From the Gospel of Matthew    3 

someone should tell you that they know about the future by reading the 

Bible. 

    Yet today, many theologians, priests, and religious read Holy Scripture 

without understanding or believing that many of these prophesies apply to 

the present time and to the near future. Many prophesies in the Old and 

New Testaments have not yet been fulfilled. 

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing (Mt 7:15 20) 

      `Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but 

inwardly are ravenous wolves.'   (Mt 7:15). 

    The sheep are the followers of Jesus. Sheep's clothing means the clothing 

of Jesus' disciples, the clothing of priests, nuns, monks, and even bishops. 

This passage is a warning to good Christians that some members of the 

clergy and the religious life are not really disciples of Jesus. They wear the 

clothing of disciples, but inwardly are not disciples. They wear the clothing 

of Christ on their bodies, but not on their hearts. 

    Some priests and religious are like the Pharisees of Jesus' time. They talk 

about God, but God is not in their hearts. Like the Pharisees, they devour 

souls by leading people to imitate their own sins, their own arrogance and 

self exaltation, and by preaching false teachings. Even a few bishops, from 

time to time, will go astray from the teaching of the Church. 

    And so, not every member of the clergy and the religious life is a true 

Christian. Some are as harmful to Jesus' faithful as wolves are harmful to 

sheep. The phrase,  sheep's clothing,  also refers to all those who pretend to 

be Christians, but are truly devoted to sin. 

    This warning about false prophets has been true in the history of the 

Church and remains true to this day, when some priests and religious speak 

openly against the Church's teaching. But it will especially be true during 

the time leading up to and including the reign of Antichrist. It is the sins of 

Christians which allow such great evils to be brought to the face of the earth. 

In those years, many in the Church will go far astray from Christ's Way. 

Much evil will be done by those who claim to belong to Christ, as well as by 

those who are non Christians. 

True Disciples (Mt 7:21 23) 

      `Not every one who says to me,  Lord, Lord,  shall enter the kingdom 

of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that 

day many will say to me,  Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, 

and do many mighty works in your name?  And then will I declare to them, 

 I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.  '   (Mt 7:21 23).