The Disguise of the False Prophet
The real problem with false prophets is that they are hard to spot. Jesus makes this truth known to us, for the false prophet will come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
Notice what Jesus says about these men: they don’t look any different than everyone else. They don’t look like ravenous wolves, which is what they are. They don’t sound like ravenous wolves. They don’t sound evil. They sound normal, and most of them sound generally nice. I would say most of them, have truly mastered the art of being winsome.
In fact, these false prophets or false teachers look like sheep.
Remember, that when Jesus identified His betrayer as Judas Iscariot, none of the other disciples said: “I knew it was him all along.”
In fact, they said, “Lord, is it I?”
Also remember our OT text, it warned us, just as Paul did, that many of the false prophets will come from our own midst.
Deuteronomy 13:6-9
6 “If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 you shall not be willing to accept him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him; and you shall not spare him or conceal him. 9 But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Notice what YHWH tells the people to do with the false prophet. He doesn’t say to embrace them, or just ignore them hoping that they will go away, but kill them. Put them to death.
Why do you suppose the punishment given to us by the Omnipotent God of creation is so severe?
It is severe because these men were leading others from life to death. This is the main fruit of the false prophet. The false prophet is a ravenous wolf because the end result of what he does is destruction. The false prophet leads people to destruction, not life, all under the guise of temporary peace.
