Matthew 7:15

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Matthew 7:13–17 · Berean Standard Bible

13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Greek words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Matthew 10:17

But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.

Matthew 16:6

“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Matthew 16:11

How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Mark 12:38

In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,

Luke 12:15

And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Acts 13:40

Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:

Philippians 3:2

Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!

Colossians 2:8

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

2 Peter 3:17

Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.

Matthew 24:4

Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.

Matthew 24:5

For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:11

and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Matthew 24:24

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Matthew 24:25

See, I have told you in advance.

Deuteronomy 13:1

If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,

Deuteronomy 13:2

and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,”

Deuteronomy 13:3

you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Isaiah 9:15

The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

Isaiah 9:16

For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.

Jeremiah 14:14

“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.

Jeremiah 14:15

Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!

Jeremiah 14:16

And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil upon them.

Jeremiah 23:13

“Among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

Jeremiah 23:14

And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

Jeremiah 23:15

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”

Jeremiah 23:16

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Jeremiah 28:15

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.

Jeremiah 28:16

Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

Jeremiah 28:17

And in the seventh month of that very year, the prophet Hananiah died.

Jeremiah 29:21

This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you lies in My name: “I will deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.

Jeremiah 29:32

this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

Ezekiel 13:16

those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’

Ezekiel 13:22

Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,

Micah 3:5

This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths:

Micah 3:6

Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them.

Micah 3:7

Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

Micah 3:11

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

Mark 13:22

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Mark 13:23

So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.

2 Peter 2:1

Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 2:2

Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.

2 Peter 2:3

In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Revelation 19:20

But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Zechariah 13:4

And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.

Mark 12:39

and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

Mark 12:40

They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

Romans 16:17

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

Romans 16:18

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

2 Corinthians 11:13

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:15

It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Galatians 2:4

This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Ephesians 5:6

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

1 Timothy 4:2

influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

1 Timothy 4:3

They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:5

having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

2 Timothy 3:6

They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

2 Timothy 3:7

who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:8

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.

2 Timothy 3:9

But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.

2 Timothy 3:13

while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.

2 Peter 2:18

With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.

2 Peter 2:19

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Jude 1:4

For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:11

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.

Revelation 13:12

And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

Revelation 13:13

And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people.

Revelation 13:14

Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.

Revelation 13:15

The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.

Revelation 13:16

And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

Revelation 13:17

so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Isaiah 56:10

Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11

Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

Ezekiel 22:25

The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

Zephaniah 3:3

Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.

Zephaniah 3:4

Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.

Acts 20:29

I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

Acts 20:30

Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.

Acts 20:31

Therefore be alert and remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Revelation 17:6

I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.