5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
Jesus gives an important warning, do not be deceived. There is a lot of deception in religious matters and especially when it comes to the second coming or end times. There have been many groups throughout generations who have deceived people instructing them to sell their goods in seminars. Friends, people are trying to deceive you. You will find false teaching in magazines, TV, people coming and knocking on your doors. Many come to give you answers to life's problems. However, many people are here to lead into further blindness, loss of money, property, or worse yet, souls including their own soul.
Many come proclaiming they are Christians, quoting Bible verses and very moral individuals. They are easy to trust, but some are very bizarre, claiming to have supernatural powers, or claiming to be the Messiah, or their master is the savior of the world.
As you read the letters to the churches in the New Testament there are many references about false teachers and deceivers. Deception was a tactic of Satan from the Garden of Eden throughout Bible times and certainly continues to today.
There were in Jesus’ day Judiazers in Galatia and Gnostics in Timothy’s letters, and people who denied Jesus as Lord. There were others who said He was only spirit and not man. If you do not know your Bible you can easily be misled. We have all types of cults and people with a variety of ideas that frankly mislead a new Christian: Jehovah Witness, Mormons, Moonies, Unification church, Christian Science, transcendental meditation.
Many people do not like to talk about doctrine and theology. Perhaps those terms may turn you off, but what you believe about God, the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is very important for salvation. What you believe about sin, the cross, resurrection, heaven and hell is taught clearly in the Bible and some groups will often twist and turn those important doctrines because that is a tool of Satan to keep people from truth and freedom and salvation.
Jesus warned them and warns us now. There are people going all over the country to follow people who have had special visions or ecstatic emotional experiences.
Jesus never asked anyone to follow Him without it being voluntary. He never used secrets or forced anyone against their will. He told the truth and challenged people to check the Scriptures and see if it is true.
The atrocities of the Middle Ages during the Crusades where Christians would force Muslims to convert or kill them – that was not from God. Jesus calls individuals to Him in love, in forgiveness, and in rebirth, never to violence, manipulation or force.
Application: Search the scriptures daily that you may know truth and have the ability to discern deceptions.
Prayer: Father, Son and Holy Spirity, lead and guide me into all truth. I want to stand on the truth of Your inerrant Word.
