And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many (Matthew 24: 4-5 KJV).
The first thing that Jesus addressed in His end time message in Matthew 24 was deception.
Sometimes the gospel (good news) is not just about news that sound good, but news that speak the truth.
We should not just summarize good news as news that is pleasing to the ear. We will be setting ourselves up for deception if we do so.
If someone else comes to tell us that many will be deceived, a lot of us will say "God forbid." However, Jesus Himself said so that many will be deceived.
Many will deceive many... It doesn't sound good, right. But that statement is not a suggestion but a reality we will confront.
To make it worse, those that will deceive many are not coming in the name of an idol but in the of Jesus. And when they come, they will introduce themselves as Christ.
It is only when one has a thriving relationship with THE Christ, that it will be impossible to be deceived by these people that call themselves Christ.
"The Christ" is different from "Christ"... Just like someone saying I am almighty, but the person is not THE Almighty. So those who deceive, come with the identity of who they are not.
These things must happen. Solution? Jesus says "Take heed that no man deceive you." Simple instruction, yet potent if applied properly. If you know the Christ closely, it will be possible to point out the impostor.
Just imagine someone disguising like your only wife whom you love and care for. Busted, right?. But someone like Jacob was deceived to marry the woman he did not love... He had not previously lived intimately with the one he loved. (Genesis 29:16-25).
When we know "the Christ" intimately, we will not be deceived by those who say they are "Christ."
The first thing that Jesus addressed in His end time message in Matthew 24 was deception.
Sometimes the gospel (good news) is not just about news that sound good, but news that speak the truth.
We should not just summarize good news as news that is pleasing to the ear. We will be setting ourselves up for deception if we do so.
If someone else comes to tell us that many will be deceived, a lot of us will say "God forbid." However, Jesus Himself said so that many will be deceived.
Many will deceive many... It doesn't sound good, right. But that statement is not a suggestion but a reality we will confront.
To make it worse, those that will deceive many are not coming in the name of an idol but in the of Jesus. And when they come, they will introduce themselves as Christ.
It is only when one has a thriving relationship with THE Christ, that it will be impossible to be deceived by these people that call themselves Christ.
"The Christ" is different from "Christ"... Just like someone saying I am almighty, but the person is not THE Almighty. So those who deceive, come with the identity of who they are not.
These things must happen. Solution? Jesus says "Take heed that no man deceive you." Simple instruction, yet potent if applied properly. If you know the Christ closely, it will be possible to point out the impostor.
Just imagine someone disguising like your only wife whom you love and care for. Busted, right?. But someone like Jacob was deceived to marry the woman he did not love... He had not previously lived intimately with the one he loved. (Genesis 29:16-25).
When we know "the Christ" intimately, we will not be deceived by those who say they are "Christ."
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