Matthew 7:15

“Beware of false prophets, etc.] Or false teachers; for not such who pretended to foretell things to come, but such who set up themselves to be teachers of others, are here meant; (see <610201>2 Peter 2:1). It may be queried, whether our Lord has not respect to the Scribes and Pharisees, who sat in Moses’s chair, and taught, for doctrines, the commandments of men? and of whose doctrines he elsewhere bids men beware: for whatever plausible pretences for holiness and righteousness might appear in them, they were repugnant to the word of God, and destructive to the souls of men; such as their doctrines of free will, justification by the works of the law, the traditions of the elders, etc. since…”

“Beware--But beware. of false prophets--that is, of teachers coming as authorized expounders of the mind of God and guides to heaven. (See Act 20:29-30; Pe2 2:1-2). which come to you in sheep's clothing--with a bland, gentle, plausible exterior; persuading you that the gate is not strait nor the way narrow, and that to teach so is illiberal and bigoted--precisely what the old prophets did (Eze 13:1-10, Eze 13:22). but inwardly they are ravening wolves--bent on devouring the flock for their own ends (Co2 11:2-3, Co2 11:13-15).”

“False prophets - The word prophet originally means one who foretells future events. As prophets, however, were commonly regarded as public instructors on the subject of religion, the word came to denote all who were religious teachers. See the notes at Romans 12:6. In this sense it is probably used here. A false prophet is a teacher of incorrect doctrine, or one falsely and unjustly laying claims to divine inspiration. It probably had reference to the false teachers then among the Jews. Who come in sheep’s clothing - The sheep is an emblem of innocence, sincerity, and harmlessness. To come in sheep’s clothing is to assume the appearance of sanctity and innocence, when the heart is evil.…”

“Beware of false prophets - Who in their preaching describe a broad way to heaven: it is their prophesying, their teaching the broad way, rather than their walking in it themselves, that is here chiefly spoken of. All those are false prophets, who teach any other way than that our Lord hath here marked out. In sheep's clothing - With outside religion and fair professions of love: Wolves - Not feeding, but destroying souls. Matthew 7:16”

“7:15-20 False prophets speak what people want to hear rather than calling people to live according to God’s will. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:21-22 set standards for evaluating a prophet’s truthfulness: His words must conform to God’s word, and his predictions must come true. Jesus unpacks the first requirement: A prophet’s actions must match his words in order to be believable; accordingly, a true prophet’s actions will also match God’s word. Just as the fruit indicates the nature of a tree, so one’s life indicates either a regenerate or unregenerate heart. False prophets are expected at the end of the age (see Matt 24:11, 24; Acts 20:28-35; Rev 13:11-18; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10). In order not to…”

“Beware: Mat 10:17, Mat 16:6, Mat 16:11; Mar 12:38; Luk 12:15; Act 13:40; Phi 3:2; Col 2:8; Pe2 3:17 false: Mat 24:4, Mat 24:5, Mat 24:11, Mat 24:24, Mat 24:25; Deu 13:1-3; Isa 9:15, Isa 9:16; Jer 14:14-16, Jer 23:13-16; Jer 28:15-17, Jer 29:21, Jer 29:32; Eze 13:16, Eze 13:22; Mic 3:5-7, Mic 3:11; Mar 13:22, Mar 13:23; Pe2 2:1-3; Jo1 4:1; Rev 19:20 which: Zac 13:4; Mar 12:38-40; Rom 16:17, Rom 16:18; Co2 11:13-15; Gal 2:4; Eph 4:14; Eph 5:6; Col 2:8; Ti1 4:1-3; Ti2 3:5-9, Ti2 3:13, Ti2 4:3; Pe2 2:1-3, Pe2 2:18, Pe2 2:19; Jde 1:4; Rev 13:11-17 are: Isa 56:10, Isa 56:11; Eze 22:25; Mic 3:5; Zep 3:3, Zep 3:4; Act 20:29-31; Rev 17:6 Matthew 7:16”