Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. (Acts 20:28-30)

Savage Wolves In The Church

The wolf is a fierce and dangerous hunter in the animal kingdom. It preys upon smaller animals but will also attack and kill deer, sheep, and cattle. Because of its ferocious nature, it is the dread of the shepherds of Palestine. Jesus used the wolf to warn His disciples of their mission as sheep in the midst of wolves. The Lord spoke of those who would turn against the apostles and treat them cruelly. This is what the Jews did to Jesus, who, like savage wolves, cried out to Pilate to crucify Jesus.

False prophets are called wolves among the sheep. The imagery is very clear. Cloaked in the robe of righteousness, men would present themselves as innocent sheep to devour the faith of the simple-minded and unaware. Those who do not hold to the sound doctrine of Christ are ravenous wolves with an insatiable appetite. A wolf rends, tears, and destroys. Men who are false prophets rend the hearts of the weak in faith, tearing at them and shredding the souls of those who fall prey to the wiles of the devil. A wolf may look like a sheep but they are known by their fruits. The wolf cannot hide his true nature.

He exhorted them to guard themselves and the people of God by feeding and shepherding the flock. The members were the sheep, as the elders served as shepherds responsible for the care and protection of God’s flock. Paul knew there would be false teachers, like vicious wolves, ravenous wolves, who would come from the ranks of the elders to draw disciples away from Christ. The flock would not be spared by these men who acted like ferocious wolves. The imagery clearly shows the destructive power of false teachers.

There are Canis lupus (wolves) among the flock of God. These are not misinformed individuals growing in their knowledge of the word. The savage wolves in the Lord’s church are those who promote division, teaching doctrines not according to the word of God. They distort the truth to draw a following and do not serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Their smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. These are dangerous people whose mouths must be stopped. As enemies of the cross of Christ, false teachers are doomed to destruction. The greatest danger is not realizing the wolves are among the sheep. They look and act like sheep, but they are not.

Satan has worked hard to destroy the church. His most effective tool is to use those within the church to destroy the church from within dressed as sheep. As an angel of light, Satan deceives people to believe his lies and follow his pernicious ways to eternal destruction. The apostle John warned the early disciples to test the spirits. He did not want them to believe every spirit but to test the spirits to see whether they were of God. There is a need to test the spirit of men because many false prophets have gone out into the world – and they can be in the church of the Lord. Paul warned that if anyone teaches anything contrary to the doctrine of Christ, he is to be anathema or cursed. Beware of savage wolves in the church of the Lord.