01.23. The Sermon on the Mount (31)
The Sermon on the Mount (31) by Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
False Prophets
’Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves’ (Matthew 7:15). The Lord Jesus at a very early stage warns His disciples against false prophets. However they did not appear immediately; they are rather a feature of the last days. He also refers to then in the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24:11; Matthew 24:24), but there He speaks about the last days still to come. The grievous wolves against which Paul warned only entered among the flock after his departing (Acts 20:29), and the apostle John wrote of false prophets at a time when the first deviations from the truth of the gospel were already manifest(1 John 4:1). The characteristic of false prophets is that they come in sheep’s clothing but in truth are ravening wolves. They pass for believers (and some might even be such) and yet their true intention is only manifested when they have entered among the flock: they are have come to steal and to scatter the sheep (John 10:12). They are able to deceive unwatchful children of God by cunningly transforming themselves into apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
We find false prophets come up with new ’revelations’. And yet every Christian ought to ponder over the numerous so-called ’revelations’ of modern prophets which have never been fulfilled. The beginning of the time of tribulation, for example, or the appearing of the Antichrist or the coming of the Lord have often been falsely ’prophesied’ by leaders of various sects. And thousands have left home and family in a false hope - and have been bitterly disappointed! The Word of God, however, does not give us a single clue for such calculations! We ought to expect our Lord at any moment. And yet false prophets repeatedly succeed in deluding even true children of God.
There is another kind of false prophecy which can ensnare the hearts of believers. Sometimes men arise who speak about so-called hidden sins or entanglements of believers and bring real or supposed sins to light. By doing this they appeal to the feelings of many believers and seek to influence them. Often they not only say false things but some true things as well. And so many hardly recognise that they are false prophets. The Lord Jesus says: ’Beware of false prophets.’ The best way to discern the false from the true in spiritual matters is not to know the false but to know the true. The believer does not need to be able to refute every false doctrine, but should turn away as soon as he recognises that there is something that does not glorify his lord and Redeemer. And to recognise a false prophet one must know the features of a true prophet. A true prophet speaks out of communion with God to the hearts and consciences of his listeners. He will lead them into the light of God, to a deeper knowledge of Him and closer fellowship with Him. A prophetic ministry is characterised by ministering ’oracles of God’ (1 Peter 4:11), by reaching the hearts and consciences of the listeners and by working edification, exhortation and comfort or encouragement (1 Corinthians 14:3).
What is meant by Fruits?
’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 evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matthew 7:16-18) To substantiate his warning against false prophets the Lord Jesus uses an illustration from creation. If you have good knowledge of nature you will often be able to recognise a tree from a distance by its shape and its leaves. But even someone who does not know nature as well as this will be generally able to identify a tree by its fruit. This is an illustration from daily life the Lord Jesus uses here. The fruits are first of all the words of the prophets. True prophets of God also may fail in their manner of life and their deeds. Whereas false prophets are often characterised by an especially amiable nature. This is why the fruits in this case are not only deeds but particularly the teaching which is brought. By them the disciples of Jesus will recognise if the Spirit of God or a false spirit is speaking. The Word of God says: ’Try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ and ’He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed’ (1 John 4:1 and 2 John 1:9-10).
Thorns and thistles are symbolic of what the ground brings forth as a result of the fall of the first couple. Surely no one expects refreshing grapes or figs, which the Old Testament refers to as signs of God’s blessing (see Zechariah 3:10), to come forth from such plants. No, only a good tree can bring forth good fruit, and only a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. The word ’evil’ (or ’bad’ in JND) is used in a figurative sense. The fish in Matthew 13:48 are probably not bad either but inedible. The Lord sets up a general principle which says that the quality of the tree is decisive for the quality of the fruit: ’Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.’ (Matthew 7:17) To stress this principle he adds that there are no exceptions: ’A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit’ (Matthew 7:18). This principle from nature has a spiritual application. It is a simple but clear ’either ... or’ which helps the disciple to discern the spring from which the message he is hearing is coming.
God’s Judgment
’Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire’ (Matthew 7:19). Already John the Baptist had uttered the same words when warning the Jews against the coming wrath and summoning them to repentance (Matthew 3:10). How this twofold warning against God’s judgment stresses the seriousness of the Lord Jesus’ words! The judgment awaiting the false prophets is according to the holiness and justice of God, and yet it ought to be a warning to the listeners as well so that eternal destruction might not engulf them too. Will all false prophets be lost, even those who have preached a message that was partially false but have tried to cling to the word of God in other respects? The seal of God in 2 Timothy 2:19 helps us answer this, ’The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity!’
We may not be certain, if someone bringing false teaching is a true child of God or not. But the Lord knows it. He sees the heart and knows if the evil is based upon an error or a proof that there has been no new birth. This is God’s side of the seal. If such false prophets are truly born again they will not be lost. Their future is described in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. Their work will be burned but they themselves shall be saved, yet so as by fire. The other side of the seal is connected with our responsibility as men, who confess the name of the Lord Jesus. The Lord expects us to depart from any iniquity, that is from all that displeases God and that we bring forth fruit for him which corresponds to this confession. No one leading a life in contradiction to the will of God ought to take comfort in the thought that he is saved. This is why the paragraph ends with the repetition of the words: ’Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them’ (Matthew 7:20).