S75P2 – A tour through Matthew 24: a great deception
Matt. 24:3-5
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”
It was a chance encounter which seemed to be fate. He introduced himself as an executive at the local arena where her favorite band would be playing in the next couple weeks. Tickets were sold out, but he said that he could get her a few special passes because of who he was. Not only that, he could get them at a much lower price. Several days later she met him again and gave him the money her group had collected, but he did not have the passes. The plan was for her to go to the box office on the night of the show and give his name at the will-call window. When she arrived with her friends on that evening she was met with a shock. No one in that place knew who that man was. He had been a fake and a fraud, and she and her friends would be left outside in the cold, unable to see the show inside.
The objective of the false Christ is the same objective as the false prophet and the false teacher. They may lead us in different directions and on different paths by the use of different tactics, but the goal is always the same. All of these spiritual counterfeits want to keep us from entering the kingdom of God. God makes his kingdom available to us by only one way, and we cannot enter through any shortcuts or bypasses. If we read his word, we will know the signs which accompany the coming of the Lord. If we continue in the process of sanctification which God requires of his Church, we will be able to discern the fraudsters from the real thing. This deception is truly a matter of life and death, and our Father desires that we would have life.
The wise Christian will know that none of us are above being susceptible to deception. If we let down our guard for any period, if we decide to entertain even the smallest of sins, we open the door for unholy influences to take root. Our greatest weapon against this kind of deception is knowing who Jesus Christ is. If we really know who He is then we can spot the imposters. If we measure these men against the word of God and the discernment of the Holy Spirit within us, the Lord will show us the truth. We are more susceptible to deception if the Jesus we are awaiting is one we have fashioned in our own mind and not the genuine article. Father, make us a people who seek the true Lord, and give us wisdom to spot the false prophets, teachers and saviors in this world so that we would not fall to deception.