The next words of Jesus show that many who would claim to be his followers would fall short in this regard: “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’

Matt. 7:22,

“In that day,” when God executes judgment against his enemies (Zech. 14:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:1, 2; 2 Pet. 3:10-12), “many” will seek favorable consideration by claiming to have accomplished remarkable feats ‘in his name,’ that is, as if representatives of Jesus Christ and by means of divine power obtained through him.

They will ask: “Did we not prophesy [that is, utter divine communications and perhaps predictions of future events] in your name?” But such ‘prophesying’ is not a sure identification of true Christian discipleship. According to the Scriptures, predictions that sometimes came true, as well as messages delivered as if by divine authority, were proclaimed also by false prophets.​—Deut. 13:1-3; Jer. 14:14.

Some would boast that they ‘expelled demons in his name.’ There are persons in Christendom today who claim to have such power. But the practice of casting out demons (by means of mystical rites) has always been a feature of non-Biblical religions. Moreover, certain Jews of the first century C.E. expelled demons by means of magical formulas that they believed were handed down from King Solomon.a

It is not supernatural prophesying, expelling of demons or any other “powerful works” (miracles) that identify true Christians. In fact, when foretelling the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the present system of things, Jesus declared: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.” (Matt. 24:24) Such false prophets, impostors, would appear right in the Christian congregation and would attempt to lead astray many of its members.​—Acts 20:29; 2 Pet. 2:2, 3, 10-22; Jude 4, 8-13, 16-19.

As noted above, Jesus pointed out that the genuine Christian would be “the one doing the will of my Father.” And what is the Father’s “will” for this day? As foretold by Jesus, it is that “this good news of the [established] kingdom . . . be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations” before the end comes. (Matt. 24:14) Do the sects of Christendom proclaim God’s kingdom to be at hand? No, for they regard it as something merely in the hearts of people, or in the far-distant future. They hypocritically give lip service to Jesus, but they refrain from doing the will of his Father. It is left to the comparatively small group known as Jehovah’s Witnesses to “declare good news of good things” of God’s Kingdom purposes “to the extremities of the inhabited earth.”​—Rom. 10:15, 18; see also 1 Corinthians 9:16.