The Sign of Deception
3. As He sat on Mount of Olives, the Disciples came and asked privately, “Tell us, when these things shall be and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?”
4. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
5. “For many shall come in My Name, saying, “I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
Matthew 24:3-5
Warnings of Deception
In our world today, we have an abundance of information; the relevant question is whether or not any of it is true and useful. What is it about deception that should place believers on high alert? I believe Jesus gives us several things that we should watch.
First, the very warning means we should be alert in the end time. Be alert for satanic activity, be alert for our own desires and lusts that would result in our departure from faith. Be alert for those who make false claims about Christ. Be alert because the Coming of Christ is drawing near.
Second, believers should not be alarmed when deception comes. Don’t be alarmed by the cares of this world. These things that are happening in our day have caused many believers to resort to ungodly tactics to accomplish a godly mission. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid or anxious” because these things must come to pass. He also commanded us to not be alarmed because “no one can pluck us out of the Father’s hand.” The Church of the Living God cannot complete its mission of reaching the world for Christ by panicking. We must remain calm and confident because our Lord is with us through the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Third, the believer must align themselves with Christ and not with the world. We must be careful not to align ourselves and entangle ourselves in the affairs of this world. We are of Heaven’s Army and have been recruited by Christ Himself to speak, live, and earnestly serve in the way of holiness and righteousness. Paul sent a warning to Timothy that can apply to every believer “don’t get entangled with the affairs of this world.” 2 Timothy 2:4. The end of that verses states the reason for not being entangled with worldly affairs; we must “please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.” In other words, if I am to serve Christ, I cannot divide my allegiance with anything else or anyone else. Be committed to Christ and Christ alone.
Why are people deceived?
Please note that Deception will be the sign of the end time. The Disciples asked Jesus specifically for three specific things. They asked, 1) Tell us, when these things shall be, and 2) what will be the sign of Your coming, and 3) of the end of the world?” They wanted to know when the events would happen when the Temple would be destroyed. They wanted to know what would be the sign of the Lord’s return. Lastly, they wanted to know what would be the sign of the end of the world. They asked three things, but Jesus gave them one thing. His reply was simple and yet most powerful. Jesus answered and said to them, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” The balance of His warning was centered around how the deception would take place and what would happen as a result of the deception. Jesus warning against deception was one that focused on keeping the heart of the believer pure, keeping the mind of the believer sharp, and keeping the walk of the believer true to the faith.
So what is it that causes people to be deceived? How are people deceived? I believe there are four general areas of deception. The first is self-deception – denying or rationalizing the significance or importance of evidence to the contrary of what is believed or felt. The Bible says that no one should think more highly of themselves than they ought to think, but to think soberly as God has allotted to every person the measure of faith. Romans 12:3. Self-deception occurs when we take our mind off of God’s gift and we look at ourselves as the gift. At that point, the only desire is to elevate self rather than exalting God’s purpose and God’s person.
The second deception comes from information overload. Information overload leads to destruction as people become confused and cannot discern between right or wrong due to too much data. Some people would explain away other information as listening to alternative arguments and expanding the mind through other viewpoints. When it comes to what Christians should know, we have to look at Biblical priorities. One, you must believe. Hebrews 11:6, Without faith it is impossible to believe God, for anyone who comes to God must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. You don’t need to know about all others who claim to be God. Jesus said, in the end time deception, many false Christ will arise, but don’t listen to them. Two, we must be saved. Salvation of your soul and mine is the top priority of Heaven not all other topics of interest. If Salvation is Heaven’s priority then it ought to be mine. When Jesus came to earth, He could have gotten involved with a lot of other things like taking over the government of Rome. That was not His priority. Making a way for us to be saved was the most important mission and when He accomplished that mission by going to the Cross, He said “It is finished.” Don’t be deceived by other issues because salvation is the number one topic of Heaven. Third, you must be about God’s business. As Christians we are to be sold out followers of Jesus. Our deception comes when we get on other “paths of interest” to the demise of our soul. We recognize that we are in trouble when we start losing our peace of mind and sense of purpose. If not corrected, this leads to conflicts with others, restlessness, and ultimately bitterness because we don’t have the peace of God anymore. Doing the will of God is not optional.
The third deception is due to lack of information – attempting to reach a conclusion without access or acceptance of all relevant facts. A classic example of this is people who refuse to read instructions or guidelines. How many worthwhile projects have ended in disaster due to lack of information or instructions? This deception can occur on two fronts. We can lean on our own understanding only to get to the point where we don’t know where to go or how to move forward due to lack of information. Then, there is the other lack of information that comes from the outside where people will cast doubt on our efforts. The latter becomes more devastating because of our need for acceptance and the feeling of accomplishment. Here is the Good News. God has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, to reprove us when we are wrong, and to convict us when we sin and fall short of God’s glory. When you have the Holy Spirit’s guidance you don’t have to argue with outsiders about your mission. You can say like Nehemiah, “we are about a great work and we can’t come down.” Nehemiah 6:3.
The fourth area of deception is based on false information – believing convincing arguments without investigation and inspection. President Ronald Reagan once said, “trust but verify.” This statement related to the nuclear arms agreement and the need to inspect what the other side has committed to. This same would apply to our hearing information today. Jesus said, “For many shall come in My Name, saying, “I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” This deception that is based on false information is 1) Intentional – They will come in My Name. 2) The deception will be totally false, because they will be saying “I am Christ.” Jesus warned that some will be subtle and say things like “you need my material for you to understand the Bible.” The truth is you only need the Holy Spirit and an open heart to understand the Bible. 3) The deception will be destructive – you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. People will fight over ideologies, philosophies, and viewpoints. They have done this in the past, but the end time will be anarchy to the point of neighbor fighting neighbor and turmoil will invade households as people disagree and kill each other over false information. It’s like the beliefs of some who go as far as to say, “Abortion is murder, and I will shoot anyone who disagrees with me.” 4) The deception will be Massive – many will be deceived. Matt. 24:22 warns us that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
What can the Righteous do about Deception?
What can godly people do about deception? I could tell you don’t believe the lie, but that would be simplistic and would tend to lead us toward self-deception. The best warning against deception is simply to follow Jesus. If there is one thing that is clear, all deception ultimately comes from the Devil. He even attempted to deceive Jesus and keep our Savior from the Mission His Father had given. The temptations of Satan came in three areas. These are the same three areas that we will face attacks today. The devil will try to deceive you about your identity, your provisions, and your destiny.
Please note that when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he made the statement, “If you are the Son of God.” That deception was to first get Jesus to doubt His identity. When Jesus was baptized, God the Father had already confirmed Jesus identity as “My Beloved Son.” The devil came later to deceive Jesus into thinking that He was someone else and could do something else other than His assignment. Do you see the deception in this? If your identity can be stolen, your mission can be destroyed. Jesus simply said, “it is written.” Overcoming identity deception can only be accomplished by proclaiming what God’s Word says about you. Don’t tell the devil what you think, tell the devil what God said.
The second deception comes in the form of doubting your resources. The devil said, “turn these stones into bread.” This deception is to cast doubt on whether or not God is going to take care of you. Jesus simply replied, It is written, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. When the devil tries to deceive you by telling you what you don’t have tell the devil you have God.
The third deception comes in the form of doubting your destiny. Satan’s third temptation to Jesus was all about accomplishing the Mission and receiving the authority over the kingdoms of the world. Satan said to Jesus, “I will give you that authority if you do one thing – bow down and worship me.” Jesus responded, “Get thee hence Satan, it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Know when and how to tell the Devil to leave you alone because your mind is made up.
Jesus does not want us stumbling and searching for answers in this age of deception. He wants you to know the truth. You don’t need to know everything but you do need to know the most critical things about your faith. Know that you are by abiding in Christ. Know what you have by believing that Christ supplies all your need. Know where you are going by following the Holy Spirit’s guidance.