Matthew chapter 7:13-23 is wisdom from the Savior about false teachers and the kind of fruit they produce. It's also a frank warning to those think they've got holiness all sewn up, but are actually deceived into trying to gain Heaven on the merits of their works. False prophets are a dangerous lot. They can seem to lead and speak with authority, but Jesus points out that they have a gentle outward appearance, but inwardly they seek to devour peoples souls.

15"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits."

The outward appearance of such men is designed to make people believe that they are reliable guides. They may even employ a particular type of dress to set themselves apart as leaders. They may mimic other leaders and surround themselves with the trapping of the church, giving themselves titles which sound "religious." They may even have graduated from a school of divinity. They might even be a seminary professor. If we were to make a discernment based solely on their outward appearance we might make the mistake of believing them to be reliable. That's why it's so important to rely on what the Lord's Word tells us about them.

A good way to discover a false prophet is by looking at their fruits. Discerning a false prophet on the basis of their fruits is a very necessary part of the responsibility we have as believers. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." So what are these fruits?

One should show caution here, because false prophets often seem to be doing very religious things. The Lord predicted, "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "

We shouldn't be surprised to see false prohets performing kindly acts and sponsoring or attending charitable functions. It shouldn't surprise us either if they do things which make them appear to have some somiraculousulaous power, like the ability to heal people of their illnesses, for example. These things are even done with a the claim that they're being done by the power of God, and for His glory.

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

The enemy will no doubt willingly give the credit for these deeds to God, if it allows him to go on deceiving people into giving their allegiance and obedience to himself instead of God. So what exactly are the fruits of false prophets? The Bible gives us plenty of information. It's my humble opinion that fruits of false prophets all fall into three basic categories.

Category 1: Doctrine
False prophets are self deluded, and what they say does not come from God. See Jeremiah 23:16,21,25 and Ezekiel 13:2. They don't stand up for God's Word. Instead they deny it. See Jeremiah 23:17. They tend to avoid unpleasant subjects ljudgmentudgement of God. See Jeremiah 6:14, 28:17 and Ezekiel 13:10. One thing they do a lot is say just exactly what people want to hear. See: 1 Kings 13:2, 22:8 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4. They also lead people from salvation by denying the deity of our Lord or diminishing that in some way and diminishing the work He did on the Cross. See: 2 Peter 2:1 and 1 John 4:2,3.

Category 2: How their teaching affects people's lives.
Without exception it leads to people rejecting the Biblical authority of God's Word, and division among the saints. See: Jeremiah 23:2,14. People who listen to false prophets often live lives of sensuality. See: 2 Peter 2:2. Believers are deceived with false doctrine. See: Mark 13:22. 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus make this evident too, because Paul teaches the need for sound or healthy doctrine.

Category 3: The moral character of false prophets.
2 Peter 2:10 tells us that false prophets are easily distinguished by their pridefulness, by their greed (Jeremiah 8:10, Titus 1:11, 2 Peter 2:3,14) and by their immorality. See: Jeremiah 23:11,14, 2 Peter 2:14. They take advantage of the weak and those who are guilt-ridden. See: 2 Timothy 3:6-7 and 2 Peter 2:13,14. They say they know God, but their actions demonstrate otherwise. See: Matthew 7:22,23; 2 Timothy 3:5 and Titus 1:16. While they themselves enjoy a type of authority, they refuse to submit to authority. See: 2 Peter 2:10

In Luke 6:39 Jesus asked, "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?" There's a lot of godless guides who would be only too happy to lead us through the accommodating wide gate, which is the way that leads to destruction. These false prophets and teachers are not only blind themselves, but they're like the pied piper, playing a tune pleasing to the ears of all those who follow them to destruction. It's the Lord though, who will speak the final word about these people.