Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Mt 24:11
I have spent
some time over the years studying end time prophecies and have wondered about how we would see
this verse come to pass. I think we have seen some elements of this in various
cults that spring up, or when some obscure person steps up and claims they have
figured out when the apocalypse or the Rapture are going to happen. Or they may even claim they know the exact
date when Christ will be returning. Even
with all this, we really haven’t seen all that this verse implies.
Recently I
watched a short series of four episodes on mysteries of the bible. The first three turned out to be more along
the lines of scientists and theologians using science to explain away some of
the miracles and stories in the bible such as the ten plagues in Egypt, the crossing
of the Red Sea and the River Jordan, Noah’s Ark, the Ark of the Covenant and
such.
The last
episode was about the Book of Revelation and really went off in a strange
direction. Basically they were
describing John as a delusional, bitter old man who had it in for the Romans
because of what they had done to Christ and their persecution of the
church. In this, it was portrayed that
Revelation is just John’s spiteful attack on the Roman Empire and really has
nothing to do with any future events or the end times.
What
really struck me in this episode was that several of the people they talked to
held positions within the church. Some
were pastors of non-denominational churches, one in particular had been the
pastor of a rather large church who was asked to step down when his teaching
became extremely radical and he has since started another church. Others represented some of the major
denominations that you would easily recognize if I were to mention them here.
I do
believe God can use natural processes to accomplish His will here on Earth when
it suits His purposes, but there are times that God definitely suspends Natural
Law when there is something specific He is wanting to accomplish. It amazed me at how dismissive they were in
these episodes about some of the miraculous events in the bible, especially in
that last episode. It was in watching
the last episode that I started to gain a better understanding of what Jesus
meant in Matthew.
One of the
terms used to describe Satan is “deceiver.” (Rev 12:9) He has been doing this since the Garden of
Eden and is very good at it. We cannot
ever trust anything he says to us. We
also need to be aware that he may not actually lie to us so much as will
attempt to get us to question our beliefs.
Satan will use any means he can to spread the lie or to get people to
question the truth, including those in positions of authority in the
church. No matter how you want to look
at it is all comes down to deception.
So how do
we defend ourselves from the deception?
With the truth! If we are not
familiar with the truth, we will not be able to recognize the lie.
We are
told God’s word is truth, John 17:17; that God is not the author of confusion,
1 Corinthians 14:33; and that His word is a lamp that will illuminate our path,
Psalm 119:105. We are also told to study scripture and apply it to our lives,
Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2, Philippians 4:8, and 1 Timothy 4:13. Scripture makes it clear that we can trust in
the truth that is God’s word. Jesus even
made a point of telling us how it would benefit us in doing this: So
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are
truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.” (John 8:31-32)
We also
have an ace up our sleeve. We have the
Holy Spirit dwelling inside us. The Holy
Spirit is also called the Spirit of Truth and Jesus told us that the Holy
Spirit will guide us in truth, John 16:12-13.
There are many things the Holy Spirit can reveal to us, 1 Corinthians
2:9-10, and He can also help us when we don’t know what to say, Luke
12:12. Even with the help of the Holy
Spirit we still need to take the time to study scripture. The more we study the bible, the more the
Holy Spirit can reveal the truths contained in the bible.
Don’t
handicap yourself. The truth of God’s
word is one of the components of the Armor of God, Ephesians 6:13-20. Take time to study God’s Word. This will help you to be properly prepared
when you encounter the false prophets we are warned about, as well as, the lies
of the enemy. Be wary of teaching that
does not align with scripture. Prepare
yourself properly.
Seek the
truth!
