DON’T ACCEPT THE COUNTERFEIT

During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught kingdom principles, and many of them are found in Matthew 5-7, which is called His “Sermons on the Mount.” In this blog, I will share one of them located in Matthew 7, and I am sharing this one because of what is going on in America concerning our recent election and the prophetic words spoken about who would be our president.

I am going to share Matthew 7:15-23 using two different translations.

(King James Version) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 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. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 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.

(The Passion Translation) Constantly be on your guard against phony prophets. They come disguised as lambs, appearing to be genuine, but on the inside they are like wild, ravenous wolves!  You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed. So if the tree is good, it will produce good fruit; but if the tree is bad, it will bear only rotten fruit and it deserves to be cut down and burned. Look at the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries, and then you’ll know whether they are true or false. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the realm of heaven’s kingdom. It is only those who persist in doing the will of my heavenly Father. On the day of judgment many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t you remember us? Didn’t we prophesy[j] in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles for the sake of your name?’ But I will have to say to them, ‘Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I’ve never been joined to you!’

From these verses, I believe Jesus gave believers powerful insight into how to determine a counterfeit. According to the dictionary, the meaning of counterfeit: made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.

Synonyms:  fake · faked · copied · forged · feigned · simulated · sham · spurious · bogus · imitation · substitute · dummy · ersatz · knockoff · pirate · pirated · phony · pseud · pseudo · cod

Jesus tells us that we must be alert and on guard because everyone is not genuine or truthful. Also, a person’s appearance can be deceiving; so, don’t be fooled by outward appearance but watch actions and note character. That which that person produces will expose who they are. Moreover, just because a person says they communicate with God does not mean they are in the right relationship with Him. It is crucial that you know who is speaking to you and whether to accept their words because their words can be fatal and not helpful for your well-being. Watch what you accept, digest, and internalize.

Finally, Jesus gives assurance that God will judge those who are false and counterfeit, and in the end, they will be destroyed; therefore, my warning to you, be aware of counterfeits and please don’t be one.