedochristos], and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders,
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
There will be people who try to present themselves as Christ. They are
phonies and liars.

Romans 16:17-18 says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them who cause
divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and
avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their
own body, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
innocent." Paul told Timothy, "... some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to ... doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). Peter said, "... there shall
be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in damnable heresies
..." (2 Pet. 2:1). John said, "... test the spirits whether they are of God
..." (1 Jn. 4:1).

The Bible warns us repeatedly about false prophets. There have been and will
be many false prophets as long as we live on this earth. They will be here
until the Second Coming of Christ.

There are four words I want to use in explaining the warning Jesus gave in
Matthew 7:15. The first word is ...

A. The Definition

What is a false prophet? Whom are we dealing with in Matthew 7:15? Let me
give you some background information first:
1. THE PURPOSE OF TRUE PROPHETS

Ever since the fall of man (Gen. 3), every person has been hopelessly
lost. Everyone has turned his back on God and has fled from Him. No man
seeks God (Rom. 3:11). Every man runs to hell as fast as he can. So, God
picked certain people, redeemed them, and used them to draw man's heart back
to God. Those people were His prophets. In both the Old and New Testaments,
a prophet was known by two things: He had a divine commission and a divine
message. He was called by God and he gave God's message.

God selected men for that strategic function. A true prophet was God's
voice. In Exodus 4, Moses argued with the God about his speech problems. The
Lord said, "Don't worry about what you're going to say. I will put My words
in your mouth" (vv. 10-12). Prior to that, God had called to Moses from a
burning bush and commissioned him to become a prophet (Ex. 3:1-10). The Lord
chose Moses and gave him the content of His message. That consummated his
role as a prophet. He was God's man; he spoke God's message. Yet as soon as
God assigned His true prophets to be true shepherds to draw wayward sheep
back to Himself, Satan brought along counterfeits.

2. THE PROBLEM OF FALSE PROPHETS

a. In the Old Testament

When you study the Old Testament, you continuously see the trouble that
false prophets caused. They were everywhere in the Old Testament era, just
as they are today.
1) Jeremiah

We could spend days studying what Jeremiah said about false prophets. He
talked about them more than anyone else did in the Bible. In Jeremiah 14:14,
he said, "Then the +LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in My
name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto
them ...." God said that false prophets were deceiving the people, and doing
a great job of it. In Jeremiah 5:31, He said, "The prophets prophesy falsely
... and My people love to have it so ...." The people accepted what the
false prophets said, because they tickled the people's ears. That's the way
it will be in the future: Men will "heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears" (2 Tim. 4:3). False prophets give platitudes that people want
to hear, which are nothing but lies.

In Jeremiah 23:14-16, we read, "I have seen also in the prophets of
Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they
strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his
wickedness; they are all of them unto Me like Sodom, and its inhabitants
like Gomorrah. Therefore, thus saith the +LORD of hosts concerning the
prophets, Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the
water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth
into all the land. Thus saith the +LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words
of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain; they speak a
vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the +LORD." False
prophets make men proud; they appeal to their egos. They are evil, fleshly,
adulterous, and they strengthen the hands of evildoers. False prophets are
evil; they say what people want to hear.

Finally, in Jeremiah 23:21, 28, God said, "I have not sent these prophets,
yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.... The prophet
that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him
speak My word faithfully...." In other words, "I don't want to silence all
prophets, just the false ones."

2) Zechariah

Zechariah 11:16 gives a vivid picture of a false shepherd: "For, lo, I will
raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are cut off
...." Can you imagine a shepherd that doesn't bother to find lost sheep? The
verse continues, "... neither shall [he] seek the young one, nor heal that
which is broken, nor feed that which standeth still, but he shall eat the
flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces." The false shepherd
described here won't help a little stray lamb or injured sheep. Rather, he
eats the fat of the sheep. What kind of a shepherd is that? The fact that he
tears "their claws in pieces" means that he will literally rip the hooves
apart to get every little morsel of meat.

God said, "Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall
be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be completely dried
up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened" (Zech. 11:17). The false
shepherd described in Zechariah 11:16-17 is the Antichrist, whom God will
judge. The Antichrist is the prototype of all false prophets. He cares
nothing for the sheep. He masquerades as if he were Christ, but tears apart
the flock.

The scribes and Pharisees were classic examples of false shepherds. They
crucified Jesus because He mercilessly unmasked them. They paraded
themselves as if they were godly, but they were rapacious and self-serving.
They took advantage of people for personal gain.

b. In the New Testament
False prophets were called many things in the New Testament: "false
brethren" (2 Cor. 11:26), "false apostles" (2 Cor. 11:13), "false teachers"
(2 Pet. 2:1), false speakers (1 Tim. 4:2), and "false Christs" (Mt. 24:24).
The Greek word for false in those verses is psuedo, which means "sham, or
phony."

Despite the fact that false prophets are liars, they always have an
audience. Jesus said in John 8:45, "... because I tell you the truth, ye
believe Me not." The people Jesus spoke to couldn't hear the truth because
they listened for lies. Why? They were "of [their] father the devil ... he
is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44). In Jeremiah 5:31, God said,
"The prophets prophesy falsely ... and My people love to have it so ...."
People heap to themselves teachers that lie (2 Tim. 4:3). False prophets
will always have an audience. We need to be aware of that.
B. The Danger

1. DECLARED

Matthew 7:15 not only tells us to beware of false prophets; it tells us
why we are to watch out for them: They are dangerous. We can all be easy
prey for false prophets. The word "beware" in verse 15 should be enough to
let us know that they are dangerous. Whenever I see the word beware on a
sign, I stop. I don't want to run into a gorilla or a huge dog! I want to be
careful not to get electrocuted. Beware is a strong word; the Greek word for
it means "hold your mind away from." Don't ever expose your mind to the
influence of false prophets. Don't pay attention to them; they pervert the
mind and poison the soul.

a. By Peter

Second Peter 2:2 tells us the result of their work: "... many shall
follow their pernicious ways ...." Many people will take the broad road
thinking they are religious, but they are following a pied piper who will
lead them into damnation. Peter calls false prophets "natural brute beasts"
(v. 12), "spots...and blemishes" (v. 13), and beguilers of unstable souls
(v. 14). He said that "they allure through the lusts of the flesh ..." (v.
18).

b. By Jude

Jude calls false prophets "brute beasts" (v. 10). He said that they "are
spots [or `scabs'] in your love feasts ..." (v. 12), and that they flatter
people for personal gain (v. 16). They are dangerous and clever.

You would be better off to embrace a cobra or crawl in bed with a hungry
lion. It would be better for you to drink a bottle of poison than to come
near a false prophet. Then you would only be affected physically. False
prophets pervert the mind.

2. DEFINED

Why are false prophets so dangerous? Matthew 7:15 says it's because
"inwardly they are ravening wolves." They don't appear to be wolves, but
that's what they really are. The fact that false prophets are ravenous
wolves appears in the Old Testament, too, in Ezekiel 22:27-28. Let me
explain about that in greater detail from the book of ...

a. John

The primary enemy of sheep in Palestine was the wolf. Wolves roamed the
hills there. When one spotted a flock, it would sneak up on it. Then it
would snatch a sheep and rip it to shreds. Sheep were totally defenseless
against a wolf. In John 10, when Jesus talked about the characteristics of
good shepherds, He said that they are always on the alert for wolves. A
shepherd who cares for his sheep always watches after them.

John 10 talks about three kinds of characters that deal with a flock:

1) The Shepherd

A good shepherd cares for his sheep. He will give his life for them (v.
11). He will do anything to keep them from a wolf.

2) The Hired Laborer

When a hired laborer sees a wolf, he runs (vv. 12-13). He says, "This is
only a job; I'm getting out of here!" He doesn't care about the sheep. When
things get tough, he is gone. He is like a paid church professional who
enjoys the glamor of his work. He likes collecting his checks. But when
things get rough, he leaves.

3) The Wolf

The worst enemy of sheep are wolves. Hired laborers just run away, but
wolves eat the sheep. A good shepherd protects his flock; a hired laborer
abandons the flock entrusted to him; but the false prophet destroys sheep.
They are "ravening wolves." The verb form of the Greek word for "ravening"
in Matthew 7:15 literally means "to snatch or to seize." You can picture in
your mind a wolf sinking his teeth into a sheep and running off with it.
That same word is used in reference to a grasping extortioner in Luke 18:11
and 1 Corinthians 5:11. False prophets are ferocious, merciless, and
devouring. They are extremely dangerous. That's what Jesus is saying in
Matthew 7:15.

False prophets are so dangerous that we are to be wary if we are in the
presence of one. Even if you associated with one and weren't influenced by
him, a person with less discernment might think you were condoning him and
consequently would get hurt.

b. Jude

The book of Jude, which talks about apostasy, says this in verse 21:
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life" (+NASB). In other words, make sure you
are in the place of receiving God's blessing. Make sure your life is right
and that you are keeping yourself in a place where God's love is manifest.
Once you have taken care of yourself, then you can win others to Christ.
Verses 22-23 talk about that: There are three categories of people that we
can reach:

1) The Doubters

We are to "have mercy on some, who are doubting" (v. 22; +NASB).
When you find someone who has doubts, you are to love him and be merciful to
him. That kind of person will say, "I think I believe in Christ; I think the
gospel is true, but I'm not sure." Be merciful to him.

2) The Endangered Unbelievers

The second group of people we are to reach out to are endangered
unbelievers: "Save others, snatching them out of the fire ..." (v. 23;
+NASB). Such people are not believers; they are on their way to hell and you
have to grab them. They are indifferent outsiders.

3) The Cult Members

The third category of people are those who are involved in false
religions. When you reach out to them, you are to "have mercy with fear,
hating even the garment polluted by the flesh" (v. 23; +NASB). When you try
to win a person who is under the influence of a false prophet, you have to
go after him in the fear of God, or you might be influenced by that false
prophet. Jude is saying that trying to win a person under a false prophet's
influence is dangerous because you can be defiled by them. They are vile,
dangerous, brute beasts. They are like lepers--you don't want to be near
them.

Don't think that false prophets are good, well-meaning, misguided people.
Basically, they are devouring wolves that endeavor to shove people onto the
broad road to hell. Some of them may be deceiving themselves, but many of
them know what they are doing.
We have seen the definition and danger of false prophets; let's look now
at...

C. The Deception

False prophets are dangerous because you don't see what they really are.
Matthew 7:15 says that they "come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves."
1. THE CLOTHES OF FALSE PROPHETS

a. Imitate a True Prophet's Clothing

In the Old Testament, and in the case of John the Baptist in the New
Testament, a prophet was known by what he wore. Elijah, for example, wore a
rough, hairy, burlap garment (2 Kgs. 1:8). That was a statement to society
that he was foregoing creature comforts for the Lord's cause. John the
Baptist lived in the wilderness, ate locusts and wild honey, and wore a
rough camel hair coat. Camel hair products today are not the same as what
they used to be. John the Baptist's garment was very uncomfortable. He wore
the clothes of a prophet. God's prophets had no worldly goods and did not
wear worldly clothes. They wore rough garments and looked as if they had
come from the wilderness, where they communed with God.

Whenever someone wanted to pretend to be a prophet, he put on a prophet's
clothing. He would wear a rough, burlap garment. Zechariah 13:4 even says
that a false prophet will "wear a rough garment to deceive."

b. Imitate a True Shepherd's Clothing

When Jesus said that a false prophet wore sheep's clothing, He wasn't
talking about a person crawling on his hands and feet wearing a sheepskin
and sheep's head. Most shepherds wore cloaks made from sheep's wool. The
mark of a shepherd was his wool cloak. They needed a warm cloak because in
Israel, the evenings are cold, much like they are in California. So when
Jesus spoke of false prophets in sheep's clothing, He was talking about
people dressed like shepherds. "Sheep's clothing" is another term for wool.
Just as a false prophet would wear the clothes of a prophet, a false
shepherd wears the clothes of a shepherd. Jesus wasn't talking about a
sheep's disguise; He was talking about a shepherd's disguise. A false
shepherd looks like a shepherd, but he is really a wolf.

2. THE CATEGORIES OF FALSE PROPHETS

There are three kinds of false prophets in the Bible. The first two kinds
fall into the category of ...

a. The Obvious

1) The Heretic

A heretic says, "I don't believe the Bible is true." Sometimes a heretic
will say that he believes the Bible, but he teaches heretical doctrine by
misusing the Bible. That kind of false prophet is openly heretical.

2) The Apostate
Apostates deny Christianity and depart from it.

Heretics and apostates aren't hard to spot. It's easy to detect false
doctrine. All you have to do is compare it with the Bible. It's easy to
identify apostates--they deny the Bible.

Heretics and apostates are talked about in Matthew 7:6: "Give not that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine ...."
It's easy to detect the hogs and dogs; they are in the mire and vomit (2
Pet. 2:22). Heretics and apostates are made obvious.

The third kind of false prophets are ...

b. The Obscure

These are the ones you have to watch out for. I call them the deceivers.
Jesus referred to them in Matthew 7:15. Deceivers wear the cloak of a
shepherd. They talk about Jesus, the cross, God, the Scriptures, the church,
and the Holy Spirit. They mingle with true Christians and appear to be
evangelical. They are on the radio and television, they speak from pulpits,
and write books. They look like Christians. They are not as obvious as
heretics. Titus 3:10 says that we are to rebuke heretics. Apostates are
obvious because they have denied the faith. But deceivers are subtle.

The Lord is not warning us about heretics or apostates in Matthew 7:15. He
is warning us about people who sound like Christians and appear to teach the
gospel. We shouldn't be surprised that there will be people like that.
Second Corinthians 11:14 says, "... Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light." He is hidden among us. Verse 15 tells us, "Therefore, it is
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness ...." They are subtle deceivers in our midst. Jude 4 says,
"... there are certain men crept in unawares ...." I don't know if you are
finding them, but they are everywhere.

3. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE PROPHETS

Sometimes when I point out a false prophet with the help of the Word and
Spirit of God, other Christians get upset. They say, "That person is a
deceiver? Impossible!" But all the criteria needs to be examined. Let me
tell you what they look like:

a. Their Words

False prophets are pleasant. They mingle with Christians and talk like
Christians. However, it's not what false prophets say that gives them away;
it's what they don't say. They talk about Jesus, the cross, and heaven, but
never talk about sin, hell, mourning, meekness, and humility. They only talk
about how to be happy.

b. Their Ways

False prophets appear to live right. You say, "If someone is a false
prophet, his life wouldn't be clean." Some of them live superficially clean
lives, but deep inside they are rotten. I agree with what commentator John
A. Broadus said, "When some false teachers of ruinous heresy are men of
scrupulous conduct and pleasing general character and even appear devout,
this may be morally ascribed to their early religious habits" (Commentary on
the Gospel of Matthew [Philadelphia: American Baptist Pub. Society, 1881]).

False prophets appear to walk the Christian walk. They may appear to be
fine, but are vile on the inside. They suppress their depravity for the sake
of their reputation. Sometimes when such a person's sin is revealed, the
people in his church just say, "We are supposed to be forgiving," and the
false prophet continues in his sinfulness.

False prophets are deceptive. Beware: Deceivers are all around us. They are
not as obvious as heretics and apostates; they look like Christians.

The fourth point in our outline is ...

D. The Damnation

1. THE CONVERSATION DETAILED

False prophets will have an end. According to Matthew 7:22, they will say
to Jesus at the time of judgment, "... Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
Your name? ...." In other words, they will say, "We were Your preachers."

Prophets of Revelation and Prophets of Proclamation

The false prophets mentioned in Matthew 7 were not the kind of prophets that
received revelation from God. There were Old and New Testament prophets that
God spoke through directly, but not all prophets received direct revelation.
The word prophesy means "to speak before." That's why the gift of prophecy
still exists: It is not just a revelatory gift, it is nonrevelatory also. A
prophet is one who proclaims God's Word. I have the gift of prophecy,
because I proclaim the Word of God.

The false prophets in Matthew 7:22 will claim to have prophesied in
Christ's name. Some of them might say they received revelations from God,
but basically they will claim to have declared Christ's name. The Lord will
say to them, "... I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity"
(v. 23). Christ will send false prophets into everlasting damnation.

2. THE CONDEMNATION DETAILED

a. They Will Not Be Alone

The great tragedy is that the false prophets won't go to hell alone; for
"many there be who go in that way" (Mt. 7:13). Second Peter 2:2 says that
"many shall follow their pernicious ways ...." A great number of people will
be deceived, and their end will be eternal destruction. Second Peter 2:1
says, "... there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction." They are not alone; many will follow them to the same
fate.

b. They Will Not Be Spared

Second Peter 2:4-6 says, "... God spared not the angels that sinned, but
cast them down to hell ... and spared not the old world, but saved Noah ...
and [turned] the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes ...." If God did
all that, then He will not spare false prophets. Verse 9 says that He will
"reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." False prophets
will "utterly perish in their own corruption" (v. 12). They are cursed
children (v. 14), for "whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever" (v.
17). In Revelation 19:20, we read that the false prophet of the Antichrist
and the Antichrist himself will be thrown into the lake of fire, which will
burn forever.

Christ has warned us. The first word in Matthew 7:15 is "beware." We have
examined the definition, the danger, the deception, and the damnation of
false prophets. Be on the lookout: They are very dangerous because they are
deceptive--and their deception leads to damnation.

In our next lesson, we will learn more about how to recognize them. It is
important for us to be able to separate the true from the false. Too many
Christians today are vague about doctrine and gullible to anyone who talks
about Jesus. There are many false prophets around us. We need to understand
how to determine who is of God and who is not.

Focusing on the Facts

1. Jesus invited men to come to Him at the end of His Sermon on the Mount
(Mt. 7:13-14). What other invitations did Jesus make in the New Testament?
(see pp. xx-xx)

2.Explain what is said in the invitation in Isaiah 55:1. (see p. xx)

3.What happened in Jeremiah 3:21 and Matthew 23:37? Why? (see p. xx)

4.What is one reason that it is difficult to enter the narrow gate? (see p.
xx)

5.What did God want Israel to do with a false prophet, according to
Deuteronomy 13:1-5? (see pp. xx-xx)

6.What did the Israelites ask the prophets to do in Isaiah 30:10? Why? (see
p. xx)

7.What does Romans 16:17-18 say about false prophets? (see pp. xx-xx)

8.What two things was a true prophet known by? (see p. xx)

9.What did God say about false prophets in Jeremiah 23:14-16? (see p. xx)

10.List some terms that are used in the New Testament to speak of false
prophets. (see p. xx)

11.How do we know that false prophets will always have an audience? Use
Scripture to support your answer. (see p. xx)

12.What does the Greek word for "beware" in Matthew 7:15 mean? Why should we
not pay attention to false prophets? (see p. xx)

13.What terms do Peter and Jude use to describe false prophets? (see p. xx)

14.What does a good shepherd do when a wolf threatens his sheep? (see p. xx)

15.What does a hired laborer do when the sheep under his care are threatened
by a wolf? What kind of church worker does he depict? (see p. xx)

16.What does a wolf (false prophet) do to sheep? (see p. xx)

17.How are we to reach out to doubters? How do we need to reach out to
endangered unbelievers? Why must we be so cautious when reaching out to
those who are under the influence of a false prophet? (Jd. 22- 23; see pp.
xx-xx)

18.What did a person do if he wanted to pretend to be a prophet? What
Scripture supports that? (see p. xx)

19.Explain what Jesus meant when He said that a false prophet wore sheep's
clothing. (see pp. xx-xx)

20.What three categories of false prophets are there? How can a person
detect false prophets from the first two categories? Why is it so difficult
to spot false prophets from the third category? (see pp. xx-xx)

21.Of the three categories of fals