Wolves Among Us
In the Word of God, we read a stern, but very needful warning that everyone who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb should take to heart and to take seriously. That warning can be found in Matthew 7 and is given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The warning is as follows:
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
In this age of internet superhighways we have many people who, under the self-imposed label of ‘Christian’, are posting on forums and bulletin boards with the sole purpose of proselytizing new "converts" into their false belief systems. Many who are not rooted and grounded in the Word of God are being swayed into believing the heretical teachings of these “self-imposed Christians”/”wolves in sheep’s clothing”.
The Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles warn us about these “self-imposed Christians”/“wolves in sheep’s clothing”:
1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Now, many of these wolves that Christ warns us about may tell you that they are not antichrist because they confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. But test the spirits that they are allowing to control their words. Yes, they do attest that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. But which Jesus is it that they are confessing?
These wolves are not confessing the Christ of the Bible! They are antichrists and serving a false christ… not the Son of God Almighty.
Recent encounters with one such groups reveals to me that they serve a weak god and not the God of the Bible. Sure they use the Bible, but they twist the Word of Truth into a lie. Brothers and sisters, truth, no matter how much, mixed with one lie becomes a lie. You cannot weave rayon into a cotton shirt and state that the shirt is 100% cotton. One thread of rayon changes the shirt… just one single solitary thread. Another illustration would be taking a drop of poison that is strong enough to kill 15 men and dropping it in a glass of water. The water is now useless because of the poison. Mixing truth with error perverts the truth just as mixing water with poison pollutes the water.
Be wary, my friends. Try the spirits. Sure they confess Jesus come in the flesh, but that does not necessarily mean they confess the same Jesus as you or I. The Jesus we serve is faithful to His promises. The Jesus we serve is not a deceiver.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Stay in the Word of God. Study it daily. Etch it upon your heart. If you do not know the Word of God, you could easily be swayed into following a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You could hear the fateful words of Christ that He speaks to false teacher in Matthew 7:
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.