Beware The Wolf, Part 2

POINTS OF TRUTH CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

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The ultimate wolf to come in sheep’s clothing is yet to come! The Bible calls him the "beast". This great leader will soon, come quickly on the world scene as the ruler of the European Commonwealth; along with his sidekick, the great "false prophet" that will call fire down from heaven, and cause the entire world to worship the beast.

This political leader will claim to be God! The false prophet will also declare him to be God in the flesh, and will perform miracles in order to confirm their word, and to deceive the people of the earth. All that do not have a deep love for the TRUTH of God will succumb to deception at this time.(Read 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 13, Daniel 7,11,12)

Tares among the wheat

What about wolves among the flock that are not in leadership positions? Notice Jesus’ parable of the Tares among the Wheat. Matthew 13:24-30 -"He presented another parable to them, saying, -The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain then the tares became evident also.

And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‛Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And He said to them, ‛An enemy has done this!’ And the slaves said to him, ‛Do you want us, then, to gather them up?’ But he said, ‛No lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow them both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’"

Now notice Jesus’ explanation of this parable, -Verses 37-40 -"The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom;(church) and the tares are the sons of the evil one;(wolves) and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

Tares resemble wheat

The "tare", also known as a "darnel", is a weed that so closely resembles wheat, that it is virtually impossible to distinguish until the ear is developed. The difference? Like true christians, the wheat bears fruit, and the like false brethren, the tare does not.

Notice also, that Jesus said these tares were sown in the Lord’s field while the servants slept. This is why it is so important to "be on guard" as Paul warned the Ephesians. Wolves work best under the cover of darkness. Like their father, the Devil, they are masters of stealth and deception.

They come in sheep’s clothing

As wolves come in sheep’s clothing, the tares come in the appearance of the wheat. It is not until the wheat develops grain, can one readily recognize the difference. As it is when a wolf enters the flock, so it is with tares among the wheat. Much of what goes on is beneath the ground, hidden under the cover of darkness, covered by deceit. By the time they sprout from the earth, the roots of the tares have become entangled with the roots of the wheat. If you were to rip up the tares, it would uproot the wheat also.

Tares entangle the young and weak

Likewise, false brethren acting as wolves in the flock, often seek to entangle the young and weak in the faith. They may get involved in their life and act as some spiritual guide. After all, they have "been in the church many years." But usually these wolves cannot even tend to their own affairs. Their own houses are almost always in disarray. Once entangled into the fabric of another, they will slowly, but surely, water down their faith, conforming them into the likeness of their own unrighteous lives, rather than the holy likeness of their heavenly Father.

They will try to get their focus off the True Shepherd and on them, or some other hireling they may follow. Even if this is a godly man, as we learned from the principle of -"I am of Paul", "I am of Peter", (1 Corinthians 1-3) it still replaces the one who gave His life for them. It separates one from Christ. That is why Paul asked, -"Is Christ divided?" Paul reminded them that it was Christ that was crucified for them. God does not want the believer’s devotion divided between Him and another. Our God is a "jealous God" when it comes to His chosen ones. Mixture is never acceptable to God.