Rotten Berries & Ravenous Wolves

By, Jeremy Harrell

Wolves are a very interesting species of God’s creation.  They travel in packs and these social animals cooperate on their preferred prey—large animals such as deer, elk, and moose.  When wovles are successful, they do not eat in moderation.  They in fact, consume.  Male wolves can weigh up to 110 pounds, and their paws can be the size of a grown man’s hand.  Wolves are impressive animals.  While I can truly respect them as a creation of God, there is a type of “wolf” used as a metaphor in scripture which I detest: the wolves mentioned in (Matthew 7:15-16) ¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits.” These wolves, I detest.  These “wolves” prey on the people that are mentioned in: (2 Timothy 4:3-4) “³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

The sad truth concerning these people is that:

1. “The prey”, if you will, heap unto themselves teachers (as the Greek implies: they shall accumulate unto themselves piles of teachers…)
2. The teachers that they heap unto themselves can easily be identified by their fruits. (Matthew 7:16)

I’ve often times likened this in my head to the persimmon trees in my parent’s pastures. When you bite into a bad one, you know it.  The sourness is very evident, very quickly, that something is not as it should taste.  False teachers, according to scripture produce bad fruit that will carry away many with the stench of error.  (2 Peter 2:1-3) “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”

These “wolves” of false teaching will give an account for the error they teach.  We as students of The Word of God, must remain diligent in order to not be led astray by deceptive words.  We are told to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and so the hearer is without excuse.

Matthew chapter 7 continues in verse 21 explaining the ultimate end for these people that allow such things will be: ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  We must be watchful for “wolves” that come to you in shiny suits, and smooth words.  They may appear harmless, but in inwardly are ravenous wolves.  They produce rotten fruit!  A Man of God should be able to begin a sermon with “As it is written”, therein supporting with scripture and ending with a “Thus saith the Lord”, and if not… you might have a wolf in your midst.