Joseph Prince is the False Prophet Jesus refers to in Matthew 7:15-16 – By Rev George Ong (Dated 23 Dec 2021)
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, NCCS office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
(Don’t miss the insightful quotes of D A Carson, a well-regarded commentator in the scholarly world at the end of this article.)
The aim of this article is to convince readers from a contextual study and a factual comparison between the teachings of Jesus and Joseph Prince, that Prince is indeed the false prophet alluded to by Jesus in Matthew 7:15-16 & 20.
The issue of false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20 ought to be viewed in its larger context of Matthew 7:13-23 – including, even Matthew 7:24-27.
Chronologically, there is a close connection between Matthew 7:13-14 and Matthew 7:15-20, and between Matthew 7:15-20 and Matthew 7:21-23, as the entire passage of Matthew 7:13-23 is to be seen as one integral whole:
Matthew 7:13-23 NASB
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Matthew 7:13-14 deals with two pathways of life that every person would have to choose. While the narrow road leads to life, the broad road leads to destruction.
Matthew 7:21-23, teaches that only believers who are characterised by obedience (as proof of true faith) – “but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven…” (Matt 7:21b), will enter the kingdom of God.
Matthew 7:15-20, which is sandwiched and a bridge between Matthew 7:13-14 and Matthew 7:21-23, highlights the issue of false prophets that Jesus warned believers to beware of in Matthew 7:15.
Before we could beware of these false prophets, we need to identify and uncover who they are. What are their main characteristics?
One common approach is to list out as many of the characteristics of false prophets that we know of, but to be accurate and precise, we have got to do it in context.
According to context, one of the main characteristics of these false prophets in Matthew 7:15 is that they do not teach the narrow way, nor do they practise it in Matthew 7:14. At the same time, they advocate the broad way, that supposedly leads to life, when, in reality, it leads to destruction in Matthew 7:13.
It is no coincidence that Jesus’ warning to beware of false prophets in Matthew 7:15 is followed immediately after Jesus had talked about the narrow and broad road in Matthew 7:13-14.
The picture is that as we are standing outside the narrow gate, there will be false teachers milling around who would try to coax you to enter the wide gate and walk the broad road, instead of urging you to enter the narrow gate and walk the narrow road:
They will try to convince you that Christianity is not narrow and hard – that God loves you so much that He won’t make it difficult and tough for you to live the Christian life
– this is precisely what Joseph Prince preaches.
They will try to persuade you that Christianity is the broad and easy way – it has no suffering, no tragedy, and no martyrdom
– this is precisely what Joseph Prince preaches.
They will try to deceive you that Christianity is the most comfortable religion as Christ has done everything for you – so it is primarily not about you loving God but about you enjoying the grace and love of God
– this is precisely what Joseph Prince preaches.
Joseph Prince, the false prophet would even dare (in a sermon video which I am in possession of), to contradict Jesus and assert that the broad road in Matthew 7:13 does not lead to spiritual and eternal destruction but only physical and material destruction in this earthly world.
In the same sermon video, Joseph Prince also falsely teaches that whether one is on the narrow or broad road in Matthew 7:13-14, both of them would ultimately lead to life eternal as a Christian can never lose his salvation.
What Joseph Prince has heinously done is to remove the very sober warning of Jesus in Matthew 7:13 about not travelling on the broad road which leads not to earthly but eternal destruction.
No wonder Jesus likened such false teachers to ravenous wolves in Matthew 7:15, as they are leading the people to the very everlasting destruction which Christ came to warn us of.
Joseph Prince preaches the broad road and a cheap doctrine of salvation. Raise a hand, pray a prayer, sign a card, receive Christ, enjoy His love, relish the blessings of health and wealth and you’re automatically secured for eternity forever and ever. All-benefits and no-cost Christianity.
His salvation doctrine has no narrow gate and no narrow way – the way of costly discipleship – the way of Jesus. There is nothing offensive, nothing negative about his doctrine. He is selling an easy faith and cheap grace that would please almost everybody.
Joseph Prince is constantly teaching about the broad and easy road, that supposedly leads to life, but in reality, it leads to destruction, as follows:
You are unconditionally loved by God, whether you obey or disobey Him.
You don’t have to confess your sins as every of your sins has been forgiven.
You must not confess your sins even when you sin. If you do, you are insulting God. Instead, when you sin, any sin, whether it is anger, envy, adultery, rape or even murder, etc, you must not confess your sins, but you must confess you are righteous in Christ in the midst of committing the sin of anger, envy, and even adultery, rape or murder.
You shouldn’t worry about repenting with tears and deeds as repentance is only a change of your mind.
You will always be in the good books of God as He will always be pleased with you, even though you may do things that are displeasing to Him.
You are forever in God’s favour as He will never get angry with you, punish and judge you, no matter what wrong you may commit.
You must not fear God as God is only interested in loving you.
You will never be convicted by the Holy Spirit of your sins as the Holy Spirit is there to convict you about how righteous you are.
You shouldn’t try to be holy as that would lead you to legalism and make you judgmental of others; just focus on the fact that God has made you righteous in Christ.
You will be healthy; and better still, if you partake the Holy Communion as many times a day as you take medicine as that is the secret not only to good health but also to make you young and good-looking.
You have the covenantal right to be very wealthy as Abraham was, because you are the seed of Abraham.
You will enjoy total freedom as there is not a single law that you need to obey. You must never try to obey God’s laws as God’s laws are ‘equal’ to condemnation, and Satan will always use your obedience to God’s laws to oppress and condemn you, and bring about your death.
You are totally secured because you are once saved always saved the moment you say the sinner’s prayer, and you will never lose your salvation, no matter what; and even when you are living in sin till the day you die.
You shouldn’t focus on obeying God or Christ as that is being self-occupied and works-conscious; you should just focus on Christ’s obedience.
You don’t have to work for God as Christianity is effortless; your job is just to rest in God and He will do everything for you because Christianity is ‘done done done, not do do do’.
You won’t suffer as a Christian as Christ has already suffered for you on the cross.
You won’t die as a martyr as Christ has already died for you on the cross.
You are totally in safe hands as you won’t meet with any misfortune or tragedy because God will always protect you from every danger and sickness such as Covid-19 as no virus can come near you.
You don’t have to sacrifice for Christ, and if you do, you will do it out of self-effort and self-righteousness.
You don’t have to fast as fasting is not applicable for New Covenant believers, and fasting will make you proud and legalistic.
You don’t have to pay any price for discipleship that Jesus talks about as there is no such thing as costly discipleship to begin with. As the word, ‘disciple’ or ‘discipleship’ is not even found in Paul’s epistles in the first place, that’s why I (Joseph Prince) hardly talk about it.
You don’t have to live with the evidence of Jesus’ Lordship over your life as that would make you performance-conscious and work-obsessed. By merely saying with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ is enough to prove that He is your Lord.
You must not obey the first and most important commandment – to love God with all your heart, mind and soul as that is under the Old Covenant; just enjoy and experience God’s love for you as that is the essence of the New Covenant.
You don’t have to obey the Great Commission that Jesus has commanded the Church, and that is why I (Joseph Prince) don’t preach about it at all; just focus on my (Joseph Prince) gospel of Grace – it is my Grace Revolution Gospel, not the Great Commission of Jesus that will convert and conquer the world.
After perusing the above list containing the teachings of Joseph Prince, you need to tell me honestly, is that the narrow road or the broad road which Jesus talks about?
That is undoubtedly the broad road that Joseph Prince is preaching that will lead the multitudes to destruction and hell.
Do you know why Joseph Prince’s New Creation Church is the biggest in Singapore? Because he has deceived the many, (who themselves choose to be deceived), that the broad road is the way to go.
As opposed to Joseph Prince’s broad road ‘gospel’, Jesus always teaches the narrow and tough road that leads to life as follows:
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Lk 9:58)
– Jesus is talking about the narrow road of the uncertainty and hardship of those who wish to follow Him.
“Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:60)
– Jesus is teaching the narrow road that responding to His call to follow Him is infinitely more important than anything else.
“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:62)
– Jesus is stressing the narrow road that anyone who wishes to follow Him must count the cost, and if he turns back, he is unfit to enter God’s kingdom.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters… he cannot be My disciple.” (Lk 14:26)
– Jesus is explaining that the narrow road of discipleship means that one’s love for Him must be greater than his love for his parents and siblings.
“…those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Lk 14:33)
– Jesus is revealing the narrow road that those who are not prepared to give up everything would be disqualified from being His disciple.
“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Lk 12:51-53)
– Jesus is communicating that the narrow road in the true gospel would bring about division in one’s family.
“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Lk 13:24)
– Jesus is describing the narrow road that entering God’s kingdom isn’t an easy thing, but one has to strive and agonise to enter in.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (Jn 15:18)
– Jesus is portraying the narrow road that anyone who wishes to follow Him must be prepared to be hated by the world.
“… ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…” (Jn 15:20)
– Jesus is showing the narrow road that being a servant of Christ, one must be ready to be persecuted just as He was.
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)
– Jesus is relating the narrow road that his disciples ought to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.
“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Lk 18:22)
– Jesus is depicting the narrow road that one would have to acknowledge Him not just as Saviour but also as Lord by giving up everything for His sake.
“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:27)
– Jesus is unfolding the narrow road that just as condemned criminals are made to carry the crosses upon which they would be executed, we must be willing to endure whatever trials, including death, we may face for being His disciples.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate… his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Lk 14:26)
– Jesus is referring to the narrow road that requires forsaking the disciples’ own lives because of their love for Him.
Can you see the difference between the broad road that Joseph Prince champions and the narrow road that Jesus urges? The difference between them is the difference between black and white and the difference between day and night.
If you are still not convinced, let me give you more examples of the difference between Jesus’ narrow road gospel and Joseph Prince’s broad road ‘gospel’:
Joseph Prince preaches the broad and easy road that a one-minute sinner’s prayer can gain you eternity in heaven.
Jesus preaches the narrow and difficult road that one has to make every effort to enter God’s kingdom (Lk 13:24).
Joseph Prince preaches the broad and easy road that there is no more sin to deal with as every sin has been forgiven.
Jesus preaches the narrow and difficult road that if you don’t repent of your sin, you will be severely judged, and you will perish (Lk 13:3,5; Rev 2-3).
Joseph Prince preaches the broad and easy road that obedience has nothing to do with being saved.
Jesus preaches the narrow and difficult road that if you don’t obey and do the will of the Father, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 7:13-14,21-23).
Joseph Prince preaches the broad and easy road that there are no more laws to obey.
Jesus preaches the narrow and difficult road that if you are lawless, you will be barred from the kingdom of heaven (Matt 7:23).
Joseph Prince preaches the broad and easy road that the grace that saves is unconditional.
Jesus preaches the narrow and difficult road that His grace is conditional – if one doesn’t fulfil the condition of obedience and holiness even though His grace is unmerited, one will not enter God’s kingdom and will be eternally destroyed (Matt 7:24-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Heb 12:14).
Just a comparison of the above – between the teachings of the Lord Jesus and Joseph Prince will quickly surface that they are not marginally different but diametrically opposed.
With such a vast and irreconcilable difference between the two, how can anyone still choose to believe that Joseph Prince is preaching the Jesus of the Bible? How can anyone still vouch for Joseph Prince that he is not a false prophet?
Yet, there are so many in the church, including many Pastors, especially for some for their own self-preservation reasons, who choose to be blinded to these facts and stubbornly insist that Joseph Prince isn’t a heretic.
To recap, there is a close connection between Matthew 7:13-14 and Matthew 7:15-20, in that after Jesus had contrasted the many who travel on the broad road and the few who tread on the narrow road in Matthew 7:13-14, added immediately, “Beware of the false prophets,” in Matthew 7:15:
Matthew 7:13-15 NASB
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Why beware?
Because these false prophets, such as Joseph Prince, would entice the many to walk on the broad road of destruction. That’s why you need to beware and not follow after them; instead, you ought to follow the narrow road of Jesus which leads to life eternal.
Being deceived by false teachers such as Joseph Prince to travel the broad and easy road, places the sheep in perilous danger as that is the road that would lead to their destruction. That is why Jesus counts it so urgent to instruct His disciples to ‘beware’.
The word ‘beware’ is used to warn people against real dangers ahead. Jesus is not using the word ‘beware’ for nothing. Jesus warns us to “Beware of the false prophets” (Matt 7:15) because He knows the severe and real danger they pose.
The word “beware” (prosechete) is in the present imperative and indicates continuous watching and is a command by Jesus to be continually on the alert of these false prophets. Friends, it is not a suggestion by Jesus; it is a command of Jesus to beware of false prophets.
Why?
It is because the threat posed by them is real and severe. Yet, the modern church has not taken such warning seriously. When Christ has warned us to beware of false prophets, some flippantly say to others, “What’s so harmful about just listening to Joseph Prince’s teachings? It won’t kill.”
Next, let’s move on to the issue of fruit in Matthew 7:15-20:
Matthew 7:15-20 NASB
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Jesus instructs us to look out for the fruit of false teachers. But what kind of fruit is Jesus looking for in Matthew 7:15-20? How do we judge whether someone is a true teacher or a false teacher? What is the fruit by which people are to be judged?
The usual approach is for one to make a laundry list of the many characteristics of the type of fruit that false teachers produce. But to be exact, we must do it in context. Matthew 7:15-20 must be seen in the context of Matthew 7:13-14 and also Matthew 7:21-23.
According to the context, there are two criteria in Matthew 7:13-14 that we should not judge fruit by and another criterion in Matthew 7:21-23 that we should.
According to Matthew 7:13-14, popularity and church size are not the criteria to judge good fruit. Many have wrongly assumed that the number of one’s followers or the size of one’s church is a sign of good fruit.
But the context of Matthew 7:13-14 in Matthew 7:15-20, indicates the complete opposite is the truth:
Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
According to Matthew 7:13-14, false teachers are the ones who lead the many to travel on the broad road that leads to destruction, while Jesus says only the few are travelling on the narrow road that leads to life.
So, this clearly shows the majority are with the false prophets, while the minority belongs to Jesus.
If we go by popularity and church size, the false prophets would be a resounding success, and Jesus would be an utter failure. If popularity and church size are a measure of good fruit, Jesus would have been a miserable failure as He is the one who is leading the few travelling on the narrow road (Matt 7:13-14).
Would Jesus have used popularity and church size as the measure for good fruit in Matthew 7:15-20 after warning us not to be among the many who are headed for spiritual destruction but to be among the few who would find life eternal in Matthew 7:13-14?
This is a crucial point as Joseph Prince and his supporters have constantly and arrogantly been boasting about the explosive growth of New Creation Church as proof that Prince is teaching true doctrine. This has been used time and again by Prince and his supporters until I got so sick and tired of hearing them.
But if we go only by quantitative results and gigantic church size to prove the fruit of Joseph Prince’s ministry and the truth of his grace doctrine, then every cult and heresy that the church has ever known will be able to justify itself.
This is because phenomenal growth could also be an indicator of false doctrines as throughout history, that’s how many cults have grown in that remarkable way too.
Just as the fast and furious growth of cancerous cells is an indication of something ominous, fast-growing churches may not necessarily be an indication of healthy growth that honours God but it could be the alarming growth of an evil cult that destroys the lives of many.
More importantly, if we go by what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, Joseph Prince and the massive crowds of people who are following him, belong to the many who are travelling on the broad road which leads to destruction.
So, popularity and church size can never be what Jesus meant by good fruit. Joseph Prince, who constantly uses popularity and church size as the measure to judge good fruit and to vindicate the truth of his doctrine, directly goes against the teachings of Jesus.
To Jesus, numbers are never the telltale signs by which fruit is judged, or whether the truth of the gospel is vindicated. Jesus, in Matthew 7:13-14, actually says it is the opposite.
The false teacher would deceive the many, the big crowds, to travel on the broad road that leads to destruction. But Jesus said only the few who travel on the narrow road would lead to life. So popularity and church size should never be used to judge good fruits.
I am, of course, not categorically saying that every big church is false. There are big churches that are biblical at the same time. But Joseph Prince’s New Creation Church isn’t one of those.
So far, we have dealt with the issue of judging fruit by looking at Matthew 7:15-20 from the context of Matthew 7:13-14. Let’s now examine Matthew 7:15-20 from the context of Matthew 7:21-23.
The criteria we should judge good fruit in Matthew 7:15-20, according to the context in Matthew 7:21-23, is obedience to God and His laws – the opposite, being lawlessness:
Matthew 7:15-23 NASB
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
What fruit does Jesus have in mind when He said,
16 “You will know them (false teachers) by their fruits…”
20 “So then, you will know them (false teachers) by their fruits,”
in Matthew 7:16 and 20?
Interestingly, the same message was repeated twice in V16 and V20 of Matthew chapter 7. This shows that the message is rather important to Jesus that He has to say it twice within a short span of a few verses.
One needs to note that, V21, “… but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter,” is placed immediately after V20, “So then, you will know them (false teachers) by their fruits.”
So obviously, when Matthew 7:16, and especially, Matthew 7:20 is seen in the immediate context of Matthew 7:21-23, the fruit that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:16 and 20, must be referring to the fruit of obedience in Matthew 7:21: “… but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
After Jesus had talked about the type of fruit that would identify the false teachers in Matthew 7:15-20, He then immediately proceeded to talk about who are the true and false disciples in Matthew 7:21-23.
According to Jesus, true disciples are characterised by those who obey and do the will of the Father (Matt 7:21), while false disciples are marked by those who disobey because they are lawless (Matt 7:22-23). Those who are true sheep do the will of the Father in Matthew 7:21, while those who are false believers “practise lawlessness” in Matthew 7:23.
Jesus’ core message is that only the obedient will inherit God’s kingdom and are destined for heaven, while those who do not obey Father God are destined for hell.
So according to the context in Matthew 7:15-23, the fruit about false teachers that we are to test in Matthew 7:15-20, is the fruit of obedience in Matthew 7:21-23, particularly V21.
By the test of obedience, Joseph Prince is categorically proven to be a false prophet.
Joseph Prince would fail the test of obedience as he teaches against it. He has time and again been teaching that we shouldn’t focus on obeying God/Christ; we should just focus on Christ’s obedience. To Prince, focusing on obeying God/Christ is being self-occupied and one that is akin to legalism.
Joseph Prince himself is lawless because he teaches there are no laws that New Covenant believers are to obey as every law has been made obsolete. Refusing to obey the laws of God is simply committing the sin of lawlessness, and the lawless will be barred from God’s kingdom (Matt 7:23).
The relevance and importance of obedience is also confirmed in the last section of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-27:
Matthew 7:24-27 NCV
24 “Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. 26 Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house, and it fell with a big crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27 is related to the immediate context of Matthew 7:13-23, particularly Matthew 7:21-23. Matthew 7:24-27 also reinforces the importance of our obedience to the Father in Matthew 7:21-23.
At the same time, Matthew 7:24-27 functions as an overall summary to the Sermon on the Mount, and homes in the point that if the people obey the Sermon on the Mount and not just hear, they will not be destroyed by the flood of God’s judgement (Matt 7:25). But those who merely hear the Sermon on the Mount and don’t obey will be destroyed by the flood of God’s judgement (Matt 7:27).
So, one cannot miss the vital importance of obedience that is required for salvation that Jesus Himself preaches, which is a key idea not only in Matthew 7:13-23, especially Matthew 7:21-23, but also in the overall summary of the entire Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-27.
The fruit of obedience is indeed key to saving faith.
“To say that obedience is the cause of our salvation is heretical; to say that our salvation requires no proof of our obedience is equally heretical.” (George Ong)
Jesus plainly warned in Matthew 7:19 that false teachers and their followers who do not bear good fruit would be cast in hell:
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
What good fruit?
The fruit of obedience.
This is because, in just two verses later from Matthew 7:19 in Matthew 7:21, Jesus cautioned:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Only those who obey Father God will enter the kingdom of heaven while those who don’t obey the Father are headed for hell.
True prophets are those who teach obedience and do God’s will. On the other hand, false prophets such as Joseph Prince, are those who teach against obedience to God’s commandments because they are lawless.
Joseph Prince who practised lawlessness and his followers who embraced his lawless teachings will be banished to hell:
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt 7:23 NASB)
So the fruit by which false teachers are to be judged by are not their popularity, or the number of their followers, or the size of their ‘churches’, or their miracles. But according to the larger context of Matthew 7:15-23, in which Matthew 7:15-20 is located, it has to do with the fruit of obedience.
Because the threat of false teachers is utterly serious, Jesus had to issue 2 parallel warnings.
First, Jesus warns and commands believers to beware of false teachers in Matthew 7:15, as they, together with their followers, will be thrown into the lake of fire in Matthew 7:19:
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt 7:19).
Second, Jesus warns us that these false teachers and their followers will be rejected by Him on the day of judgement because they are lawless as they have rejected obedience to God’s laws:
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt 7:22-23)
Jesus is issuing a double warning to us that the false teachers and those who embrace their heresies will be barred from God’s Kingdom and banished to the fires of hell (Matt 7:19,21,23).
That is why Paul commands us to
“Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Tim 3:5 NIV), or “Avoid such people and keep far away from them” (2 Tim 3:5 AMP).
That is why Jesus commands us to
“Beware of the false prophets” (Matt 7:15).
If you are a sheep, you had better not go near a ravenous wolf such as Joseph Prince; though he may appear to be nice to you, he will rip you apart spiritually.
If you are a shepherd, your job is to constantly and loudly echo the warnings of Jesus to your sheep, “Beware of the false prophets”.
And there is no more prominent and deceptive false prophet to beware of than Joseph Prince, whose influence has gone well beyond Singapore to the entire world, and whose teachings can only lead people to the lake of fire.
Let me conclude with some insightful quotes from D A Carson, a well-regarded commentator in the scholarly world, in his book, ‘Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World’:
“How, then, are we to recognize these wolves in sheep’s clothing? Many suggestions for unmasking them are scattered throughout the Scriptures, but only two are in view here. The first is based on a contextual observation. Within the context of the Sermon on the Mount, the false prophet can only be someone who does not advocate the narrow way presented by Jesus. He may not be wildly heretical in other areas; indeed, he may set himself up as a staunch defender of orthodoxy. But the way which he commends is not narrow or disturbing, and therefore he can gain quite a hearing.”
“It is even possible in some instances that everything these false prophets say is true; but because they leave out the difficult bits, they do not tell the whole truth, and their total message is false.”
“In other words, from a certain perspective, false prophets can look like real prophets, and even their fruit may appear to be genuine. But the nature of the false prophet cannot be hidden forever: sooner or later he will be seen for what he is. Just as he does not advocate Jesus’s narrow way, so also does he fail to live it; this fact must one day be exposed to all who cherish the narrow way. In this manner, Matthew 7:15-20 serves as a bridge between 7:13f. and 7:21-23. Matthew 7:13f. deals with the two ways; 7:21-23 (as we shall see) pictures a man who has all the trappings of discipleship to Jesus but is not characterized by obedience to Jesus. The bridge (7:15-20) presents false prophets who do not teach the narrow way, nor practice it. The falseness of their teaching erupts in the disobedience of their lives.”
After you have carefully read through what D A Carson had written, you would discover what he wrote harmonises and is in line with my exegesis of Matthew 7:15-23, and hence, provides a good summary of my view.
Let me now zoom in to focus on 2 specific quotes of Carson:
“He may not be wildly heretical in other areas; indeed, he may set himself up as a staunch defender of orthodoxy.”
“It is even possible in some instances that everything these false prophets say is true; but because they leave out the difficult bits, they do not tell the whole truth, and their total message is false.”
What Carson had written aptly describes the modus operandi of Joseph Prince and explains why Prince is so deceptive, that even many experienced and seasoned Pastors, who are true shepherds, are themselves deceived.
Indeed, Prince preaches many things that are true and he has strategically positioned himself as a preacher of the true gospel and the Christian faith.
But although Prince’s teachings contain many truths, they are half-truths, and many of Prince’s teachings, which are truths, are also mixed and contaminated with errors at the same time.
That is why believers, including many Pastors that I have personally come across, have been deceived that Prince isn’t a heretic. This is because while these Pastors are elated at the many truths (half-truths, really) that Prince dishes out, they are blinded by the errors that Prince ‘smuggles in’.
Mixing errors into truths is no different from adding a little poison into a glass of water. Just a drop of poison would contaminate the whole glass of water. Once contaminated, the entire glass of water would have to be disposed of into the rubbish chute, as it is no longer fit for human consumption. Not even a single bit of the water can be drunk without being poisoned.
In the same way, just a little error of heresy is lethal enough to contaminate the whole doctrine, even though it may contain many truths. And because the whole doctrine is now poisoned with errors, it can no longer be accepted as truth, as whatever is being preached has already been corrupted and distorted.
Let me, again, surface Carson’s quotes so you can deeply reflect on them.
“He may not be wildly heretical in other areas; indeed, he may set himself up as a staunch defender of orthodoxy.”
“It is even possible in some instances that everything these false prophets say is true; but because they leave out the difficult bits, they do not tell the whole truth, and their total message is false.”
Finally, I believe I have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that the false prophets alluded to by Jesus in Matthew 7:15-20, particularly Matthew 7:15, 16 and 20, from the context of Matthew 7:13-23, is indeed representative of Joseph Prince and his heresies.
What leaves to be done is for you to warn as many of the sheep as possible to stay away from this evil fellow, so that they could avoid being thrown into the lake of fire together with Joseph Prince on the day of reckoning.
Rev George Ong