The New Testament warns believers that before Jesus returns his Church will be under assault from within by deceivers, “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets,” and it does so repeatedly. Before the “Day of the Lord” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “Man of Lawlessness,” a figure linked to the final “Apostasy,” the final great “falling away” from the true faith.
Continue readingDeceivers
An Urgent Warning
The discourse that Jesus gave on the Mount of Olives includes instructions for us about the future. In it, he warns repeatedly of the “many deceivers” and “false prophets” who will spread misleading information among his followers about his return and the end of the age, and otherwise strive to hoodwink “the elect, if possible.” Constant vigilance is vital for recognizing their deceptions and lies. Discernment is necessary for avoiding apostasy. The goal of these deceivers is to dupe and derail the Church, not the world at large.
Continue readingJezebel’s Siren Song
Scripture teaches the followers of Jesus to live as people who are distinct from the world. Not physically, but morally and spiritually separate from the “forms” and ideologies of the present evil age. They are to be “in the world but not of it.” Their mission is to call other men and women to “save themselves from this crooked generation” before Jesus arrives in glory and judges the world.
Continue readingEven an Angel
After a curt introduction, Paul begins his letter to the Galatians with a stern warning. What some members are contemplating amounts to replacing Jesus with a false messiah and a counterfeit gospel. To turn from the “faith of Jesus Christ” to circumcision and other “works of the law” as the basis of the faith is apostasy. Thus, the sternness of his language.
The Apostle to the Gentiles launched into a rebuke with words expressing his astonishment that the Galatians had departed so quickly from the gospel, one that included an ominous curse formula.
Continue readingIN THE CHURCH
John labels false teachers in the church as “antichrists,” and their deceptive teachings confirm that the “last days” have commenced.
The term “antichrist” occurs only in the second and third letters of John, and he applies the plural noun to deceivers that are causing dissension in his congregations. Their very presence constitutes irrefutable evidence that the “last days” have commenced. These troublemakers are “antichrists” and forerunners of the “Antichrist” who is to come.
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