In Matthew 7:15, Jesus delivers a profound caution about false prophets who masquerade as harmless sheep while harboring predatory intentions. When such a warning comes from divine wisdom, it demands our utmost attention. Yet, too often, we merely skim such teachings, acknowledging their depth momentarily before allowing them to fade from our consciousness. We must resist this tendency and instead internalize these words, allowing their significance to genuinely transform our understanding and perception.

Throughout my observations, I’ve discerned two primary categories of problematic religious figures. The first group consists of deliberate deceivers—individuals who masquerade as Christian teachers while intentionally spreading misinformation. The second category comprises well-intentioned but misguided believers who sincerely yet erroneously propagate their misunderstandings, potentially causing more harm precisely because of their genuine conviction in their flawed teachings.

How do you tell the wolves from the sheep? By what they teach. If they teach lies, they are false prophets. This is essentially true when they say something sounds like the truth but is really a twisted truth. For instance, one of the most frequent lies is that you must be good to go to heaven. Please read it for yourself. Don’t take my word for it. If their teaching is contrary to Scripture, they are false prophets.

Another way to tell is by the way they live. If they like to point at themselves instead of pointing to Jesus, that’s a real easy one. if they continue to say or do evil in their ways, they are at least suspect.

I feel compelled to bring this up because of someone running for office while pretending to be a Christian leader who is neither a good leader nor a Christian. Indeed, he is an example of one of those ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. To be sure, his disguise is quite poor. Still, he could do significant damage if given the opportunity.