Lawrence Grott
If you’re curious about the timeframe for Christ’s return there’s little doubt you read the words of Jesus in His Olivet Discourse. You can find it in three of the four gospels (Matt 24 & 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21). His disciples ask Him directly, “what will be the sign of your return?” In His response we’re probably all familiar with the list of woes Jesus says will come prior to His return: Plagues, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars, family members turning on each other, etc.
When we read the list He gives, we see things none of us ever wants to experience. I’ve studied prophecy for several years, and always had that list in the back of my mind when I’d see these things occur with greater frequency as time marched on. To this day I believe these are important sign posts for us to be aware of as we excitedly await Christ Jesus’ return.
Is there a more crucial sign post in all three gospels mentioned that gets overlook? If you were to ask people to list the things Jesus said to look out for, I would bet 9/10 if not 10/10 would exclude the sign we’re going to be discussing. Often the bible does three things (among others) to convey importance. First is the frequency something’s repeated within a particular segment of scripture. Second is the order of importance things are listed. The most important can be listed first (as often is), or last (going from bad to worse) as seen in Proverbs. Third, things can be listed according to chronological order.
We’ve got all three examples in the gospels we’re examining. Everything Jesus tells the disciples to be on the lookout for in the gospels get mentioned one time. There is however, something that gets mentioned first and repeated four times in Matthew and Mark’s gospels. It’s mention first in Luke’s account, but only once because it’s the shortest of the three.
Matthew 24:4 (NASB). And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.”
He goes on to warn that many will come in His name to deceive and we are not to follow them. Why is that? By not being grounded in the truth, you’ll turn your back on the truth when trials and tribulations come. Look what it says in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians:
2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NASB). Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy (falling away) comes FIRST (emphasis added), and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
As the return of Christ nears you can be sure the rise of false teachers and prophets proclaiming a false gospel will increase. They started appearing shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. They’ve shown up throughout the last 2000 years. The Apostles Paul and Peter repeatedly give warning concerning this issue. Read what the Holy Spirit directed them to write (2 Thess, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, and Jude). There’re a lot of really good pastors preaching and teaching the true Word of God, but there are some twisting God’s word to make it say things it never said. When that happens it’s now man’s word not God’s.
A false teacher/deceiver isn’t someone that has a different understanding concerning a particular portion of scripture then you. I’m not advocating turning your back on a pastor or church because you don’t have the same understanding concerning a portion of scripture. The bible does do however, a thorough job defining what a false teacher is, so view things biblically before jumping the gun and labeling an individual in a way that’s not warranted.
The pastor of the church I attend desires the true Word of God to be taught. He’s always open to questions and conversations. I remember a church member questioned him in private on something said from the pulpit. His response was to thank her publicly for her courage in pointing out the issue and commended her for it. That’s a display of humility we should all strive to have. This is a quality you won’t find too often with a false teacher.
Although false teachers/deceivers will have to face judgement from Christ when He returns, the bible’s clear that we’re responsible for ourselves to not be deceived. We’ll have to face judgement for our choices also. So what’s our protection/defense from deception? The answer is in the Book of Acts:
Acts 17:11 (NASB) Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.
The pastors/teachers don’t tells us what they’re teaching’s true. We’re to receive with eagerness what’s being taught then we are to study daily so we can determine if we are being taught the truth. Prayer and being in the Word daily will protect you from deception. The deception people fall prey to today pales in comparison to what the antichrist will be capable of. If you can’t see through today’s false teachers/deceivers you may not have much of a chance when he shows up. I pray this is helpful as we eagerly await Christ Jesus’ return. God bless.
Lawrence Grott
If you’d like to learn more or get a copy of my book: The Purpose for the Passion, please visit me at: https://spiritandtruthministries.life 